2 The Anatomy of Medieval Piracy

Abstract

chapter two the anatomy of medieval piracy in this chapter i shall deal with the anatomy of medieval piracy. By anatomy i mean an analysis of the vessels used by the pirates as well as their victims, the geography of piracy, the procedure of a pirate assault, the fate of the victims and their goods and, finally, the collaboration between pirates and their land-based accomplices. it should be noted that these cases are rather hard to disentangle, and it is important to stress the confusion that reigned. even contemporaries had trouble telling what had actually happened in the reported incidents of piracy. piracy in practice did not adhere to fixed schemes of crime despite the formal script of the complaints. thus, the image of piracy provided in this chapter is somewhat impressionistic.while it may seem as if piracy was omnipresent in the middle ages and that mariners and merchants lived in continual danger of being assaulted, it must be noted that sea-borne trade generally functioned and functioned well. on the whole, trading voyages could and would be conducted without any significant disturbances from other sea-folk. hence, this chapter does not seek to present piracy as an overwhelming problem at sea. nonetheless, the maritime wars of Bayonne and the norman ports, and the continual conflicts between the cinque ports and Great yarmouth, at times endangered maritime commerce in general. furthermore, natural disasters like the Great famine of 1315-17 and the kings' wars had a stimulating effect on piracy. the 1310s were particularly rife with piracy due to the wars between england and Scotland and between france and flanders. this chapter, however, deals solely with piracy as an act of personal enrichment, that is, as an inherently opportunistic action. the issues of law, reprisal and maritime wars will be explored in the later chapters. the vessels of trade and war it is difficult to get a clear picture of the exact types and composition of medieval ships. this is due to the somewhat uncertain source material. it consists of archaeological excavations of shipwrecks, images (for instance, in chronicles and on town seals), and textual sources such as chronicles,