Laurens Prins, anglicized as Lawrence Prince,Marley, David. ''Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1998. (pp. 151, 158, 172) (c. 1630s,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

– after 1717) was a 17th-century Dutch buccaneer, privateer and an officer under Captain Sir

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan ( cy, Harri Morgan; – 25 August 1688) was a privateer, plantation owner, and, later, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, becoming we ...

. He and Major John Morris led one of the columns against

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

in 1671.

Biography

According to Spanish accounts, Lawrence Prince was a Dutchman from

who arrived in the Caribbean in the late 1650s. In 1659, he was one of four men, including John Morris and Robert Searle, who bought a captured Spanish prize from Commodore

Christopher Myngs Vice Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs (sometimes spelled ''Mings'', 1625–1666) was an English naval officer and privateer. He came of a Norfolk family and was a relative of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell. Samuel Pepys' story of Myngs' humble bir ...

following his ten-week voyage. Prior to joining Morgan's forces at Port Royal in November 1670, he had previously sailed up to Rio Magdalena intending to raid the town of Mompos located inland. Prince was forced to retreat, however, when they were surprised by cannon fire from a recently built island fort protecting the settlement. Prince and his men, determined to "make voyage", sailed north to

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

in August. As in Colombia, Prince sailed up the San Juan River, captured a Spanish fort and paddled by canoe to

Lake Nicaragua Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada ( es, Lago de Nicaragua, , or ) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua. Of tectonic origin and with an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world (by area) and the t ...

where they successfully raided Granada. This was almost identical to Morgan's raid in 1664. Official Spanish reports of the incident claimed that Prince "made havoc and a thousand destructions, sending the head of a priest in a basket and demanding 70,000 pesos in ransom."Earle, Peter. ''The Sack of Panama: Captain Morgan and the Battle for the Caribbean''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007. (pg. 150-151) Arriving in Port Royal weeks later, he and two other captains were reproved by Governor

Thomas Modyford Colonel Sir Thomas Modyford, 1st Baronet (c. 1620 – 1 September 1679) was a planter of Barbados and Governor of Jamaica from 1664 to 1671. Early life Modyford was the son of a mayor of Exeter with family connections to the Duke of Albema ...

for attacking the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

without a commission or letter of marque. Modyford thought it prudent not "to press the matter too far in this juncture" and ordered them to join Morgan on his raid against Panama, "which they were very ready to do". Impressed by his raid at Granada, Morgan appointed Prince third in command under himself and Captain Edward Collier. He and Major John Morris later led the

vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

, numbering 300 buccaneers, against the Spanish fortress on the morning of January 28, 1671. Prince supported the main force, around 600 men, with Morgan and Collier leading the right and left wings, while the

rearguard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

was commanded by Colonel Bledry Morgan. In the final advance, he and Morris commanded the left flank. Advancing in a wide sweep around the Spanish right flank, they captured a hill overlooking the Spanish lines. This not only forced the Spanish defenders into committing to an attack, it also disrupted plans by their commander,

Juan Perez de Guzman ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, to stampede a herd of cattle and other livestock towards the advancing buccaneers. He had kept them behind his infantry line, intending to allow the buccaneers to pass through his lines, and setting them against the attackers to presumably disrupt and disorganize them just before the Spanish foot made contact with the buccaneering force. Instead, the Spanish cattle drovers were scared away by Prince's attack, allowing the cattle to wander among the Spanish lines. A simultaneous assault on the hill and against Morgan's advancing buccaneers ended in disaster as concentrated volley fire decimated Spanish forces, which suffered 100 casualties in the first volley alone. The wandering cattle and concentrated fire, left between 400 and 500 dead and wounded before the Spanish finally retreated from the field. He was later appointed a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

by Modyford's successor, Sir Thomas Lynch, who replaced Captain John Wilgress, commander of HMS ''Assistance'', with Major William Beeston. Lynch may have intended to initiate the restructuring of colonial administration, surrounding himself with known associates rather than appointed officials of the British crown. By 1672, using his share from the Panama raid, Prince became a wealthy landowner on the Liguanea plain as it was opened up for cultivation and farming. In 1715, back in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England, Lawrence Prince was appointed as captain of the galley ship ''Whydah'', and in the fall of 1716 the ''Whydah'' was commissioned to take goods and treasure to the slave trading port of the African Kingdom of Whydah in present-day Benin. After loading the ''Whydah'' with 367 African slaves he sailed across the Atlantic to sell them in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. But in February 1717, as he passed between

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and Hispaniola, he was chased by the ''Sultana'', captained by the pirate "Black Sam" Bellamy, and the ''Mary Anne'', captained by the pirate Paulsgrave Williams. After three days, captain Lawrence Prince surrendered without a fight. After taking command of the ''Whydah'' and making it his flagship, Bellamy gave Prince his original flagship the ''Sultana'' along with a small amount of treasure, and sent Prince packing back to England. Lawrence Prince made several slaving voyages before disappearing into history.

In popular culture

In the video game '' Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'', Laurens Prins is a Dutch slave trader. In Kingston, he discovered

Bartholomew Roberts ) , type=Pirate , birth_place = Casnewydd Bach, near Puncheston, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Kingdom of England , death_place = At sea off of Cape Lopez, Gabon , allegiance= , serviceyears=1719–1722 , base of operations= Off the coast of the Americ ...

is a "Sage", so Edward Kenway, helped by

Blackbeard Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known abou ...

, attacked a fort and looked for Roberts. He attempts to sell Bartholomew Roberts to the

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, but is killed by Edward Kenway in the garden house in front of the residence before he can do so. Laurens Prins is compared with Edward Kenway, because both want money and neither believe in a greater cause than freedom, but Prins uses his belief to justify his status as a

slave trader The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of e ...

Biography

In popular culture

References

Further reading