 Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime
Piracy
Cindy Vallar, Editor
& Reviewer
P.O. Box 425,
Keller, TX 76244-0425
 
Welcome aboard Pirates and
Privateers, a site devoted to the history
of maritime piracy, privateering, and the sea
before the Age of Steam.
Within these pages you will find articles
dealing with the history and culture of these
topics from ancient times to modern day. Click
one of the links above or below to explore the
treasures within this website.
Each month, I send out a newsletter
about the latest article and reviews posted
here. I also include information that doesn't
appear at Pirates and Privateers, but is
still of interest to adherents of piracy and
maritime history. By subscribing to the
newsletter, you'll never miss out on the latest
happenings here at Pirates and Privateers.
As
always, if you have a question about pirates,
please write
and ask. If there is a particular pirate
or subject, you'd like me to write about, let
me know.
One cautionary note for those
seeking genealogical information: Historical
records about pirates are rare. Much of what
is known comes from government records,
newspaper accounts, and the few contemporary
accounts written during a particular period.
This information rarely contains details
pertinent to what you need to know to identify
an ancestor. The simple fact is that the vast
majority of pirates' names remain unknown. I cannot answer
genealogical questions. Instead, I recommend
contacting genealogical depositories and
websites, historical societies, and
national archives --
places where the librarians and curators are
better trained to assist in this type of
query.
A special note to teachers
and students: If
you need help with a project or
report, please contact
me. Should you use any of my
articles or reviews, please let me
know and remember to include the
proper citation. The majority of
material contained with this
website is copyrighted.
Fair winds and
following seas,
Cindy
(site last updated 22 May 2026)
Pirate Quotes of the
Month
. . . though it may be
thought by some a pretty severe thing, to
put an English-man to Death without a
Jury, yet it must be remembered, that the
Wisdom and Justice of our Nation, for very
sufficient and excellent Reasons, have so
ordered it in the Case of Piracy.
~ Queen’s Advocate Thomas
Newton, 1707
You will bear in mind that this is not a
case affecting only our lives or property,
but one in which the whole world is
interested. Now that Commerce is extending
her relations into every portion of the
globe, and every sea is whitening with her
sails, it is our duty to throw the
protection of the law around those who go
down to the sea in ships – it is
that alone which can give security to the
mariner and guard the interests of the
whole civilized world.
~ Prosecuting attorney at
trial of the Saladin pirates,
1844
. . . It has been a long hard road for
them to get to this day, but hopefully
this conviction will deter other pirates.
I hope this case serves as a warning that
the world will no longer tolerate this
crime and that those who engage in it can
expect tough justice when they are caught.
~ Director, International
Maritime Bureau, 2003
after court sentenced pirates to seven
years imprisonment for seizure of MV Alondra
Rainbow
 May Article |
 May
Reviews |
Win, Lose, or
Draw
Law & Order: Pirate Edition (part 9)
I don’t recall where the idea
for this series on piracy and law came
from, but my initial interest may have
stemmed from my uncle, an esteemed lawyer.
As I collected information during the past
two decades on the laws and trials of
pirates, both in the past and the present,
it seems as if sometimes the pirates win,
sometimes the good guys win, and sometimes
no one wins. Before I end Law & Order:
Pirate Edition, I leave you with three
cases that kind of mirror the frustration
that comes with trying to suppress piracy.
As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “Justice
will not be served until those who are
unaffected are as outraged as those who
are.”
|
Rising Tides
edited
by Scott Colby & Alana Joli Abbott
Fantasy, Science
Fiction
The
Dying Trade
by David
Donachie
Nautical
Fiction
Oak
Island
Treasure
Revelations
by Cerris
Francis
History: Piracy
|
|
|
Pirate & Maritime News
|
Events & Activities
|
Some pages remain in the
old style, while others are in the new
style. We apologize for this. After
twenty-four years, there are many
pages to overhaul and this takes time.
We appreciate your understanding and
patience.
The
International Pirate Hall of Fame
Announces Fifth Class of Inductees
Since
2021, the Pirate Community at
large has been celebrating and
recognizing people, past and
present, who have made
significant contributions to
pirate lore and history. They do
so by submitting nominations to
the International
Pirate Hall of Fame. More
than 500 such recommendations
were received for the Class of
2025, including reenactors,
musicians, acts, treasure
hunters, historians, and
artisans. The Review Committee
narrowed these nominees down to
thirty and from these, the
Selection Committee chose the
following ten finalists
to be inducted into the Class of
2025.
Jeanne
de Clisson, pirate
Zach McGowan, actor
Arthur Whittman,
"Cascabel"
Emmanuel Wynn,
pirate
Sir Francis Drake,
privateer & pirate
Cindy Vallar, author
& historian
Teuta of Illyria,
queen & pirate
Chad Cook, "Captain
Silverbeard"
Hans Zimmer,
composer & producer
Walt Disney,
president & visionary
I
am truly honored. Thank
you!
~ Cindy
|
Setting
Sail
9 March 2026 -
23 January
2027
Rosenberg
Library Museum
Galveston,
Texas
The Navy and Painters Exhibit
13 May - 2
August 2026
Musée National
de la Marine
Paris, France
Maritime Festival
6 June 2026
Port Angeles, Washington
Falmouth International
Sea Shanty Festival
12-14 June 2026
Falmouth, United Kingdom
Blackbeard Pirate
Festival
13-14 June 2026
Hampton, Virginia
Kingston Pirate
Festival
16 June 2026
Kingston, Washington
Windjammer Days
21 June - 27 June 2026
Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Privateer Days
26-28 June 2026
Nova Scotia, Canada
Pirates Landing
27 June 2026
Seattle, Washington
Sail 250th New York
4 July 2026
New York City, New York
Smith Mountain Lake Pirate
Days
17-19 July 2026
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
|
The Rebel & the Spy
These
five people played roles in the War of 1812.
James Madison (far left) was president at
the time and, in my current
work-in-progress, he has a special
assignment for Lucas Burnett, one of the
protagonists in the novel. Jean Laffite
(beside Madison) operates a smuggling
operation, based on barrier islands
southwest of New Orleans. One of his
captains, is Dominique You, whose sister
Alexine has been raised in this nefarious
world of smugglers, pirates, privateers, and
cutthroats. Dolley Madison is the country's
presidentress (first lady) and plays a vital
role in preserving some of our national
treasures during the British invasion of
Washington City. General Andrew Jackson
(second from right) has no intention of
allowing the British to gain entry to the
United States through its back door (the
Mississippi). Governor William C. C.
Claiborne (far right) is Lucas's cousin and
a constant thorn in Laffite's side. They
come together within the pages of The
Rebel & the Spy, a historical
novel where it's not always easy to decide
who is the rebel and who is the spy.
The links below are to a gallery of places
depicted in my novel and a resource list for
those seeking information on the people
pictured above, pirates, ships in the age of
sail, the Battle of New Orleans, the
invasion and burning of Washington, the
bombardment of Fort McHenry, and much more.
(Please note that these pages are updated
from time to time, so check back to see
what's been added.) I hope you enjoy.
Pirates & Privateers
Newsletter
Each month I alert
readers to the posting of the
latest piracy article and book
reviews, new additions made to the
website, and interesting maritime
tidbits. If you would like to
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& Privateers Newsletter,
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If you're not sure,
here's a sample
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you enjoy!
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to subscribers: If you fail
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welcome to resubscribe if that
occurs.
Copyright ©2023 Cindy
Vallar
Click to contact me
Background image compliments
of Anke's Graphics |
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