Pirate Brethren

Composer/performer credits for the random music
on this page can be found within me Sources page.

Pirate Brethren

The Brethren of the Coast were a loose coalition of privateers and pirates commonly known as buccaneers who were active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, mainly in and around the Caribbean Sea. They were a group of captains with letters of marque and reprisal who regulated their privateering enterprises within the community of privateers and with their outside benefactors. They were primarily private individual merchant mariners of Protestant background usually of English and French origin. During their heyday, when the Thirty Years War was devastating the Protestant communities of France, Germany and the Netherlands while England was engaged in various conflicts, the privateers of these nationalities were issued letters of marque to raid Catholic French and Spanish shipping and territories. Based primarily on the island of Tortuga off the coast of Haiti and in the city of Port Royal on the island of Jamaica, the original Brethren were mostly French Huguenot and British Protestants, but their ranks were joined by other adventurers of various nationalities including Spaniards, and even African sailors, as well as escaped slaves and outlaws. The Brethren were governed by codes of conduct that favored legislative decision-making, hierarchical command authority, individual rights, and equitable division of revenues. Henry Morgan was perhaps the most famous member of the Brethren and the one usually credited with codifying its organization. However, when war ended the group continued on as a purely criminal organization of pirates which preyed upon all civilian maritime shipping, until the authorities finally put an end to this Age of Piracy.

Pirate Related Websites

Below be some of me favorite websites to visit
among the pirate brotherhood n' beyond, sailin'
in the vast cyber seas... thee adventure begins!

CLICK ON A TITLE BELOW TO VIEW WEBSITE

* Beej's Pirate Image Archive - One of the very first web sources for historic and classic pirate graphics.

* Bilgemunky.com - A humorous and informative pirate site.

* Chris Collingwood Historic Art - Site and gallery for one of todays best military themed artists.

* Famous Pirates - Biographies of infamous sea robbers.

* Golden Age of Piracy - New world piracy on the high seas at it's best.

* International Talk Like a Pirate Day - Arrggh! I'm surrounded by bloomin' rug rats with a speech impediment...

* Isle of Tortuga - Site provides a general pirate history of old.

* Piracy - Noonsite.com - Latest reports of attacks or incidents from around the world.

* Pirate 101 - Pirate History and Fun Facts.

* Pirate Dentistry - A pirate's life wasn't without it's problems.

* Pirate Facts for Kids - Good site made for kids to navigate their waters.

* Pirates! Fact & Legend - Contains a wealth of knowledge about pirates.

* Pirates of the Caribbean - Excellent site with some detailed historical pirate information.

* Pirates & Privateers - Explores the history of pirates and privateers.

* The Pirate's Realm - Very informative site includes information about ships, flags, weapons, and tactics.

* The Pirate Ship - Fun site, easy to navigate with good overall content.

* Pirate Surgeon's Journals - Unique site written by a re-enactor.

* The Piracy Watch - About Keepin' up with modern piracy.

* Shanties and Sea Songs - Great source for these old songs of the sea.

* Swashbuckling History of Women Pirates - The females who rocked their pirate world.

* The Way Of The Pirates - Piracy throughout history, famous pirates, life and fiction.

Museums and Nautical Sites

* Annapolis Maritime Museum - History, exhibits, events, newsletter and how to join.

* Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum - Shipwrecks along the North American east coast.

* Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum - Shipwreck and diving exhibits, located in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

* Hong Kong Maritime Museum - Development of boats, ships, maritime exploration, trade, and warfare.

* Los Angeles Maritime Museum - Galleries of exhibits exploring the maritime history of Southern California.

* The Mariners Museum - Located in Newport News, VA

* Mystic Seaport - All about the historical port and museum in Mystic, Connecticut.

* Naval and Maritime Museums: Australia - Offers alphabetical list of museums in country.

* New England Pirate Museum - Located in historic Salem, Massachusetts.

* Pirates: Royal Museums Greenwich - Has wealth of pirate facts and info.

* The Port Royal Project - About the archaeological investigation of the sunken city.

* San Diego Maritime Museum - Homeport of the "Star of India"

* San Francisco Maritime Nat'l Hist. Park - Information about regional nautical history.

* Scottish Maritime Museum - Exhibits of maritime and shipbuilding history from the 18th century onwards.

* Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum - Founded in 1966 and located in Savannah, Georgia.

* St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum - History museum dedicated to the exploits of Caribbean pirates.

* Treasure Pirates of the Whydah - Interesting hunt for sunken treasure ships.

* USS Constitution Museum - A site devoted to "Old Ironsides".

* Vancouver Maritime Museum - The principal maritime museum on the Pacific Coast of Canada.

* Wisconsin Maritime Museum - Maritime history of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.

* Whydah Pirate Museum - About the Cape Cod. shipwreak of the infamous pirate Sam Bellamy.

Pirate Traders and Merchants

* Adult Pirate Party - Fer the bit of pirate in all of us.

* The Ancient Mariner at Seagifts.com - A treasure trove of quality nautical gifts.

* By The Sword - Has quality clothing, swords, archery, and armor.

* Carolina Ships in Bottles - Scrape the barnicles off her bottom with these individually handcrafted pieces.

* Dress Like A Pirate.com - Wrap yer booty inside their quality pirate and renaissance re-enactment costumes.

* Flappin' Flags - Hoist yer colors high with one of their grand pirate or nautical creations.

* G Gedney Godwin Online Catolog - 17th and 18th century style clothing and weapons. Also has period musical and medical instruments for those talented souls.

* Kids Birthday Party Supplies - Another year older, lord help us all... ARRGGGH!!

* Majestic Velvets - Offers high quality, custom-made Renaissance and Pirate wear. Perfect for renaissance faires, SCA, historic weddings or that first time meeting the in-laws.

* Museum Replicas Limited - Dress fer success in their wickedly stylish apparel.

* Pirates Cave - Replica's and full functional historical weapons and gear.

* Pirate Fashions - Impress yer favorite wench with their vogue threads.

* The Pirate's Lair - Has everything a buccaneer could want... Except the rum.

* Pirate Life - Offers hats, shirts and other gear.

* Pirate Mod - Skull & crossbones T shirts, tank tops and other collectibles.

* Pirate Party Supplies - Party like it's 1699 again.

* Pirates Store - Thar be more seafarin' gear here than in Davy Jones Locker.

* SCA Boots - Stagger around like a real pirate in their fine lookin' footware.

* Sea Shanties - Sounds that'll make even a soggy sea rodent smile... ARRGGGH!!

* Specialty Emporium's Pirate Novelties - Jolly Roger flag decals, patches, mini stickers, n' more.

* StrongBlade - Quality Replicas & Collectibles no bloomin' pirate should be without.

* Treasure Net - Treasure search, recovery, preservation, books, maps, magazines, associations, etc.

* Wood Pirate Chest - Proper lookin' nautical chests, trunks, and boxes to stash yer ill gotten loot.

Rise & Fall of Golden Age Piracy

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