
With books, stage plays, and even theme park rides, people have romanticized the pirate life for decades, taken in by the adventure, rebellion, and the allure of the open seas.
Despite the massive lexicon of pirate media in the mainstream, what most people think of as a pirate is stereotyped down to a few universally recognizable attributes. Unsurprisingly, real life pirates have historically been a far cry from the swashbuckling rogues that pop culture has made them out to be, with a long spanning history that evolved over time and persists to this day.
The roots of piracy can be traced as far back as when civilizations first began to take to the seas. In Ancient Greece there has been documentation of a Sea People, who terrorized seafarers in the Mediterranean, and infamously known for invading Ancient Egypt.
Age of Discovery
As seaborne trade expanded in the Middle Ages, pirates proliferated across the seas, with Viking raiders, Barbary corsairs, and Chinese pirates becoming notorious for their plundering ways. However, it was during the Age of Discovery, more specifically the Age of Sail, and the colonial era that piracy flourished on an unprecedented scale.
The term "pirate" generally evokes images directly inspired by the infamous Golden Age of Piracy, spanning roughly seventy years from the late 17th to the early 18th century. Despite only taking up a relatively small time frame of history, this era was jam packed with legendary pirates whose exploits would go on to inspire stories for centuries long after their short reigns, such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Anne Bonny and many more.
Most of these pirates operated close to the Caribbean, which provided easy access to intercept most of the major trade and exploration routes at the time, and also provided a lot of natural cover and escape routes. Once the global superpowers reinforced their naval forces, piracy immediately died down as the risks far outweighed any potential profits.
Today, the only real contemporary piracy movements operate in small groups, kidnapping and hijacking to ransom a profit. Modern pirates are often seen as more ruthless than classical pirates, though they are far less likely to kill, as they rely on not drawing too strong a response in retaliation.
Glorified
A lot about pirates of this era would go on to be greatly glorified and romanticized. For most of the public, pirates represented the epitome of a rebel, free to go where they pleased, do whatever they wanted without rules and get rich off stealing from the elites of society. The reality was quite different.
While the captain had some control, pirate crews formed some of the first working western democratic societies aboard their ships, where all crew members had a say in decision-making.
Living by a strict code, pirates divided loot equitably and ensured fair treatment of their members, generally better than what they would have on merchant ships. They did not leave much buried treasure, as they were sure to spend any loot they had as soon as they got it. No pirate has been known to retire either, the only ones that weren’t killed or executed were employed by the government or granted clemency and returned to civilian life.
That said, there was a lot told in fiction that accurately represented pirates as they were. Their distinctive attire, including eye patches, peg legs, and tricorn hats, became enduring symbols of piracy, though this would vary greatly from pirate to pirate, with some even being indistinguishable from noble gentry.
They were known to occupy themselves with pets on board, so animals like monkeys, parrots, cats etc. were common sights on pirate ships. Pirates also utilized specialized weapons such as cutlasses and flintlock pistols. British pirates also likely spoke in that specific comical accent, with the Shakespearean speech, however the majority were from around the world and spoke their own languages.
Place in literature
Pirates found their place in literature, with numerous authors immortalizing them in their works. The classic novel "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson stands as a timeless tale of adventure and buried treasure, introducing iconic characters like Long John Silver and is the origin point for many of the most common pirate tropes.
Other literary works, such as "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates" by Captain Charles Johnson, and the many adaptations of “Peter Pan” further cemented pirates' status as captivating figures of literature, capturing readers' imaginations with tales of daring voyages, swashbuckling sword fights, and hidden riches.
Pirates continued their conquest of popular culture with the advent of cinema. However, it was the Disney franchise "Pirates of the Caribbean" that propelled pirate-themed movies to new heights of popularity and dominated the modern audiences perceptions of what pirates looked and acted like.
Pirates have continued to flourish in other forms of modern media, infiltrating video games like "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" and "Sea of Thieves," which had opposing approaches towards the historical accuracy of piracy. The long running anime One Piece, though taking place in a completely fantastical world, takes direct inspiration from real life aspects and figures of piracy. The biographical movie, ‘Captain Phillips’ (2013), and the anime ‘Black Lagoon’, are some works that portray the rarely depicted contemporary pirates.