The Pirates' Pact : The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America

From School Library Journal Most of us have heard the stories connected with the "Golden Age of Piracy," 1660–1725. Be they fictional or factual, the exploits of such famous buccaneers as Henry Morgan, Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard), and William Kidd as well as less-well-known figures such as King Baldridge, Thomas Tew, and Henry Every have permeated literature and history around the world. Burgess (_Seize the Trident_) recounts the stories of the political and business figures who supported these pirates and their voyages of plunder and murder, describing how the colonial governors in North America and the West Indies engaged in pirate brokering, selling privateering commissions that legitimized the armed seizure of treasure-laden ships as far away as the Red Sea. This was effectively state-sponsored piracy, and everyone profited from it—everyone except the English Crown, that is. An engaging story wonderfully told with solid research. Highly recommended.—David Lee Poremba, Keiser Univ., Orlando, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product Description The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America Was classical piracy an earlier version of state-sponsored terrorism? Here's the story of how almost every well-known buccaneer of the “Golden Age of Piracy” enjoyed active sponsorship from England's governors in the American colonies- setting a pattern of official disobedience to the Crown that would ultimately contribute to the American push for independence. Relying on rare primary sources discovered in government archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Burgess combines true tales of derring-do with groundbreaking research in this fascinating history. "From previously undiscovered archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Douglas Burgess has synthesized a fascinating retelling of the "Golden Age of Piracy", from 1660 to 1725. Pirates needed patrons, the fragile American colonies needed maritime wealth and coastal protection, and everyone except the English crown benefited from untaxed and unregulated black-market profits. The mighty buccaneer Blackbeard was sheltered by the governor of North Carolina. Successive governors of New York consorted with Thomas Tew and William Kidd. And the resulting pattern of official disobedience to the Crown would ultimately contribute to the American push for Independence. The Pirates' Pact brilliantly combines groundbreaking research with true tales of derring-do on the coasts of colonial America."--Back cover

The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America

Was classical piracy an earlier version of state-sponsored terrorism?

Here's the story of how almost every well-known buccaneer of the “Golden Age of Piracy” enjoyed active sponsorship from England's governors in the American colonies- setting a pattern of official disobedience to the Crown that would ultimately contribute to the American push for independence. Relying on rare primary sources discovered in government archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Burgess combines true tales of derring-do with groundbreaking research in this fascinating history.

Enemies of the human race Erring captains : state-sponsored piracy and its aftermath "His majesty's pleasure" : Henry Morgan and Jamaica Oddsfish! The pirate cabal King Baldridge and the Red Sea pirates Amity, liberty, and Thomas Tew Henry Every, "as yet an Englishman's friend" Trials and tribulations The most hated man in America Nemesis "Your loving friends" The despair of Lord Bellomont "That race of wicked men" Afterword : pirate patronage in the twenty-first century. Delves into the sponsorship of buccaneers by England's governors in the American colonies, the disobedience to the Crown and its effects on America's push for independence, issues of bribery and kickbacks, and the battles fought in the "Golden Age of Piracy," in a study that profiles such infamous figures as Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and others.