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'''Privateers''' were | {{Era|Occupations}}{{WP-REAL}} | ||
{{Youmay|the occupation|[[Privateer (Animi Avatar)|the Animi avatar]]}} | |||
[[File:ACFT - Privateers.png|thumb|200px|A group of privateers in Batavia]] | |||
A '''privateer''' is a private individual who engages in naval warfare on behalf of a government who issues them a permit called a letter of marque. | |||
==Description== | |||
As [[mercenary|mercenaries]] of the sea, privateers are given legal permission to attack and plunder the naval vessels designated as enemies to the government that they serve. Commonly, these enemies are warships of states at war with the government or pirates, but the commission may also allow the privateers to target merchant vessels of the belligerent nation. In the eyes of their enemy, the actions of privateers may be indistinct from [[piracy]] in itself and have no legality.<ref name="Database">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Pirates, Buccaneers, and Privateers]]</ref> | |||
The line between privateering and piracy can blur.<ref name="Database" /> The former is effectively piracy which is legally sanctioned by one government, and privateers who continue to operate after the letter of marque has expired or who attacks ships belonging to the client government immediately become pirates to all. The criminal lives of hundreds of [[West Indies|Caribbean]] pirates during the [[Golden Age of Piracy]] originated in privateering.<ref name="Benjamin Hornigold">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Benjamin Hornigold]]</ref> | |||
==History== | |||
===Golden Age of Piracy=== | |||
Before turning to piracy, the [[Wales|Welsh]] farmer [[Edward Kenway]] spent his days dreaming about an exciting life not as a pirate but as a privateer to his wife [[Caroline Scott-Kenway|Caroline Scott]]. In particular, he dabbled in the idea of sailing against [[Spain|Spanish]] ships in the [[War of Spanish Succession]], assuring Caroline that he would only be away for at most two years before returning with riches. When she wondered why he would not simply enlist with the [[Royal Navy]], Edward asserted that the low wages of enlisted sailors were unfair and unsatisfactory to him, thus offering an insight into the motivations of privateers. After she left him in 1712 out of impatience for his idle fantasies, Edward travelled to the West Indies to seriously pursue his wish, determined to prove his worth.<ref name="Memory: Edward Kenway">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Edward Kenway (memory)|Edward Kenway]]</ref><ref name="Database: Edward Kenway">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Edward Kenway (Black Flag)|Database: Edward Kenway]]</ref> | |||
[[File:Prizes and Plunder 8.png|thumb|250px|left|Edward Thatch, Edward Kenway, and Benjaming Hornigold, three privateers-turned-pirates]] | |||
Edward joined with other privateers like [[Benjamin Hornigold]] and [[Edward Thatch]],<ref name="Database: Edward Kenway" /><ref name="Blackbeard">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch]]</ref> the latter of whom would one day earn infamy as the pirate captain Blackbeard.<ref name="Blackbeard" /> When the 1713 Peace of Utrecht ended the war and with it, their commissions, the three suddenly found themselves unemployed.<ref name="Database: Edward Kenway" /><ref name="Benjamin Hornigold" /><ref name="Blackbeard" /> Their stories were echoed by hundreds of other privateers, like the notorious [[Charles Vane]],<ref name="Charles Vane">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Charles Vane]]</ref> who were left wanting for a livelihood and quickly returned to the only vocation that they knew.<ref name="Benjamin Hornigold"/> At [[Nassau]], these men banded together and established a community that they dubbed the "[[Republic of Pirates|Pirate Republic]]".<ref name="Database: Edward Kenway" /><ref name="Benjamin Hornigold" /><ref name="Blackbeard" /><ref name="Charles Vane" /><ref name="Nassau">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Nassau]]</ref> | |||
In response to the increased pirate activity in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]], many governments elected to hire [[Bounty hunter|pirate hunters]] to bring the outlaws to justice. These privateers patrolled the [[Caribbean Sea]] in their distinctive black-and-red ships with crimson sails and would attack any pirate that had garnered enough [[Social stealth|notoriety]].<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> | |||
Privateers were not active solely in the West Indies. In 1725, a group of privateers from [[Jakarta|Batavia]], {{Wiki|Dutch East Indies}}, were recruited by [[Jan van Aert]], the [[Dutch East India Company]]'s chief navigator, and [[Zhang (Macanese)|Zhang]] to rescue the members of the [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]] from an [[Battle of the Strait of Malacca|ambush]] by the [[East India Company]] and Admiral [[Zheng]]'s fleet.<ref name="FT 110">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 110|Episode 110]]</ref> Edward Kenway later recruited additional pirates and privateers from Batavia, who joined the Union's fleet and accompanied them 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 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> | |||
===Seven Years' War=== | |||
[[File:Men o' War 7.png|thumb|250px|The Colonial Templars aboard the HMS ''Pembroke'' during the Siege of Louisbourg]] | |||
During the [[Seven Years' War]], many [[Assassins]] and [[Templars]] operated as privateers on behalf of the [[French Navy|French]] and Royal Navies, respectively. Most notably, the Templar [[Shay Cormac]] participated in a number battles alongside the Royal Navy, including the [[Siege of Louisbourg]] and the [[Battle of Quiberon Bay]], where his ship, the ''[[Morrigan]]'', played a crucial role in securing British victories.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Men o' War]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[The Battle of Quiberon Bay (memory)|The Battle of Quiberon Bay]]</ref> | |||
===American Revolution=== | |||
During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the Assassin [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] undertook numerous privateer contracts on behalf of the [[Continental Navy]], making significant contributions to the [[United States|American]] war effort.<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref> | |||
==Gallery== | |||
<gallery position="center" widths="180" captionalign="center"> | |||
AC4 Privateer Soldier render.png|A privateer soldier | |||
AC4 Privateer Brute render.png|A privateer [[grenadier]] | |||
AC4 Privateer Gunner render.png|A privateer [[Sniper|gunner]] | |||
AC4 Privateer Scout render.png|A privateer scout | |||
AC4 Privateer Captain render.png|A privateer captain | |||
AC4 Pirate Hunter Man O War.png|A Man O' War used by pirate hunters | |||
</gallery> | |||
==Appearances== | ==Appearances== | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]] | *''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' {{1st}} | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]] '' | *''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Blackbeard – The Lost Journal]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' {{Mdat}} | |||
*''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
{{AC4}} | |||
{{ACRG}} | |||
[[Category:Occupations]] | [[Category:Occupations]] | ||
Latest revision as of 05:52, 31 October 2025
| This article is about the occupation. You may be looking for the Animi avatar. |
A privateer is a private individual who engages in naval warfare on behalf of a government who issues them a permit called a letter of marque.
Description[edit | edit source]
As mercenaries of the sea, privateers are given legal permission to attack and plunder the naval vessels designated as enemies to the government that they serve. Commonly, these enemies are warships of states at war with the government or pirates, but the commission may also allow the privateers to target merchant vessels of the belligerent nation. In the eyes of their enemy, the actions of privateers may be indistinct from piracy in itself and have no legality.[1]
The line between privateering and piracy can blur.[1] The former is effectively piracy which is legally sanctioned by one government, and privateers who continue to operate after the letter of marque has expired or who attacks ships belonging to the client government immediately become pirates to all. The criminal lives of hundreds of Caribbean pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy originated in privateering.[2]
History[edit | edit source]
Golden Age of Piracy[edit | edit source]
Before turning to piracy, the Welsh farmer Edward Kenway spent his days dreaming about an exciting life not as a pirate but as a privateer to his wife Caroline Scott. In particular, he dabbled in the idea of sailing against Spanish ships in the War of Spanish Succession, assuring Caroline that he would only be away for at most two years before returning with riches. When she wondered why he would not simply enlist with the Royal Navy, Edward asserted that the low wages of enlisted sailors were unfair and unsatisfactory to him, thus offering an insight into the motivations of privateers. After she left him in 1712 out of impatience for his idle fantasies, Edward travelled to the West Indies to seriously pursue his wish, determined to prove his worth.[3][4]
Edward joined with other privateers like Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Thatch,[4][5] the latter of whom would one day earn infamy as the pirate captain Blackbeard.[5] When the 1713 Peace of Utrecht ended the war and with it, their commissions, the three suddenly found themselves unemployed.[4][2][5] Their stories were echoed by hundreds of other privateers, like the notorious Charles Vane,[6] who were left wanting for a livelihood and quickly returned to the only vocation that they knew.[2] At Nassau, these men banded together and established a community that they dubbed the "Pirate Republic".[4][2][5][6][7]
In response to the increased pirate activity in the West Indies, many governments elected to hire pirate hunters to bring the outlaws to justice. These privateers patrolled the Caribbean Sea in their distinctive black-and-red ships with crimson sails and would attack any pirate that had garnered enough notoriety.[8]
Privateers were not active solely in the West Indies. In 1725, a group of privateers from Batavia, Dutch East Indies, were recruited by Jan van Aert, the Dutch East India Company's chief navigator, and Zhang to rescue the members of the Zhang Wei Union from an ambush by the East India Company and Admiral Zheng's fleet.[9] Edward Kenway later recruited additional pirates and privateers from Batavia, who joined the Union's fleet and accompanied them to Indochina.[10] There, they successfully defeated both the East India Company's and Zheng's fleets, which had formed a blockade around the peninsula to prevent the Union from reaching the mainland and finding the Forgotten Temple.[11]
Seven Years' War[edit | edit source]
During the Seven Years' War, many Assassins and Templars operated as privateers on behalf of the French and Royal Navies, respectively. Most notably, the Templar Shay Cormac participated in a number battles alongside the Royal Navy, including the Siege of Louisbourg and the Battle of Quiberon Bay, where his ship, the Morrigan, played a crucial role in securing British victories.[12][13]
American Revolution[edit | edit source]
During the American Revolutionary War, the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton undertook numerous privateer contracts on behalf of the Continental Navy, making significant contributions to the American war effort.[14]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
A privateer soldier -
A privateer grenadier -
A privateer gunner -
A privateer scout -
A privateer captain -
A Man O' War used by pirate hunters
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed III (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Blackbeard – The Lost Journal
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Echoes of History (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Database: Pirates, Buccaneers, and Privateers
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Database: Benjamin Hornigold
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Edward Kenway
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Database: Edward Kenway
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Database: Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Database: Charles Vane
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Nassau
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 110
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 111
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 115
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Men o' War
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – The Battle of Quiberon Bay
- ↑ Assassin's Creed III
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