I have tried to gather most of the important events of piracy throughout
history into a single time line. If you find that I have left something
important out (and as this is a first run, I'm sure I have), please feel free to
send me email using the link at the bottom of this page.
| Year |
Location |
|
Event |
| 1400-1300 BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Lukka sea raiders attack shipping from the
coast of Asia Minor |
| 1300-1200BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Lukka sea raiders ally with Hittites |
| 1220-1186BC |
Eastern Mediterranean |
|
Area controlled by the 'Sea Peoples' |
| 1000-900BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Minoans overrun by Dorian Greeks using Cretan
cities as pirate bases |
| 700-600BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Phoenician and Greek merchants attacked by
pirates |
| 500-400BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Athenian navy attacks Greek pirate islands
Kithnos, Mikonos and the Sporades |
| 200-100BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Carthaginian war distracts Rome, pirate
communities grow |
| 168BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Rome annexes Illyria to curb piracy |
| 67BC |
Mediterranean |
|
Anti-pirate campaign by Roman general Pompey
the Great eliminates Cilician sea raiders |
| 220 |
Asia |
|
End of the Han Dynasty, piracy flourishes |
| 1200-1300 |
Europe |
|
Reprisal contracts awarded to wronged
European mariners and creates privateering |
| 1203 |
Mediterranean |
|
Venetians fail to clear pirate bases from
Ionian Islands |
| 1217 |
Europe |
|
Eustace the Monk attacks shipping |
| 1241 |
Europe |
|
Hanseatic League formed by Baltic German
cities to suppress piracy |
| c.1300 |
Europe |
|
League of the Cinque Ports formed protect
English Channel from pirates |
| 1390 |
Mediterranean |
|
French and English fleet sets out to do
battle with African based corsairs |
| 1392 |
Europe |
|
Port of Bergen attacked by German pirates,
Hanseatic League stunned |
| 1573 |
Europe |
 |
Henzlein and 32 of his crew beheaded for
piracy |
| 1400-1500 |
Mediterranean |
|
Barbary pirates harass shipping |
| 1400-1500 |
Asia |
|
Ming Dynasty regains control of Chinese
waters |
| c.1470 |
Mediterranean |
|
Greek Barbarossa brothers are born |
| 1500-1600 |
Asia |
|
Increased trade between Asia and Europe
attract pirates |
| 1520 |
Mediterranean |
|
Italian Ulaj Ali, born as Giovanni Dionigi |
| 1523 |
Atlantic |
 |
Jean Florin captures three Spanish ships
returning from the Caribbean loaded with gold and jewels |
| 1527 |
Europe |
|
Jean Florin captured and hanged as pirate |
| 1530 |
Mediterranean |
|
Knights of Malta are granted control of Malta
by Emporer Charles V |
| 1532 |
England |
|
John Hawkins is born |
| 1534 |
Mediterranean |
|
Albanian Murat Rais is born |
| 1540 |
England |
|
Francis Drake is born |
| 1544 |
Caribbean |
 |
French Huguenot pirates capture and raze
Cartagena |
| c.1550 |
Spanish Main |
|
Spanish treasure ships become prime targets
for piracy |
| 1554 |
Caribbean |
|
French Huguenot pirates led by Francios le
Clerk capture Santiago, Cuba |
| 1555 |
Caribbean |
|
French Huguenot pirates led by Jacques de
Sores capture Havana, Cuba |
| 1565 |
Caribbean |
|
Pedro de Menendez de Avilles, wipes out
French settlement in St.Augustine, Florida |
| c.1570-90 |
Caribbean |
|
English attack Spanish shipping and colonies |
| 1572 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake captures Nombre de Dios, but is
seriously wounded |
| 1577 |
Caribbean |
|
Queen Elizabeth provides financial backing
for pirates raids on Spanish |
| 1579 |
Pacific |
|
Francis Drake sacks Valparaiso, Chile |
| 1579 |
Pacific |
|
Francis Drake captures Cacafuego treasure
galleon |
| 1586 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake captures Santo Domingo,
Hispaņola |
| 1586 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake captures Cartagena, Venezuela |
| 1586 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake captures St. Augustine, Florida |
| 1595 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake attacks Las Palmas, Canary
Islands but is repulsed |
| 1595 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake attacks Puerto Rico but is
repulsed |
| 1595 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake captures small towns in
Venezuela |
| 1595 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake captures Nombre de Dios again |
| 1596 |
Caribbean |
|
Francis Drake dies of fever |
| c.1600 |
Caribbean |
|
Rum invented by the Spanish in Barbados |
| c.1620 |
Caribbean |
|
French outlaws on Hispanola begin attacking
Spanish shipping, the birth of buccaneers |
| 1623-38 |
Caribbean |
|
Dutch capture about 500 Spanish and
Portuguese ships |
| 1625 |
England |
|
Christopher Myngs is born |
| c.1630 |
Caribbean |
|
Spanish fail to drive buccaneers off Tortuga
Island |
| 1641 |
Asia |
|
Chih Lung accepts emporer's appointment as
admiral and ends pirate career |
| c.1650 |
Mediterranean |
|
Barbary pirates begin to decline |
| c.1653 |
Caribbean |
|
French Jean "L'Olonnais" Nau begins
to attack Spanish ships |
| 1654 |
Caribbean |
|
Dutch Rock Braziliano arrives at Port Royal,
Jamaica |
| c.1655 |
Caribbean |
|
Port Royal, Jamaica becomes a haven for
buccaneers |
| c.1655 |
Caribbean |
|
Portuguese Bartolomeo arrives at Port Royal,
Jamaica |
| c.1658 |
Caribbean |
|
Christopher Myngs burns Tolu, Columbia |
| c.1658 |
Caribbean |
|
Christopher Myngs captures Cumano, Puerto
Caballos and Coro in Venezuela |
| 1662 |
Caribbean |
|
Henry Morgan receives privateering commission |
| 1662 |
Caribbean |
|
Christopher Myngs captures Santiago, Cuba |
| 1663 |
Caribbean |
|
Christopher Myngs captures San Francisco in
the Bay of Campeche |
| 1666 |
Atlantic |
|
Christopher Myngs killed by Dutch cannonball
during the Four Days' Battle |
| 1667 |
Caribbean |
|
Jean
David Nau captures Maracaibo and Gibralter, Venezuela |
| 1668 |
Caribbean |
|
Henry Morgan captures Porto Bello |
| 1669 |
Caribbean |
|
Henry Morgan captures
Maracaibo and Gibralter, Venezuela |
| c.1670 |
Caribbean |
|
Jean
David Nau captures Puerto Caballos |
| c.1670 |
Caribbean |
|
Jean
David Nau captures San Pedro |
| 1670 |
Caribbean |
|
Spain and England sign Treaty of Madrid and
buccaneering raids decline |
| 1671 |
Caribbean |
|
Henry Morgan captures Panama |
| 1674 |
Caribbean |
|
Henry Morgan is knighted |
| 1678 |
Caribbean |
|
Michel de Grammont captures Trujillo |
| 1680 |
Caribbean |
|
Michel de Grammont captures La Guaira,
Venezuela |
| 1683 |
Caribbean |
|
Michel de Grammont and Dutch Laurens de Graff
attack Vera Cruz |
| 1685 |
Caribbean |
|
Michel de Grammont and Dutch Laurens de Graff
capture and burn Campeche, Mexico |
| 1688 |
Caribbean |
|
Henry Morgan
dies |
| 1689 |
Caribbean |
|
Jean Du Casse and Baron Jean de Pointis
capture Cartagena |
| 1689 |
Caribbean |
|
William Kidd
first noticed as member of buccaneer crew |
| c.1690-1730 |
Caribbean, Atlantic, Indian |
|
The Golden Age of Piracy |
| 1694 |
Atlantic |
|
Henry Every leads mutiny aboard privateer and
begins pirate career |
| 1695 |
Indian |
|
Thomas Tew killed in battle with Arab ship |
| c.1700 |
Caribbean, Atlantic, Indian |
|
Widespread usage of 'Jolly Roger'
flags |
| 1701 |
England |
|
William Kidd executed |
| 1714 |
Europe |
|
End of the War of the Spanish Succession,
privateers switch over to piracy |
| c.1714 |
Caribbean |
|
New Providence in the Bahamas becomes a base
for pirates |
| 1716 |
Caribbean |
|
Edward Teach arrives in New Providence and
joins the crew of Benjamin Hornigold |
| 1717 |
Caribbean |
|
Stede Bonnet turns to piracy |
| 1717 |
Caribbean |
|
Woodes Rogers, ex-privateer made governor of
New Providence |
| 1717 |
New England |
|
Samuel Bellamy and crew drown after running
ship aground |
| 1718 |
New England |
|
Blackbeard
blockades Charleston, South Carolina |
| 1718 |
Caribbean |
|
Charles Vane escapes New Providence on
arrival of Woodes Rogers |
| 1718 |
Atlantic |
|
Blackbeard dies in battle with lieutenant
Maynard near Ocracoke |
| 1718 |
New England |
|
Stede Bonnet
tried for piracy and hanged |
| 1719 |
Guinea |
|
Howell Davis dies in ambush on Principe |
| 1720 |
Caribbean |
|
Charles Vane
tried for piracy and hanged |
| 1720 |
Caribbean |
|
Jack Rackham,
Anne Bonny and
Mary Read tried
for piracy, Rackham is hanged |
| 1720 |
Indian |
|
Edward England captures English East Indiaman |
| 1722 |
Atlantic |
|
Bartholomew Roberts killed in battle with
English warship |
| 1729 |
Indian |
|
African Kanhoji Angria dies and is succeeded
by his sons Sumbhaji and Mannaji |
| 1747 |
Europe |
|
John Paul Jones is born |
| 1775 |
Atlantic |
|
Beginning of American Revolution,
privateering flourishes |
| c.1800 |
Mediterranean |
|
Barbary pirates still operating, but only in
small groups |
| 1803 |
Mediterranean, Atlantic, Caribbean |
|
Napoleonic Wars begin, privateering
flourishes |
| c.1807 |
Asia |
|
Ching Yih forms pirate confederation
numbering over 600 ships and 150,000 men |
| 1812 |
Atlantic |
|
Beginning of the War of 1812, privateering
flourishes |
| c.1812 |
Caribbean |
|
Jean and Pierre Laffite begin operations near
New Orleans |
| c.1820 |
Caribbean |
|
U.S. and British navies all but eliminate
piracy in the Caribbean |
| 1820 |
Caribbean |
|
U.S. navy clears pirates from Galviston Bay,
they move to Cuba |
| 1821 |
Caribbean |
|
David Porter forms anti-pirate squadron |
| 1827 |
Atlantic |
|
Portuguese
Benito de Soto takes over slave
ship and turns to piracy |
| 1833 |
Caribbean |
|
Don Pedro Gibert captured by the British and
tried in the U.S. |
| 1849 |
Asia |
|
British navy eliminates Shap-'ng Tsai's
pirate fleet in Hongha river delta |
| c.1850 |
Asia |
|
European navies eliminate organized piracy in Far East
and China |
