How do you picture a real pirate sailing the medieval seas? Most likely as a rather unsightly, one-eyed man in his forties — unkempt, wearing tattered clothes, a cutlass at his side and a hook instead of a hand. A smoking pipe in his mouth, a bottle of rum in his hand, and a white cockatoo on his shoulder, of course.
It’s easy to guess that if medieval pirates had actually looked like this Hollywood-driven stereotype — and if drunkenness and total anarchy had truly ruled pirate ships — we probably wouldn’t know much about this unique culture of free rulers of the seas. Numerous discoveries made by marine explorers prove that real pirates of the 16th–18th centuries were very different.
In shipwrecks raised from the ocean floor, treasure hunters have found well-preserved equivalents of modern ship logbooks. Researchers have also discovered that every pirate ship operated under a so-called Pirate Code, which clearly and unambiguously defined the rights and duties of everyone on board. AdmiGram.com took a look at one of the real pirate agreements used by the crew of John Phillips aboard the pirate ship The Revenge.
What Real Pirates Were Like: Scientific Facts
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- Every crew member has equal voting rights, an equal share of the loot, and the freedom to use that share as he sees fit — unless the crew is suffering from hunger or other hardships.
- Every crew member must contribute to the common loot and is then entitled to a share of it. Anyone caught hiding part of the captured treasure will be marooned on a deserted island.
- Lights and candles must be extinguished at eight o’clock in the evening. Anyone wishing to stay awake must do so only on the upper deck.
- Anyone who leaves the ship during battle will be executed.
- Pistols, cutlasses, and all other weapons must be kept clean and ready for use at all times.
- Women are forbidden on board. Anyone who brings a woman onto the ship will be executed.
- Fighting and arguing on board are forbidden; duels with swords or pistols may only take place on shore.
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- Gambling with cards or dice for money is strictly forbidden.
- Anyone wishing to leave the crew must pay a ransom of one thousand doubloons for each remaining crew member.
- If any crew member is caught stealing, he will be marooned on a deserted island with only a loaded pistol.
- Everyone is entitled to a personal share of the common loot. The captain and the quartermaster receive double shares. The boatswain, gunner, and ship’s owner receive one and a half shares. The mate, carpenter, and other officers receive one and a quarter shares.
- If a man — sailor or pirate — is found on a deserted island, he must sign this agreement, but only with the consent of the entire crew and the captain.
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- Anyone who fires a pistol, smokes a pipe, or lights a candle near the ship’s gunpowder supplies will be punished with 40 lashes.
- Anyone who attempts to take a woman against her will will be sentenced to death.
- Anyone who fails to keep their weapons clean or refuses to carry out assigned ship duties will lose their share of the loot — even if that person is the captain.
- If one crew member strikes another, the offender will receive 40 lashes.
- If a crew member loses an arm up to the elbow, he is compensated with 400 ducats. If the arm is lost up to the shoulder, the compensation doubles. If a leg is lost up to the knee, 400 ducats are paid from the common loot; if the leg is lost entirely, the amount is doubled.
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