Pirate havens or Pirate coves are

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

s or

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

s that are a safe place for

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

to repair their vessels, resupply, recruit, spend their plunder, avoid capture, and/or lie in wait for merchant ships to pass by. The areas have governments that are unable or unwilling to enforce maritime laws. This creates favorable conditions for piracy. Pirate havens were places where pirates could find shelter, protection, support, and trade. These havens were often near maritime shipping lanes. Although some havens were merely hidden coves, some were established by governments who employed

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

s to disrupt the overseas trade of rival nations. Some of the most famous island strongholds included Tortuga in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, and the

Sulu Archipelago The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...

in the

Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...

. Some historic pirate havens included

Barataria Bay Barataria Bay (), also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico, about 15 miles (24 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide, in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States. It is separated from ...

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

, and Tortuga. These provided some

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

for privateers and

buccaneer Buccaneers were a kind of privateer or free sailors, and pirates particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 u ...

Impact

Pirate havens had significant impacts on the history and development of maritime trade and warfare. Some of these impacts include:

Disruption of trade

A French Ship and Barbary Pirates RMG L9748

Pirate havens enabled pirates to launch frequent and effective attacks on merchant ships that carried valuable goods across the oceans. This caused losses and damages to traders and shippers who had to pay higher insurance premiums or avoid certain routes or regions altogether. One of the major effects of

disrupted trade and commerce by attacking and capturing merchant vessels of all nations. They interfered with the flow of goods and people across the Atlantic, connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Pirates targeted valuable cargoes such as sugar, tobacco, spices, textiles, slaves, and gold. They also seized ships and equipment maritime navigation and communication. Pirate havens influenced the relations and conflicts among various colonial powers, who competed for control over trade and territory in different parts of the world. Some pirate havens served as allies or enemies to certain nations, depending on their interests or alliances. Some pirate havens also challenged the authority and legitimacy of established governments by asserting their own sovereignty or autonomy. Dealers who had set up their business in various locations in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean purchased goods from pirates. They paid a lower price for these goods than they would have paid to merchant ships in any other port, and the pirates accepted their money, even if they sold at a lower price than the value. The dealers then transported their goods to ports where they sold them through the same channels that they would have followed if the trade process had not been interrupted by the pirates. This created competition and influenced the market prices of many products. Some colonial officials cooperated with pirates and offered them better prices for their loot than they could get in a safe port. One of the most well-known of these officials was Charles Eden, the governor of North Carolina, who granted pardons to famous pirates like Edward Teach (also known as Blackbeard) and Stede Bonnet. He even let Teach set up a pirate base at

Ocracoke Island Ocracoke ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the

. This cooperation weakened the authority and legitimacy of colonial governments and increased piracy.

Influence on politics

Social and cultural aspects of pirate havens

Pirate havens contributed to the creation and dissemination of pirate culture and mythology that have fascinated generations of people around the world. Pirate havens inspired stories, legends, songs, movies, books, games, and other forms of art and entertainment that depict the lives and adventures of pirates. # Cosmopolitanism and cultural exchange: Pirate havens were home to a diverse mix of people from various backgrounds and cultures. This diversity led to a rich cultural exchange, with people sharing ideas, languages, and customs, as well as forming new hybrid identities. # Religious tolerance: In contrast to the religious intolerance that characterized much of Europe during this time, pirate havens were often marked by a high degree of religious tolerance. While Christianity was the dominant faith in many of these communities, Muslims and Jews were often allowed to practice their religion freely. # Egalitarianism: Pirate utopias tended to be more egalitarian than the societies from which their inhabitants came. Hierarchies based on birth, wealth, and social status were less important in these communities, and many pirates adhered to a code that emphasized equal distribution of wealth and power. # Democracy and self-governance: Some pirate havens functioned as self-governing communities, with pirates electing their leaders and making collective decisions on matters of governance and strategy. This democratic ethos contrasted sharply with the monarchical and authoritarian systems that prevailed in Europe at the time. # Resistance and autonomy: Pirate utopias were often seen as bastions of resistance against European powers, with pirates engaging in acts of defiance and rebellion against the prevailing order. These communities served as a symbol of autonomy and freedom, challenging the hegemony of the European states.

Characteristics

Pirate havens had some common characteristics that made them attractive to pirates. These include: * Geographic features: Pirate havens were usually located near natural harbors or coves that provided shelter from storms and visibility from enemies. They were also close to busy shipping routes or trade winds that facilitated navigation and interception of merchant vessels. * Political features: Pirate havens were often under the jurisdiction of weak or corrupt governments that either ignored or tolerated piracy. Some governments even encouraged or sponsored piracy as a way of weakening their rivals or gaining revenue from taxes or bribes. Some pirate havens had their own self-governing systems or codes of conduct that regulated their activities and disputes. * Economic features: Pirate havens were hubs of trade and commerce where pirates could sell their loot, buy supplies, hire crew members, or exchange information. They also offered various services and entertainment for pirates, such as taverns, brothels, gambling dens, or markets. * Social features: Pirate havens were places where pirates could find companionship and solidarity with other outlaws who shared their lifestyle and values. They also fostered a sense of identity and culture among pirates who came from different backgrounds and nationalities.

Barbary Coast

Historically, the

Barbary Coast The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, a ...

contained a number of pirate havens, notably

Salé Salé (, ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form together a single m ...

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, and

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

. These pirate havens were used by corsairs from the 16th to the 19th century. The pirates ravaged European shipping and enslaved thousands of captives. The Pirate

Republic of Salé The Republic of Salé, also known as the Bou Regreg Republic and the Republic of the Two Banks, was a city-state maritime Barbary pirates, corsair republic based at Salé in Morocco during the 17th century, located at the mouth of the Bou Regre ...

, in 17th century Morocco, was a

micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...

with its own seaport

argot A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, argo ...

known as "Franco", since like other pirate states, it from time to time made treaties with European governments, agreeing not to attack their fleets.

Mehdya Mehdya (), also Mehdia or Mehedya, is a town in Kénitra Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, in north-western Morocco. Previously called al-Ma'mura, it was known as São João da Mamora under 16th century Portuguese occupation, or as La Mamora under ...

(La Mamora) in Morocco was a pirate haven in the early 17th century. Another notable base for Barbary corsairs was

Ghar al Milh Ghar el-Melh (, ''Ghar al-Milh'', "Salt Grotto"), the classical antiquity, classical Rusucmona and CastraDelia and French Tunisia, colonial is a town and former port on the southern side of Cape Farina in Bizerte Governorate, Tunisia. History P ...

(Porto Farina) in Tunisia. The United States Navy was founded, in part, to counter the activities of the Barbary pirates, and the United States fought the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

Second Barbary War The Second Barbary War, also known as the U.S.–Algerian War and the Algerine War, was a brief military conflict between the United States and the North African state of Algiers in 1815. Piracy had been rampant along the North African "Barb ...

s (1801–1805, 1815) to end this threat to its shipping.

Ireland

In the early 17th century in

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

(

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

's southernmost province), Leamcon (near

Schull Schull or Skull ( ; or ''Scoil Mhuire'', meaning "Mary's School") is a town on the south-west coast of County Cork in Ireland. Located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the Municipal district (Ireland), municipal district of West Cork, ...

) was a pirate stronghold, while pirates traded easily in nearby

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and Whiddy Island. Munster's coast provided favorable geography in the form of harbors,

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s, islands, anchorages and

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

s, while the province's remoteness made it difficult to control from London or Dublin. Literate pirates in Ireland could, till 1613, escape secular trial (making their prosecution much more difficult) by pleading "

benefit of clergy In English law, the benefit of clergy ( Law Latin: ''privilegium clericale'') was originally a provision by which clergymen accused of a crime could claim that they were outside the jurisdiction of the secular courts and be tried instead in an ec ...

". The coast of Munster complemented Mehdya as a base for piracy since, during summers, Mehdya became less safe as the calmer waters favored the

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s used to suppress piracy.

Madagascar

One of the earliest rumored places where pirates collected was on the

island of Madagascar Madagascar is a large island in the Indian Ocean located off the eastern coast of Southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It has a total area of with of land and of water. Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world. The highest poin ...

, off the east coast of Africa. This was their base of operations for their pecking of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

. Here they could prey on the successes of the East India Companies while being a world away from any authority. These are the same outlaws that were plundering the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. The English pirate

Henry Every Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659Disappeared: June 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used s ...

plundered a Mughal ship, gaining immense wealth. Every was said to have settled on Madagascar and was never heard from again, though it was rumored he retired in Ireland. Some writers speculate that this event put in motion a series of events that would help lead to the multitude of laws passed for decades to come. Madagascar was an island off the coast of Africa that became a refuge for pirates who operated in the Indian Ocean in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It was a place where pirates could find abundant food, water, wood, and slaves. It was also a place where pirates could establish their own settlements and communities, such as Libertatia. Madagascan pirate havens included Fort-Dauphin, the town of Saint Augustin, and Sainte-Marie. A Madagascan pirate colony was established by a group of English and French pirates who sailed to the island in 1698 under the command of Captain

William Kidd William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in N ...

. They settled on the east coast of Madagascar, near Sainte-Marie. They built a fort and a town, and traded with the local Malagasy people. They also raided ships that passed by the island, and amassed a large amount of treasure. The colony lasted for about 25 years, until it was destroyed by a French expedition in 1723.

Bahamas

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 ...

was an island in

the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

that became a base for pirates who operated in the Atlantic Ocean in the early 18th century. It was a place where pirates could find friendly merchants, governors, and judges who were willing to trade with them or protect them from prosecution. It was also a place where pirates could form alliances and associations, such as the Flying Gang.

Somali Coast

In the early 2000s,

piracy off the coast of Somalia Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel, and Indian Ocean, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding places and has a long troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. I ...

became commonplace. During this period, pirate havens included Eyl, in the

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

region of northern

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, and

Harardhere Harardhere (, ) is a historic town in the Mudug province of Somalia. It is situated in the autonomous Galmudug state and serves as the capital of the Harardhere District. History The town was controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group al ...

(Xarard-heere), in the

Mudug Mudug () is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north-central Somalia. The population of Mudug is 131,455 as of 2005. Overview Physiographically, Mudug is bordered to the west by Ethiopia, to the north and south by the Somali regions of Nu ...

province of Somalia. During this same time period, the Transitional Federal Government of

was believed to be unable to enforce maritime laws. Other modern havens included Garaad and

Hobyo Hobyo (; ) is an ancient port city in Galmudug state in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia. Hobyo was founded as a coastal outpost by the Ajuran Empire during the 13th century.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The shaping of Somali society: reconstru ...

in central Somalia.

List of examples

in the United States *

Campeche Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...

in Mexico *

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

in Greece *

in Somalia * San Andrés (

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

) in Spain *

Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

, Sweden ** See

Victual Brothers The Victual Brothers () were a loosely organized guild of privateers who later turned to piracy. They affected maritime history, maritime trade during the 14th century in both the North Sea, North and Baltic Sea, Baltic Seas. They were initially ...

Caribbean

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

in Cuba *

Republic of Pirates 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 i ...

(

) in the Bahamas *

in Jamaica * Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands * Tortuga in Haiti *

Virgin Gorda Virgin Gorda () is the third-largest island (after Tortola and Anegada) and second-most populous of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Geography Located at about 18 degrees, 30 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area o ...

in the British Virgin Islands

Purported

Libertatia Libertatia (also known as Libertalia) was a purported pirate colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar under the leadership of Captain James Misson (last name occasionally spelled "Mission", first name occasionally given as "Olivier") ...

Pirate utopias

The American

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

Peter Lamborn Wilson Peter Lamborn Wilson (October 20, 1945 – May 22, 2022) was an American anarchist author and poet, primarily known for his concept of Temporary Autonomous Zones, short-lived spaces which elude formal structures of control. During the 1970s, Wils ...

identified pirate societies as being spaces temporarily outside of the control of states, and consequently proto-anarchist societies. This forms part of his thesis of

Temporary Autonomous Zone ''T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone'' is a book by the anarchist writer and poet Hakim Bey (Peter Lamborn Wilson). It was published in 1991 by Autonomedia and in 2011 by Pacific Publishing Studio (). It is composed of three sections, "Chaos: ...

s, spaces or polities in which anarchist conceptions of freedom were briefly enacted during various historical periods.

Notes

References

* Peter Lamborn Wilson, ''Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes'' (

Autonomedia Autonomedia is a nonprofit publisher based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn known for publishing works of criticism. As of the mid-2000s, they were staffed by volunteers and had published over 200 books, usually with 3,000 of each run, and its best known ...

, 1996) * Peter Ludlow, ''Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias'' (2001) * Hakim Bey, ''TAZ – The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism'' (Autonomedia, 2003) * Hannu Pesonen, ''Somalian merirosvot kukistuvat kuten kaikki edeltäjänsä'' Tiede (Finnish science magazine) no. 5/2011, pp. 44–49 (Sanoma magazines, 2011) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirate Haven Pirate dens and locations Barbary Wars Political philosophy Social philosophy es:Utopía pirata