Essay On Pirates During The Renaissance

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The Renaissance was a time of great change in Europe beginning in the late middle ages. Philosophies and culture shifted, and so did rebellion. Many feared the seas, for thieves and murderous gangs filled it. Privateers or crews who received funding from royalty or other authorities to fight enemies were corrupt, but they were not the main cause for worry.(Paine) Pirates were the ones who were feared by many and adored by few. Pirates traveled the seas in search of fortune. They would often murder, kidnap and use any other violence necessary to get what their greedy hearts desired.(Paine)(Aldrete) Only the most desperate and greedy would dare to join the bands of rebels because it took specific traits to be a pirate.(Aldrete) To be a successful pirate during the Renaissance, one needed fighting skills, perseverance, and the demeanor to carry out difficult and cruel tasks.
When pirates …show more content…

Starting with the common necessities of everyday life, hardships were of many aboard the ships of the sea. Days on the water without stop would surely leave any seamen lacking food and supplies. Now more specifically for pirates, crew members would have to rest in hammocks or on the wooden decks. Only the highest ranked members of a pirate ship would get to sleep in actual beds and cabins such as the captain.(Jenson-Elliott) In addition, their sleep would be stretched even more when battles occurred at night. The Barbarossa brothers and their crews snuck up on islands at night in order to gain an advantage, but this would require the pirate crews to stay attentive and possibly fight, very late in the night.(Little) Aside from lack of sleep, pirates also had to face things like brutal storms, wounds, gore and the possibility of seasickness. Some wounds would cripple pirates bad enough that they couldn’t fight and had to become cooks.(Jenson-Elliott) These are just a few hardships; the list goes on, and pirates had to endure it

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