| Did "pirates" of the 17th - 18th centuries carry sabers as a side arm? |
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| Total Votes : 25 |
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Troy G L Williams
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 Posted: Wed 09 Sep, 2009 9:33 am Post subject: Pirates! |
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Since International Talk Like a Pirate Day is quickly approaching I thought we might change our centuries up a bit. Now we all know that people typically think of "pirates" as the 17th to 18th century portrayals, commonly, but what about the viking era? There are many early pirates and even some pirates of recent. So let us see YOUR pirate! 
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v/r,
Troy Williams
"It’s merely a flesh wound." -Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Last edited by Troy G L Williams on Wed 09 Sep, 2009 1:08 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Wed 09 Sep, 2009 11:12 am Post subject: |
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Pirates carried all kinds of swords, there was no standard issue. They certainly used hangers which are a variation of a saber.
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Troy G L Williams
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| Posted: Wed 09 Sep, 2009 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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Are the majority of hangers shorter than an average sabre? Sorry, spelled "sabre" wrong initially. Oops. Another question would be the rapier. It seems the rapier would not be the weapon of choice because of the length. There is not a lot of room on a ship for combat with a rapier or a similar sword, correct? 
v/r,
Troy Williams
"It’s merely a flesh wound." -Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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M. Eversberg II
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 5:22 am Post subject: |
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Saber should only be sabre if rapier is going to be rapire.
M.
This space for rent or lease.
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Adam D. Kent-Isaac
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 5:33 am Post subject: |
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We tend to think of pirates as being scruffy ruffians on the fringes of society, but there were also privateers, pillaging the merchant ships of the enemy, who were part of the nobility. One excellent example (who is very relevant to this website) is George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland. He was famed for his exploits in the Carribean, wreaking havoc on Spanish shipping and briefly capturing the fort at San Juan, Puerto Rico. You can call him a privateer, buccaneer or pirate, but the man had class:
He was appointed Queen's Champion after the retirement of Sir Henry Lee, and his Greenwich armour survives today as one of the finest examples of English garniture in existence.
The armour of a pirate!
Pastime With Good Company
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Vincent Le Chevalier
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 5:42 am Post subject: |
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| M. Eversberg II wrote: | | Saber should only be sabre if rapier is going to be rapire. |
Well in French it's "sabre" and "rapière" for what is worth...
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Vincent
Ensis Sub Caelo
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Troy G L Williams
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 6:08 am Post subject: |
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Well, according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre it may be spelled either way. So, nobody is wrong. 
It is true that in the early days pirates (privateers) were authorized to conduct raids and attacks by their governing country. If I remember correctly politics created the actual act of piracy that forced privateers to do business for themselves to keep to what they knew best. Correct me if I am wrong.
v/r,
Troy Williams
"It’s merely a flesh wound." -Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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Dan P
Location: Massachusetts, USA Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 208
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| Troy G L Williams wrote: | | Are the majority of hangers shorter than an average sabre? Sorry, spelled "sabre" wrong initially. Oops. Another question would be the rapier. It seems the rapier would not be the weapon of choice because of the length. There is not a lot of room on a ship for combat with a rapier or a similar sword, correct? |
I've read that a lot of pirates- even the ones that were not privateers- aspired to be "gentlemen of fortune", so it's not implausible that they would sometimes wear a rapier along with other fine items. Especially on shore, when they could show off the wealth they'd taken to attract potential recruits and women.
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Troy G L Williams
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 6:56 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Dan, that does seem very plausible. Most sailors aboard ship in those days would not wear socks and shoes so they could get a better grip on deck and so on, from what I have read. I would imagine that once on shore they may actually wear shoes and their finest attire, depending upon their station of course.
v/r,
Troy Williams
"It’s merely a flesh wound." -Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Thu 10 Sep, 2009 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Troy G L Williams wrote: | | Thanks Dan, that does seem very plausible. Most sailors aboard ship in those days would not wear socks and shoes so they could get a better grip on deck and so on, from what I have read. I would imagine that once on shore they may actually wear shoes and their finest attire, depending upon their station of course. |
But then there are always the officer types or rich successful pirates or a pirate with a military or noble background trained in the use of the " rapière " ( in French ).
Some pirate privateers where in fact in charge of more than one ship and have a virtual fleet of ships at their disposal. ( Closer to mercenary captain of the sea rather than a poor sailor turned pirate ).
I think captain Morgan would qualify: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan
Classic pirate film worth seeing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan_(film)
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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This is a standard topic
