Why Pirates Are Usually English.

The recent film trilogy Pirates Of The Caribbean has brought to the forefront once again the heroic, romantic image of the pirate. Pirates are almost always portrayed as English and there is a reason for this. In fact, most pirates were English and the earlier pirates, called privateers, actually operated under the sanction of Elizabeth I.

According to the back story of Captain Jack Sparrow, the central character of Pirates, he began as a ship's captain for the East India Trading Co. Many privateers had similar backgrounds. Privateers were charged with attacking Spanish vessels and liberating their treasure. They did not operate under the flag of England, and there was no official sanction from the Queen, but privateers paid part of their captured treasure to the crown. Sir Francis Drake was believed to be a privateer.

When some of the privateers refused to turn over their Spanish treasure and even began attacking English merchant ships, pirates were deemed to be outlaws. The East India Trading Co. was a frequent victim of pirates and did hunt them down and kill or arrest them. The East India Trading Co. was important to the economy of England.

While the ships of privateers often belonged to English aristocrats, outlaw pirates were drawn from the lower classes. They were rough men and ruthless, often killing everyone on board a captured ship. If wealthy passengers were captured they were known to hold them for ransom, but even if the ransom was paid, the victims were seldom returned to their families.

The character of Captain Jack Sparrow harkens back more to the gentleman privateers, rather than the lower class ruffians who terrorized those traveling the shipping lanes between the New World and the old. Captain Barbosa is clearly of the the ruffian class. Crews for both merchant and naval ships in England were often pressed into service. Press crews would scour the bars and low class establishments of the city and grab all the able bodied men to make up ships' crews. These men were known to turn to mutiny and piracy.

Pirates have long been considered figures of romance and the Captain Jack Sparrow costume certainly fits the bill. If you are racking your brain for a costume to wear this Halloween, consider wearing one of the Captain Jack Sparrow Halloween Costumes that are available instead of a more generic pirate. You'll be able to find a Captain Jack Sparrow costume at local shops and online in sizes to fit any aspiring gentleman pirate, even the very young ones.