Pirate Captain Costume

Pirates of the Caribbean and other areas. During the 1500′s, there was an outbreak of piracy on the Caribbean Sea which of course was the inspiration for pirates of the Caribbean costumes and pirate captain costumes. This came about through competition between Spain and some other European countries who all wanted to colonize the newly discovered Americas.

Pirates of the Caribbean  – Captain Jack Sparrow  Pirates had sailed the Caribbean for over three hundred years. By 1550, Spain was in control of the West Indies and also of large areas of the South American mainland. Consequently, groups of English, French and Dutch pirates would rob Spain’s ships and loot Spanish settlements.

Captain Swashbuckler - Female Costume

Among these sailors were the “sea dogs” dispatched by Queen Elizabeth I of England to attack Spanish fleets. They included the famous English captains, Sir Francis Drake and also Sir John Hawkins. These raiders blatantly committed some acts of piracy before the queen decided to declare war on Spain and she then made them privateers.

 Captain Hook  During the early 1600’s, English, Dutch, French and European sailors settled to live on Hispaniola, Tortuga Island and also other Caribbean islands. They together raided any Spanish ships and towns and so soon became known as buccaneers.

The number of buccaneers grew, and in the end no town or settlement was safe along the Spanish Main. This area included the coasts of what are now are called Colombia and Venezuela. The most famous buccaneer was named Henry Morgan – an Englishman. In 1671, Morgan led the looting and destruction of Panama City, which was the largest Spanish city in south America.

Pirates of the Caribbean  – Captain Jack Sparrow

 During the late 1600’s, the buccaneers looked for  new prey. Some of them carried out attacks in Spanish-controlled areas of the Pacific. Around 1690, buccaneers with other European pirates started attacking the ships of any country. Some of the pirates sailed to seas near the slave-trading ports of west Africa. Others were lured to the Indian Ocean by reports of great wealth. Once there, the pirates ambushed ships that carried lucrative cargoes.

Many of these pirates settled and lived amongst the people of Madagascar, which is an island lying east of the African mainland. Probably the best known pirate connected with Madagascar was the William Kidd, a Scotsman. Kidd had been sent from England to capture the pirates, but instead he became a pirate himself.

Pirates from Europe also looked to North America. By 1700, English colonists had set up successful trade routes between Europe and North America. Several pirates set up a base in the Bahamas and raided many ships that followed these trade routes. Some of the pirates’ leaders were Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold and “Calico Jack” Rackham.

The pirate women Anne Bonny and Mary Read also sailed with these men. However, the most notorious pirate of these times was Blackbeard, who was also known as Edward Teach or Edward Drummond.

Blackbeard terrorized the Virginia and Carolina coast from 1717-18. A small fleet of ships was sent from Virginia to hunt Blackbeard down and he was killed in 1718. By the late 1720’s, the English Royal Navy had ended most of the raids of the European pirates throughout the world.