Colonial powers at the time constantly fought with pirates and engaged in several notable battles and other related events.Īmaro Pargo, one of the most famous corsairs of the Golden Age of Piracy
The modern conception of pirates as depicted in popular culture is derived largely, although not always accurately, from the Golden Age of Piracy.įactors contributing to piracy during the Golden Age included the rise in quantities of valuable cargoes being shipped to Europe over vast ocean areas, reduced European navies in certain regions, the training and experience that many sailors had gained in European navies (particularly the British Royal Navy), and corrupt and ineffective government in European overseas colonies. Narrower definitions of the Golden Age sometimes exclude the first or second periods, but most include at least some portion of the third.
The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation for the period between the 1650s and the 1730s, when maritime piracy was a significant factor in the histories of the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, the Indian Ocean, North America, and West Africa.