Pirates

Brief History of Piracy

Piracy started as early as 1400 BC with Roman military ships being attacked.  As sea trade increased piracy become more common. The golden age of piracy was from 1650 -1730.

Piracy represented a shift in the laws of nations. Previously, law had been determined based on location but since piracy happened at sea, where no nations governed, countries were forced to adjust their laws. Most chose to have their same laws apply as on land.

Piracy still occurs today. In 2010, Somali pirates hijacked 49 ships and took over 1,000 hostages. These occurrences are less common now but cruise ships are still occasionally taken hostage.

Women

Sources conflict regarding how common it was for women to be pirates. Some say it was very common, others claim it was a rarity.

Many ships codes that included a provision denying to allow women on board because they were considered  “inimical to work and social order” but many women didn’t have anything to lose so they would sign up, either dressing as men or dressing as women and using feminine wiles to aid in capturing hostages.

Cheng I Sao