Elizabethan Pirates

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Elizabethan Pirates

Did you ever think that some pirates fought for their country? Contrary to what some might believe, Elizabethan pirates, or privateers, fought for Queen Elizabeth of England. Also, for various reasons they were called sea dogs and buccaneers. The privateers were actually encouraged by the government to pillage their enemies. Elizabethan privateers were enlisted and licensed by the government, were unified in their cause, focused more on capturing than destroying enemy ships, and were made famous through their victories.

In the Elizabethan Era, England and Spain were in conflict due to their differences in religion. With the arrival of Queen Elizabeth, the official religion of England changed to Protestant (Religion in Elizabethan England). Spain was Catholic, and King Philip II wanted all the other countries to be Catholic as well. These different beliefs led to major conflict between the two countries. King Philip also wanted England for his own so that he could control the English channel, which would allow access to lands in the north. These tensions actually led to the English war with Spain, which started around 1585-1587 (The Spanish Armada). All this led to one major problem for the English: if the Spanish came to conquer England the English Royal Navy could easily be defeated by the Spanish Armada.

Queen Elizabeth knew that if she wanted to stop the Spanish, she would need more naval power, so she enlisted the help of the pirates. The pirates were people that were loyal to no one and plundered any ship that they wanted to. If they were caught, they would normally be punished. However, Queen Elizabeth realized that she could use their desire for loot to her advantage, so she gave the pirates Letters...

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"Sir Francis Drake - Sir Francis Drake Biography - Royal Navy - Spanish Armada." About.com Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

"The Elizabeth Files » The Spanish Armada 4: The Battle of Gravelines." The Elizabeth Files. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

"Elizabeth's Sea Dogs." Domain Page - Journeytohistory. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

"Privateers of Elizabethan England." Suite101.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

"Famous Elizabethan Pirates." ELIZABETHAN ERA. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

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