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In practice, the differences between privateers and pirates were sometimes slight, even merely a matter of interpretation. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The terms "letter of marque" and "privateer" were sometimes used to describe the ships which typically operated under the marque-and-reprisal licences.
This included attacking foreign vessels and taking them as prizes and taking crews prisoner for exchange. Captured ships were subject to condemnation and sale under prize law, with the proceeds divided by percentage between the privateer's sponsors, shipowners, captains and crew. A percentage share usually went to the issuer of the commission ...
Frequently, captured merchantmen would volunteer to join the pirate crew. The captors were already "familiar with the single-sex community of work and the rigors of life-and death-at sea." They saw little difference between merchant and pirate life; understanding that their other option was death, the men usually volunteered to join ranks.
What is the difference between pirates and privateers? A pirate was an outlaw who pillaged for their profit. A privateer was legally sanctioned to steal by a government or monarch.
Piracy in Scotland dates back to the presence of Viking pirates in Scotland in 617. [1] The main difference between pirates and privateers is that privateers were given a permit by their sovereign country, which pardoned them from all legal actions taken against pirates. [2] These government issued permits were called Letters of Marque. [3]
Sometimes the buccaneers held more or less regular commissions as privateers, and they always preyed upon the Spaniards; but often they became mere pirates and plundered any nation. [2] As a rule, the buccaneers called themselves privateers, and many sailed under the protection of a letter of marque granted by British, French or Dutch authorities.
According to the code, the pirates ran their ships democratically, sharing plunder equally and selecting and deposing their captains by popular vote. [14] Many of the pirates were privateers out of work since the end of the Queen Anne's War and ex-sailors who had revolted against the conditions on merchant and naval ships.
A Jacobite pirate and privateer active in the waters near England and France. His trial was important in establishing Admiralty law, differentiating between privateers and pirates, and ending the naval ambitions of the deposed James II. Thomas Goldsmith: d. 1714 1714 England