SKU: Privateers

Privateers were armed merchant ships that were commissioned by the State to attack enemy ships during wartime, with the aim of undermining the opponents trading relationships.  The same term also describes the Captain and men who operated these ships.  Their activities were authorized by an official LETTER OF MARQUE, which in England dated back to the late thirteenth century.  The letter referred to the privateer’s right to take prizes and to receive a proportion of the cash proceeds.  The prize money was divided unequally between the privateer and the Crown, with the latter taking no more than ten percent of the profits.  Privateers were widely employed during the age of sail even after permanent naval forces had been widely established.  Shown here is the ten gun sloop “Sachem”