Pyrates Part 1: The life of Pirate Henry Morgan

Since the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, the life of the pirate captain has been romanticized in fiction. From Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Long John Silver’ in Treasure Island to ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, the stereotypical attributes of a pirate captain have entrenched themselves in the minds of countless adults and children. Unlike the pirates from story, the real life of a pirate was far from glamorous; it was short, fraught with danger, and all too often ‘retirement’ was found with the executioners implements. Seperated into four parts this paper explores the careers of Sir Henry Morgan(1), William Kidd(2), Edward Teach aka Blackbeard(3), and Bartholomew Roberts(4).

SIR HENRY MORGAN

Sir Henry Morgan was an aberration. He was an aristocrat and, depending on one’s point of view, not even a pirate, but a privateer. The man, primarily known today due to a brand of rum, is generally recognized as the pirate that began the “golden age of piracy.” He would even manage to die a natural death, unusual for the infamous pirates to follow.

He was born sometime around 1635 in England and though the details of his early life are sketchy, it is known that by 1655 he had joined a military expedition being prepared by General Robert Venables.[1] This expedition was charged with conquering Hispaniola and, though it was ultimately a failure, it led to Morgan’s arrival in the Caribbean.

After failing in its primary mission, the expedition managed to capture the small Spanish outpost of Jamaica. Within a decade Morgan had established himself as a formidable military commander, and had been named “Admiral of the Brethren of the Coast.”[2] The ‘Brethren’ was a loose affiliation of privateers and pirates that operated out of Jamaica. It was with these men that Henry Morgan would conduct his most famous campaign, a campaign that led to his designation as a pirate by the Spanish government.

In the summer of 1668 Morgan led 500 men aboard 12 ships to Portobello. The towns defensive forts were insufficiently manned and oriented to repel seaborne attacks, Morgan believed that a surprise attack from the landward side would be successful.[3] Despite losing the element of surprise, Morgan was able to capture the town with minimal casualties and set about ransoming its safe return to the Spanish Governor, Don Agustin.[4]

Don Agustin’s initial response, to Morgan’s ransom letter, was to reject his demands and to name Morgan a ‘corsair.’[5] Agustin then dispatched a military force of his own to reclaim Portobello from English hands. Unfortunately for the Spanish this force utterly failed in its mission, and Agustin was forced to pay the ransom.

The Portobello Expedition was a rousing success, however it was undertaken several months after a peace treaty had been signed ending the conflict between Spain and England. The Spanish were justifiably incensed and demanded that the Governor of Jamaica be recalled and the ransom returned.[6] King Charles declined to consider either action, and the issue was dropped.

In the following year Captain Morgan continued to harass Spanish interest in the Caribbean, despite the lack of official hostilities and the unquestionable illegality of his operations. These actions never amounted to the success of the Portobello operation, but they did inflate Morgan’s popularity in England and the hatred of the Spanish.[7]

Due in large part to Morgan’s actions, the conflict between Spain and England in the Caribbean reignited. Over the next three years, Henry Morgan drew together a large fleet composed of numerous unsavory buccaneers in order to engage the Spanish forces.[8] At the conclusion of these hostilities the fleet broke up, and with it the seeds of piracy scattered across the Caribbean. Morgan retired to Jamaica, living until 1688 when he passed away from natural causes.

Morgan, of all the famous Caribbean pirates, best fit the mold of the ‘hero pirate.’ He was an aristocrat, and he lived a charmed life. He was also more of a privateer than a true pirate. The men that followed would be far more pirate than privateer.

[1]Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995. pp44

[2]Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995.pp44

[3] Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995. pp45

[4] Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995.pp47

[5] Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995.pp47

[6] Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995.pp48

[7]Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995.pp49

[8] Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag. New York: Random House, 1995. pp52