Piracy's Golden Age

To what extent did piracy in its “Golden Age” offer hope of a better life to those who embraced it?

To a large extent, the “Golden Age” of piracy had provided hope for a better life to those who embraced it. The Golden Age was between 1680-1730 and this saw an increase in piracy numbers. Many of these men had previous sea experience as merchant seamen or as Royal Navy sailors. The religious cold war between Protestant and Catholic had brought opportunity for quick gains from plunder and on pirate ships, egalitarianism had provided equal and fair democracy for pirates. These factors would have been crucial in persuading previous seamen into a life of piracy.

The way of life of a merchant seaman or a Royal Navy sailor had made piracy life
These skills were beneficial and some sailors had been promoted into high positions due to their abilities. An example of this is Captain Bartholomew Roberts. He was a merchant seaman on a slave ship called the Princess. Then Howell Davis, a pirate captain, had captured the ship and made Roberts one of his crew. Even though Roberts as reluctant, he moved quickly up the ranks because of his Welsh background, which was shared with Davis, as well as his skills as a navigator. Finally Roberts had decided to enjoy the pirate life as he realised that “a honest service” had “low wages, and hard labour.” Even though he was openly reluctant, the crew had voted him into the position of a captain due to his skills and his leadership. This had guided him to become one of the most successful pirates. Another factor that had drawn seamen to piracy was the opportunities to strike rich quickly. With many merchant ships carrying slaves and cargo, pirates had attacked these ships and taken their plunder and liberated the slaves. During this time, there was a religious cold war between the Catholic and Protestants. They were transporting manufactured goods and weapons by boat to the Caribbean and the New World. The two different Christian factions were competing with each other for more control. The English and Holland had joined under King William III in 1688 and were in a war against France. Spain had joined with France and transported their good to the New World. These transport ships were prime targets for pirates as well as privateers because they could benefit and gain from these opportunities for striking rich. An example of privateering against the Catholic alliance was Sir Francis Drake’s attack on the Catholic ships, plundering and taking the plunder in the name of England, hence gaining legitimacy for his acts. With low incomes, these seamen