Wild Tobago

Encouraged by their governments to raid enemy ships, privateers turned pirates when war was over. Anjani Ganase tells the stories of some famous pirates. The Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean extended between 1680 – 1730. During these fifty years, these outlaws roamed the seas from the North Carolina coast to Tobago. Their daring and bold acts became tales that were passed on.   Piracy had an unusual beginning. Leading up to and during the War of Spanish Succession, the British government hired British privateers to seek out and raid the Spanish Galleons (large Spanish merchant ships) on route to Spain. Plying the transatlantic routes with substantial cargoes, Spain was rich on the treasures from the New World. The loot was the reward.   During this time, the British and French formed alliances against the Spanish for this purpose, so French and British privateers were both targeting the Spanish.   As Spanish power declined in the Caribbean, the...