Pirate code: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Code of conduct for governing pirates}}

[[File:Pg 154 - So the Treasure was Divided.jpg|thumb|300px|Treasure being divided among pirates in an illustration by [[Howard Pyle]].]]

'''Pirate articles''', or '''articles of agreement'''{{efn|The term "Pirate Code" was not used during this period and is a modern invention.}} were a [[code of conduct]] for governing ships of [[pirate]]s, notably between the [[17th century|17th]] and [[18th century|18th centuries]], during the so-called "[[Golden Age of Piracy]]". The typical pirate crew was an unorthodox mixture of former [[sailor]]s, [[Convict|escaped convicts]], disillusioned men, and possibly escapee or former [[Slavery|slaves]], among others, looking for wealth at any cost; once aboard a seafaring vessel, the group would draw-up their own ship- and crew-specific code (or ''articles''), which listed and described the crew's policies surrounding pirate behavior (such as drunkenness, fighting, and interaction with femaleswomen) and the associated disciplinary action, should a code be violated. Failing to honor the Articles could get a pirate [[marooning|marooned]], whipped, beaten, or even executed (such as one article described, for merely allowing a femalewoman aboard their ship). Primarily, these articles were designed to keep order aboard the ship, avoid dissension or [[Mutiny|mutinies]], and ensure the crews' loyalty, all of which was crucial to the group's mutual survival.

==History==

[[File:Pyle pirate marooned.jpg|thumb|300px|A painting depicting a [[Marooning|marooned]] pirate, according to [[Howard Pyle]].]]

While legend has it that the first set of the pirate codes were written by the Portuguese buccaneer [[Bartolomeu Português]] sometime in the early 1660s,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Piracy|first=Golden Age of|title=Buccaneers {{!}} Bartholomew Portugues|url=https://goldenageofpiracy.org/buccaneers/bartholomew-portugues.php|access-date=2022-01-22|website=Golden Age of Piracy|language=en}}</ref>, the first formal recorded set belonged to [[George Cusack]] who was active from 1668 to 1675.<ref name="Fox Dissertation" /> These early buccaneer articles were based on earlier [[maritime law]] and privateer codes such as the 12th century [[Rolls of Oléron]].<ref name="Berger">{{cite web |last1=Berger |first1=Klaus Peter |title=The Lex Mercatoria (Old and New) and the TransLex-Principles |url=https://www.trans-lex.org/the-lex-mercatoria-and-the-translex-principles_ID8 |website=www.trans-lex.org |access-date=21 October 2021 |language=de}}</ref> They were later used by buccaneers and pirates such as [[John Phillips (pirate)|John Phillips]], [[Edward Low]] and [[Bartholomew Roberts]].

[[Buccaneer]]s operated under a [[ship's articles]] that, among other things, governed conduct of the crew. These "articles of agreement" became authority independent of any nation, and were variously called the ''Chasse-Partie'', [[Charterparty]], [[Custom of the sea]], or Jamaica Discipline. These retroactively became known (in the modern era) as the Pirate's Code as well. Pirate articles varied from one captain to another, and sometimes even from one voyage to another, but they were generally alike in including provisions for [[discipline]], specifications for each crewmate's share of treasure, and compensation for the injured.

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The pirate articles were not codes of chivalry, they were established to keep things running smoothly and peacefully onboard the ship. The first and most important step after a pirate crew formed was to draft the code under which it would sail. The codes were considered to be legally binding, and there were swift and severe consequences for those that broke them. There was, however, no official hierarchy, and every vote carried equal weight in establishing these codes. The captain’s authority was not absolute, though the articles might have been influenced by his leadership style and the crew’s goals and experiences. The captain’s primary duties included navigation and deciding when to engage in naval warfare, but the quartermaster was responsible for overseeing daily operations, including interpreting the Articles.<ref name=":1" />

Pirates established articles of conduct which were more democratic than those of naval or merchant marines, though the punishments for violating them were brutal. A common form of punishment was being marooned. Execution by hanging was another common practice. Pirate Articles also stated that goods taken from another ship during a raid were to be fairly distributed among the crew. Some Pirate artilcesarticles dictated that no women were permitted aboard ships, and violating this code could be punishable by death.

== Richard Braithwaite and hydrarchy ==

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirate Code}}

[[Category:Fictional books]]

[[Category:Codes of conduct]]

[[Category:Pirate customs and traditions]]