This year I have undergone a major historical renaissance mostly due to the entertaining video game series, Assassin's Creed. This has become one of my new all time favorite video game series alongside other major hitters in my teenage years such as Super Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and FIFA. What I have come to especially enjoy about the AC series, is the full submersion into a historical era. I am about halfway thru my AC phase (completing 8 games with 6 more to go before the release of Valhalla in December).
The past few weeks now I have embarked on the game, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. This is a full submersion into the golden piracy age of the early 1700s, set in the Caribbean Sea. As I began this game regarding pirates, the first association that came to mind was the popular movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean. And while the adventures of the Black Pearl are quintessential pirate movies, they are more so fantasy films than historical dramas. It was not until I began playing AC 4 that I came to better understand the historical setting of the Piracy Age; centered in the Caribbean Sea.
The European discovery of the western hemisphere (later known as the Americas) opened up a whole new world of culture, trade, and resources. However with this massive discovery came a new race of territorial expansionism. Imperial powers such as Spain and Britain emerged with new intentions to expand their monarchy, establish colonies, acquire resources, and control the sea routes of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Portuguese led the way with maritime exploration in the early 1400s, under the administrative direction of Prince Henry the Navigator. Prince Henry was the 4th son of King John I of Portugal, and ushered in a new exploration of the West African coastline. His intentions were to establish new trade routes and further Portuguese influence throughout Africa. In 1488 the Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias reached the southern most tip of Africa known as the Cape of Good Hope. He thus became the first European to sail around southern tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean.
Whilst Portugal was making great maritime advancements in the 1400s, the Spanish kingdom of Aragon was also arriving as a new power in the Iberia. While Aragon had controlled many of the sea routes in the Mediterranean they began to fear Portugal's influence on the west. The year 1492 was a very significant year for the history of Spain yet more so the age of exploration. During this year the Spanish Kingdom was established with the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Furthermore Rodrigo Borgia had become Pope Alexander VI, strengthening the interests of Spain. However the greatest event of the year, came with the funding of Christopher Columbus' voyage.
Columbus then spent some time exploring the Caribbean islands and the indigenous locals which he referred to as "Indians' believing them to be from India. He also quickly noted that they were primitive and would be easy to conquer. As Columbus continued to explore the islands (including Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic) he established settlements while taking several of the natives as prisoners to return to Europe. He returned to Europe in March of 1493, first visiting Portugal then welcomed into Spain as a hero. News of his discovery quickly spread throughout Europe, however Columbus was eager to return on a 2nd voyage to establish Catholicism yet also acquire great wealth.
While Spain and Portugal became concentrated in the southern hemisphere of the new world; Britain, France, and the Netherlands focused their attention to the north. Now as mentioned before it is commonly accepted that North America had already been discovered nearly 500 years earlier by the vikings. Under the leadership of Leif Erikson, the Norse vikings discovered the regions of Greenland, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However while the vikings discovered the northern regions, today known as Canada, they hardly inhabited the region and thus Europe was not aware of North America until 500 years later during the Age of Discovery.
Another significant voyage was made in 1519 under the leadership of Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Funded once again by the Spanish monarchy, Magellan had hoped to acheive Columbus' earlier goal which was to find a western route to Asia (surpassing the newly discovered Americas). He set sail from Spain on September 20th of 1519 onboard the Victoria and navigated along the eastern coastline of South America. He eventually discovered the southernmost point of South America, known as the Tierra del Fuego and this passage later became known as the Straits of Magellan.
Having made many new discoveries in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America the Spanish Empire sought to expand their coastal settlements. This initiative was driven by merchant soldiers known as conquistadors. They were not associated to the Spanish army, more so explorers and mercenaries in search of wealth and prosperity in the new world. Two of the most infamous of these conquistadors were Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizzaro.
In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez took the command of conquering the Yucatan Peninsula and present-day Mexico. He set sail with 11 ships, 500 soldiers, 13 horses, and an arsenal of cannons and other heavy weapons. The strongest resistance from the Mayans came at the region of Tabasco who proved to be no match against the Spanish gunfire. The Mayans were quickly forced to cede their territory to the Spanish, offering them gold and treasures as a peace offering. From the Mayans, Cortes took one of their noble princesses, La Malinche as his mistress. She also became his advisor and translator in his further campaigns throughout Mexico.
In 1524 Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro had heard rumors of a wealthy civilization known as the Incas and set out to explore the west coast of South America. According to legends from the Colombian region there was a golden city of treasure, known as El Dorado, which Pizzaro hoped to discover. He set out with an army 80 men, 40 horses, and several priests to convert the region to Catholicism as was the norm during these expeditions. However Pizzaro's first expedition was a failure due to bad weather and local hostilities from the natives.
In December 1530 Pizzaro set off on his third expedition into Peru with 3 ships and an army of 180 men. He returned to the northwestern coast of Tumbes and quickly discovered the region was in the midst of a civil war. Nonetheless the Spanish quickly established the city of San Miguel de Piura as their base of operations. They eventually made an envoy effort to meet with the Incan emperor Atahualpa, who refused in turn to welcome the Spanish. This gave way to the Battle of Cajamarca in which Pizzaro's 200 soldiers were able to defeat the Incan Empire.
England however took the forefront on opposing the mighty Spanish Empire, and the conflict reached it's pinnacle during the golden reign of Queen Elizabeth. Beginning in 1556, King Philip II of Spain had ushered in a golden age for Spain much thanks to their booming wealth acquired from the New World. In 1578 he swallowed up the Portuguese Empire which gave Spain more wealth and territory than any other nation in the world. However under the leadership of Queen Elizabeth, England was not intimidated by the Spanish Empire and began to challenge them on the open seas.
However before I begin my study on the Golden Age of Piracy I first need to go back a bit further in time and recount the Age of Exploration (also referred to as the Age of Discovery). In my blog I often tend to focus on the military or revolutionary events of history, and overlook the scientific, economic, or industrial events. This age of discovery began as a scientific event, that quickly transformed into an economic, industrial, and political event. It was a major renaissance for humanity that gave way to a Scientific Revolution. Humanity came to the sudden realization that the world was not flat, but round.
Discovery of the New World
Discovery of the New World
The European discovery of the western hemisphere (later known as the Americas) opened up a whole new world of culture, trade, and resources. However with this massive discovery came a new race of territorial expansionism. Imperial powers such as Spain and Britain emerged with new intentions to expand their monarchy, establish colonies, acquire resources, and control the sea routes of the Atlantic Ocean.
One can only imagine the chaos of this time, as a new world was establishing a new identity. (The first comparison that comes to mind is the lawlessness of the Old Wild West of the 1800s). Upon their discoveries, European powers sought to establish a new territorial presence in these regions, and controversially eradicate the local indigenous natives. This gave way to a multi-faceted dispute among natives and foreign invaders. Furthermore as European Powers fought one another for territorial control, a new breed of piracy had emerged within the region, seeking to establish their own personal glory. It was no doubt a very intriguing age of foreign colonialism, that eventually gave way to the Spanish and American revolutions.
Portuguese Explorations
The Age of Exploration was essentially a branch of the European Renaissance that could also be considered a part of the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. This period marked a transition away from the medieval dark ages unto a greater understanding of the world. The roots of the European exploration could be dated as far back as the mid 1200s with Marco Polo's explorations of Asia. Yet the western sea voyages began in the early 1400s thanks to new inventions such as the compass and better ship designs.
The vision of Prince Henry became a reality ten years later when Vasco de Gama expanded beyond on Bartolomeu Dias' discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. The voyage began on July of 1497 from Lisbon by which Vasco de Gama (on board the Sao Gabriel) sailed around Africa and arrived at Calicut India on May of 1948. This voyage established a new sea route from Europe to Asia which brought about a new golden age of multicultural trade. Soon Europe would become more accustomed to Indian, Arabian, and Asian spices and vice versa. Portugal controlled this route for some time, until they were later challenged by the Dutch, British, and Ottomans.
Columbus' discovery of South America
Whilst Portugal was making great maritime advancements in the 1400s, the Spanish kingdom of Aragon was also arriving as a new power in the Iberia. While Aragon had controlled many of the sea routes in the Mediterranean they began to fear Portugal's influence on the west. The year 1492 was a very significant year for the history of Spain yet more so the age of exploration. During this year the Spanish Kingdom was established with the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Furthermore Rodrigo Borgia had become Pope Alexander VI, strengthening the interests of Spain. However the greatest event of the year, came with the funding of Christopher Columbus' voyage.
The initial intent of Columbus' voyage was to find a new route to Asia and thus challenge Portugal's southern Cape Route. The Italian navigator had hoped to profit on the spice trade and first presented his plans to Portugal yet was rejected several times. After persistent attempts he was finally sponsored by the kingdom of Castille and set sail on August 3rd of 1942 on board three ships (the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria). After a brief stop at the Canary Islands, Columbus finally arrived at present day San Salvador, Bahamas on Oct 12, 1492 (believing he was in the East Indies).
Columbus went on to make 3 more voyages to the Caribbean Sea in 1493, 1498, and 1502 establishing various settlements. What is quite interesting is that he never set foot in North America and that discovery could be more so accredited to the vikings 200 years earlier. Nonetheless Columbus' discovery of these new islands were monumental and ushered in a new era of European exploration into the new world. It also brought about new tensions, first between Spain and Portugal, who collaborated with Pope Alexander VI to divide the territory in the Treaty of Tordesillas. The line was more favorable to the Spanish who would later establish colonies in Central and South America, while Portugal established colonies in Africa and in Brazil.
It was not until various other explorations that Europe was able to determine this new region was not the West Indies yet rather a New World. This claim was made popular by the Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci who helped discover Guyana and Brazil. He later published a pamphlet known as the New World in 1501 which became widespread throughout Europe. Shortly after the newly discovered world become known as "the Americas" as a homage to Amerigo Vespucci's claim. However it was not until several years later that North America was properly discovered.
Discovery of North America
While Spain and Portugal became concentrated in the southern hemisphere of the new world; Britain, France, and the Netherlands focused their attention to the north. Now as mentioned before it is commonly accepted that North America had already been discovered nearly 500 years earlier by the vikings. Under the leadership of Leif Erikson, the Norse vikings discovered the regions of Greenland, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However while the vikings discovered the northern regions, today known as Canada, they hardly inhabited the region and thus Europe was not aware of North America until 500 years later during the Age of Discovery.
The English and French sent various exploration missions throughout the 1500s of North America in search of a northwest passage connecting Europe to Asia. This route was never discovered, however by 1520 the Portuguese had begun to establish fishing colonies in the northern regions of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Perhaps one of the most significant discoveries of North America, came under the French funded voyage of Giovanni da Verrazzano. In 1524 the Italian voyager was able to explore and establish the line of the Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland to South Carolina. Soon after the British, Dutch, and French began establishing colonies throughout the northern coastline.
McGellan's Voyage Around the World
In 1513 another major discovery in the geography of the world was made by Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balbao. Working off of native information, Balbao navigated thru the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean. This discovery gave way to new explorations along the western coast of the New World both in North America and South America. Further discoveries of South America were made by Juan Diaz Solis who discovered the Rio de la Plata of Argentina in 1515.
Another significant voyage was made in 1519 under the leadership of Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Funded once again by the Spanish monarchy, Magellan had hoped to acheive Columbus' earlier goal which was to find a western route to Asia (surpassing the newly discovered Americas). He set sail from Spain on September 20th of 1519 onboard the Victoria and navigated along the eastern coastline of South America. He eventually discovered the southernmost point of South America, known as the Tierra del Fuego and this passage later became known as the Straits of Magellan.
The fleet of 5 ships and 270 men sailed across the Pacific Ocean and reached the Philippines on March 16th of 1521. On the island of Mactan the indigenous Lapulapu tribe resisted the European arrival and Ferdinand Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in April of 1521. Following the death of Magellan the voyage was continued by Juan Sebestain Elcano with very minimal resources. They reached the Cape of Good Hope on May of 1522 and finally arrived back to Spain in September of 1522 thus completely the first ever circumvention of the world. Of the 270 men who originally set sail, only 18 returned onboard the Victoria.
Hernan Cortes' conquest of the Mayans and Aztecs
Having made many new discoveries in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America the Spanish Empire sought to expand their coastal settlements. This initiative was driven by merchant soldiers known as conquistadors. They were not associated to the Spanish army, more so explorers and mercenaries in search of wealth and prosperity in the new world. Two of the most infamous of these conquistadors were Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizzaro.
Having established a province in Cuba, the Spanish empire sought to explore further west into the Yucatan Peninsula. The region of Central America had first been discovered by Columbus' 4th voyage in 1502. It was further explored by Vasco Nunez Balbao who was able to discover the Pacific Ocean thru the Isthmus of Panama in 1513. However it was in 1517 when the Europeans first began to engage with the most developed civilizations in central America, known as the Mayans and the Aztecs. This first expedition led by commander Hernandez de Cordoba ended poorly for the Spanish, and demonstrated the strong resistance of the Mayan people.
In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez took the command of conquering the Yucatan Peninsula and present-day Mexico. He set sail with 11 ships, 500 soldiers, 13 horses, and an arsenal of cannons and other heavy weapons. The strongest resistance from the Mayans came at the region of Tabasco who proved to be no match against the Spanish gunfire. The Mayans were quickly forced to cede their territory to the Spanish, offering them gold and treasures as a peace offering. From the Mayans, Cortes took one of their noble princesses, La Malinche as his mistress. She also became his advisor and translator in his further campaigns throughout Mexico.
In the city of Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico-City) Cortes discovered the powerful Aztec Empire. He was hesitantly welcomed by the emperor Montezuma II who offered him gold as a diplomatic offering. However the tensions eventually spilled over when a band of Cortes' men were attacked by the Aztecs and in response Cortes took Montezuma hostage. The situation grew even more complicated when Cortes was opposed by another Spanish conquistador in the region and the Alvarado Massacre occurred in the city of Tenochtitlan. The Spanish were temporarily driven out by a furious Aztec rebellion however Cortes later returned with an even stronger army. He defeated the Aztecs at the Battle of Otumba in July of 1520, then finally conquered the city of Tenochtitlan in May of 1521. Montuzema II was killed in the ensuing battles and Cortes claimed the city for the Spanish, renaming it Mexico City.
Francisco Pizzaro's conquest of the Inca Empire
In 1524 Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro had heard rumors of a wealthy civilization known as the Incas and set out to explore the west coast of South America. According to legends from the Colombian region there was a golden city of treasure, known as El Dorado, which Pizzaro hoped to discover. He set out with an army 80 men, 40 horses, and several priests to convert the region to Catholicism as was the norm during these expeditions. However Pizzaro's first expedition was a failure due to bad weather and local hostilities from the natives.
On their second voyage in 1526 Pizzaro discovered the first Inca settlement in the city of Atacmes (located in modern day Ecuador). However lacking provisions he chose not to press on, yet to temporarily settle in Columbia with 13 men. By April of 1528 Pizzaro was able to gather sufficient provisions to press further into the region and discovered the northern territory of Peru known as the Tumbes Region. The Spanish explorers were warmly welcomed by the Incas and witnessed the great wealth of gold and silver within the region. Upon this discovery Pizzaro returned to Spain and was able to convince King Charles I to fund his outright conquest of Peru.
In December 1530 Pizzaro set off on his third expedition into Peru with 3 ships and an army of 180 men. He returned to the northwestern coast of Tumbes and quickly discovered the region was in the midst of a civil war. Nonetheless the Spanish quickly established the city of San Miguel de Piura as their base of operations. They eventually made an envoy effort to meet with the Incan emperor Atahualpa, who refused in turn to welcome the Spanish. This gave way to the Battle of Cajamarca in which Pizzaro's 200 soldiers were able to defeat the Incan Empire.
By 1533 Pizzaro completed his conquest of Peru by invading the city of Cuzco and executing emperor Atahualpa. Although the Spanish never discovered the legendary city of El Dorado they still ransacked all the gold and wealth the region had to offer. In 1535 Pizzaro established the city of Lima as the new capital of Peru. Quite surprisingly the incredible Inca city of Machu Picchu was not discovered until 1911. This became referred to as the lost city of the Incas by which the tribe relocated up in the mountains to escape from Spanish conquest. Built in 1450 this monumental location stands today as one of the most iconic symbols of the Incan Empire and Latin indigenous culture.
Naval Conflicts between Spanish and British
By the 1550s Spain and Portugal had solid colonial establishments throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Meanwhile North America was still being settled by the Dutch, British, and French. Political tensions began to arise between the Iberian nations and the north European nations, that eventually gave way to the Eighty Years War beginning in 1568. The Dutch managed to rebel against the Spanish Empire and established their own prominent empire, with various oversea trading posts and colonies. One of the most significant of these Dutch settlements was established along the island of Manhattan in 1624, known as New Amsterdam (present day New York City).
One of the most famous of English naval commanders during this time was Sir Francis Drake. Under the approval of Queen Elizabeth he began various pirating campaigns in 1578-1579 stealing treasure ships on the western coast of Lima, Peru. He later took part in commanding the English Navy alongside Lord Howard of Effingham at the Spanish Armada of 1588 which delivered a crucial defeat to Spain's naval supremacy. By the early 1600s the Spanish monopoly on sea routes began to wither, which allowed the British, French, and Dutch to establish their own significant economic presence in the new world.
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