Proceedings of the 18th International Academic Conference, London

AN ASPECT OF THE LIFE OF PIRATES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, A HISTORICAL STUDY FROM ENGLISH DOCUMENTS

MAHA ALKHASHIL

Abstract:

The pirates in the Indian Ocean greatly threatened the trade activities that passed by. They were concentrated on a few islands in the Indian Ocean. From these islands, they sailed out to overtake ships and then came back to these islands loaded with booty looted from these ships. Since the English people had settled in India and established the East India Company, England came into conflict with these pirates in defending its trade and its position as a great sea power that was threatened by the predations of these pirates. English records documented many aspects of the life of pirates at that time. This research aims at shedding light on aspects of the life of pirates on the islands of the Indian Ocean in the seventeenth century. It also aims to show their way of life, their affairs and the nature of their activities during the period of their settlement in these islands. It is an attempt to understand this period in greater detail and to explore historical documents that may help to differentiate between reality and imagination regarding the life of pirates and related matters. This study is composed of several sections: The introduction discusses pirates in the Indian Ocean in the seventeenth century and the reasons that their activity flourished. This introduction also indicates the places where they settled in the Indian Ocean and why they chose these places. Finally, the text discusses their activities during their settlement of these islands. The study reaches the following conclusions: the pirates chose Madagascar and Mauritius and other islands in the Indian Ocean as places to settle due to the special features of their location and the lack of powerful neighbors to threaten them. These places were the destinations of pirates of every nationality. They considered these islands to be shelters to return to after attacking trading ships and loading up with looted merchandise which they quickly sold here and there or they might travel to sell it in the western Indian islands. The pirates often carried off hostages with them to these islands when they felt threatened or were chased. Pirates faced some threats especially when danger escalated and the East India Company began to pursue them to their hiding places.

Keywords: Indian Ocean, Piracy, Pirates, East India Company

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.018.010

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