Pirate code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:19, 29 August 2025

Latest revision as of 00:21, 29 August 2025

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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 women) 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==