Collections

How to Get the Most from These Collections

Each collection gathers articles around a single theme, so you can follow one thread of pirate history from start to finish rather than jumping between unrelated stories. If you are new to the subject, a sensible route is to begin with the period itself, then move on to the myths, and finish with the practical realities of life at sea. Seen in that order, the legends make more sense, because you already know the world they grew out of.

Start with the period

The years usually called the Golden Age of Piracy, roughly the late seventeenth century to the 1720s, shaped almost everything people picture when they hear the word pirate. Trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas was growing fast, colonial navies were stretched thin, and the end of major wars left many trained sailors without work. Our overview of what historians mean by the Golden Age of Piracy explains why the label is useful and where it falls short.

Then test the stories

Buried treasure maps, walking the plank and a single universal skull-and-crossbones flag are mostly products of later fiction, theatre and illustration. They are not drawn from trial records or eyewitness accounts. Reading the legends next to the documentary evidence shows how reputations were built, sometimes deliberately by pirates who wanted to frighten crews into surrendering without a fight. The profile of Blackbeard and the man behind the reputation is a good example of that gap between image and record.

Finish below decks

Ordinary sailors, whether pirate, merchant or naval, faced the same hard conditions. They lived with cramped quarters, disease, poor food, injury and the constant work of keeping a wooden ship afloat. Understanding that daily labour makes it easier to see why some men, and a few women, chose piracy at all. The articles on navigation, rigging and shipboard routine help put the more dramatic episodes in context.

New articles are added to collections over time. If you are looking for something specific, the sitemap lists every page on the site in one place.