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VERSION FRANCAISE

Pirates des Amériques

Corsaires ou pirates ?

De 1660 à 1730, la piraterie connaît un âge d’or. Les pirates, aussi appelés flibustiers, agissent illégalement, et sont principalement actifs dans les Caraïbes. A l’inverse, le gouvernement britannique donne à certains des lettres de marque permettant d’être corsaire, des pirates légaux sous les ordres du roi.

 

I. La piraterie comme choix de vie

“Au moins mille pirates étaient en activité entre 1715 et 1726, 25 à 30% d’entre eux étaient noirs.” (Michel Le Bris)

Au sein des équipages de pirates, on trouve une égalité sociale et économique proche d’une démocratie dans le vote du capitaine et le partage du butin, et ce même pour les anciens esclaves noirs, présents en nombre sur les navires pirates. Devenir pirate est donc pour eux souvent un choix de vie. Cependant, ils sont considérés comme inférieurs en statut, souffrant de discrimination face à la justice. Ils sont souvent traités avec moins d’humanité et leurs procès ne sont pas toujours équitables. Mais cela ne les empêche pas de se lancer dans la piraterie, synonyme pour eux de liberté.

La majorité des flibustiers sont d’anciens marins maltraités par la marine royale. Si l’espérance de vie des pirates est courte, leur condition est tout de même meilleure que dans la marine. Ils peuvent consommer de l’alcool, réservé aux officiers sur les navires royaux, et désertent souvent la marine royale pour éviter les flagellations courantes. La piraterie attire davantage que le métier de marin, et donne l’opportunité à tout le monde de s’essayer à cette liberté.

Les enfants et les femmes ne sont généralement pas autorisés à embarquer à bord des navires pirates. Mais cela n’a pas empêché certaines femmes pirates de devenir célèbres, à l’instar d’Anne Bonny et Mary Read, deux amies s’étant fait passer pour des hommes pour intégrer la piraterie.

Née en Angleterre, Mary Read est forcée à se grimer pour ressembler à son frère décédé ; sa mère veut que ses beaux-parents continuent de lui verser de l’argent. Plus tard, Mary se rend dans les Caraïbes où elle décide de se joindre aux pirates ayant attaqué son bateau. Anne Bonny quant à elle, naît en Irlande avant d’émigrer en Caroline du Sud avec ses parents. En 1718, elle tombe amoureuse du pirate Jack Rackham, aussi appelé Calico Jack.

En 1720, Mary et Anne sont emprisonnées. Elles sont alors enceintes, c’est ce qui leur a permis d’échapper à la peine de mort.

Le père d’Anne la fait libérer tandis que Mary meurt en prison.

 

II. Être pirate au quotidien

Le plus souvent, les nouvelles recrues ne sont pas forcées de rejoindre l’équipage, c’est un choix. Il existe donc un sentiment d’appartenance et un code social qui régissent le quotidien et assurent le fonctionnement du navire. Les rôles sont bien répartis parmi les membres de l’équipage. Le capitaine et son second dirigent le bateau, le maître d’équipage s’occupe de son entretien avec le charpentier, le canonnier gère les canons… Certains équipages possèdent même un chirurgien. Mais ces derniers sont rares, et donc très convoités par les autres équipages pirates.

Malgré la liberté et les possibilités qu’offre la vie de flibustier, cette dernière n’est pas dénuée d’inconvénients. La faim, le froid, les blessures ou encore la maladie comme la malaria ou la fièvre jaune sont monnaie courante. Il est fréquent que l’équipage souffre de famine et doive consommer des aliments périmés. Cela les force à se concentrer sur les ressources alimentaires et sanitaires des navires qu’ils pillent.

Une carrière de pirate est courte. Maladies, naufrages, batailles, rares sont les pirates qui ont accès à une retraite. Pour obtenir cette dernière, un document du capitaine attestant d’un “choix forcé” de rejoindre l’équipage est nécessaire. Quoi qu’il en soit, la plupart des pirates sont pendus lors d’exécutions publiques après leur capture par la Marine, exposés aux yeux de tous comme un avertissement. Une justice expéditive qui divise autant qu’elle divertit.

 

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ENGLISH VERSION

Pirates of the Americas

Privateers or pirates ?

From 1660 to 1730, the “era of piracy” went through a golden age. Those Pirates of the Americas, also known as buccaneers, were mostly active in the Caribbeans. As for privateers, their main base was located in Baltimore, Maryland. The buccaneers were outlaws, as they did not have credentials, while privateers were given a letter of marque and reprisal from the British Government, allowing them a certain freedom.

 

I. Piracy as a choice

“A thousand pirates at least were active between 1715 and 1726, and 25 to 30% were Black.” (Michel Le Bris)

In pirate crews, there was no class distinction, to the point that we may consider they applied a form of democratic rule. They elected their captain, all crew members had the right to vote and would receive a part of the gain. Whether they were Black or white, everyone was allowed to carry a weapon. Becoming a pirate did have some advantages for Black fugitive slaves who craved for freedom. It was an opportunity for them to have power and money. However, if they were captured on a pirate ship, this freedom would be taken away, and they could be sold back to their former master.

Most buccaneers were former sailors who had been mistreated by the Royal Navy. Even if the lifespan of pirates was shorter than that of Royal Navy sailors’, they were allowed to drink alcohol, a drink which was set aside for the officers on the royal ships. Those sailors who chose to leave wanted to escape the prevalent practice of flogging by their superior officers. Even if the captain of a pirate ship had the highest authority on board, he didn’t have full powers. As he had been elected by his crew, and thus had limited powers, there was more equality aboard pirate ships than in the Royal Navy.

 

Mary Read and Anne Bonny

In general, children and women were not allowed to board pirate ships. Nevertheless, there were famous women in piracy, such as Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Both were illegitimate children. Born in England, Mary Read was forced by her mother to dress like her dead brother. Later on, Mary went to the Caribbean where she decided to join the pirates who attacked the ship she was on.

As for Anne Bonny, she was born in Ireland. She emigrated to South Carolina with her parents. She later ran away and married a sailor named James Bonny, thus renouncing her inheritance. In 1718, she met Jack Rackham, also called Calico Jack. They fell in love and became pirates together. In 1720, Mary and Anne were pregnant so they were put in jail instead of being killed. Anne was saved by her father while Mary died in jail.

 

II. A pirate’s daily life

Most of the time, pirates did not force new recruits to join them in order to avoid any mutiny. Thereby, it created a sense of belonging and a strict organization in their daily life. The captain needed to have great leadership, diplomacy and fighting skills. The quartermaster took command if the captain died. He was in charge of distributing food, punishments and the pirates’ share of the loot. The bosun and the carpenter participated in fixing the ship. Some pirates crews even had surgeons to treat wounds. However, surgeons were rare and therefore precious for the crews who had one.

Even if by joining a pirate crew these men gained more freedom, there were important disadvantages. They could suffer from cold, back pain and hunger. The few surgeons in the royal navy and pirate crews could not do anything to cure lethal diseases and major wounds. Badly injured men were left at the next harbor or left dying. Diseases such as malaria and the yellow fever were dangerous and common. As a result, pirates would not forget to raid the medicine chests of the ships they targeted.

A pirate’s career was often short. Those who survived diseases, shipwrecks and battles could return to a normal life. Their captain would write them a note, stating that they were “forced into piracy” so that they would not have any problems with the authorities. Nonetheless, most of the pirates who were caught ended up being hung. They were put on the harbor, facing the sea as a warning for other pirates. These hangings were public events that would divide people’s opinion. It was both an instance of swift justice and a spectacle.

 

III. Iconic pirates during the "Golden Age of piracy"

Edward Teach - Blackbeard

From 1716 to 1718, Blackbeard spread fear in the Caribbean sea and on the coasts of the Atlantic. His singular look consisted in a beard styled with black ribbons, together with his famous three pistols and his saber. He was feared because of his ruthlessness and preferred to attack merchant ships. His ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, was in fact a former slave ship named la Concorde.

In the fall of 1718, the governor of Virginia ordered his arrest while he was in his hideout on the Ocracoke island. The governor sent sloops, led by Robert Maynard who killed Edward Teach during that battle. The legend says that a pirate asked Blackbeard the location of his treasure and he answered “only the devil and I know where it is.” Blackbeard’s ship was found, but his treasure has not been found yet...

 

Captain William Kidd

The Scottish pirate’s execution was a turning point in the British government’s fight against piracy. A loyal privateer of the Royal Navy, he was known as a man respecting rules rather than as a ruthless pirate. He was categorized as a pirate because of his crew’s initiative to attack the Quedah Merchant. William Kidd became an enemy of the government in spite of himself.

After a failed attempt to clear his name, William Kidd was captured on the 6th of July, 1699 in Boston. He was found guilty and hanged in London on the 23th of May, 1701. His trial as well as his corpse - displayed for years - were tools for the government to end piracy and implement anti-pirate laws.

 

Ecrit par / Written by Stefany Le Kernec & Félix Texeraud

 

BILIOGRAPHIE / BIBLIOGRAPHY

Buti, Gilbert et Hrodej Philippe, Dictionnaire des corsaires et des pirates, 2013.

Buti, Gilbert et Hrodej Philippe, Histoire des pirates et des corsaires, de l‘antiquité à nos jours, Paris, CNRS Edition, 2013 (édition 2016).

Cawthorne, Nigel. A History of Pirates : Blood and Thunder on the High Seas, 2004.

Ducoin, Jacques, Barbe noire et le négrier la Concorde, Paris, Glénat, 2010.

Faucquez, Anne-Claire, « Captain Kidd », XVII-XVIII [En ligne], 76, 2019.

Hanna, Mark G., Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire, 1570-1740, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 2015.

Lane, Kris E, Robert M. Levine, Pillaging the Empire : Global Piracy on the High Seas 1500-1750, New York, Routledge, 2015.

Le Bris, Michel, L’aventure de la flibuste, actes du colloque de Brest 3-4 mai 2001 sous la direction de Michel Le Bris, Paris, Hoëbeke/ Abbaye Daoulas, 2003.

Matthews, John, Pirates, Paris, Milan jeunesse, 2006.

Rediker, Marcus, Villains of All Nations : Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age, Boston, Beacon Press, 2004.

Sténuit, Marie-Eve, Femmes pirates : les écumeuses des mers, 2015.