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Pirate Party Invitations Treasure Map Stationery.

Description: Treasure Map Stationery is inspired by old maps, hidden treasure, pirates, and uncharted and newly discovered lands. It reflects back to a time when maps were hand drawn by merchants and explorers. Maps were highly valuable and hard to come by. This map has the appearance of old parchment that has seen better days, it is designed to look like its been folded and aged. It pictures a royal seal at the top and some wax drips near the bottom. It looks like it has some wear and tear and it has a dotted line to some buried treasure with an X marking the spot. Pirate Stationery is great for Pirate Party Invitations.

Pirate History

A scourge of ancient civilization to the present day – piracy is as old as time. Piracy on the high seas has taken place all over the world, from northern Europe to Asia, from Africa to the Americas. When most people think of pirates, they think of the French pirates of the Caribbean. Wielding their knives and pistols, pirates sought for lives of adventure, and glory. Piracy was a lively hood whose prizes of loot and merchandise were a tempting motivation.

In the past pirates actually played an important role in cheap trade goods for the common folk who would buy a pirate’s loot at market. Pirates helped maintain a fair balanced trade amongst producers. This kept the price of goods in check, however piracy got so bad that laws were enacted to put an end to it.

The French pirates were originally called Buccaneers – a word derived from a cannibal’s method of preserving meat. Buccaneers would hunt animals and then take them to market to sell, preserving the meat was very important and they learned how from cannibals. In time the Spanish overtook the enterprise of the Buccaneers leaving the French out of a job. So the men decided on piracy as a new means of support.

The Caribbean was a good area for pirates as there were many islands to hide out in and places to stash treasure. It was also a time when Spanish treasure ships in the New World were plentiful and easy for pirates to attack. Such targets of enterprise led to their being over 2000 pirates in the Americas alone.
During this time period pirates actually consisted of men from many different countries working together, and so pirates had no allegiance to any one country. Pirates would attack any ship that seemed like a promising target.

When it came to attacking ships, pirates knew all the trade routes and what types of goods would be on board a vessel. These goods included, silk, wool, cotton, fabrics, spices – such as cloves and cinnamon, meats, pigments like Indigo, precious stones such as emeralds and diamonds, as well as silver, gold, pearls, wines, and ivory. When robbing a ship, pirates were essentially stealing an entire warehouse of goods.

Although pirates did attack on the open seas – the best place to attack was when a ship was anchored in a harbor. Pirates would usually row out to the ships in small boats so that they were a smaller target to hit and also able to maneuver more easily and stealthily. The pirates would then climb aboard as swiftly as possible and take the ship by force. Many pirates were retired military personnel who knew the commando skills of the day and were a great resource to their new profession. The ideal time to attack was at night. Once on board, the pirates would either commandeer the ship, or strip it of everything that would sell. A ship that was stripped of its goods was typically burned afterward, doomed to sink to the ocean floor. This also prevented the crew from using the boat to chase after the pirates who had just robbed them, or from returning to their country to inform their government that they had been plundered by pirates. Many times the crew either joined the pirates or were sent overboard. If they were in a harbor they were deserted. If they were in the middle of the ocean they would walk the plank and drown.

Most pirates were honest and good people at first, until the harsh realities of life put them in situations of survival in which they turned to a life of crime. Men became pirates for various reasons, some were poor and needed an income, others were government officials who were betrayed. Military personnel were often hired by a government to attack another government, but were later labeled as outlaws and pirates. A medical surgeon would join a gang of pirates because he knew he would be well paid.

England hired men to be pirates to attack Spanish ships, although they were called Elizabethan irregulars. Many of these irregulars or privateers who fought in the war with Spain did not want to end their roaming and free spirited lifestyle when it was over. They had become experts fighting at sea and decided to put their skills to use as pirates. Many times they were not getting paid and after the war there was little employment for men of their nature. For pirates the term “No Prey No Pay” summed up their life, as pirates were dependent on merchant ships for their living.

Pirate life was rough, many pirates did not worry about life or death, but expected death as they endured and witnessed many hardships. Death in battle by disease, starvation, drowning, hanging and so forth were a grim reality. Because of this many pirates like Black Beard and Morgan became hardened, cruel, dishonest and greedy. Pirates were a rough bunch of ferocious and intimidating men. When pirates went to battle they used all sorts of weaponry. Some of the weapons pirates used included knives, clubs, spears, poison tipped swords, crossbows and guns.

One of the scariest signs of a pirate was their ship’s flag, the “Jolly Roger.” It portrayed the ancient symbol of death, the skull and crossbones. This flag struck fear into the hearts of those who saw it coming for them, knowing that this flag meant a fight with uncivilized pirates. Typically the Jolly Roger was black with a white skull and bones, but sometimes it was reversed. The term Jolly Roger comes partly from the English word Roger, which means a vagabond, therefore this flag would mean a devil outcast.

Pirates would also often use a red flag, which meant blood would be spilt if there were any resistance. It was a call for surrender to the ship they were about to attack. If the flag was lowered it meant the offer was withdrawn, you would be boarded by pirates and killed.

After a ship was taken the pirates would make off with the loot, but unlike common myth, pirates typically did not bury their treasure. The goods were divided up for the men to spend, after all, that was the pirates’ incentive to keep fighting. The men could save, invest, or simply waste it on whatever. The captain, of course, always got a larger share and some believe that they buried their treasure because they accumulated too much. Unless pirates had no alternative, such as to flee, they would not bury their treasure. If they did it would be a bad idea – as all the men on board would know where it was and some would probably jump ship to go after it.

In the end pirates either died after a short battle filled life, were caught and hung, or left in prison to rot. If they were lucky when caught, they renounced their ways and were let go. Piracy still takes place to this day!