Most
students of pirate
history know of the English buccaneers who ventured to
the west coast
of the
New World to hunt for Spanish treasure in the 1670s. Few, however, are aware that
the first
piratical incursions into this region began with the
Dutch in 1598 and
ended
with French traders in 1701. Emeritus Professor of
Latin American
History at
the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Bradley is
eminently qualified
to write
on this subject. He explains in his introduction that
there were
several
primary purposes for these incursions into Spain’s New
World empire:
“outright
piracy (for personal gain), privateering (licensed by
a monarchy),
contraband
trade or merely reconnaissance and exploration.” (1)
Not all of the
encounters
discussed here fall within the realm of piracy as it
is generally
defined, but
the victims of these assaults considered them pirates.
The eight exploits
discussed
here are:
The
First of the Dutch: Mahu and van Noort (1598-1601)
The
Defeat of the Peruvian Squadron by Joris van
Spilbergen (1614-17)
Jacques
l’Hermite, the ‘Nassausche Vloot’ and the Blockade
of Callao (1623-26)
The
Expedition of Hendrik Brouwer: A Project for
Colonial Settlement
(1642-43)
John
Narborough and the Mysterious Don Carlos (1669-71)
Sharp
and Company: The First of the Buccaneers (1679-82)
English
and French Buccaneers: The Second Wave (1683-89)
The
End of an Era and the Opening of a New Phase: The
Last of the
Buccaneers, John
Strong Privateer, and the Arrival of French Traders
(1689-1701)
This volume includes four
maps, a glossary and list of abbreviations, and a
detailed index.
Footnotes
appear on the pages where the citation occurs and
provide either
additional
information on the source material or insight into the
subject. Within
the
chapters, readers will find tables that delineate the
ships involved in
the
various exploits, comparing their tonnage, armament,
crew, and captains.
The majority of histories
on
Caribbean pirates focus on the West Indies, the east
coast of Latin
America,
and Panama. This is why this study on their intrusion
into the
viceroyalty of
Peru – Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama
today – is
significant. The
book also examines what lured these men to the region
and the dangers
they
faced, for the New World offered challenges many
hadn’t encountered
before.
Equally important is the inclusion of countermeasures
that the Spanish
undertook or proposed to prevent these intruders from
succeeding in
their
endeavors. The scope and breadth of this study make
this volume a
worthy
addition to the history of this region, as well as
piracy and
exploration since
some of these men eventually published their journals
for the general
populace.
Pirates
and Privateers
