The Ever-Important Privateers

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Recommended: Warfare weapons in Elizabethan times

Privateers, or “legally licensed pirates” (Boorstin 62), were men who received written permission from their mother country to raid and capture enemy ships in times of war. They owed no loyalty to anyone except the country they served and for about four hundred years, actions like those of the privateers have shaped history as we know it. They are a perfect example of the politics during the time period and were ultimately loyal subjects to their country.
Privateering is said to be "almost as old as civilization itself" with the Japanese and Chinese practicing it as early as 1200 B.C (Massachusetts Society). It really started to pick up around the 1500s during Queen Elizabeth's reign over England. One of her major goals during her rule was to strengthen England's navy and eventually make it the world's number one sea power. To do this she created the Sea Dogs, also known as "Elizabethan Pirates", who were to go out onto the sea and attack Spanish ships (even in times of peace). Each was given a "Letter of Marque" as permission to deal in these acts of would-be piracy (Wikipedia.org). Though the Sea Dogs are famous for many things, one of the most remarkable is their assistance in the destruction of the Spanish Armada.
The conflict between England and Spain only escalated with the continuous harassment of Queen Elizabeth's privateers. The attacks by the Sea Dogs began to disrupt the Spanish silver trade, piled on with the religious opposition Queen Elizabeth faced from Catholics, along with the execution of Mary of Scots. In retaliation of the attacks from England, Phillip II formed the Spanish Armada, or Invincible Fleet. Even before the attack on England, the privateers were already at work to deny the Spanish their victory...

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..." The Spanish Armada Overview II. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
"Letter of Marque." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 May 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
"Privateer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
"Privateers or Merchant Mariners Help Win the Revolutionary War." Privateers or Merchant Mariners Help Win the Revolutionary War. American Merchant Marine at War, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
Tures, John A. "‘A Word Of 'Captain Caution': Myths About Privateers In The War Of 1812." Napoleon Series. Robin Brass Studio, Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

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