Pirate code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:42, 15 January 2025

Revision as of 21:06, 13 February 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]].]]

A '''pirate code''', '''pirate articles''', or '''articles of agreement''' 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 females) and the associated disciplinary action, should a code be violated. Failing to honor the code could get a pirate [[marooning|marooned]], whipped, beaten, or even executed (such as one article described, for merely allowing a female aboard their ship). For less serious violations, a pirate may have been temporarily denied equal food rations, or made to clean or maintain parts of the ship for a time. 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==