Sea horses and sea kings Wolfgang Akunov The people of full-fledged countries are brave, Great is their One God, the sea is gloomy. Aria of the Varangian Guest. Forward, forward, people of Christ, people of the Cross, people of the king! The battle cry of the Norwegian king Olav the Saint. Translated into Russian

How Ancient Altai was discovered The Altaians were just discovering the world, populated new lands. They, without knowing it, were preparing outstanding event, which has not yet begun, but for which there were ideal conditions, created by nature and man... The movement of people from Altai will be

How Ancient Altai was Discovered And those Ural settlers who did not lose contact with Altai, who visited here, their ancient homeland, were probably later called Turks. As well as the Altai people themselves. Although, perhaps, this statement is debatable. When the glory of Arkaim, Sintasht and

I. About concepts...

Pirates. This is the word in different time pronounced with different feelings: with delight, favorably, with horror... The living conditions of society changed - the attitude towards piracy, one of the most ancient crafts of man, changed.

Word "pirate"(in Latin pirata) comes in turn from the Greek peirates, with the root peiran ("to try, to test"). Thus, the meaning of the word would be "trying one's luck." Etymology shows how precarious the boundary between the professions of navigator and pirate was from the very beginning.

This word came into use around the 4th-3rd centuries BC, and before that the concept was used "laystas", also known Homer, and closely related to such matters as robbery, murder, mining.

Pirate- a sea robber in general, of any nationality, who at any time robbed any ships of his own free will.

Filibuster- a sea robber, mainly in the 17th century, who robbed mainly Spanish ships and colonies in America.

Buccaneer(buccaneer) - a sea robber, mainly in the 16th century, who, like the filibuster, robbed Spanish ships and colonies in America. This term was usually used to refer to early Caribbean pirates, but later fell into disuse and was replaced by "filibuster".

Privateer, corsair, And privateer- a private individual who has received a license from the state to capture and destroy enemy ships and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer. It should be borne in mind that the term "privateer" the earliest, came into use in the Mediterranean since (approximately) 800 BC. Term "corsair" appeared much later, starting in the 14th century AD, from Italian "Corsa" and French "la corsa". In the Middle Ages both terms were used. Word "private" appeared even later (the first use dates back to 1664) and came from English "privateer". Often the term "private" wanted to emphasize English nationality privateer, it did not take root in the Mediterranean, every privateer there was still called corsair(French), corsaro(it.), corsario(Spanish), corsairs(Portuguese).

Let's understand that the boundaries were unsteady and if yesterday he was a buccaneer, today he became a privateer, and tomorrow he could become an ordinary pirate.

In addition to the terms listed above, which appeared at a rather later time, there were also more ancient names for pirates. One of them - tjekers, denoting Middle Eastern pirates in the 15th-11th centuries BC. I have come across several different Latin spellings of tjekers: Tjeker, Thekel, Djakaray, Zakkar, Zalkkar, Zakkaray. In 1186 BC. they virtually conquered all of Egypt* and carried out extensive maritime plunder along the Palestinian coast for several centuries. Current historiography believes that the Tjekers came from Cilicia, the future homeland of the formidable Cilician pirates. Tjekers are described in some detail in papyrus Venamon**. Later, (somewhere before 1000 BC) the Tjekers settled in Palestine, in the cities of Dor and Tel Zaror (near current city Haifa). Since they are not mentioned in Jewish documents, they were most likely absorbed by the larger Philistines.

* We must keep in mind one feature of Ancient Egypt: the state was stretched along the Nile and the Mediterranean coast, it was no more than 15-25 km away from the water, so whoever controlled the coast controlled essentially the entire country.
** Venamon - ancient Egyptian traveler of the 12th century BC, priest of the temple of Amun in Karnak. Papyrus written around 1100 BC. Ancient historians mentioned pirates quite often, but the Venamon papyrus is a unique document because it represents the travel notes of an eyewitness.

Around the 5th century BC, another name for pirates came into use - Dolopians(Dolopians). This time these are ancient Greek pirates, their main area of ​​​​operation was the Aegean Sea. Possibly originally living in northern and central Greece, they settled on the island of Skyros and lived by piracy. Shortly before 476 BC. A group of merchants from northern Greece accused the Dolopians of selling them into slavery after plundering their ship with goods. The merchants managed to escape and won a lawsuit in Delphi against the Skyrians. When the Skyrians refused to return their property, the merchants turned to Simon, commander of the Athenian fleet. In 476 BC. naval forces Simon was captured by Skyros, expelled from the island or sold into slavery by the Dolopians and created an Athenian colony there.

Who were the ranks of pirates made up of? They were not homogeneous in their composition. Different reasons encouraged people to unite into a criminal community. There were also adventurers here; and avengers placed “outside the law”; travelers and explorers who made a significant contribution to the study of the Earth during the Age of Discovery; bandits who declared war on all living things; and businessmen who considered robbery to be an ordinary job, which, if there was a certain risk, provided a solid income.

Often, pirates found support from the state, which during wars resorted to their help, legalizing the position of sea robbers and turning pirates into privateers, that is, officially allowing them to conduct military operations against the enemy, keeping part of the spoils for themselves.

Most often, pirates operated close to the shore or among small islands: it was easier to get closer to the victim unnoticed and easier to evade pursuit in case of some failure.

Today it is difficult for us, spoiled by the successes of civilization and the achievements of science and technology, to even imagine how immeasurably great the distances were in the age of absence of radio, television and satellite communications, how distant parts of the world seemed in the minds of people of that time. The ship left the harbor, and communication with it was interrupted for many years. What happened to him? Countries were separated by the most terrible barriers of competition, war and hostility. The sailor disappeared from the country for several decades and inevitably became homeless. Returning to his homeland, he no longer found anyone - his relatives died, his friends forgot, no one was waiting for him and no one needed him. Truly brave were those people who risked themselves, venturing into the unknown on fragile, unreliable (by modern standards) boats!

II. Pirate novelists

Today, there are well-established stereotypical ideas about pirates, created through fiction. Founder modern literature about pirates, one can name Daniel Defoe, who published three novels about the adventures of the pirate John Avery.

The next major writer who also wrote about sea robbers was Walter Scott, who published the novel “The Pirate” in 1821, in which the prototype of the main character Captain Cleveland was the image of the pirate leader from Daniel Defoe’s novel “The Adventures and Affairs of the Famous Captain John Gow.”

They paid tribute to the sea like this famous writers, as R.-L. Stevenson, F. Mariette, E. Xu, C. Farrer, G. Melville, T. Main Read, J. Conrad, A. Conan Doyle, Jack London and R. Sabatini.

It is interesting that Arthur Conan Doyle and Rafael Sabatini created two colorful, diametrically opposed images of pirate captains - Sharkey and Blood, combining: the first - the worst qualities and vices, and the second - the best knightly virtues of the real-life leaders of the "gentlemen of fortune".

Thanks to the “help” of such an eminent galaxy of writers, the most famous pirate captains Flint, Kidd, Morgan, Grammon, Van Doorn and their less “famous” and sometimes simply fictional brothers continue their second life on the pages of these books. They board Spanish galleons brimming with treasure, sink lumbering royal cruisers, and keep coastal cities at bay long after some have been brought to justice and others have ended their lives peacefully.

Composer Robert Plunkett wrote the operetta "Surcouf", in which the historical truth about the true deeds of the sea robber Surcouf gave way to fantasy: the beautiful fate of the disinterested sailor Robert and his beloved Yvonne was fully consistent with the spirit of operettas of the 19th century.

One got the impression that pirates are some kind of unrecognized geniuses, wandering the seas only due to an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances. We owe this stereotype mainly thanks to R. Sabatini with his trilogy about Captain Blood, who, among other things, created the myth that pirates had powerful ships and attacked warships.

In fact, completely prosaic motives forced people to engage in piracy. Sometimes - hopeless poverty, sometimes all-consuming greed. But, one way or another, the pirates pursued only one goal - personal enrichment. Documents have survived that show the side of piracy that is devoid of any romanticism, so to speak, its financial and organizational side. The pirate's craft was extremely dangerous: being caught "at the scene of the crime", pirates were hanged without a second thought. Being captured on the shore, the pirate did not face a better fate: either a rope or lifelong hard labor. There were very rare cases when pirates owned a powerful ship; more often they were small ships with good seaworthiness.

Even rarer were cases of a pirate ship fighting a warship: for a pirate it was pointless and extremely dangerous. Firstly, because there are no treasures on the military ship, but there are many guns and soldiers there, and the ship is fully equipped for naval combat. Secondly, because the crew and officers of this ship are professional military men, unlike pirates, who took the military path by chance. A pirate doesn’t need a warship: an unjustified risk, an almost certain defeat and then inevitable death on a knock-down yard. But a lonely sailing merchant ship, a pearl fisherman's junk, and sometimes just a fishing boat is just a victim for a pirate. It must be borne in mind that we often approach the assessment of past events from the point of view of a modern person. Therefore, it is difficult for us to understand what is almost before late XVIII centuries, the difference between the merchant and pirate fleets was small. In those days, almost every ship was armed, and it happened that a peaceful merchant ship, having encountered a fellow ship at sea, but (presumably) weaker in armament, boarded it. Then the merchant pirate would bring the cargo and sell it as if nothing had happened, sometimes at a reduced price.

III. Under the Jolly Roger

It is very interesting to dwell a little on pirate flags. It is common knowledge that the nickname pirate flag - "Jolly Roger"(Jolly Roger). Why such a nickname?

I think that we should start not directly with the Jolly Roger, but with the answer to the question, what kind of flags did different countries hang on ships at different times? Contrary to popular belief, not all ships in the past sailed under the national flag of their country. For example, the draft French Royal Navy Law of 1699 states that "royal ships do not have any strictly established distinctive signs for combat. During the wars with Spain, our ships used a red flag to distinguish themselves from the Spanish ones, which flew a white flag, and in last war our ships sailed under a white flag to distinguish themselves from the British, who were also fighting under a red flag..." However, a special royal edict prohibited French privateers from flying the black flag almost until recent years their (French privateers) existence.

Around the same time, in 1694, England passed a law establishing a single flag to identify English privateer ships: a red ensign, instantly nicknamed "Red Jack." This is how the concept appeared pirate flag at all. It must be said that by the standards of that time, a red flag, pennant or sign meant for any oncoming ship that resistance was pointless. However, following the privateers, free pirates very quickly adopted this flag, not even the flag itself, but the idea of ​​a colored flag. Red, yellow, green, black flags appeared. Each color symbolized a specific idea: yellow - madness and uncontrollable anger, black - an order to lay down arms. A black flag raised by a pirate meant an order to immediately stop and capitulate, and if the victim did not obey, then a red or yellow flag was raised, which meant death for everyone on the recalcitrant ship.

So where did the nickname "Jolly Roger" come from? It turned out that "Red Jack" in French sounded like "Jolie Rouge" (literally - Red Sign), when translated back into English it turned into "Jolly Roger" - Jolly Roger. It is worth mentioning here that in the English jargon of the time Roger- swindler, thief. Additionally, in Ireland and the north of England during the Middle Ages, the devil was sometimes called "Old Roger."

Today, many people believe that the Jolly Roger is a black flag with a skull and crossbones. However, in fact, many famous pirates had their own unique flags, differing in both color and image. Indeed, pirate flags existed and were very diverse: black, with a red rooster, with crossed swords, with hourglass and even with lamb. As for the “classic” Jolly Roger, such a flag was first noted by the French pirate Emmanuel Vane at the very beginning of the 18th century.

Many famous pirates had their own flag. Here you can already see how the “hero” makes fame work for him: knowing who is chasing him, the victim gave up. A sort of “brand”, a personal brand that signified a certain “quality” of the “service” being imposed. An unknown pirate (and there were the vast majority of them!) did not need this, because some unusual flag or the absence of a flag at all would certainly alert the captain of the attacked ship. For what? Pirates were cruel, but by no means as stupid as some writers try to paint them. Therefore, for the most part, pirate ships sailed under the official flag of some state and the victim learned too late that the ship was actually a pirate.

In general, the black flag is already mid-17th century century was the distinctive sign of pirates, and hoisting such a flag meant bringing your neck closer to the gallows.

IV. Filibuster or privateer?

Captain Kidd's private patent

During periods of war, pirates sometimes bought from a warring state the right to conduct combat operations at sea at their own peril and risk and robbed the ships of the warring country, and often of neutral countries. The pirate knew that having paid a special tax to the treasury and received the appropriate paper - Letter of Marque- Letter of marque, he was already considered a privateer and was not responsible before the law of this state until he attacked a compatriot or ally.

At the end of the war, privateers often turned into ordinary pirates. It was not for nothing that many commanders of warships did not recognize any privateering patents and hung captured privateers on the yards in the same way as other pirates.

I would like to dwell on all kinds of patents in a little more detail. In addition to the Letter of Marque, which was issued from the 13th century to 1856 (to be closer to the dates, I will say that the first mention of such papers dates back to 1293) and which specifically and exclusively permitted the seizure of enemy property, Letter of Reprisal(literally - a document for retribution, reprisal), which allowed the killing of enemy subjects and the seizure of their property. Simply put, robbery. But not to everyone in general, but only to those who suffered from the activities of citizens of the state specified in the document. There were several papers, so official documents they are always referred to in the plural - letters. The effect of the papers was not limited only to sea robbery, but also allowed robbery on land, both in peacetime and in war time. Why reprisal? Translated from English, this word means retribution. The fact is that medieval cities and settlements were, for the most part, small closed communities and it was considered natural to direct retribution against any of their citizens who, upon returning home, could recover damages from the real culprit of the crime. The Avenger just had to secure the appropriate papers - letters.

By the way, I already mentioned the Egyptian priest Venamon above. In his papyrus, he describes his own journey to the Syrian city of Byblos, where he carried significant amount gold and silver for the purchase of wood (wood was practically not produced in Egypt and was imported). On the way there, when they entered the Tzhekera city of Dor, the captain of the ship ran away, taking with him almost all of Venamon’s money, and the Tzhekera city governor refused to help him find this captain. Venamon, however, continued on his way and on the way he met other Tjekers and somehow managed to rob them of seven pounds of silver: “I am taking the silver from you and will keep it until you find my money or the thief who stole it.” This case may be considered the first documented case reprisals in maritime law.

By about the beginning of the 14th century, the seizure of property at sea had to be sanctioned by an admiral of the royal navy or his representative. To stimulate trade, the rulers of states signed agreements prohibiting private acts of revenge. For example, in France after 1485 such papers were issued extremely rarely. Later, other European powers began to sharply limit the issuance of marque patents. However, other types of licenses were granted to private warships during hostilities. For example, in England, during the war with Spain 1585-1603, the Admiralty Court granted powers to anyone who declared that they were offended in any way by the Spaniards (and confirmation of the words was not required). Such licenses gave the holder the right to attack any Spanish ship or city. And yet, some of the newly-minted privateers began to attack not only the Spaniards, but also their compatriots the English. Perhaps that is why the English king James I(1603-1625) had an extremely negative attitude towards the very idea of ​​​​such patents and banned them altogether.

However, the next English monarch Charles I(1625-1649) resumed the sale of privateering licenses to private individuals, and, moreover, granted the Providence company * to issue such papers in unlimited quantities. By the way, this is where the English slang expression comes from Right of Purchase, now completely out of use. Literally this expression meant “the right to plunder,” but the whole point here was precisely in the play on words of the concept purchase: the fact is that this English word originally meant hunting or pursuing animals, but gradually, in the 13th-17th centuries, it entered English maritime slang and began to mean the process of robbery, as well as captured property. Today it has lost this militant meaning and means “acquisition”, in rare cases “cost, value”.

* "Providence" is a state corporation designed to promote privateering on the islands of Tortuga and Providence. After the capture of Providence Island by the Spaniards (1641), the company found itself heavily in debt and gradually declined.

In addition to these documents, from the 1650s to the 1830s in the Mediterranean there was the so-called Right of Search- Right to search. Unlike most pirates, the activities Berber corsairs controlled by their government. To facilitate trade, some Christian states entered into peace agreements with the Berber rulers. Thus, corsairs could legally attack ships individual states, refraining from attacks on friendly ships.

Sea captains of the powers that signed such a treaty often took on their ships cargo or passengers hostile to the Berber countries. Therefore, in order to avoid possible deception, the states that signed the mentioned agreements were forced to allow Berber corsairs to stop and search their ships. They could seize property and passengers of hostile powers if they found them on board stopped ships. However, they had to pay the full cost of the cargo entrusted to the captain to its destination.

The opposite problem arose when passengers and property of friendly countries were stranded on a captured enemy ship. The corsairs could confiscate the cargo and enslave the crew, but they were expected to free the passengers, who were protected by the treaties. So that the corsairs could freely recognize the subjects of the allied powers, a pass system was created.

Berber passes- quite a curious phenomenon! In essence, these were letters of safe conduct, guaranteeing the ship and crew from sea robbery. Few officials had the right to issue such documents. For example, under the agreements of 1662 and 1682 between England and Algiers, only passes issued by the Lord High Admiral or the Ruler of Algiers were considered valid. Moreover, the contract was divided into two parts with an intricate cut, one part of the sheet was kept for themselves, and the second part was given to opposite side. Only two people could board the ship to check the cargo and passenger list. The overwhelming majority of corsairs obeyed these passes; the disobedient ones were waited for the death penalty, although at the beginning (the first 30-40 years) there were a fair amount of violations.

In general, the concept of “international law” uniting all peoples has a relatively late origin. In ancient times, the laws of one society applied exclusively to its members. Because local laws could not extend beyond certain borders, Greek city-states allowed their citizens to defend their interests against the claims of outsiders. Roman law also drew a clear line between the state's citizens, its allies, and the population of the rest of the outside world. However, this difference became less significant after the Romans conquered the entire Mediterranean region. Unlike later letters of marque, natural law for retribution existed until the two parties entered into a special agreement regulating legal relations between these states. Contracts often became a form of blackmail.

For example, the Aetolian League* (300-186 BC) supported the piracy practiced by its members and benefited from their activities. The Aetolians received their share of the pirate booty. If any of neighboring states wanted to protect himself from pirate attacks, he had to sign an agreement recognizing the power of the Aetolian Union.

* Aetolia is a mountainous, forested area in the center of Greece between Macedonia and the Gulf of Corinth, where various local tribes united into a kind of federal state - the Aetolian Union. The government dealt only with issues of war and foreign policy. In 290 BC. Aetolia began to expand its domains, including neighboring domains and tribes as full members or allies. By 240, the alliance controlled almost all of central Greece and part of the Peloponnese. The main occupation of the representatives of the union was participation in wars between warring empires as mercenaries. In 192 BC. the union opposed the growing strength of Rome, for which it paid, becoming one of its provinces.

V. Legacy

Of course, among huge amount unknown pirates, there were exceptions - outstanding individuals - and we will talk about them separately.

There are known cases when it was pirates - skilled seafarers - who became the discoverers of new lands. Many of them were imperiously attracted by the "muse" long journeys", and the thirst for exploits and adventures often prevailed over the thirst for profit, with which they seduced their royal patrons in England, Spain and Portugal. Not to mention the unknown Vikings who visited the earth North America almost five hundred years before its discovery by Columbus, let us recall at least Sir Francis Drake - the “royal corsair” and admiral who committed the second after Magellan circumnavigation; discoverer of the Falkland Islands, John Davis; historian and writer Sir Walter Raleigh and the famous ethnographer and oceanographer, member of the English Royal Society William Dampier - who circled the Earth three times.

However, if a patent for the position of captain of the galleon “Golden Fleet” or “Silver Fleet”, transporting jewelry looted in America, could be easily purchased by a noble and wealthy nobleman of Spain, then the position of captain of a pirate ship could not be acquired for any money. Only a person with extraordinary organizational skills could advance among the sea robbers with their unique but cruel laws. It is not surprising that people of this kind have always excited the imagination of writers, artists and composers and have become - often in an idealized form - heroes of works.

In essence, the pirates were hard labor, to which they doomed themselves. For months they ate crackers and corned beef, often drank stale water rather than rum, suffered from tropical fever, dysentery and scurvy, died from wounds, and drowned during storms. Few of them died at home in their beds. Polycrates of Samos in 522 BC. crucified on the cross by the Persian satrap Oroites, who lured him into a trap on his continent under the pretext of concluding a non-aggression pact. The once famous François L'Olone was killed, fried and eaten by cannibals; the leader of the Vitaliers Störtebecker was beheaded in Hamburg; sir Francis Drake died of tropical fever; Sir Walter Raleigh executed in London; Teach was killed during a boarding battle and his severed head was hung by the winner under the bowsprit of his ship; Roberts was killed by a buckshot that hit his throat, and the enemy, paying tribute to his bravery, lowered the corpse of the captain into the sea with a gold chain and a diamond-studded cross around his neck, with a saber in his hand and two pistols in a silk sling, and then hanged all the remaining pirates. Edward Lowe was hanged by the French, Vane was executed in Jamaica, Kidd was hanged in England, Mary Read died in prison while pregnant... Is it worth listing further?

Sea robbers

Filibuster attack on a Spanish ship

Pirates- sea robbers. Word "pirate" (lat. pirate) comes, in turn, from Greek πειρατής , cognate with the word πειράω ("to try, to experience"). Thus, the meaning of the word will be "trying for luck". Etymology shows how precarious the boundary between the professions of navigator and pirate was from the very beginning.

The word came into use around - III centuries BC e., and before that the concept was used "laystas", also known Homer and closely related to such concepts as robbery, murder, mining.

Ancient piracy

Piracy in its primitive form - sea raids appeared simultaneously with navigation and before sea trade; All coastal tribes who mastered the basics of navigation engaged in such raids. With the advent of civilization, the line between pirates and traders for a long time remained conditional: sailors traded where they did not feel strong enough to rob and capture. Especially notoriety the most skilled traders also gained ancient world - Phoenicians. In the poem " Odyssey"Phoenician pirates are mentioned who kidnapped people from the island of Sira and sold them into slavery. Ancient pirates, unlike pirates of the New Age, attacked not so much ships as coastal villages and individual travelers, with the aim of capturing them and selling them into slavery (later they also began to demand ransom for noble captives). Piracy is reflected in ancient poetry and mythology (the myth of the capture by the Tyrrhenians ( Etruscan) pirates Dionysus, set out in Homeric hymn and Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses", as well as some episodes in the poems Homer). As trade and legal ties between countries and peoples developed, piracy began to be recognized as one of the most serious crimes, and attempts were made to jointly combat this phenomenon. The heyday of ancient piracy occurred during the era of anarchy caused by the Civil Wars in Rome, and the base of the pirates was mountainous region Cilicia with its fortresses; Islands also served as pirate bases, especially Crete. Roman piracy flourished especially after Mithridates VI Eupator entered into an alliance with the Cilician pirates, directed against Rome. During this era, among the victims of pirates was, in particular, the young Julius Caesar. The insolence of the pirates increased to the point that they even attacked the port of Rome - Ostia- and one day they captured two praetors along with their retinue and insignia. In 67 BC. e. Gnaeus Pompey received emergency powers to combat pirates and a fleet of 500 ships; dividing the Mediterranean Sea into 30 regions and sending a squadron to each region, Pompey drove the pirates into the mountain fortresses of Cilicia, which he then took; within three months, piracy in the Mediterranean was completely eliminated. It resumed with the next round civil wars, and this time the pirates were led by the son of Pompey - Sextus Pompey, which after the assassination of Caesar fortified itself on Sicily and tried to blockade Italy. With the end of the civil wars, the sea became safe.

Pirates in Rome were executed, like robbers, by crucifixion.

Jolly Roger

The idea of ​​flying our own pirate flag, quite dangerous and irrational, appeared, apparently, for the purpose of moral influence on the crew of the attacked ship. For this purpose of intimidation, a blood-red flag was initially used, on which symbols of death were often depicted: skeleton or simply scull. It is from this flag, according to the most common version, that the expression “ Jolly Roger », ( English Jolly Roger) from fr. Joli Rouge, "Beautiful Red". The British, having adopted it from the French filibusters of the West Indies, remade it in their own way; then, when the origin was forgotten, an explanation arose from the “cheerful grin” of the skull depicted on the flag. Another interpretation comes from the fact that the devil is sometimes referred to as "Old Roger" and the flag symbolized the devil's wrath. Some authors quickly debunk the very possibility of a “pirate flag” with the obvious objection that, sailing under a flag with bones and a skull, pirates would simply be “exposed” to the guns of any warships, and ships that were intended to be “sacrificed” would take flight , preventing the pirates from approaching. But of course, the pirates did not “float” under the Jolly Roger (or its variation), using any other flags for camouflage, but a banner with a skull and crossbones (or other similar pattern) was raised just before the battle with the aim of demoralizing the enemy and out of simple “courage”, generally characteristic of antisocial elements. Initially, the flag was international; it showed that there was an epidemic on board the ship.

Method of fighting

The most common way of doing sea ​​battle The pirates were boarded (French abordage). The enemy ships approached as close as possible close quarters, as a rule, side to side, after which both ships were tightly coupled using cats and gear. Then a boarding team, supported by fire from Mars.

Types of pirates

Pirate- a sea robber in general, of any nationality, who at any time robbed any ships of his own free will.

Tjekers

Tjekers- Middle Eastern pirates in the 15th-11th centuries BC. There are several different Latin spellings for tjekers: Tjeker, Thekel, Djakaray, Zakkar, Zalkkar, Zakkaray.

Dolopians

Around 478 BC. e. plundered and sold by the Dolopians in slavery Greek merchants fled and asked for help from Simon, the commander Athenian fleet. In 476, Simon's soldiers landed on Skyros and captured the island, selling the Skyrians themselves into slavery.

Ushkuiniki

Ushkuiniki - Novgorod river pirates who hunted throughout Volga up to Astrakhan, mainly in XIV century. Looting by them Kostroma led to the city being moved to its current location.

Barbary pirates

Pirates North Africa plying on chirps and others fast boats in the waters Mediterranean Sea, but often appeared in other seas. In addition to attacks on merchant ships, they also carried out raids on coastal lands for the purpose of capturing slaves. Based in ports Algeria And Morocco, sometimes being their actual rulers. They represented a significant problem for the conduct of Mediterranean trade. They especially distinguished themselves in the fight against them Maltese , long time performing an anti-piracy function.

Buccaneers

Buccaneer(from the French - boucanier) is not a professional sailor, but a hunter of feral cows and pigs in the Greater Antilles (primarily in Haiti). If buccaneers are often confused with pirates, this is only because the British in the second half of the 17th century often called filibusters buccaneers (“buccaneers”). Buccaneers got their name from the word “bukan” - a lattice made of raw green wood on which they smoked meat that would not spoil for a long time in tropical conditions (meat prepared in this manner was also often called “bukan”). And in animal skins they evaporated in the sun sea ​​water and in this way salt was extracted.

Dutch, French and English ships often entered the bays of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti), on the shores of which buccaneers lived, in order to exchange their bouquets and skins for guns, gunpowder and rum. Since Saint-Domingue (the French name for the island of Haiti), where the buccaneers lived, was a Spanish island, the owners were not going to put up with unauthorized settlers, and often attacked them. However, unlike the local Arawak Indians, whom the Spaniards had completely exterminated a hundred years earlier, the buccaneers were much more formidable fighters. They bred a special breed of large hunting dogs that could kill several Spanish ones, and their guns had such a large caliber that they could stop a running bull with one shot. In addition, the buccaneers were free and courageous people, always responding with attack for attack, and not only on land. Armed with a gun (4 feet), a cleaver, two or more pistols and a knife, in fragile boats and canoes, they fearlessly attacked Spanish ships and settlements.

The buccaneers ordered their special models of large-caliber rifles from France. They handled them very deftly, quickly reloading and firing three shots, while the colonial army soldier fired only one. The Buccaneers' gunpowder was also special. It was made to order only in Cherbourg, France, where special factories were built for this purpose. This gunpowder was called “poudre de boucanier”. Buccaneers stored it in jars made from gourds or in bamboo tubes sealed with wax at both ends. If you insert a wick into such a pumpkin, you get a primitive grenade.

Buccaneers

Buccaneer(from English - buccaneer) - this is English name filibuster(in the second half of the 17th century), and later - a synonym for a pirate operating in American waters. This term was widely used in his writings by the English “learned pirate” William Dampier. It is clear that the term boucanier is a corruption of the French "buccaneer" (boucanier); the latter, however, did not belong to the filibusters, but to the wandering hunters who hunted in Haiti, Tortuga, Vache and other islands of the Antilles archipelago.

Filibusters

Filibuster- a sea robber of the 17th century who robbed mainly Spanish ships and colonies in America. The word comes from the Dutch “vrijbuiter” (in English - freebooter) - “free breadwinner”. French pirates who settled in the Antilles in the first half of the 17th century transformed this term into “flibustier”.

The filibuster was almost always equipped with a special permit. It was called a “commission”, or letters of marque. The absence of a commission made the filibuster an ordinary pirate, so filibusters always sought to get it. She complained, as a rule, during the war, and it indicated which ships and colonies its owner had the right to attack and in which port to sell his trophies. The governors of the English and French islands of the West Indies, whose colonies did not receive sufficient military assistance from the mother countries, issued such papers to any captain for money.

The filibusters, which were multinational communities of outcasts, came from different social groups, adhered to their own laws and customs. Before the campaign, they entered into a special agreement among themselves - in English agreement, in French - chasse-partie (chasse-partie, or hunting contract), which provided for the conditions for dividing future spoils and the rules for compensation for wounds and injuries received (a kind of insurance policy). policy). In Tortuga or Petit Goave (Haiti) they gave the French governor 10% of the spoils, in Jamaica (in 1658-1671) - 1/10 in favor of the High Lord Admiral of England and 1/15 in favor of the king . Often filibuster captains had several commissions from different nations. Although the main object of their raids were Spanish ships and settlements in the New World, often during the wars between England, France and Holland they were attracted by the colonial administration for campaigns against enemy powers; in this case, English filibusters sometimes attacked the French and Dutch, and, for example, French filibusters - against the British and Dutch.

Corsair

Corsair- the word appeared at the beginning of the 14th century from the Italian “corsa” and the French “la corsa”. This term in the countries of the Romance language group meant privateer. In wartime, a corsair received from the authorities of his (or another) country a letter of marque (corsair patent) for the right to plunder enemy property, and in peacetime he could use the so-called letter of reprisal (giving him the right to retribution for damage caused to him by subjects of another power ). The corsair ship was equipped by an armator (private shipowner), who, as a rule, bought a corsair patent or a letter of reprisal from the authorities. The captains and crew members of such a ship were called corsairs. In Europe, the word "corsair" was used by the French, Italians, Spanish and Portuguese both to refer to their "sea guerrillas" and to foreign gentlemen of fortune (such as the Barbaries). In the countries of the Germanic linguistic group, a synonym for corsair is privateer, and in English speaking countries - privateer(from Latin word private - private).

Privateers

Privateer- a private person who has received a license from the state (charter, patent, certificate, commission) to capture and destroy ships of enemy and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer. This license in English was called Letters of Marque - letter of marque. The word "privateer" comes from the Dutch verb kepen or German kapern- capture. In the countries of the Romance language group it corresponds to corsair, and in English-speaking countries - private

Privateers

Privateer(from English - privateer) - this is the English name privateer or corsair. The word "privatir" is not that ancient; its first documented use dates back to 1664.

Pechelings (flexelings)

Pecheling or flexeling- this is how Dutch privateers were called in Europe and the New World. The name comes from their main port of residence - Vlissingen. This term appeared somewhere in the mid-1570s, when experienced and hardy Dutch sailors who called themselves "sea rogues" began to gain great fame around the world, and tiny Holland became one of the leading maritime countries.

Modern Pirates

In international law, piracy is a crime of an international character consisting of the unlawful seizure, robbery or sinking of merchant or civil courts committed on the high seas. During war, attacks by ships, submarines and military aircraft on merchant ships of neutral countries are equivalent to piracy. Pirate ships, aircraft and their crews should not enjoy the protection of any State. Regardless of flag, pirate ships can be captured by ships or aircraft in the service of any country and authorized for that purpose.

Piracy still exists today, mainly in the Eastern and South-East Asia, as well as in some waters of the Northeast and West Africa and in the region of Brazil. The most famous modern pirates operate near the peninsula Somalia. Currently, the most popular type of piracy is the hijacking of a tanker or ship with valuable cargo, such as weapons, with the further purpose of obtaining a ransom.

see also

Literature

• V.K. Gubarev. Pirates Caribbean Sea: Life of famous captains. - M.: Eksmo, Yauza, 2009.
• V.K. Gubarev. Buccaneers // New and recent history. - 1985. - No. 1. - p. 205-209.
• V.K. Gubarev. Filibuster Code: lifestyle and customs of pirates of the Caribbean (60-90s of the 17th century) // Science. Religion. Suspicion. - Donetsk, 2005. - No. 3. - P. 39-49.
• V.K. Gubarev. Brotherhood of the Jolly Roger // Around the World. - 2008. - No. 10. - P. 100-116.

Links

• Clan Corsairs
• Jolly Roger - a story of sea robbery
• The Pirate Brotherhood is the fairest society in the world.
• The Gamestorm clan is the largest project on the Russian Internet dedicated to pirate themes.
• Grigoryan V., Dmitriev V. Piracy, robbery and terrorism at sea
• Libertalia - a forum for lovers of the history of piracy and maritime topics
• Clan NavyPiratez A project dedicated to pirate themes and spirit.
• THE WORLD OF SEA PIRATES by Viktor Gubarev - history, life, customs, subculture of pirates, corsairs and filibusters.

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010. Today's game is "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" consisted of three parts, the third part was a repetition of some very old game, judging by appearance

TV program host - Dmitry Dibrov. Today the following players took part in the game: Tatyana Vasilyeva, Larisa Verbitskaya and Vladimir Korenev, Lolita Milyavskaya and Alexander Dobrovinsky.

Questions for Tatyana Vasilyeva

Tatyana Vasilyeva (100,000 - 100,000 rubles)

1. What does a spinner usually do with a spoon while fishing?

2. How does Maxim Gorky’s statement end: “Do you love a book - the source...?

3. What is acute muscle pain called? 4. What is the definition? to a notorious scoundrel

or a villain? 5. As in Soviet press

called the union of city and countryside?

6. What were the sea robbers called? 7. Which character from Hamlet can be found in the table chemical elements

Mendeleev? 8. Who became the owner in 2016 Nobel Prize

on literature?

9. What is the name of the genus of monkeys?

11. What products are usually given as gifts for the 65th anniversary of marriage?

12. Which country did Nikolai Gogol call “the homeland of his soul”?

13. Monuments to a representative of what profession are there in Vladimir, Belgorod, Moscow, Ufa, Tyumen, St. Petersburg?

Questions for the second pair of players

Larisa Verbitskaya and Vladimir Korenev (400,000 - 200,000 rubles)

1. What key is on a computer keyboard?

2. How does the housewife stir the food in the frying pan?

3. What is the name of the legendary ghost ship?

4. Which animals did Vysotsky call picky in the song?

5. What is missing in tennis?

6. In which Tarkovsky film main role played by Margarita Terekhova?

7. Which coffee does not have milk or cream added to it?

8. The name of which coin comes from the word “hundred”?

9. What animal is in medieval Europe considered fish and therefore eaten during Lent?

10. Which work of Fyodor Dostoevsky is a novel in letters?

11. What does George Aldrich do with astronauts' belongings before going into space?

12. Where was the coronation of Napoleon I?

Questions for the third pair of players

Lolita Milyavskaya and Alexander Dobrovinsky (200,000 - 200,000 rubles)

1. Who strives to get rid of their tail?

2. Which statement is true regarding the fabulous Emelya?

3. What do they offer to knock out, advising you to come to your senses?

4. Who is often included in the government?

5. What TV show did Uncle Fyodor’s mother compare her apartment to in the cartoon “Winter in Prostokvashino”?

6. At what age Russian legislation Can every man claim an old-age pension?

7. About what mathematical sign did Zemfira sing in one of her songs?

8. Which sauce, prepared according to a traditional recipe, is not milky in color?

9. How does Peter I hold the reins on the famous Bronze Horseman monument?

10. The premiere of which performance to the music of Alexei Rybnikov was banned 11 times?

11. What was the name of the first Chinese lunar rover?

12. What was not on the Ilya Muromets passenger plane?

Answers to Tatyana Vasilyeva's questions

1. throws
2. knowledge
3. lumbago
4. scorched
5. bow
6. conquistodores
7. Polonia
8. Bob Dylan
9. capuchins
10. she was in poetry
11. iron
12. Italy
13. janitor

Answers to questions from the second pair of players

1. space
2. spatula
3. "Flying Dutchman"
4. horses
5. halves
6. "Mirror"
7. ristretto
8. beaver
9. "Poor People"
10. sniffs
11. at Notre Dame Cathedral

Answers to questions from the third pair of players

1. student
2. went to the stove
3. out of my head
4. minister without portfolio
5. "What where When?"
6. 60 years
7. infinity
8. bolognese
9. left hand
10. "The Star and Death of Joaquin Murrieta"
11. "Jade Hare"
12. refrigerator