These sample phrases are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word « privateer. » The opinions expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us your feedback. Jean-François de La Roque de Roberval (c. 1500 † 1560) was a French Protestant nobleman and adventurer who became the first lieutenant general of New France through his long-standing friendship with King Francis. As a privateer, he attacked cities and ships throughout the Spanish Main, from Cuba to Colombia. When his appointment as first lieutenant general of New France did not work, he tried to pay off his debts as a buccaneer. The Spanish Caribbean was his main destination, as France and Spain were at war at the time. Known to the Spanish as Roberto Baal,[8] he plundered Rancherias and Santa Marta in 1543, followed by an attack on Cartagena de Indias in 1544. In 1546, ships under his command attacked Baracoa and Havana.[9] The following year, he retired from piracy. He died as a Huguenot martyr.

The privateer was ordered to attack only the ships of enemy countries, theoretically respecting the ships of neutral nations and his own nations. If he did not respect this rule, he was treated like a pirate and hanged. The activities of the privateers also brought income to the king, as the license required them to hand over some of their booty to the king. Benjamin Franklin had tried to convince the French to lead by example and stop issuing stamp letters to their privateers, but efforts failed as another war with Britain loomed. [38] The French Convention prohibited this practice, but was reintroduced after the Thermidorian reaction of August 1795; On September 26, 1797, the Ministry of the Navy was authorized to sell small ships to private individuals for this purpose. [39] Kor′Sār, N. A pirate: a pirate ship. [P. privateer, the one who makes the course or areas – L. cursus, a current curator, to run.] Between the early 1500s and 1713, when the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht put an end to French privateer attacks in the Caribbean, the race war, as the French called it, had a huge impact on the efforts of the Spanish Treasury fleet to ship gold and silver from Peru to Santo Domingo and Havana, then in Spain.

During this time, there has been an intense effort to improve, not only the speed of the ships involved in this competition, but also their maneuverability and ability to sail against the wind (local transport). It was a matter of life and death, and immense wealth was at stake. Jean d`Ango, father and son, was one of the richest and most influential men in France. In addition to those listed below, Giovanni da Verrazzano (namesake of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge) and Jean Fleury were among the directors of the time. Antonio de Beatis` travel diary of 1517[6] describes Fra Bernardino`s ship, known as the « Grand Corsaire » (operating against Turkish ships) in Marseille: its galleon was massively raised, new and extremely well equipped, especially in artillery, and carried twelve cannons, twelve falconers and a hundred arcbus. Privateers were buccaneers who worked for the King of France and attacked the ships of the enemies of the France. In France, they did not have to fear being punished for piracy – of being hanged – because they had obtained a fighter`s license, the letter of marque or letter of course, a document that legitimized their actions vis-à-vis the French judicial system and which, they hoped, would give them the status of prisoners of war if they were ever captured. French and Old Italian Center; Middle French pirate Korsauri, from the Altokzitan Korsari, from the Old Italian Corsaro, from the medieval Latin cursarius, from the Latin course cursus – more of course Robert Surcouf was the last and most famous privateer of Saint-Malo.

Born in 1773, his father was a shipowner and his mother the daughter of a captain. Shipboy at 13 and privateer captain at 22, then – very against his license – attacked ships for several years, including those of the French East India Company or the French East India Company. During the French Revolution, the congressional government disapproved of course letters, so Surcouf operated at great personal risk as a pirate against British shipping in India. Surcouf was so successful that he became a popular celebrity in France. After a short early retirement scheme, Surcouf again opposed the shipment to India. Surcouf himself became a shipowner and died in Saint-Malo in 1827. There is a statue of him on public display, and his house is now a small museum. « Corsair » activities began in the Middle Ages, the main objective being really to compensate for economic problems in wartime; and the shipowners did not accept that war was an obstacle to their trade.

Jean de Châtillon, who was bishop, gave the city of Saint-Malo the status of asylum in 1144, which encouraged all kinds of thieves and villains to settle there. Their motto was « Neither Breton nor French, but from Saint-Malo I am! » However, Saint-Malo continued to develop and in 1308 the city was transformed into a free municipality to promote the commercial activities of craftsmen as well as merchants and shipowners. It didn`t really work and later in 1395 the city became a free port. This situation lasted until 1688. The relationship between privateers and the state changed as the power of the state grew. The rules have become stricter and state control more and more present. At the end of the 18th century, the « price » began to fall until his legal death in 1856. The « course » disappeared in France in 1804 with the Empire, but did not officially end until the Treaty of Paris of 1814, in which all the major nations of the northern hemisphere were present with the exception of Spain, Mexico and the United States, and at the Congress of Vienna of 1815. Etymology: [F. corsair (cf. It.

corsare, corsale, Pr. corsari), LL. corsarius, fr. L. course has running, running, where. Sp. corso cruise, corsa cruise, coasting voyage, corsear to cruise against the enemy, to pirate, corsario cruising, a privater authorized to cruise against the enemy. See Courses.] A letter of marque (French race letter) was a government license in the age of sailing that allowed an individual, known as a buccaneer or privateer, to attack and hijack the ships of a nation at war with the exhibitor.