Privateer: Did you mean...?

Pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730) both dished out and received a wide range of imaginative punishments. Victims of piracy endured torture, floggings, and ceremonies of humiliation, but when brought to justice, the pirates were...

During the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730), pirates were first and foremost after gold, silver, and jewels, but if these could not be grabbed, then a ship’s cargo would be taken for resale at a pirate haven. Shared amongst the crew, the...

The pirates of the ancient Mediterranean were not, for the most part, the outsiders who knew no country's allegiance and were the enemies of civilization as they are frequently depicted in novels and other media. They were often employed...

The treasure ship Madre de Deus (aka Madre de Dios) was a Portuguese vessel carrying hugely valuable cargo from the East Indies which was attacked and captured by a fleet of English privateers in the Azores in September 1592 CE. The ship...

The English mariner, privateer, and explorer Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596 CE) made his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580 CE. Only the second to achieve this feat after the expedition of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan...

The French exploration of New Zealand has been overshadowed by the achievements of British navigator Captain James Cook (1728-1779), but French navigators who visited Aotearoa's (New Zealand) shores named over 100 geographical places and...

An 18th-century portrait often attributed to James Thornhill of the Scottish privateer turned pirate Captain Kidd (c. 1645-1701). William Kidd was found guilty of piracy and hanged in 1701.

A c. 1591 CE portrait by Gheeraerts the Younger of the English mariner, privateer and explorer Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596 CE). Drake's arms are shown in the top left corner and the globe is in reference to his circumnavigation of the...

An 1837 illustration showing the fate of the Scottish privateer turned pirate Captain Kidd (c. 1645-1701). William Kidd was found guilty of piracy and hanged at Wapping Old Stairs, London in 1701. His body was then hung in chains to rot as...

A painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris showing the Scottish privateer turned pirate Captain Kidd (c. 1645-1701) in New York harbour. William Kidd was found guilty of piracy and hanged in 1701. (Library of Congress)