Captain Morgan. Was He A Real Person?
There is very little know about the early life of Sir Henry Morgan, but what we do understand is, he was from a wealthy Farming family in Wales. Was he a Pirate or Privateer? Well, it depends on what part of history you’re reading – or who is explaining it . . .
Was Captain Morgan A Real Person by Solarglide
A Pirate Or Privateer. What’s The Difference ?
Pirates, have no loyalty to any government or King, and mostly operate outside of the law, which basically involves plundering whatever they fancy with the Caribbean Sea, East Coast of North America, and the Indian Ocean . . .
Privateers on the other hand, are basically state licensed Pirates, who would receive or acquire a ‘Letter of Marque’ from Admiralty, Governors and even the Queen . . This allowed them to raid certain ships, which the nation of England were at war with. This basically meant ‘most‘ ships in the 1600’s . . . A share of the ‘Spoils’ would then be returned to their Government and everyone’s happy . , , but were they ?
Captain Morgan Was A Very Successful ‘Pirate’
Ok, maybe not as successful as Sir Francis Drake, but Captain Morgan was indeed ‘one’ of the most successful privateers in history, and because his tactical raids were so profitable, men were lining up to join his ‘Brethren Of the Coast‘,. Infact, by the year 1670, Mr Morgan had acquired a stunning 2,000 men and 37 ships that showed up in Tortuga, Haiti.
Now, this is the part it gets a bit messy . . .
As I mentioned previously, Captain Morgan had a ‘Letter Of Marque‘ however, during his most infamous attack on Panama, the Spanish had already signed a ‘Peace Treaty‘ with England. This meant – old M. Morgan was an illegal pirate committing war crimes.
Captain Morgan Returns To Jamaica
Captain Morgan returned to Jamaica only to be arrested and sent back to England to stand trial. King Charles II of England knighted Captain Morgan in 1674 and was reported to be ‘treat like a celebrity‘ from friends and sailers alike. Captain Morgan then returned to Jamaica where he served as acting governor for several years.
Next time you sip on Captain Morgan’s Rum, we hope you will remember our little story of the old ‘swashbuckler‘ – Captain Morgan!
By “The Blind Mariner“
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The Mystery Of The Flannan Lighthouse
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The Mystery Of The Mary Celeste
The Female Pirate who dressed as a Man
The English East Indian Company
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