Portuguese pirates and privateers in the Caribbean

[Cabral]

  Portuguese pirates and anti-Spanish portuguese corsairs established in Jamaica an important base to attack spanish ships that came from the Indies and facilitate their conquest by the English.

Spanish Occupation (1580-1640). At the end of the century when Portugal was occupied by Spain, many Portuguese allied themselves with privateers and pirates of other nations to fight the Spaniards.

The reports are striking in their action, including how pirates and corsairs led them to the center of the Spanish Empire. Their experience and knowledge of the seas was decisive for the success of the English, Dutch and French expeditions.

In 1591 one Portuguese was in a small fleet of British corsairs in the Caribbean, and later sought to elude a Spanish galleys off Cuba on the nationality of the ship on which he was following. At the end of the year, another Portuguese pilot embarked at the port of Santos led the expedition of Thomas Cavendish, in an attempt to cross the Strait of Magellan.

  In 1593, the spaniards claim that a Portuguese served as a guide to privateer John Burgh in the Caribbean who ended in the sacking of Margarita Island. That year, the Portuguese pilot Diogo Peres leads James Langton in another raid to the Spaniards in the Caribbean. The previous year he gave false information to the Spanish Governor of Santo Domingo on the movements of Francis Drake and the Count of Cumberland in order to facilitate their plunder.

In Holland where a large colony of Portuguese existed, many of them dedicated themselves to piracy and privateering against the Spaniards. Among them are Simon of Cordes and his brother Baltazar de Cordes, two Portuguese or their descendants who were the first Dutch corsairs (1598-1600). They were famous for the looting and massacres they did in the Spanish colony of Chile.

  Based in Jamaica - Don Moisés Cohen Enriques - in 1628, allied with the Dutch admiral Piet Hayne attacked systematically  the ships that from Cuba were going to Cadiz.

He was not the only Jewish Portuguese to do so: - David Abravanel - descendant of the celebrated Isaac Abravanel (born in Lisbon), became a buccaneer adopting the name "Captain David" and in front of his ship "Jerusalem" gave no rest to the Spaniards. He was associated with English corsair - Francis Drake -, in a brotherhood of the Black Flag.

  Century XVII (After 1640). After the restoration of Independence in 1640, Portugal was involved in a long war with Spain that only ended in 1668. During this period, the number of Portuguese pirates and privateers increased, but as support to other nations who were raiding the Spanish colonies. It was an inexpensive way to wage war at sea.

In 1645, the Spanish ambassador in London informed Philip IV that a pirate expedition had been very successful in the Caribbean because of the participation of Portuguese sailors.

In the seas of Jamaica, Cuba, and the Gulf of Mexico, two Portuguese pirates became infamous:

- Bartolomeu, the Portuguese. He was deeply Catholic, always used a crucifix at his chest. In 1662 he captured a small vessel that was armed with four cannons  on the Cuban coast of Manzanillo . With the corsair patent issued by the governor of Jamaica in 1663, he took a Spanish merchant ship in Cabo Corrientes (Cuba) which carried 75,000 escudos and 100,000 pounds of cocoa. He was captured in Campeche (gulf of Mexico), tried and sentenced to death, but managed to escape, joining later to other pirates and corsairs. He returned to Campeche, seizing another vessel. We know he was shipwrecked in the Gardens of the Queen (Cuba), but managed to get to Jamaica very injured. He then went on to other expeditions whose results we ignored. Part of his exploits were published in Holland in 1678 in John Esquemeling's The Buccaneers of America.

  Rocha, the Brazilian (Roche or Brasilian Rock). (C.1630-c.1675). Some historians claim to be a connected Dutchman for reasons unknown to Brazil. In 1670 he attacked Campeche. He was a true psychopath, he had a hatred of death for the Spaniards, subjecting them to the worst barbarities.

The attacks of pirates and corsairs on the coasts of Portugal and its colonies only diminished when the Portuguese navy was rebuilt and an efficient system of fortifications was erected.

Peace with Holland (Treaty of The Hague, 1661) and the re-launching of the Alliance with England led to the diminution of the pirates of these countries.

The main threat continued to be that of the Muslim pirates, but also of the French who had specialized in the looting.

  The English corsairs had in Portugal a base of strategic support to assault the Spanish and French ships. In Lisbon they supplied provisions and sold the product of the looting. As late as 1780, two French merchant ships, taken by English corsairs, which were later turned into warships destined for raiding on the coasts of Spain, entered through the Tejo river, but did not proceed to their destination due to the protests of the ambassador of that country.
 

Source: www.filorbis.pt

[Pablo Frias]

Spanish ocupation..... Your country was part of the Empire, with the same rights that the Spanish kingdoms (Castille,Aragon and Navarre) had.

[Hethwill]

Not really. Filipe I ( Filipe II in spain ) established we would keep religion, property, ultramarine territories, etc. The only thing off was the King. Even the Courts was national.

It only changed with Filipe II de Portugal ( Filipe III of spain ? ) when he decided - f... it, let's start taking away stuff.

Funny thing is many of of ultramarine possessions you gave to the Dutch after the war were originally Portuguese crown ones. Well played, well played

 

[_Alucard_]

The Spanish Empire didn't give a damm about your portuguese pirates, corsairs or whatever you wanna call it.

By the way, here you have this:  \_________/

Please, put there all your bile about Spain because we can't care less.

 

[maturin]

16 minutes ago, _Alucard_ said:

The Spanish Empire didn't give a damm about your portuguese pirates, corsairs or whatever you wanna call it.

By the way, here you have this:  \_________/

Please, put there all your bile about Spain because we can't care less.

 

This isn't National News, grow the hell up.

[Cabral]

30 minutes ago, _Alucard_ said:

The Spanish Empire didn't give a damm about your portuguese pirates, corsairs or whatever you wanna call it.

By the way, here you have this:  \_________/

Please, put there all your bile about Spain because we can't care less.

 

 Lol... or if you prefer...jajajajaja 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Cabral