Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, and vessels used for piracy are called pirate ships. The earliest documented instances of piracy were in the 14th century BC, when the Sea Peoples, a group of ocean raiders, attacked the ships of the Aegean and Mediterranean civilisations. Narrow channels which funnel shipping into predictable routes have long created opportunities for piracy, as well as for privateering and commerce raiding.
Historic examples of such areas include the waters of Gibraltar, the Strait of Malacca, Madagascar, the Gulf of Aden, and the English Channel, whose geographic structures facilitated pirate attacks. The term piracy generally refers to maritime piracy, although the term has been generalized to refer to acts committed on land, in the air, on computer networks, and (in science fiction) outer space. Piracy usually excludes crimes committed by the perpetrator on their own vessel (e.g. theft), as well as privateering, which implies authorization by a state government.
Piracy or pirating is the name of a specific crime under customary international law and also the name of a number of crimes under the municipal law of a number of states. In the 21st century, seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue, with estimated worldwide losses of US$25 billion in 2023, increased from US$16 billion in 2004. (Full article...)
Anne Bonny (disappeared after 28 November 1720) was a pirate operating in the Caribbean, and one of the few female pirates in recorded history. What little that is known of her life comes largely from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates, though the information presented by Johnson about her is considered dubious.
Bonny was born at an unknown date. Prior to 22 August 1720, she moved to Nassau in the Bahamas, a sanctuary for pirates. It was there that she met Calico Jack Rackham. In August 1720, Rackam, with a crew including Bonny and another woman, Mary Read, stole a ship and became notorious pirates. Bonny was captured alongside Rackham and Read in October 1720. All pirates on board were sentenced to death, but Bonny and Read had their executions stayed because both claimed to be pregnant. Read died in jail around mid April 1721, but Bonny's fate is unknown. (Full article...)“ | Dedit haec insignia virtus | ” |
— (Trans: Bravery gave him nobility) René Duguay-Trouin's motto given to him by Louis XIV of France |
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