With sword and shot I'll take my island back. They took my ship, and I will take their lives. - League of Legends, Ocean Plague Planck
I believe that the vast majority of friends' understanding of pirates originates from the two super cultural IPs of "League of Legends" and "Pirates of the Caribbean".
However, whether it is the pirate character "Planck" in the game or the hero captain "Jack" in the movie, the pirate spirit and culture they portray are impressive - it seems that the profession of "pirate" is full of exotic charm.
Although medieval pirates were inextricably linked to Viking culture, pirates of different peoples had different characteristics. Today we will explore a real "pirate era" through some legendary pirate elements of the Middle Ages.
When we think of pirates, we have to recall the Vikings who wreaked havoc on the major shores of Europe.
Remember a long time ago an article titled "If the Byzantines had given the Nordic Guards the "Axe Gang" fiefdom, would it have perished?" In the article, I have briefly explained the relationship between the Vikings and the pirates.
From the end of the 8th century to the end of the 11th century, the Vikings relied on their constant looting and trade, and their sphere of influence covered almost all of Europe: as far north as Iceland and Greenland; as far west as France and the British Isles; east to Sicily, the "Kievan Rus' State" (present-day Russia), the south to the Mediterranean, and North Africa – the Vikings really took the game character "Olaf" to the extreme - "wherever they go, there is no grass".
Why, however, did the Vikings hate continental Europe so much? What was their motive for plundering?
In fact, the motivation for Viking expansion has been a controversial topic in history, and scholars have summarized the three most reliable explanations.
First of all, it is widely believed in academia that, due to the growing ambitions of Charlemagne, he wanted to resort to "violent and bloody repression of all pagans". So, the Vikings, who had been classified as infidels and barbarians, began to be unwilling to endure the bullying of the Franks, and eventually took up arms and became "feared by everyone" as sea robbers.
Historian Rudolf Simek also supports the above view, arguing that "if the activity of the early Vikings took place during the reign of Charlemagne, it would not be a coincidence" and that "the infiltration of Christianity into Scandinavia led to serious conflicts that divided Norway for nearly a century." ”
Then, some researchers suggest that the reason why the Vikings first ravaged Europe may have been due to "disproportion" within the population — a concept that was coined in the 11th century by historian Dudo of Saint-Quentin — that he argued that the wealthy and powerful Vikings tended to have many wives and concubines, so this "polygamous" relationship could lead to a lack of women to choose for Viking men.
Therefore, ordinary Vikings were willing to risk being swallowed up by great waves and travel far to Western Europe in search of power, wealth, and women.
The annals of Ulster, a historical document, records that in 821 the Vikings plundered an Irish village and "took a large number of women captive."
However, I prefer the third explanation of the "pirate" motive, namely that the Vikings took advantage of the weak moments in the surrounding areas, when England was suffering from internal divisions, and england was relatively more likely to be prey for vikings, given that many of its towns were close to the sea or navigable rivers.
And the lack of organized maritime armed forces in Western Europe at the time allowed Viking longships to sail freely and carry out robberies or trades where the opportunity permitted.
In my article "In depth丨 Reflections on medieval folk culture by the ancient English folk song "Scarborough Bazaar"", I also clearly analyzed the "pirate world" created by the Vikings:
Although historians believe that the Viking Age of 800-1100 AD was relatively short-lived, The Viking culture did have a very lasting impact on every people they encountered in Europe and Scandinavia, in the fields of art, technology, and trade. While the Vikings may have originally been known for their series of wars against Great Britain, Ireland, the Carolingian, and Byzantine Empires, it was their business acumen, technology, art, and even religion that really stuck in the hearts of peoples.
The Viking religion centered on the "victorious father" God Odin, whose powerful soft power even disintegrated the tenets of many civilizations for a time—the early Existence of the Vikings greatly weakened the religious beliefs of Britain and Russia, and more or less led to the end of Celtic Christianity in Ireland. Although they eventually converted to Christianity in the 11th century, from 960 onwards, Harold II, their faith was based on the integration of their own national traditions and spread it throughout the world, of which the custom of the "Christmas tree" is a very typical example. In addition, the Vikings' exploration of maritime technology allowed them to build an extensive trade network that eventually covered all of modern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and northern India—they were the first to open up trade routes along the Volga and Dniper; they opened routes to Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire; they were also the first to reach the Far East. The voyage also allowed them to discover the Ferro people, as well as Iceland in 874, Greenland in 982, Vinland in 1000 (modern-day Newfoundland) and Spitzberg in the northernmost point in 1194.
Moreover, the Vikings were masters of metalworking, weapon forging and decoration. They created the best swords, spears, javelins, tomahawks, shields, and bows and arrows of their time. Their craftsmanship also extended to clothing, leather goods, jewelry and the art of carving, and the crafts they produced were among the most exquisite at the time. Finally, and most importantly, the Viking Age was a major period of Viking cultural exports, and during this period, the bards passed on almost entirely legends of Viking heroes—as was the Epic of Roland, and so was the legend of King Arthur. To this day, traces of Nordics are still evident in the dialects of Scotland and northern England, and the concept of Vikings still holds a strong place in the Danish consciousness.
Later, with the end of the Viking era, a number of private maritime armies specially designed to serve the empire emerged in Europe, and occasionally did the "house robbery", they were the "Western European pirates" in the middle and late Middle Ages.
The Royal Navy in the Middle Ages was quite weak, and the emperors of various empires did not pay much attention to naval construction, so the sea power at that time was very scattered, which provided room and opportunity for the development of well-equipped private warships.
Moreover, the official attitude towards piracy at that time was also very ambiguous, and some monarchs wanted to use piracy to reduce the power of the enemy state. Therefore, in fact, after the Viking Age, Western European pirates really ushered in their own "prosperous world".
Of course, each era has its own character label, and Western European pirates are no exception. Their leader label is "Eustace the Monk". (A character in the comic book One Piece, Eustace Kidd, is based on this pirate leader)
Eustace's origin and early life are not accurately recorded, only a document from 1233 that he was the younger son of the nobleman of Boulogne, so he was also considered a noble heir.
Later, Eustace briefly joined the Benedictine Order and was accused of using "witchcraft". Around 1203 AD, due to a conflict with the nobles of Boulogne, the young Eustace defected from his family and made a bumpy journey all the way to Jersey. He then encountered a group of pirates on the island.
Eustace, who had no choice but to join the gang, became the leader of the pirates with great courage. Later, together they attacked merchant ships between Britain and France.
Two years later, King John of England contacted the unrivaled pirate king on the sea, hoping that he would help him invade France.
So, with the help of eustace the "black monk", from 1205 to 1212, Calais to Brest, John successfully raided several French ships and towns.
But at the end of 1212, Eustace changed his position – he decided to include the English as his target of robbery.
Although Eustace had raided the local English villages as early as 1205, King John only "turned one eye and one eye closed" for this behavior, because he still needed the help of the Pirate King.
However, when Eustace actually took aim at himself, King John took a decisive shot – he led the Royal Navy to quickly invade Eustace's lair in the Channel Islands, causing the latter to be forced to flee to France.
Subsequently, Eustace, who had experienced the power of the royal family, began to settle down and find ways to increase his power - he first chose to be loyal to Philip II, then re-formed the pirate team, and in the same year invaded Foxstone in England again, sacking Jersey.
At some point, however, Eustace gradually began to realize that it seemed more profitable to offer protection than mere plunder. So he set up a very powerful "maritime protection organization", the principle is also very simple: the merchant ships that honestly pay the protection fee are released, and the merchant ships that do not want to pay the money are directly robbed.
Therefore, in the 13th century, the prestige of the pirate leader Eustace can be said to have resounded throughout Europe, and under his leadership, the pirate cause was in the ascendant.
Later, in 1215 AD, civil war broke out in England. Eustace began to provide weapons and food for the rebels, and in 1216, King John and his son died one after another, and Henry III successfully ascended the throne.
The new king was "toothy" against piracy, and in 1217 he assembled a royal fleet dedicated to banditry, pointing directly to Eustace's lair.
Finally, in the dense rain of arrows from the British archers, almost all of Eustace's pirate troops were killed. The surviving Eustace was dragged before Admiral Hugh de Artemis. At that time, only one picture was recorded in the history books, that is, the admiral gave the pirate king only a simple choice: to die at the bow or in the stern.
A generation of sea tyrants eventually became pawns in the power struggle, and their lives were also tragic! However, the western European pirate era pioneered by Eustace is far from over.
Although in the 13th century, the Anti-Piracy Commercial Alliance led by the British had emerged, and as many as dozens of ports had joined the organization, the pirates, as an important armed force that the political group wanted to use, had never been truly eliminated.
For example, during the Hundred Years' War (circa 1337 to 1453), the Duke of Mecklenburg employed a large number of German sailors, who came to be known as the "Food Brothers".
But in reality, they were pirates, and with no official paycheck, they had to survive by robbing ships—the robbers of the time, once on board a merchant ship, would kill anyone who dared to resist. They put the surrendered men in wooden barrels, nailed the lids, and dug a hole in the top that could only show their heads—these poor crew members had to wait for ransom on land, or they would remain trapped in these barrels in the cargo holds.
In addition, piracy in Gothland was also rampant at the same time.
This group usually operates on an island in the North Sea of Helgoland, because it is only about 45 miles off the coast of Germany and is protected by towering sandstone, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Their leader was a terrible man who had been drinking for many years, named Klaus Störtebeker. Like the "Black Monk" Eustace, Störtebeker's origins are vague. It is believed that he was probably born in Wismar around 1360, and his real name was Nikolaus Storzenbecher.
This group of pirates was very proficient in robbing merchant ships, often accurately predicting the time of merchant ships and carrying out accurate robberies. They repeatedly severely damaged the economy of Hamburg, Germany, forcing the authorities to send troops to attack them.
Later, led by the famous military commander Simon of Utrecht, the regular army fought with the pirates for 3 days and 3 nights, and finally 72 pirates were arrested.
The 72 pirates, including the leader Störtebeker, were taken to Hamburg for trial – although Strtebeker had accepted bribes from officials of the Chamber of Commerce (allegedly a gold chain with a length of 1 KM...). Well, put your jaw away), but in the end he and his accomplices were sentenced to death.
Legend has it that strtebeker, when standing next to the executioner, made an agreement with him that after his head was cut off, strtebeker's body would roll down his men, and when the body stopped, those who did not pass by it would be pardoned. His body is said to have passed only 11 crew members before stopping, but none of the remaining 51 crew members escaped — their severed heads were attached to pillars and displayed along the riverbank.
Although Störtebeker eventually died, his death confirmed the "heyday" of medieval pirates.
Because in the Middle Ages, the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea were not the only waters inhabited by pirates, these robbers also plagued the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, Aegean and Adriatic Seas.
The Byzantine Empire had hired pirates to expand its sphere of influence — from the 11th to the 14th century, emperors relied primarily on sea hooligans as their navy. (For details, please refer to my article "Exploring 丨 The Most Exotic Mysterious Guard of the Byzantine Empire")
On the one hand, it is outright illegal piracy, and on the other hand, it is the legalization of piracy with the permission of the political authorities... From the 12th to the 16th century, the Mediterranean suffered from viking disease – no region or period without them, nor without the seafarers of a maritime city, state or people. - Traverse
The earliest record of pirates in Mediterranean history is of an Italian knight known as the "New Neptune", Margaritone of Brindisi, who allied himself with the Norman rulers of Sicily and eventually became the rulers of the island.
In 1185, he declared himself Count of Cephalonia and Zante and used the island chain as a privateer base. While participating in the defense of Naples in 1194, he was captured by the armies of the Holy Roman Empire and spent the rest of his life in German prison.
In addition, Giovanni de lo Cabo was also a famous pirate in Genoa, who was captured in Łódź in 1278. Later, the island soon attracted other pirates and slave traders and became a thriving haven, until the Knights Hospitaller occupied the island in 1306, when piracy weakened.
Another pirate base, located in the southeast corner of the Peloponnese, was once known as the "Rock", and this towering fortress was hailed by pirates as an "indestructible temple".
This is the development of medieval pirates before the Renaissance. Although medieval piracy was not as frequent as columbus after the discovery of the American continent, and the wealth they plundered was not as staggering as the latter; it is undeniable that since the Vikings created the "pirate world", piracy culture has penetrated into the hearts of the peoples of Europe, and has not been forgotten with the passage of time.
"Who can escape from my fleet?" It seems that this really became an impossible thing in the Middle Ages.