Pirate; from the ancient Greek "peirato"

peirato: to attempt, attack, try

Sounds like a pretty fitting definition, right?

Piracy began long before most people think. The ancient Greeks defended themselves from pirates before Jesus Christ was born. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-48 B.C.E.) coined the Latin phrase that still rings true today: "Hostes Humani Generis." The common enemy of mankind.

There are periods of time that piracy was legal. Letters of marque were handed out freely by kings and queens during times of war, allowing ships of men to hunt and loot enemy ships and seize their goods. These goods went back to the crown, with shares given out to the men who plundered it. And there was much plundering, as it seemed the big powers were always at war: England, France, Portugal, and Spain.

There were many different types of pirates, too. From the Barbary corsairs, to the French corsairs, to the English Sea Dogs, the Dutch Sea Beggars. From these emerged the buccaneers, the first identifiable group from the West Indies. They lived on Hispaniola (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic), which was mostly devoid of humans with the exception of small Spanish settlements in the south. The buccaneers were hunters, living off of and trading the now-feral pigs and cows that had escaped from settlement farms. The term "buccaneer" is derived from the French "boucan" (further, "boucaneir"), which means "to smoke." Our modern term of "barbecue" is also derived from the linguistic lineage.

Carte d'Hispaniola de G.B.Ramusio, Navigazioni e Viaggi, Venezia, 1565.

The buccaneers created their own community and society. This was unheard of at the time, in the early 17th century. As the community grew, they took up residence on a small island just off the northwestern coast which they named Tortuga (sound familiar? It is a real island!). The community then became known as "The Brethren of the Coast" (sound familiar again?), and from Tortuga they were able to attack the many passing Spanish ships on their way to the settlements.

As the community grew, rules needed to be put in place. The rules put forth by the buccaneers are known as the "Jamaica Rules":

• The captain is allowed no better fare then the lowest man on the ship
• Buccaneers resolve where they will sail (democracy!)
• Pre-drawn up articles determine how many shares each member of the crew gets
• Agreed awards for the wounded, based on the type of injury (an insurance policy!)
• An oath must be taken that they will be honest and only take their share of the plunder
• An oath of loyalty must be taken to their crew
• Any dispute is settled by a duel, on shore, never on the ship

In the age of monarchy, the buccaneers formed a democracy amongst themselves. This democracy holds true throughout the Golden Age of Piracy (1713-1726) as well, since many pirates of that era served under buccaneers and never left the life behind.

Fun Fact: Captain Morgan, of spiced rum fame, is an actual buccaneer. He is modeled after Sir Henry Morgan (1635-1688), who at age 32 became the Admiral of the Brethren Coast, and is arguably one of the most well-known buccaneers. He is also one of the few who was able to leave the life behind, as he became a major prosecutor of pirates in Port Royal, Jamaica.

Source: The Buccaneers of America by Alexander O. Exquemelin (translated by Alexis Brown). Find it on Amazon.