Querengässer, Alexander / Lunyakov, Sascha Piraten in der Karibik

The Golden Age of Piracy 1600-1722

No era and no region shape our idea of piracy as much as the "Golden Age" of the Buccaneers and Filibusters in the Caribbean of the 17th and early 18th centuries. Entire pirate fleets made the trade routes unsafe during this period, hunting both the great Spanish treasure galleons and the many small merchant ships that plied between the islands and the mainland. Even heavily fortified cities were not safe from their attacks. At a time when the European colonial powers had insufficiently penetrated the New World, privateers played an important role in war as well-organised "communities of violence", but could rarely be subdued afterwards in peace.
This volume provides an overview of the development of Caribbean piracy from 1600 to about 1725, describing the colourful social composition of pirate crews. Using contemporary sources and archaeological finds, pirates' weapons, clothing and ships are presented. Wreck finds, including the discovery of the "Queen Anne's Revenge", the mighty flagship of the feared pirate "Blackbeard", have considerably increased our knowledge of the way of life of privateer crews. On this basis and thanks to numerous illustrations, a well-founded overview of the "Golden Age of Piracy" emerges.