Historical - Pirates
The Golden Age of Piracy
The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation given the period roughly spanning from
the 1650s to the 1720s. The decade of 1715–1725 experienced a substantial increase in the
number of pirates operating throughout the Caribbean, the American coast, the Indian Ocean,
and the western coast of Africa. It is also from this period that the modern conception of
pirates as depicted in popular culture is derived.
During the early 18th century, many European and colonial American sailors and privateers
found themselves unemployed. Factors contributing to piracy included the rise in quantities
of valuable cargoes being shipped to Europe over vast ocean areas, reduced European navies
in certain regions, the training and
experience that many sailors had gained as conscripts in European navies (particularly the Royal Navy), and ineffective government in European overseas colonies.
Pirate Reenacting
Although the details are often misremembered, the effect upon popular culture of the Golden Age of Piracy can hardly be overstated. Such literary works as Treasure Island and Peter Pan, while romanticized, drew heavily on pirates and piracy for their plots. In turn, they helped implant an (often inaccurate) image of old-time pirates in contemporary minds.
More recently, even less accurate depictions of historical-era pirates such as Captain Jack Sparrow the fictional character from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise who is portrayed by Johnny Depp and International Talk Like a Pirate Day, have advanced to the forefront. However, these phenomena have only served to advance the romantic image of piracy and its treasure-burying swashbucklers in popular culture.
In American and British popular culture, the modern pirate stereotype owes its tradition mostly to depictions of Captain Hook and his crew in theatrical and film versions of Peter Pan, Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in the film Treasure Island, and various adaptations of Sinbad the Sailor. Pirates have retained their image through pirate-themed tourist attractions, traditional film and toy portrayals of pirates, and the continued performance and reading of books and plays featuring pirates.
Historical pirates were actually often sailors or soldiers who'd fallen into misfortune, forced to serve at sea or to plunder goods and ships in order to survive. Depending on the moral and social context of a piece of pirate literature, the pirate characters in that piece may be represented as having fallen, perhaps resembling a "respectable" person in some way.
Alternately, they may be depicted as truly corrupt and evil, such as Captain Barbossa - the fictional antagonistic character from Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates generally quest for buried treasure, which is often stored, after being plundered, in treasure chests. Pirate's treasure is usually gold, often in the form of doubloons or pieces of eight.
Pirate Appearence & Mannerisms
In films, books, cartoons, and toys, pirates often have an unrefined appearance and symbolizes the rogue personality and adventurous, seafaring lifestyle.
- They are often shown wearing 17th or 18th century clothing, with a bandana or a feathered tricorne.
- They sometimes have an eye patch
- Almost always have a cutlass and a flintlock pistol, or some other swords and guns.
- They sometimes have scars and battle wounds,
- Rotten or missing teeth (suggesting the effects of scurvy),
- as well as a hook or wooden stump where a hand or leg has been amputated.
- Some depictions of pirates also include monkeys or parrots as pets.
One of the stereotypical features of a pirate, the eye patch, dates back to the Arab pirate Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah who wore it after losing an eye in battle in the 18th century.
Pirate Speech & Accent
Stereotypical pirate accents tend to resemble accents either from Cornwall or Bristol, though they can also be based on Elizabethan era English or other parts of the world.
Pirates in film, television and theatre are generally depicted as speaking English in a particular accent and speech pattern that sounds like a cross between a West country accent and an old English accent, similar to that of Robert Newton's performance as Long John Silver in the 1950 film Treasure Island; however, the characteristic speech patterns of fictional pirates appear to pre-date Newton's performance, for example in J. Warren Kerrigan's Irish-accented performance as Peter Blood in the 1924 film Captain Blood.
Fröjel (Pronounced Fro-yel) is a family based Viking re-enactment society depicting the Vikings from Fröjel harbor on Gotland, one of the richest Viking trading centers in the Viking world.
A member's aims are to re-create the clothing, weapons, tools, jewelry, games, foods and furniture of the period, to enjoy an escape to a simpler more relaxed time while putting on displays for the public and getting together with like minded people.
Of course battle re-enactment is a little more strenuous but strict safety procedures are adhered to at all times by those who want to test what they have made. More...
Reenactment Groups & Resources
Visit some of the links below to learn more about specific reenactment groups and resouces for getting started, research, and more.