Pirates (pirates)

The basic meaning of "pirates" refers to maritime robbers. "Piracy" refers to maritime plunder within the maritime jurisdiction.

Note: The English word "PIRATE" comes from the Greek word "π ε ι ρ α ρ ζ". This word appeared relatively late in Greece. Before that, it was usually expressed by another word, namely "λ η ι ζ". Pirates can be defined as armed robbers who attack or attempt to attack ships. Pirate looting is "the determination of some people to commit violent robbery at sea and go to the territory of a city-state by sea."

Pirates (Muslim pirates)

This word is used to refer to pirates or privateers plundering in the Mediterranean. One of the most famous is barbarian pirates from North Africa (Europeans call them Islamic barbarians). Their government authorized them to attack the maritime transport in Christian countries.

Less well-known are Maltese pirates led by the Knights of St. John, who have been fighting the Turks. At first, their enthusiasm was driven by religion, but later plunder at sea became the real purpose.

Privateer (privateer)

"Private privateer" can refer to both armed ships (armed civilian ships) and their leaders (private privateers) or crew members. The main difference between privateers and pirates is that privateers are merchant ships ordered and authorized by the government to capture hostile countries.

Letters and official documents from the government or chambers of commerce are internationally recognized. In wartime, countries often use armed civilian ships to attack enemy ships, because this not only saves shipbuilding costs, but also preserves the strength of regular navies.

The history of pirates

The history of piracy can be traced back to 3000 years ago, but the accurate definition of piracy must be related to the word "pirate". In English, the word piracy has many different meanings, but today some meanings of the word itself are almost useless. The word piracy was first used before17th century. The word peirato was first used by the ancient Roman historian Politios in about 140 BC. The Greek historian Brudack gave the earliest clear definition of pirates around AD 100. He described pirates as those who illegally attacked ships and coastal cities. Piracy first appeared in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and for many years after that, there was still no unified definition of the word piracy. From the 9th century to 1 1 century, the Norwegian marauders were not called pirates, but called "Danes" or "Vikings". Another popular word in medieval England meant "pirates". The explanation of pirates, which is most closely related to modern vocabulary, appeared in18th century, that is, "gangster"; This means that you can kill them at any time, even if you are not a soldier. The earliest international law also included laws against piracy. This is because most pirates operate outside the borders of all countries.

Sometimes the government gives pirates the right to represent their country in the war. The most popular form is to give the owner of a private ship a license to attack an enemy ship on behalf of the king-that is, a privateer. But in fact, many privateers will be tried as illegal gangsters after being captured by the enemy, ignoring their rights.

There are quite a few ancient books in the world that record the whereabouts of pirates. Therefore, there are many ancient words referring to pirates in a certain period, such as pirates in China, and the English word "buccaneer", especially the pirates who plundered Spanish ships in the West Indies in the 7th and 8th centuries (generally translated as "Bakken pirates").

From 169 1 to 1723, it was called the "golden age" of piracy for 30 years, and there were thousands of pirate activities on commercial routes. The end of this era is marked by the death of bartholomew Roberts.

In addition, many great politicians and explorers also came from pirate families. For example, Zheng Zhilong, the father of Zheng Chenggong in Taiwan Province, was a pirate, British explorer Francis Drake and Danish king harald in the 10 century.

The famous pirate nation in modern times is the Moro people in the Philippines. The Malacca Strait in the Indian Ocean and Malaysia is the sea area with the most pirates.

1. The formative period of pirates

Pirates have a long history. It can be said that where there is a ship, there are pirates. The earliest pirate record appeared in BC 1350, and was recorded on a clay tablet inscription. The Phoenicians in this period and the Carthaginians after them were excellent navigators, and their shipbuilding and navigation skills were far ahead of other nations in the Mediterranean-of course, they were also pirates who were rampant in the Mediterranean at that time, robbing merchant ships and plundering towns. So in Age of Empires, Phoenicia has the best catapult warships, and their crossbow warships attack 65% faster, while Carthaginians are fire-breathing ships, and their attack power is increased by 25%. After the Romans conquered Carthage and Egypt, there were no other countries' fleets in the Mediterranean, but pirates remained active in the empire. Even if it is as powerful as the Roman Empire, it is a big headache because of pirates who have just formed a climate.

Since the 5th century BC, the Romans had to take pains to deal with pirates on Corsica and Salle Island. Although the momentum of piracy has been suppressed, the threat still exists. Many small islands scattered along the coast of Illyria turned out to be the nests of "barbaric peoples" who robbed passing ships. They are good at shipbuilding and often harass the Italian coast. Queen Teta's kingdom has become a real "land of predators", constantly causing trouble to the Roman Empire. Her rule did not end until Rome sent troops in 2 19 BC.

However, influenced by some profit-seeking businessmen, piracy has not been hit harder, but has rebounded. In the case of increasingly rampant piracy, the Roman Empire was finally fed up. General Pompeii led 5000 warships and1.2000 soldiers to the Mediterranean, which destroyed the pirate's lair and temporarily restored peace in the Mediterranean for a period of time. If the pirates at this time are just small players who rob merchant ships, kill and set fires, they can't compete with the national fleet, and they haven't become a menace to the rulers-that's only because their time has not yet come, and the Vikings, the sea overlord, are still chasing wild deer in the forests of Scandinavia. In a few hundred years, they will chase all over Europe.

2. Viking and pirate history are inseparable.

Speaking of/kloc-the vikings who lived in northern Europe more than 0/000 years ago, that is, Norway, Denmark and Sweden today. At that time, Europeans mostly called it Northman, that is, tourists from the north. Viking is their self-naming. In the Nordic language, the word has two meanings: first, travel, and then plunder. Their voyage covers the whole of Europe, with the Red Sea in the south, North America in the west and Baghdad in the east. But the first time they appeared in front of the local people, they robbed and plundered as pirates.

An early warning platform to prevent pirates from invading the coastline. Vikings are tough warriors, few in number, and can only rely on careful planning and surprise attack. In the battle, they showed unusual enthusiasm and were not afraid of death, so people turned pale when they talked about pirates. Their assault is often divided into two parts: one is to throw spears and launch rockets from a long distance; Then cut it at close range with a sword and a tomahawk. When they met at sea, the pirates followed the ancient tradition and tied the ships together without saying a word. Put a springboard in the bow and go on stage one by one in turn. Everyone who walks on the springboard is faced with such a fate: either kill everyone in the other side or die in the battlefield, and the companions behind will avenge themselves. If you are afraid, you can turn around and jump into the sea. No one will hunt down deserters, but people who give up their combat qualifications are no different from the dead, and even their families will ignore his existence from now on. Therefore, the first soldier in the bow is usually the most elite soldier. They were topless in the battle, making a rough roar and enjoying the battle to their heart's content. They know that the springboard under their feet is soaked with the blood of their ancestors, and their descendants will stay where they are.

Anger made the vikings look powerful and terrible. This warrior was called Berserker, or Berserker. No one knows why this primitive battle inspired such amazing humanity. The story of Berserker has been handed down from generation to generation. In 789 AD, a group of Vikings looted Dorset, and England has been harassed since then. The local people fought bravely with the robbers, but more often, they paid a ransom, called Danegeld (today's Danish tax is not called tax, it is called Danegeld), so that the disaster can leave quickly. But money doesn't always solve the problem. There are several pirates. One king left and another leader came to power. Viking pirates are rampant in areas with weak defense.

After all, the robber's axe can't compare with the power of God. The vikings are conquering, and they proudly trample European land under their feet. However, Christianity has gradually eroded their souls and changed their beliefs. They have integrated into the culture they once conquered-the conqueror has become the conquered. In this way, the pirates were sunk into the deepest part of the ocean, waiting for the future to be awakened by blood and fire. The gloomy Middle Ages then enveloped the land of Europe, which doomed that there could be no pirates as brave and great as the vikings-although Berber pirates in North Africa were rampant in the Mediterranean at this time, they were quickly swept down by the tide of history.

It is precisely because the vikings have had such a profound influence on the European continent in history that many games related to vikings or Nordic myths have appeared-Viking warriors, vikings, Viking warships, the Nordic god Odin ... These characters or objects frequently appear in various games.

3. The Golden Age of Pirates

With the opening of new routes, the maritime trade industry has become hot. The discovery of the new continent and the expansion of colonies made all kinds of ships loaded with gold and other goods sail around the world. The competition among countries for the interests and ambitions of colonies provided the greatest hotbed for piracy. With the appearance of privateering license, piracy even began to "legalize". Private license sounds a bit like robber logic. For example, he can get compensation for losses through legal or diplomatic means, but he can get a privateering license authorized by the Dutch government, allowing him to capture German merchant ships to make up for the losses.

Later, governments used these licenses as national tools to strengthen their navies, which enabled them to have an additional maritime force and attack enemy merchant ships out of thin air without increasing their budgets. Britain, the later maritime overlord, started with a group of pirates. No wonder someone once joked that Britain is a large group of pirates and Elizabeth is the biggest pirate leader. In this golden age of pirates who advocate freedom and honor, guns are accompanied by sea breeze, and a number of famous pirate leaders have emerged. Captain Kidd, "Black Beard" Tiki and "Black Baron" Roberds have all become legendary classics in the history of pirates.

The main weapons used by pirates during this period were short muskets and sailor machetes. Short muskets are very convenient to carry and use, and they are pirates' favorite. Sailor's machete is slightly shorter than the general sword, and its blade is curved, which is conducive to melee chopping and is the main weapon of pirates. In addition, they are also equipped with daggers that are conducive to fighting in narrow spaces, boarding axes that are used to cut rigging and nets when boarding ships, and muskets that are longer and more powerful than short muskets ... Pirate ships are equipped with cannons that can simultaneously launch a single big iron ball or multiple small shells. In addition, they can also launch iron chain bombs specially used to deal with enemy masts-two large iron balls connected by long chains.

4. The decline of pirates

With the advent of the industrial age, the strength of navies in various countries has been greatly strengthened, and coastal patrols have become more rigorous. One Pirate has never been as brilliant as before, and almost disappeared for a long time from the end of 18 to the beginning of 19. However, pirates did not disappear from here. 198 1 In the summer of, a "ghost ship" was found near the Bahamas. It sailed with full sail and didn't respond to any signal. Its side is covered with bullet holes and its deck is covered with blood. After investigation, the sailboat Kariya 3 sent a distress telegram two days ago, claiming that it was attacked by four unmarked speedboats. All this shows that the pirates are alive again. At the same time, faster ships and more powerful weapons make pirates become more elusive and harmful thugs. ...