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{{Era|AC4}}
{{Era|Timeline}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Quote|We fly no colours out here, but praise the lack of 'em. So let the black flag signal nothing but your allegiance to man's natural freedoms.|Edward Thatch, regarding piracy, 1715.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Raise the Black Flag}}
{{Stub}}
{{Event Infobox
|prev = [[English Civil War]]
|conc = [[Salem witch trials]]<br>[[Great Recoinage of 1696]]<br>[[War of the Spanish Succession]]<br>[[1720s Chinese Assassin purge]]<br> [[Shimazu clan civil war]]<br>[[1725 Manila riot]]<br>[[Battle of Sulu]]
|next = [[Maroon rebellion]]
|image = Now Hiring 1.png
|timeframe = [[Age of Enlightenment]]
|conflict = [[Spanish Treasure Fleet|Sinking of the Treasure Fleet]]<br>[[Siege of Charles-Towne]]<br>[[Blockade of Nassau]]<br>[[Attack on Ocracoke]]<br>[[Battle of the Strait of Malacca]]
|date = 1650 – 1730
|place = [[Caribbean]]<br>[[Príncipe]]<br>[[Madagascar]]<br>{{Wiki|South China Sea}}
|outcome = *Rise and fall of the [[Republic of Pirates|Pirate Republic]]
*Piracy largely came to an end in the Caribbean
|key = *[[File:Flag of Edward England.png|15px]] [[Piracy|Pirates]]
*[[File:Assassin Logo.png|15px]] [[Assassins]]
*[[File:Templars.png|15px]] [[Templars]]
*[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.png|15px]] [[British Empire]]
*[[File:Flag of Spanish Empire.png|15px]] [[Spanish Empire]]
*[[File:Flag of France.png|15px]] [[France|Kingdom of France]]
*[[Portuguese Empire]]
|participants = *[[Benjamin Hornigold]]
*[[Edward Kenway]]
*[[Edward Thatch]]
*[[Bartholomew Roberts]]
*[[Mary Read]]
*[[Anne Bonny]]
*[[Charles Vane]]
*[[Jack Rackham]]
*[[Samuel Bellamy]]
*[[Alonzo Batilla]]
*[[Woodes Rogers]]
*[[Olivier Levasseur]]
*[[Francis Hume]]
*[[Zheng]]
*[[Mustafa]]
*[[Nagamasa]]
*[[Jan van Aert]]
}}
The '''Golden Age of Piracy''' was an extended period of time lasting from the 1650s to the 1730s, characterized by the excessive outbursts of [[Piracy|piracy]] that occurred throughout several regions around the [[Earth|world]], most notably in the [[Caribbean]].


The '''Golden Age of Piracy''' is the name given to three separate time periods characterized by one or more outbursts of piracy. In the broadest sense, the Golden Age was the time period between the 1650s to the 1730s.  
==History==
===West Indies===
Although there had been two previous proclaimed "Golden Ages", the third and final one ranged from 1715 to the mid-1730s, and saw the rise of several infamous pirates, including [[Edward Thatch]], better known as "Blackbeard",<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch]]</ref> and [[Bartholomew Roberts]], known after his death as "Black Bart".<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts]]</ref>


==Sources==
The third Golden Age is considered to have started in 1715, with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht between the [[British Empire|British]] and [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] empires, ending the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. This rendered hundreds of [[privateer]]s on either side obsolete and unemployed. Looking for a means to survive, many of the former privateers turned to piracy to support themselves. [[Edward Kenway]], [[Benjamin Hornigold]], [[Charles Vane]], and [[Jack Rackham]] were among those who converted to lawlessness.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Edward Kenway (Black Flag)|Database: Edward Kenway]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Benjamin Hornigold]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Charles Vane]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Calico Jack]]</ref>
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]
*''{{Wiki|Golden Age of Piracy}}''


{{ACIV}}
With shipping lanes established throughout the West Indies, several [[Europe]]an powers had colonized islands and coastlines in the area, and began transporting new-found goods and treasures from their holdings back to [[Europe]]—prime targets for the new bands of roving criminals. Most pirates profited from looting these Europe-bound [[ship]]s, usually filled with precious [[gold]] and [[silver]] or the region's profitable crops, such as [[sugar]] and cocoa.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>
 
Although the navies of several empires patrolled the waters for pirates, the criminals still managed to plunder countless ships, [[plantation]]s, and warehouses, as well as the [[Shipwreck|wrecks]] of ships lost in storms and battles.<ref name="AC4" /> The loss of a [[Spanish Treasure Fleet|Spanish fleet]] loaded with treasure is believed to be one of the events that helped to instigate the last Golden Age.<ref name="Treasure Fleet">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[The Treasure Fleet]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: The Wreck of the Spanish Treasure Fleet]]</reF>
 
Notably, the pirates who were active during this Golden Age were able to establish their own short-lived [[democracy]] in [[Nassau]], operating without the interference of any European power.<ref name="Now Hiring">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Now Hiring]]</ref><ref name="Proper Defenses">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Proper Defenses]]</ref> However, the fledgling [[Republic of Pirates]] was disbanded in 1718 by Governor [[Woodes Rogers]] of [[the Bahamas]], who was even able to convince three hundred pirates to accept a royal pardon.<ref name="Parlay">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[We Demand a Parlay]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Woodes Rogers]]</ref> Some of these pirates returned to service under the crown as [[Bounty hunter|pirate hunters]], devoted to tracking down and eliminating their former allies.<ref name="Surprise">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Imagine My Surprise]]</ref><ref name="Trust Is Earned">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Trust Is Earned]]</ref>
 
===Southeast Asia===
{{Quote|Some may say the age of pirates has long passed! That we free spirits are a dying breed, and soon, the sea as we knew her will be no more, choked by the greed of self-serving kings and grasping empires! But I promise you this! That day may well come, but by God, it won't be today!|Edward Kenway's speech to his fellow pirates, 1725.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 115}}
[[File:ACFT - Rupiya's crew plundering the ship.png|thumb|190px|left|Mustafa's crew plundering a merchant ship]]
The Golden Age also manifested in the {{wiki|South China Sea}}, which saw an increased pirate presence during this period. The [[Strait of Malacca]] was a particularly major spot of pirate activity, and a number of captains made a name for themselves by plundering ships in the region; [[Mustafa]] was one such pirate who came to be known as the "Terror of Malacca".<ref name="FT 24">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 24|Episode 24]]</ref>
 
The [[Paracel Islands]] were also rife with pirate activity, so much that a large crew turned the islands into their personal base of operations, from where they would plunder countless European ships. [[Jan van Aert]], the Chief Navigator of the [[Dutch East India Company]], believed these pirates to be privateers employed by the [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]] and as such the Dutch Navy was reluctant to take action against them. To solve the problem, Jan enlisted the services of Edward Kenway and his organization, the [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]], to rid the Paracels of pirates,<ref name="FT 27">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 27|Episode 27]]</ref> which they ultimately succeeded in doing.<ref name="FT 29">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 29|Episode 29]]</ref>
 
Merchants and businessmen in the region were known to sometimes hire pirates to sabotage their rivals by attacking their ships. [[Sun (Hualien Trading Company)|Sun]], the head of the [[Hualien Trading Company]] in [[Macau]], often enlisted the services of [[Japan]]ese pirates to attack the merchant vessels of his rival [[Lee Huiyin|Madam Lee]], until 1725, when he employed Mustafa and his crew. However, Mustafa failed to plunder the ships as his crew was defeated by Edward Kenway, and the [[captain]] himself was taken prisoner by the Assassin.<ref name="FT 15">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 15|Episode 15]]</ref> Mustafa and his crew would later retire from piracy by joining the Zhang Wei Union.<ref name="FT 24" />
 
[[File:ACFT - Edward rallying the pirates.png|thumb|170px|Edward Kenway rallying Batavia's pirates]]
[[Zheng]] was another infamous pirate active in the South China Sea,<ref name="FT 48">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 48|Episode 48]]</ref> who was recruited by Madam Lee to serve as the admiral of her personal fleet.<ref name="FT 39">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 39|Episode 39]]</ref> [[Nagamasa]] and his crew of Japanese pirates and [[Mercenary|mercenaries]] were active around the [[Philippines]] and were briefly employed by the [[Shimazu clan]],<ref name="FT 80">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 80|Episode 80]]</ref> before defecting to the Zhang Wei Union.<ref name="FT 83">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 83|Episode 83]]</ref>
 
[[Jakarta|Batavia]], the capital of the {{Wiki|Dutch East Indies}}, was known to host a large number of pirates and privateers, whose services were occasionally employed by the Dutch East India Company.<ref name="FT 110">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 110|Episode 110]]</ref> In 1725, these pirates were recruited by Edward Kenway and joined the Zhang Wei Union's fleet, accompanying it to {{Wiki|Indochina}}.<ref name="FT 111">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 111|Episode 111]]</ref> There, they successfully defeated both the [[East India Company]]'s and Admiral Zheng's fleets, which had formed a blockade around the peninsula to prevent the Union from reaching the mainland and finding the [[Forgotten Temple (Isu)|Forgotten Temple]].<ref name="FT 115">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 115|Episode 115]]</ref>
 
===Decline===
As the most notorious pirate captains eventually died out or accepted royal pardons, the last Golden Age finally came to an end in the 1730s, although piracy in general would continue.<ref name="AC4" />
 
==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180">
ACI - Utrecht.jpg|The [[Peace of Utrecht|Treaty of Utrecht]]
AC4 - Letter of Marque.jpg|A {{wiki|letter of marque}} supporting [[Privateer|privateering]]
Devil's Advocate 4.png|The ''[[Queen Anne's Revenge]]'' attacking a British [[Man O' War]]
A Last Drink for the Road 3.png|The ''[[Jackdaw]]'' engaging another vessel in combat
ACFT - Zhang Wei Union fleet.png|Pirate ships joining the Zhang Wei Union's fleet
</gallery>
 
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Blackbeard – The Lost Journal]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mdat}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' {{Imo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Identity]]'' – ''[[Black Flag Update]]'' {{mdat}}
*''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]''
 
==References==
{{Scroll box|content={{Reflist}}}}
{{Timeline}}
{{Timeline}}
{{AC4}}
{{ACP}}
{{ACM}}
{{ACFT}}
[[Category:Timeline]]
[[Category:Piracy]]
<!--[hu:A Kalózkodás Aranykora]
[fr:Âge d'or de la piraterie]
[zh:海盗黄金时代]-->

Latest revision as of 03:35, 12 May 2026

"We fly no colours out here, but praise the lack of 'em. So let the black flag signal nothing but your allegiance to man's natural freedoms."
―Edward Thatch, regarding piracy, 1715.[src]-[m]

The Golden Age of Piracy was an extended period of time lasting from the 1650s to the 1730s, characterized by the excessive outbursts of piracy that occurred throughout several regions around the world, most notably in the Caribbean.

History[edit | edit source]

West Indies[edit | edit source]

Although there had been two previous proclaimed "Golden Ages", the third and final one ranged from 1715 to the mid-1730s, and saw the rise of several infamous pirates, including Edward Thatch, better known as "Blackbeard",[1] and Bartholomew Roberts, known after his death as "Black Bart".[2]

The third Golden Age is considered to have started in 1715, with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht between the British and Spanish empires, ending the War of the Spanish Succession. This rendered hundreds of privateers on either side obsolete and unemployed. Looking for a means to survive, many of the former privateers turned to piracy to support themselves. Edward Kenway, Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane, and Jack Rackham were among those who converted to lawlessness.[3][4][5][6]

With shipping lanes established throughout the West Indies, several European powers had colonized islands and coastlines in the area, and began transporting new-found goods and treasures from their holdings back to Europe—prime targets for the new bands of roving criminals. Most pirates profited from looting these Europe-bound ships, usually filled with precious gold and silver or the region's profitable crops, such as sugar and cocoa.[7]

Although the navies of several empires patrolled the waters for pirates, the criminals still managed to plunder countless ships, plantations, and warehouses, as well as the wrecks of ships lost in storms and battles.[7] The loss of a Spanish fleet loaded with treasure is believed to be one of the events that helped to instigate the last Golden Age.[8][9]

Notably, the pirates who were active during this Golden Age were able to establish their own short-lived democracy in Nassau, operating without the interference of any European power.[10][11] However, the fledgling Republic of Pirates was disbanded in 1718 by Governor Woodes Rogers of the Bahamas, who was even able to convince three hundred pirates to accept a royal pardon.[12][13] Some of these pirates returned to service under the crown as pirate hunters, devoted to tracking down and eliminating their former allies.[14][15]

Southeast Asia[edit | edit source]

"Some may say the age of pirates has long passed! That we free spirits are a dying breed, and soon, the sea as we knew her will be no more, choked by the greed of self-serving kings and grasping empires! But I promise you this! That day may well come, but by God, it won't be today!"
―Edward Kenway's speech to his fellow pirates, 1725.[src]-[m]
Mustafa's crew plundering a merchant ship

The Golden Age also manifested in the South China Sea, which saw an increased pirate presence during this period. The Strait of Malacca was a particularly major spot of pirate activity, and a number of captains made a name for themselves by plundering ships in the region; Mustafa was one such pirate who came to be known as the "Terror of Malacca".[16]

The Paracel Islands were also rife with pirate activity, so much that a large crew turned the islands into their personal base of operations, from where they would plunder countless European ships. Jan van Aert, the Chief Navigator of the Dutch East India Company, believed these pirates to be privateers employed by the Qing Empire and as such the Dutch Navy was reluctant to take action against them. To solve the problem, Jan enlisted the services of Edward Kenway and his organization, the Zhang Wei Union, to rid the Paracels of pirates,[17] which they ultimately succeeded in doing.[18]

Merchants and businessmen in the region were known to sometimes hire pirates to sabotage their rivals by attacking their ships. Sun, the head of the Hualien Trading Company in Macau, often enlisted the services of Japanese pirates to attack the merchant vessels of his rival Madam Lee, until 1725, when he employed Mustafa and his crew. However, Mustafa failed to plunder the ships as his crew was defeated by Edward Kenway, and the captain himself was taken prisoner by the Assassin.[19] Mustafa and his crew would later retire from piracy by joining the Zhang Wei Union.[16]

Edward Kenway rallying Batavia's pirates

Zheng was another infamous pirate active in the South China Sea,[20] who was recruited by Madam Lee to serve as the admiral of her personal fleet.[21] Nagamasa and his crew of Japanese pirates and mercenaries were active around the Philippines and were briefly employed by the Shimazu clan,[22] before defecting to the Zhang Wei Union.[23]

Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies, was known to host a large number of pirates and privateers, whose services were occasionally employed by the Dutch East India Company.[24] In 1725, these pirates were recruited by Edward Kenway and joined the Zhang Wei Union's fleet, accompanying it to Indochina.[25] There, they successfully defeated both the East India Company's and Admiral Zheng's fleets, which had formed a blockade around the peninsula to prevent the Union from reaching the mainland and finding the Forgotten Temple.[26]

Decline[edit | edit source]

As the most notorious pirate captains eventually died out or accepted royal pardons, the last Golden Age finally came to an end in the 1730s, although piracy in general would continue.[7]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch
  2. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts
  3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Edward Kenway
  4. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Benjamin Hornigold
  5. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Charles Vane
  6. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Calico Jack
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
  8. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagThe Treasure Fleet
  9. Assassin's Creed: InitiatesDatabase: The Wreck of the Spanish Treasure Fleet
  10. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagNow Hiring
  11. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagProper Defenses
  12. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagWe Demand a Parlay
  13. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDatabase: Woodes Rogers
  14. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagImagine My Surprise
  15. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagTrust Is Earned
  16. 16.0 16.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 24
  17. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 27
  18. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 29
  19. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 15
  20. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 48
  21. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 39
  22. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 80
  23. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 83
  24. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 110
  25. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 111
  26. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 115