During the Golden Age of Piracy, Pirates sailed into and out of the fog of war.  Though not fighting for prizes rather than God, King and country, they can be classified as irregular warriors.  Shifting between status of outlaw pirates and authorized privateers, the preyed on enemy shifting, or just shipping of weakened powers, for personal profit of course, aiding their national sponsors only incidentally.  Though not through the pirates’ choice, their suppression was often the task of national naval forces. 

An instance of fluidity between privateers, who preyed on enemy shipping under cover of Letters of Marque issued by a belligerent, and pirates was associated with the War of Spanish Succession of the late Seventeenth Century.  The outbreak of war over the heir to the throne of Spain, led to an offer of a pardon to any pirate willing to fight for the Grand Alliance (England, Holland, Prussia and Austria).  Hundreds of pirates and thousands of sailors jumped at the chance, including future infamous pirates such as Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Teach, Charles Vane and Samuel Bellamy.  The restoration of peace by the Treaty of Utrecht left privateers without official sanction, bu piratical skills. 

The Pirates’ Code: Laws and Life Aboard Ship penetrates legend to uncover life and structure of Pirates’ existence.  The Golden Age of Piracy is defined as the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and a largely West Indies phenomenon, although extending throughout the Western Hemisphere and elsewhere.  Just as it is said there is honor even among thieves, so pirates had codes by which they lived.  Cognizant of the maxim, “If you will steal for me, you will steal from me”,  War History Network members might be inclined to think piracy was an undisciplined industry and wonder why anyone would undertake it?  Author Rebecca Simon devotes an Introduction, eight chapters and a conclusion to refute such presumptions. 

Operations of pirate ships frequently were governed by “Articles”, similar to a modern partnership agreement.  Articles of Captain Edward Low the Pirate with his Company are offered as examples.  They set distribution of loot: “The Captain shall have Two full Shares, the Master a Share and a half, the Doctor, Mate, Gunner, Carpenter and Boatswain a Share and a quarter.” Presumably, other crew members received one share.  Infractions, such as “striking or taking up any unlawful Weapon”; “Cowardice in the Time of Engagement”; “If any Jewels, Gold or Silver is found on board a Prize to the Value of a Piece of Eight, and the finder do not deliver it to the Quarter-Master in Twenty-four Hours Time”; “found Guilty of Gaming, or playing at Cards, or Defrauding or Cheating one another to the Value of a Royal of Plate”; “be guilty of Drunkenness in the Time of an Engagement”; will not be subject to the arbitrary wrath of the Captain but “shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and majority of the Company shall think fit.”  Provision was made for compensation to pirates suffering serious injury while “working”. 

Why would anyone enlist in a pirate enterprise?  They were better paid, better fed, were healthier, received better medical treatment and were offered a more promising path to economic advancement than naval or commercial maritime or other available careers.  Even with all these perks, captives were sometimes lured by promises mercy and shares of the loot.  Yes, it was a dangerous occupation and pirates were often hanged, but intervening wars did provide periodic opportunities for pardons.  Think Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafite at New Orleans.  

Chapters are devoted to food and drink, safety, weapons and battle tactics and entertainment and culture. 

This work addresses many stereotypes of piracy.  Condemned did walk the plank, but rarely, given the tight labor market for pirates.  Contrary to legend, they distributed their treasure, not bury it.  Tattoos were common, though more for identification of bodies than works of art.  Pirates were an ethnically diverse group, with French, Dutch, English and black mingling among and fighting against each other.  At their peak, they probably numbered in the low thousands. 

I particularly enjoyed is the discussion of legends known by name, but, to me at least, little understood.  The Flying Dutchman, known as a ghost ship doomed to sail the seas for eternity, may have its origins in a man-o’-war sunk off the Cape of Good Hope.  The origins of “Davy Jones’ Locker” are more obscure, but theories are advanced.  Of particular value for students of the colonial era in general is the explanation of distinguishing characteristics of the three types of colonies in British North America: Royal, such as Virginia, run by crown-appointed governors with legal structures mimicking those of England; Proprietary, such as Pennsylvania, established by land grants to wealthy investors to attract settlement for the production of goods; and Charter colonies such as Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, in which residents were tied to English law while having the freedom to create their own government. 

With just 300 pages, this is an easy, but informative and entertaining read.  It dispels some myths without striping pirates of their mythical lore. It makes its subjects real people, who lived real lives, without resorting to glamorization or condemnation.  This work places pirates within their milieu, amidst the wars, colonies and commerce of their age.  I recommend The Pirates’ Code to War History Network readers seeking to understand the Golden Age of Piracy.