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John Rackham
John Rackham (hanged 18 November 1720), perhaps known as Calico Jack, was a pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and Jamaica during the early 18th century. Rackham was active in 1720, towards the end of the "Golden Age of Piracy". He is most remembered for having two female pirate crew members: Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Rackham's life prior to piracy is unknown. He first appears in records around August 1720 after stealing merchant John Ham's sloop from Nassau harbor. After a short run, Rackham was captured by Jonathan Barnet, a former English privateer. Rackham was put on trial by Sir Nicholas Lawes, Governor of Jamaica, and hanged on the 18th of November that year in Port Royal, Jamaica. Early life Little is known of Rackham's upbringing or early life. The surname Rackham is English in origin, and many Rackham's are recorded in the Norfolk and Suffolk region of England. During his short fight with Jonathan Barnet, Rackham said he was "Of Cuba" which could mean born i ...
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Captain Charles Johnson
Captain Charles Johnson was the British author of the 1724 book ''A General History of the Pyrates, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates'', whose identity remains a mystery. No record exists of a captain by this name, and "Captain Charles Johnson" is generally considered a pen name for one of London's writer-publishers. Some scholars have suggested that the author was actually Daniel Defoe, but this is disputed. A prime source for the biographies of many well known Pirate, pirates of the era, Johnson gave an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerable artistic licence in his accounts of pirate conversations. First appearing in Charles Rivington's shop in London, the book sold so well that by 1726, an enlarged fourth edition had appeared. English naval historian David Cordingly writes: "It has been said, and there seems no reason to question this, that Captain Johnson created th ...
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Rackham
Rackham may refer to: People *Arthur Rackham (1867–1939), English illustrator and painter * Bernard Rackham (1876–1964), English museum curator and writer on ceramics and stained glass * Cameron Rackham (born 1975), New Zealand former professional rugby union player * Clara Rackham (1875–1966), English politician, social reformer, and pioneering radio broadcaster * Harris Rackham (1868–1944), Cambridge classical scholar * Horace Rackham (1858–1933), American philanthropist and early stockholder in the Ford motor company * John Rackham (hanged 1720), English pirate * John Rackham (writer) (1916-1976) English author * Melinda Rackham (born 1959), Australian networked artist and writer *Oliver Rackham (1939–2015), English botanist * Sharon Rackham (born 1974), Australian Paralympic athlete * Simon Rackham (born 1964), English composer and artist Characters * Mazer Rackham, from ''Ender's Game'' by Orson Scott Card * Red Rackham, from the ''Tintin'' comic books by Herg� ...
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Captain Jack Rackham, Taking The Spanish Prize, From The Pirates Of The Spanish Main Series (N19) For Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP835040
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, etc. In militaries, the captain is typically at the level of an officer commanding a company or battalion of infantry, a ship, or a battery of artillery, or another distinct unit. It can also be a rank of command in an air force. The term also may be used as an informal or honorary title for persons in similar commanding roles. Etymology The word "captain" derives from the Middle English "capitane", itself coming from the Latin "caput", meaning "head". It is considered cognate with the Greek word (, , or "the topmost"), which was used as title for a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as . Both ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European "*kaput", also meaning head. Occupations ...
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Joseph Thompson (pirate)
Joseph Thompson (died 1719) was a pirate from Trinidad, Cuba, and was active in the Caribbean. He is primarily known for a single incident involving grenades. History Thompson was among 209 pirates on New Providence who declared to Captain Vincent Pearse their intention to accept a 1718 offer of amnesty and pardon. Along with Charles Vane and a few others, he soon returned to piracy. After picking up additional crew for his sloop ''Eagle'' (some of whom had served with William Moody), he captured and looted several ships in the vicinity. In December 1718 in full view of Port Royal Thompson captured a ship called ''Kingston'' whose cargo was worth over £20,000. The ship's owners complained to Jamaican Governor Nicholas Lawes, but there were no Royal Navy warships available. Instead Lawson issued commissions to two sloops in the harbor, promising them a share of the pirates' treasure in addition to the rewards guaranteed by King George's September 1717 proclamation to c ...
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Woodes Rogers
Woodes Rogers ( – 15 July 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer and colonial administrator who served as the List of governors of the Bahamas, governor of the Bahamas from 1718 to 1721 and again from 1728 to 1732. He is remembered as the captain of the vessel that rescued Marooning, marooned Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's novel ''Robinson Crusoe''. Rogers came from an experienced seafaring family, grew up in Poole and Bristol, and served a marine apprenticeship to a Bristol sea captain. His father, who held shares in many ships, died when Rogers was in his mid-twenties, leaving Rogers in control of the family shipping business. In 1707, Rogers was approached by Captain William Dampier, who sought support for a privateering voyage against the Spanish, with whom the Kingdom of Great Britain, British were War of the Spanish Succession, at war. Rogers led the expedition, which consisted of two well- ...
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1717–1718 Acts Of Grace
The Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates (also known simply as the Act of Grace, though not an Act of Parliament) was a royal proclamation issued by George I of Great Britain on 5 September 1717. It promised a pardon for acts of piracy committed before the following 5 January to those pirates who surrendered themselves to the correct authority before a deadline. Originally, the surrender had to occur on or before 5 September 1718; this was later extended by a second proclamation to 1 July 1719. The proclamation also included bounties for the capture of pirates who failed to surrender before the deadline, as well as offering rewards for pirate crew members facilitating the capture of their captains. In December 1718, a further extension of the deadline was suggested, in hopes of dissuading pirates from entering Spanish service during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. Background Precedent Kings James I, James II and William III issued similar pardons or proclamation ...
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Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of the 2022 census of The Bahamas reported a population of 296,522 for New Providence, 74.26% of the country's population. Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. It is the centre of commerce, education, law, administration, and media of the country. Lynden Pindling International Airport, the major airport for The Bahamas, is located about west of the city centre of Nassau, and has daily flights to and from major cities in Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and the United States. Nassau is the site of the House of Assembly and various judicial departments and was considered historically to be a stronghold of pirates. The city was named in honour of William III of England, Prince of Or ...
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Man-of-war
In Royal Navy jargon, a man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a powerful warship or frigate of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a sailing ship armed with cannon. The rating system of the Royal Navy classified men-of-war into six "rates", a "first-rate" having the greatest armament, and a "sixth-rate" the least. Description The man-of-war was developed in Portugal in the early 15th century from earlier roundships with the addition of a second mast to form the carrack. The 16th century saw the carrack evolve into the galleon and then the ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl .... The evolution of the term has been given thus: Th ...
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Pirates' Republic
The Republic of Pirates was the base and stronghold of a loose confederacy run by privateers-turned-pirates in Nassau on New Providence island in the Bahamas during the Golden Age of Piracy for about five years from 1713 until 1718. While it was not a republic in a formal sense, it was governed by an informal pirate code, which dictated that the crews of the Republic would vote on the leadership of their ships and treat other pirate crews with civility. The term comes from Colin Woodard's book of the same name. The activities of the pirates caused havoc with trade and shipping in the West Indies until newly-appointed Royal Governor of the Bahama Islands Woodes Rogers reached Nassau in 1718 and restored British control. Rogers, a former privateer himself, offered clemency to the pirates of the Bahamas, known as the " King's Pardon", an offer many pirates took advantage of. Though a few returned to piracy in the following years, British control of the Bahamas had been sec ...
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New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246,329 at the 2010 Census, and a population of 292,522 at the 2022 census. Nearly three quarters of The Bahamas's population lives in New Providence. The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus's purported discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed little interest in developing the island (and The Bahamas as a whole). Nassau, the island's largest city, was formerly known as Charles-town, but it was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684. It was laid out and renamed Nassau in 1695 by Nicholas Trott, the most successful Lords Proprietor, Lord Proprietor, in honour of the House of Orange-Nassau, Prince of Orange-Nassau who became William III of England. The three branches of Politics ...
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Brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older usages are looser; in addition to the rigorous definition above (attested from 1695), the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' includes two definitions: "a small vessel equipped both for sailing and rowing, swifter and more easily manœuvred than larger ships" and "(loosely) various kinds of foreign sailing and rowing vessels, as the galleon, galliot, etc." Modern American definitions include vessels without any square sail(s) on the main mast. Mediterranean brigantines In the Mediterranean Basin during the 13th century, a brigantine referred to a sail- and oar-driven war vessel. It was lateen rigged on two masts and had between eight and twelve oars on each side. Its speed, maneuverability, and ease of handling made it a favourite of Med ...
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Charles Vane
Charles Vane (c. 1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Vane was likely born in the Kingdom of England around 1680. One of his first pirate ventures was under the leadership of Henry Jennings, during Jennings' attack on the salvage camp for the wrecked Spanish 1715 Treasure Fleet off the coast of Florida. By 1717, Vane was commanding his own vessels and was one of the leaders of the Republic of Pirates in Nassau. In 1718, Vane was captured but agreed to stop his criminal actions and declared his intention to accept a King's Pardon; however, just months later he and his men, including Edward England and Jack Rackham, returned to piracy. Unlike some other notable pirate captains of the age like Benjamin Hornigold and Samuel Bellamy, Vane was known for his cruelty, and in court documents is said to have beaten and interrogated sailors from ships he captured. In February 1719, Vane was caught in a ...
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