The History of Piracy - Summary on a Map

The History of Piracy - Summary on a Map

The History of Piracy - Summary on a Map

In this video, let’s retrace the history of piracy, from the first mentions during antiquity until today.
--------
Support the channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geohistory
--------
English translation \u0026 voiceover: Matthew Bates https://www.epicvoiceover.com/
--------
Original French version:    • L’histoire de la piraterie - Résumé s…  
Russian version: Coming soon
Arabic version: Coming soon
Spanish version: Coming soon
Portuguese version (Brazil): Coming soon
Japanese version: Coming soon
Korean version: Coming soon
German version: Coming soon
--------
Music: World War Outerspace - Audio Hertz (Youtube Library)
--------
Software: Adobe After Effects
--------
Chapters
00:00 Piracy during the Antiquity
01:45 Northern Europe
03:42 Privateers
06:01 The Wokou and the Barbary pirates
08:12 Golden Age of Piracy
09:46 The “Pirate Round”
11:56 End of the golden age of piracy
14:35 British rise to power
16:41 British domination
18:23 Modern piracy
--------
#history #geohistory #piracy #onepiece


Content

0.37 -> Piracy seems to have existed since man first mastered navigation.
5.432 -> Already in the 14th century B.C., the Egyptians mention the “peoples of the sea”,
10.915 -> who operate in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and who also organize attacks in the Nile Delta.
17.539 -> Later, in Ancient Greece, texts indicate the presence of Phoenician and Greek pirates
22.779 -> who organize kidnappings to sell slaves.
26.34 -> But as Athens grows in power,
28.742 -> a military alliance is created between the Greek cities to fight the Persians.
34.28 -> This alliance also results in a strong decrease in piracy in the region.
38.95 -> Later on, after a decisive maritime victory against Carthage,
43.51 -> Rome imposes itself in the western Mediterranean basin.
47.82 -> But its fleet is regularly attacked by pirates, notably Illyrians and Cilicians.
53.97 -> In 75 BC, Julius Caesar, who is still only a soldier, is captured by Cilician pirates in the Aegean Sea.
62.53 -> He is held prisoner for 38 days,
65.068 -> and is released for a ransom that he himself does not consider high enough.
70.61 -> After his release, he assembles a private military fleet and takes revenge
75.356 -> by capturing and crucifying his captors.
78.61 -> In 67 BC, other Cilician pirates organize a raid on Ostia, only a few kilometers from Rome.
86.576 -> This time, general Pompey obtains all the legal powers necessary to fight against piracy.
93.02 -> He assembles a powerful military fleet, and in only 3 months,
97.168 -> eradicates piracy in the entire Mediterranean basin, which would then be pacified for several centuries.
108.48 -> In Northern Europe, piracy also exists in different forms.
112.62 -> In 405, somewhere in Great Britain, according to legend,
116.325 -> a 16-year-old boy named Patrick is captured by pirates.
120.759 -> He is then sold back to Ireland as a slave.
124.07 -> Six years later, he manages to escape, and returns to the island of Britain to become a priest.
130.429 -> But in 432, Pope Celestine asks him to return to Ireland to evangelize the population.
137.819 -> He will later become the Saint Patrick who is celebrated every year in Ireland.
142.65 -> In the 8th century, the Vikings dominate the north of Europe.
147.2 -> Excellent navigators, they engage in piracy attacking and looting the rich monasteries and ports of Europe.
153.92 -> Gradually, the Vikings settle down in the defeated territories and abandon piracy to concentrate on trade.
161.97 -> The kingdom of Denmark, after having defeated the Slavic pirates of the Baltic Sea,
167.418 -> dominates the seas of Northern Europe.
170.239 -> At the end of the 14th century, Queen Margaret, who is also Queen of Norway,
175.095 -> has her eye on the throne of her rival Sweden.
178.606 -> Sweden does not have a sufficiently powerful military fleet,
182.877 -> and therefore organizes commerce raiding, that is to say that it hires privateers,
188.102 -> independent sailors, to attack the Danish merchant fleet, and to supply Stockholm, which is under siege.
195.71 -> But in 1395, a peace treaty is signed,
198.945 -> and two years later the three kingdoms of the north are united under the name of the Kalmar Union.
205.59 -> The Victual Brothers lose their privateer title, but continue their raids as pirates.
211.66 -> From their base on the island of Gotland, they attack merchant ships of all kinds.
216.819 -> In the following years, they are hunted down by all powers and eliminated.
225.53 -> In the Mediterranean Sea, Christians and Muslims wage a maritime war against each other.
231.39 -> On the Muslim side, the Ottoman Empire hires and arms privateers
235.82 -> to attack Christian ships and the coasts of Southern Europe.
239.66 -> One of the hired sailors, Oruç Reis, better known today as Barbarossa,
244.377 -> leaves with his brothers to settle in Djerba.
247.71 -> From there, he organizes raids to Spain and Italy in order to capture Catholic slaves,
253.2 -> who are then sold on the Ottoman markets.
255.94 -> In 1516, he kills the ruler of Algiers and seizes power.
261.169 -> But a few years later, he is killed during a Spanish attack.
265.68 -> His brother, Hayreddin, then takes over his title and his name Barbarossa.
271.26 -> He receives more military reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire
275.319 -> in exchange for the suzerainty of the Empire over Algiers and its surroundings.
281.03 -> At the same time, the Spanish and Portuguese explore and conquer the territories of America.
287.19 -> Since 1494, with the support of the Pope,
290.142 -> the two states have been sharing the new world and its riches.
294.22 -> But this sharing is not profitable for the other Catholic powers of Western Europe,
298.726 -> who then hire privateers to break the Spanish monopoly in the Caribbean.
303.93 -> In 1522, Frenchman Jean Fleury seizes two Spanish caravels
309.265 -> that were bringing an important Aztec treasure to Spain.
313.05 -> In the following years, the country suffers more and more attacks from French, English and Dutch privateers,
319.674 -> extending even into the Caribbean, where ports and colonies are pillaged.
324.788 -> In the middle of the 16th century, privateer François Le Clerc, known as “Jambe de Bois”,
330.85 -> sacks many Spanish colonies, and settles in Saint Lucia to attack passing ships.
336.61 -> As a result, Spain now secures its trade routes by organizing protected maritime convoys.
343.63 -> In 1577, the English privateer Francis Drake is secretly charged by the Queen
349.967 -> to plunder the Spanish ports on the Pacific coast of America.
354.24 -> His mission is a success.
355.93 -> He returns to England loaded with metals and precious stones.
364.25 -> Asia is not spared from piracy.
367.069 -> In the Ming Dynasty, maritime trade is very controlled,
370.754 -> and numerous taxes push some merchants to turn to smuggling and piracy.
375.68 -> They join the Wokou, Japanese pirates who control many bases,
380.196 -> organize attacks against the coasts, and establish clandestine trade.
385.06 -> They sell Chinese saltpeter and Japanese sulfur, both of which are needed to produce gunpowder.
391.46 -> They also sell silver, which is sold by the Spaniards to the Philippines,
396.266 -> and of which China is desperately short.
400.15 -> In the Mediterranean Sea, after the failure of the capture of Malta,
403.933 -> the Ottoman Empire now loses an important sea battle to a Christian coalition.
409.98 -> Weakened on the seas, the Ottoman Empire no longer has a military fleet
414.463 -> capable of competing with the European powers.
417.8 -> Only the so-called “Barbary” pirates and privateers from the coasts of North Africa
422.729 -> continue attacks against the Christians.
425.889 -> In 1609, in Spain, King Philip III promulgates the expulsion of the Moriscos,
431.92 -> the descendants of Muslims who had been Christianized a century earlier during the Reconquista.
438.29 -> Many of them leave to settle in Salé,
440.72 -> where they become pirates who attack Europeans in the Atlantic Ocean.
445.539 -> In 1618, in Lanzarote, Barbary pirates capture Dutchman Jan Janszoon,
451.258 -> who they then sell in Algiers.
454 -> The latter converts to Islam, is renamed Reis Mourad,
458.165 -> and begins a career as a pirate.
460.678 -> He migrates to Salé, where he quickly rises in rank until he becomes a grand admiral.
467.147 -> In 1627, he organizes an expedition to Iceland,
471.48 -> where he seizes captives who are then sold as slaves.
475.344 -> Four years later, he organizes another expedition to the south of Ireland
480.417 -> and sacks the city of Baltimore, again taking captives.
484.098 -> In 1635, Reis Mourad is captured by the Knights Hospitaller, and taken prisoner in Malta.
495.139 -> In the Caribbean, pirates and privateers now have two main bases: Tortuga, and Port Royal in Jamaica.
503.259 -> France and England tolerate them because they weaken Spain while bringing in much wealth.
508.199 -> Henry Morgan, the governor of Jamaica, is himself known to have pillaged many Spanish cities.
514.81 -> Pirates are mainly men fleeing poverty and unemployment, seeking freedom, wealth, and adventure.
521.69 -> They abide by a code of law that organizes life on board,
525.291 -> defines an equitable share of future booty, and offers compensation to the injured.
530.7 -> Moreover, the captains of the ships are democratically elected.
535 -> But life on board is far from easy, conditions are harsh, and the average lifespan is very short.
542.529 -> In the 1670s, Spain signs a peace treaty with England, France, and the United Provinces,
549.19 -> recognizing their territorial possessions in America.
552.423 -> In addition, the European powers rely more and more on the cultivation of sugarcane to get rich,
558.434 -> and therefore desire stability in the region.
561.46 -> The privateers are no longer wanted, and lose their authorization to attack the Spaniards.
567.838 -> Without work, but still armed and equipped, many turn to piracy,
572.41 -> now attacking merchant ships of all origins.
575.705 -> In 1692, Port-Royal is almost completely destroyed by an earthquake.
581.151 -> The situation becomes more complicated for many pirates in the Caribbean.
589.726 -> Still in 1692, Englishman Thomas Tew is hired as a privateer to attack French forts in Africa.
597.735 -> But on the way, he changes his plan and turns to piracy.
602.062 -> He continues his route to the Indian Ocean, and after months of sailing,
606.293 -> he enters the Red Sea, where an important Arab-Indian trade route passes.
611.32 -> Without much difficulty, he plunders a Mughal merchant ship full of riches.
616.21 -> Each member of the crew receives the equivalent of 30 years wages.
620.813 -> Upon his return to the Caribbean, the news quickly spreads
624.577 -> and prompts many pirates to leave to operate in the Indian Ocean.
628.786 -> One of them, Henry Every, who had worked in the Royal Navy, arrives with a powerful pirate fleet,
635.256 -> and seizes a real treasure by capturing a ship of the Great Mughal.
639.914 -> England would then have to compensate the Mughal Emperor to keep their authorization to trade in the Indian Ocean.
647.06 -> The pirates' main base is the island of Sainte-Marie off the coast of Madagascar,
651.787 -> where they can stock up on food and drinking water, and where they sell their booty.
656.81 -> Arab, Persian, Indian, but also Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch merchant ships are attacked.
664.649 -> Piracy threatens the trade routes, while the numerous stolen riches end up on the black market in America,
670.814 -> competing with European markets.
673.003 -> For the European powers, piracy becomes a scourge that must be fought.
678.067 -> The English “East India Company”, which operates in the Indian Ocean,
682.665 -> arms its merchant ships, and organizes protected commercial convoys.
686.916 -> In addition, Captain William Kidd is hired as a privateer,
691.525 -> with the dual mission of fighting pirates and the French in the Indian Ocean.
696.005 -> But after a long voyage, the expedition doesn’t capture any big prizes,
700.753 -> and the crew pressures him to attack other merchant ships.
704.481 -> Captain Kidd gives in, and goes from being a pirate hunter to a pirate himself.
709.976 -> Upon his return to New York, he is considered a traitor and is arrested and sentenced to death.
720.22 -> During the War of the Spanish Succession, which among other things pitted England against
724.95 -> Spain and France, each side tries to strengthen itself by hiring pirates as privateers.
731.48 -> In 1703 and 1706, the Franco-Spanish fleets attack Nassau in the heart of the Bahamas.
739.089 -> The English flee the island, leaving it in the hands of the pirates,
742.857 -> who found what they call the “Republic of Pirates”.
746.589 -> At the end of the war in 1713, the privateers lose their jobs.
751.47 -> Once again, many turn to piracy and move to Nassau.
755.37 -> From there they operate throughout the Caribbean and North America.
759.48 -> Among them, Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard, seizes a large French slave ship,
765.185 -> and organizes a series of attacks in the Caribbean.
768.32 -> A year later, at the head of 5 ships, he sets out to blockade Charleston,
773.603 -> pillaging the ships that try to leave the port.
776.5 -> But at the same time, Great Britain wants to put an end to the piracy
780.31 -> that is weakening the economy in the region.
783.209 -> The country passes a law that sentences pirates to death,
786.959 -> while offering amnesty to those who simply choose to stop.
791.01 -> A military fleet arrives in Nassau to announce the news.
795.1 -> Some pirates accept the amnesty and recognize the new British governor of the island.
800.32 -> Others leave the island to try their luck elsewhere.
803.92 -> Englishman Bartholomew Roberts chooses to attack slave ships on the triangular trade routes.
810.31 -> He is known to have captured hundreds of ships.
812.87 -> Christopher Condent, for his part, after having sailed the oceans for two years,
817.859 -> now attacks ships in the Indian Ocean.
820.839 -> Knowing he is wanted by the East India Company, he reaches Bourbon Island,
825.366 -> where he and his crew obtain amnesty from the French governor.
830.32 -> Another pirate who fled Nassau is Frenchman Olivier Levasseur, known as “La Buse”, or “The Buzzard”.
837.52 -> In 1721, he seizes a Portuguese ship that is bringing the former governor back
843.185 -> from the East Indies, together with the wealth he has accumulated over the last 10 years.
848.32 -> It is the biggest catch ever made by a pirate.
851.98 -> La Buse then takes refuge in Sainte-Marie, from where he continues his attacks,
857.665 -> including against French ships.
860.41 -> But in 1729, he is captured.
863.36 -> At the time of his execution, it is said that he dropped a piece of paper with a code, declaring,
869.1 -> “My treasure to whomever can take it”.
872.19 -> This treasure is still sought after today.
878.91 -> In the following years, the war against piracy, led by Great Britain and France,
883.783 -> has an effect in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean, where piracy decreases.
889.19 -> In 1756, the Seven Years’ War begins.
893.12 -> Great Britain, which dominates the seas with its powerful Royal Navy, wins the war,
898.501 -> seizes many French colonies in North America, and establishes itself permanently in India.
904.829 -> Later on, during the French Revolutionary Wars,
907.841 -> France again loses several maritime battles.
911.449 -> The country then relaunches commerce raiding.
914.899 -> Robert Surcouf becomes a formidable privateer.
918.44 -> Based on the Isle de France, he regularly seizes many British merchant ships,
923.214 -> even attacking warships of the East India Company.
927 -> In the Mediterranean Sea, Barbary pirates continue to capture ships and enforce tribute.
933.069 -> But in the United States, new President Thomas Jefferson decides to stop paying, which provokes a war.
940.259 -> His ships impose a blockade on Tripoli until a peace treaty is reached.
945.569 -> At the same time, in Europe, the Napoleonic Wars take place.
949.67 -> If Napoleon dominates on land, the United Kingdom controls the seas,
954.297 -> and takes this advantage to further expand its colonial empire by seizing French and Dutch colonies.
961.209 -> In 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, Bourbon Island is returned to France,
966.754 -> but not the Isle de France, which becomes Mauritius.
970.79 -> The same year, as piracy resume against the United States in the Mediterranean Sea,
975.995 -> a powerful military fleet is sent to Algiers.
979.5 -> Without fighting, the US negotiates and obtains an end to piracy against its ships.
985.81 -> The following year, an Anglo-Dutch fleet leaves to bombard the port of Algiers.
990.57 -> Defeated, the local sovereign commits himself to putting an end to the slavery of Christians,
996.509 -> which accelerates the end of piracy in the Mediterranean Sea.
1004.72 -> The United Kingdom, already well into its industrial revolution,
1008.97 -> continues to expand its empire, and to fight piracy in order to secure its trade routes.
1015.21 -> In 1820, the country launches a punitive expedition in the Persian Gulf, officially to fight piracy,
1022.199 -> but also to weaken its commercial competitors.
1025.47 -> After its victory, the country takes control of what was then called the Pirate Coast.
1031.4 -> Four years later, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands agree to share the Strait of Malacca.
1036.959 -> Both are committed to fighting piracy in the region.
1040.199 -> Finally, further north, tensions rise between China and the East India Company,
1045.567 -> which organizes the illegal opium trade to weaken China.
1050.27 -> After a war, the British gain commercial advantages in the Chinese ports,
1054.645 -> and receive the island of Hong Kong.
1057.35 -> The United Kingdom can now rely on its new and much more powerful steamships to secure its vast empire.
1064.76 -> Thus, in 1855, when British merchant ships are captured by Chinese pirates not far from Hong Kong,
1072.225 -> two British steamships, aided by a U.S. ship, prevail over 36 pirate junks.
1078.527 -> This time, the military superiority of the great powers far outweighs the forces of the pirates,
1085.031 -> who are fought from everywhere.
1087.683 -> Piracy is only maintained in the remote archipelagos where there is no strong power.
1093.305 -> In 1898, after a defeat, Spain cedes the Philippines to the United States.
1099.433 -> The latter eradicates piracy in a few years.
1106.664 -> After the World War II, decolonization and political instability leads to a resurgence of piracy in certain regions.
1114.63 -> In the Celebes Sea, independence groups from the southern Philippines organize acts of piracy
1120.517 -> against merchant ships, transport ships, and even against coastal towns and villages.
1126.419 -> In the Horn of Africa, instability is high in Somalia, where a civil war is taking place.
1132.364 -> Taking advantage of the chaos, foreign fishing vessels violate the Somali zone, to the detriment of local fishermen.
1140.14 -> As a result, some are turning to piracy, attacking foreign fishing vessels and releasing them for ransom.
1147.51 -> Piracy is growing, and now threatens the important maritime trade route between Asia and Europe.
1153.41 -> As a result, the UN passes a resolution encouraging all powers to fight piracy, even in Somali waters.
1161.409 -> In the Gulf of Guinea, piracy is also on the rise.
1164.679 -> The region is rich in offshore oil, but this does not benefit the local populations.
1170.65 -> As a result, some groups, mainly Nigerian, are turning to piracy,
1174.919 -> and organizing attacks further and further out to sea.
1178.88 -> Finally, in the Caribbean, attacks are regularly carried out against pleasure boats.
1184.2 -> In Venezuela, economic and political instability is pushing many fishermen to turn to piracy.
1190.83 -> Today, piracy is relatively rare in the world.
1194.44 -> It still occurs mainly in poor and remote areas where political instability reigns,
1199.74 -> as well as near strategic straits.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oNuv_o9mnE