While Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films are mostly fictional, the Caribbean was the center of piracy during its so-called Golden Age. But when did the Golden Age of Piracy occur? 

العصر الذهبي للقرصنة وقع بين عامي 1650 و1730. خلال هذه الفترة، كانت معدلات السطو والجرائم أعلى في بحار الكاريبي، الأطلسي الشرقي، والمحيط الهندي.

العصر الذهبي للقرصنة

Though pirates existed even during ancient times, according to historians, the Golden Age of Piracy was in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though heavily disputed, most historians accept that the golden age was between 1650 to 1730. During this time, it was reported that more than 5,000 pirates were on the open seas. (Source: Royal Museums Greenwich)

The Golden Age also refers to only the pirates reported having operated on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Indian Ocean, and the waters off the coast of West Africa. The specific age doesn’t include other pirates reported having operated in other parts of the world, hence only referred to primarily British, American, Dutch, and French pirates.

Historians hypothesized that several men, and some women, were attracted to a life in the open seas because they couldn’t find meaningful employment after serving in the wars between England and France. These pirates were also enticed to the knowledge that the Age of Exploration brought about many ships transporting valuable items and was an easy target since they were usually lightly guarded. (Source: World History)

قراصنة مشهورون في العصر الذهبي

This specific period of piracy produced many noteworthy and infamous pirates of their time. Here are a few of them and some interesting facts about them. (Source: Royal Museums Greenwich)

بلاكبيرد

Blackbeard was probably the most notorious and famous pirate in all history. He was born Edward Teach. Blackbeard developed his image, as the pirates’ first weapon against their enemies was fear. Known for having a knack for theatrics, Blackbeard was always heavily armed with knives, cutlasses, and pistols. During battles, he would light up the fuses he set on his thick, tangled hair, so when he attacked, his face was surrounded with smoke, creating a terrorizing effect that would frighten whoever he faced. 

الكابتن نيد لو

كان إدوارد لو معروفًا بوحشيته تجاه ضحاياه. وقد أُفيد أنه كان يستمتع بشكل مفرط بتعذيبهم بقطع أنوفهم وآذانهم وشفاههم. كما كان معروفًا بتعذيب وقتل طواقم السفن بأكملها التي يلتقطها.

ماري ريد

ماري ريد كانت قرصانة تنتمي إلى سفينة كاليكو جاك راكام. وفقًا للمؤرخين، انضمت ماري ريد إلى الجيش البريطاني متنكرة في زي جندي رجل. عندما ذهبوا إلى البحر، تم أسر سفينتهم من قبل كاليكو جاك. بدلاً من أن تُقتل، انضمت ريد إلى طاقم جاك. عندما تم أسر طاقم راكام في جامايكا، تم إعدام جميع أفراد الطاقم باستثناء ريد وقرصانة أخرى، آن بوني، اللتين كانتا حاملتين في ذلك الوقت.

آن بوني

آن بوني كانت ربة منزل غير سعيدة تبحث عن الإثارة في حياتها. التقت بكاليكو جاك وانضمت إليه وإلى طاقم القراصنة الخاص به. مشابهًا لماري ريد، تنكرت بوني بارتداء ملابس الرجال وتصرف كالرجل.

(المصدر: عرض القراصنة كانكون)