Letter of marque: Difference between revisions
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A letter from one nation giving permission to raid |
A '''letter of marque''' is a letter from one [[nation]] or [[crown]] giving permission to raid [[ship]]s of other nations, generally as long as a percentage of the spoils were paid to that nation. Letters of Marque are particularly associated with [[Pirate]]s. |
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Permission to capture foreign ships was often implicitly given - everyone knew it was fine to do so, and by late period times it was accepted naval practise. Many of the earlier medieval letters exist to grant the ship's owner or captain permission to restock at certain suppliers, with a glancing mention that they happen to be pirates. Or a letter might confirm the distribution of shares of spoils of a raid (between lord or government and crew) or describe a |
Permission to capture foreign ships was often implicitly given - everyone knew it was fine to do so, and by late [[period]] times it was accepted [[navy|naval]] practise. Many of the earlier [[medieval]] letters exist to grant the ship's owner or [[captain]] permission to restock at certain suppliers, with a glancing mention that they happen to be pirates. Or a letter might confirm the distribution of shares of spoils of a raid (between [[lord]] or [[government]] and crew) or describe a ship's duties with mention of sacking foreign ships as a normal part of ship life. |
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External link: |
''External link:'' |
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Example letters of Marque http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5213/marque2.htm |
* Example letters of Marque - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5213/marque2.htm |
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Revision as of 10:29, 1 June 2005
A letter of marque is a letter from one nation or crown giving permission to raid ships of other nations, generally as long as a percentage of the spoils were paid to that nation. Letters of Marque are particularly associated with Pirates.
Permission to capture foreign ships was often implicitly given - everyone knew it was fine to do so, and by late period times it was accepted naval practise. Many of the earlier medieval letters exist to grant the ship's owner or captain permission to restock at certain suppliers, with a glancing mention that they happen to be pirates. Or a letter might confirm the distribution of shares of spoils of a raid (between lord or government and crew) or describe a ship's duties with mention of sacking foreign ships as a normal part of ship life.
External link:
- Example letters of Marque - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5213/marque2.htm
