Search results
Pirate is the most general of the four terms. Originating with the Greek peiratēs, meaning brigand, it can be applied to a wide range of nautical misbehavior, including coastal raiding and intercepting ships on high seas. Robbery, kidnapping, and murder all qualify as piratical activities, provided there’s some water and a boat involved.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. [1] Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or delegated authority issued commissions, also referred to as letters of marque, during wartime.
Mar 4, 2019 · Corsairs. Corsair is a word in English applied to foreign privateers, generally either Muslim or French. The Barbary pirates, Muslims who terrorized the Mediterranean from the 14th until the 19th centuries, were often referred to as "corsairs" because they did not attack Muslim ships and often sold prisoners into enslavement. During the "Golden ...
Sep 20, 2012 · Greetings readers, and welcome back to the Library blog. As we delve deeper into the realm of piracy, a lot of potentially confusing terms are used to make sense of the men and women who struggled over wealth in the late 17th and early 18th century Caribbean. Terms like Pirate, Buccaneer, and Privateer crop up with noticeable frequency, and are often used as synonyms. However, each of these ...
Jan 18, 2022 · While the terms ‘buccaneer’ and ‘corsair’ can refer to both pirates and privateers, the difference between the former pair had more to do with geography. ‘Corsair’ was the name given to those operating on the Mediterranean Sea and the Barbary Coast of North Africa, many of whom were privateers authorised by their governments in the ...
- Elinor Evans
Sep 9, 2012 · Privateers. Privateers were essentially "legal pirates", engaging in activities that could only be described as piracy but which had the express support and authority of a sovereign nation. Privateers were usually used during times of war to attack ships and coastal areas belonging to enemy nations.
People also ask
Is pirate a synonym for privateer?
Are privateer and pirate the same thing?
Why are pirates called Corsairs?
What is a pirate & what does it mean?
Who are some famous historical pirates?
What does a privateer do?
Jan 24, 2023 · Privateers were often seen as less dangerous than pirates, causing them to be hunted less vigorously. Pirate hunting was done by both government forces and privateers themselves, though the former would act more frequently. Privateer vessels often carried pardons or amnesties from the authorities to avoid confrontation with naval vessels.
