Under The Black Flag by David Cordingly

Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly delves into the history of piracy, revealing the lives, motivations, and codes that shaped these infamous seafarers. He separates myth from reality, showing that pirates were complex figures driven by economic opportunity, rebellion, and survival. Through vivid storytelling, he brings the Golden Age of Piracy to life while exploring its enduring cultural impact.

Wooden Legs & Parrots

• Modern pirate image is largely based on fictional characters
• Demographics
  • 73-98% were seamen (merchant sailors, Royal Navy, privateers)
  • Multinational
  • Mostly young men, very few aristocrats
  • Participated in slave trade, same societal prejudices
  • Captains were ruthless, skilled navigators, and elected by vote
• Lifestyle
  • Serious injuries common (e.g., self-cauterizing a leg wound)
  • Animals kept as souvenirs – parrots popular for colors and speech
• Henry Avery
  • Born 1653 in Plymouth; not aristocratic
  • 1694: Led mutiny when pay was delayed and turned to piracy
  • 1695: Captured the Great Mogul’s ship (40 guns, $100M+)
  • Retired quietly; disappeared from record

Plundering The Ports

• Spain & The New World
  • 1492: Columbus landed in the Bahamas
  • 1502: Settlement on Hispaniola
  • 1519: Cortés conquered the Aztecs
  • 1532: Pizarro conquered the Incas
  • 1596-1600: Spain imported treasures worth $774M
• Europe Finds Out
  • 1523: French captured Spanish ships, discovering Aztec treasures
  • France, Britain, and others began raiding and exploiting America
• Sir Francis Drake
  • 1573: Raided Spanish caravans in Panama; captured 15 tons of silver and £100,000 in gold
  • 1577: Began around-the-world voyage
  • 1578: Exited Strait of Magellan; raided South American coast
  • 1579: Captured Spanish ship disguised as a merchant; seized £12M
  • 1580: Returned after 2 years 9 months with £68M; knighted

Sir Henry Morgan

• Reputation
  • Widely admired; socialized with Parliament and the King’s circle
  • Knighted and appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica
  • Owned thousands of acres and sugar plantations
• Life
  • 1635: Born in Wale
  • 1654: Joined army; helped capture Jamaica for the British
  • 1665: Began raiding Spanish settlements; rose as a military leader
  • 1667: Named Admiral of the “Brethren of the Coast”
  • 1671: Arrested for violating peace, spent time in London mingling with Court
  • 1674: Knighted and became Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica
  • 1687: Died after years of illness and debauchery
• Achievements
  • 1668: Ransomed Portobello, Panama – one of the century’s most successful ops
  • 1669: Escaped Spanish trap using gunpowder-laden decoy
  • 1670/71: Led largest buccaneer fleet to Panama City; defeated 1,200 defenders

Women Pirates

• Women in Piracy
  • Deemed unfit for sea life; some joined Navy/merchants in disguise
  • Cheng: Led pirate confederation of 50,000, larger than navies
  • Calico Jack: Small-time, semi-respectful, favored women
• Anne Bonny
  • Illegitimate daughter of an Irish lawyer
  • Raised as a boy to avoid scandal
  • Married a seaman; sailed to New Providence
  • Abandoned husband to join Calico Jack
• Mary Read
  • Born in England; father absent, siblings died
  • Raised as a boy; joined army
  • Moved to West Indies after husband’s death
  • Ship captured by Calico Jack; joined the crew
• 1720
  • Calico Jack and crew hanged
  • Read died in prison from fever
  • Bonny’s fate remains unknown, claimed pregnancy to avoid execution

Life at Sea

• Shipwrecks & Storms
  • 1717: Largest shipwreck off Cape Cod; 144 men died
  • Navigation was difficult; couldn’t determine longitude until 1760s
• Daily Life
  • Generally easy-going but with structure
  • Hard drinking, coarse language, gambling, casual cruelty
  • Democratic elements: crew elected captains and decided targets
  • Captain held absolute authority during battles and pursuits
  • Quartermaster managed disputes, led attacks, commanded captured ships
• Pirate Code
  • Written articles for each voyage; all members signed
  • Set rules for plunder, injury compensation, and punishments
  • Had ‘disability insurance’ (loss of right arm = 600 pieces of eight)

Pirate Attacks

• Typical Pirate Attacks
  • Victims rarely resisted; pirates openly signaled hostile intent
  • Looted gear, goods, food and skilled men were detained
  • Most were single ships; only top captains had multiple ships
  • Bartholomew Roberts & Blackbeard had ~500 men
• Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart)
  • Most successful pirate; captured 400+ ships
  • Stylish, abstained from drinking, discouraged gambling
  • Captured Portuguese ship: 40 guns, 150 men, 90,000 gold pieces
• Pirate Flags
  • Symbols: bleeding hearts, hourglasses, spears, cutlasses, skeletons
  • Black flag: death, piracy
  • Red flag: battle, no prisoners

Violence

• Reality vs. Romanticized
  • Walking the plank rarely happened; only one recorded case (1829)
  • Black Bart: whipped men to death or as target practice, cut off ears
  • Henry Morgan: burned women; roasted one on a stove
  • Montbars: nailed victim’s guts to post, forced man to dance
• Common Tortures
  • Limb-stretching while beating
  • Twisting cords around heads until eyes burst
  • Burning
  • Marooning

Pirate Haunts

• Port Royal, Jamaica
  • 1655: Founded
  • 1680: Population ~3,000; had churches, taverns, workshops
  • Supported pirates for protection and economic reasons
  • 1692: Earthquake destroyed the town
  • Kingston became new capital; pirates no longer welcomed
• Madagascar
  • 1695: Henry Avery captured the Great Mogul’s treasure ship
  • 1696: Pirate colony established, trading as far as NYC
  • 1700: 17 ships, 1,500 men
  • Rivalries with natives and tropical diseases ended the colony
• Bay of Campeche & Bay of Honduras
  • Harsh living conditions: swamps, mosquitos, alligators, parasites, heavy drinking
• Nassau, Bahamas
  • Largest headquarters: Hornigold, Blackbeard, Bellamy, Vane, Bonnet, Calico Jack, Mary Read, Anne Bonny
  • Pirates overran the town; King sent warships to eliminate them

Pirate Ships

• Pirate ships: faster, better armed than merchants
• Schooner not widely used until after the Great Age of Piracy
• Famous Pirates & Their Largest Ship
  • Bartholomew Roberts: Royal Fortune, 230 men, 51 guns
  • Henry Avery: Fancy, 46 guns, 150 men
  • Captain Kidd: Adventure Galley, 287 tons, 152 men, 34 guns
  • Sam Bellamy: Whydah, 300 tons, 28 guns, iron grenades

Buried Treasure

• Few pirates actually buried treasure – most spent it all
• Captain William Kidd
  • Born 1614 in Scotland; large, violent temper
  • 1689: Privateer in the Caribbean
  • 1691: NYC, married wealthy widow, built political connections
• Privateering Expedition
  • Funded by King William III, Lord Chancellor, Mass. Governor
  • 1696: Left NYC with 152 men
  • Attacked pilgrim convoy outside contract, tortured English crew
  • 1699: Declared pirate by British government
  • Ship sailed near Gardiners/Block Islands before arrest…
  • Sentenced to hanging

Hunting Down Pirates

• Blackbeard’s Final Battle (1718)
  • Virginia governor organized expedition
  • Lieutenant Maynard hid men below deck until boarded
  • Blackbeard was shot 4 times, stabbed 20 times, kept fighting
• Pirate Population
  • 1720: 2,000 pirates in Caribbean & North America
  • For comparison: Port Royal 3,000; Charleston 5,000; NYC 18,000
  • Rapid decline due to pardons, patrols, rewards, executions
  • 1726 → <200 pirates, fewer than six attacks
• Royal Navy
  • 67 “ships-of-the-line,” 63 warships, 13,000 seamen
  • Smallest ships had 50 guns, equal to Queen Anne’s Revenge

Trials & Executions

• Execution
  • For 400+ years, pirates were hanged at Execution Dock
  • Bodies disposed via unmarked graves, dissection, hung in chains
  • 1716-1726: ~400 hanged
• Trials
  • Lasted 1-2 days, even for large groups
  • Pirates had no legal representation; most were uneducated
  • Witnesses rarely testified in their favor