PIRATES AND CORSAIRS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO - HISTORY - 2025

The pirates and privateers in the Gulf of Mexico arising from the discovery of America and the subsequent rise of trade and transfer of valuable goods from the New World to Europe.

Although many of these individuals worked on their own, at times, they were hired by the governments of England and France, allied against Spain for the dominance of the sea routes, to work secretly for them.

Death of Jean Lafitte

Even some of the best men in England's navy posed as pirates to carry out the secret work of their government, later becoming independent and starting a new life on the new continent.

Pirates and corsairs managed their affairs between the fine line that divides honesty and vandalism and used the Laguna Madre as an ideal hiding place, being able to mask their ships from the view of the Gulf, due to the abundant sand dunes on Padre Island..

They sailed at the risk of their own life through these waters, since hurricanes and gales that appeared with little warning were common.

You may also be interested in the most famous pirates in history.

Most famous pirates of the Gulf of Mexico

Jean lafitte

Together with his brothers he managed to establish an illegal port on the island of Baratria. With a good commercial position, this island became a paradise for smugglers and privateers in the early 19th century.

In 1810, the constant arrival of smuggled goods and the transfer of money and valuables, gave rise to the boom of the port in Barataria.

Many new facilities were built, and Jean Lafitte regulated and managed the day-to-day business to equip the privateers.

During the American War of Independence, he was called upon to defend New Orleans against British forces and was instrumental in the Battle of New Orleans.

After 1817, he was forced to flee Barataria and established a new base of operations in Galveston, Texas. Five years later he was expelled and continued his life of piracy until his death in 1823.

Jean- David Nao, the Olonese

Famous for his cruelty and his thirst for blood, this pirate participated in the attacks on Maracaibo, Gibraltar and Puerto Caballos.

In his eagerness to take Cartagena, many of his men deserted due to the lack of capture of wealth.

Finally, when he arrived in Darien to obtain food and water, he was massacred along with his crew by the natives of the place.

Francis Drake

He was born around 1540 in Devonshire, England and was involved in piracy and the illicit slave trade before being knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.

This commissioned him a series of raids on cities under Spanish rule in the Gulf of Mexico. She contracted dysentery and died off the coast of Portobelo, Panama.

Cities most threatened by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico

Veracruz

To repel the pirate attack on this important city, the Spanish Empire built Fort San Juan de Ulúa, which served as the main military fortress of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.

Located on an island discovered by Juan de Grijalva in 1518 and built between 1535 and 1843, the fort was considered the safest and most technologically advanced in the New World.

Campeche

Campeche was one of the cities most attacked and devastated by English, French and Dutch pirates. To avoid their continuous attacks a wall was built, which managed to control the attack of the corsairs.

References

1. "Laffite, Jean." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed… Retrieved on November 25, 2017 from Encyclopedia.com.
2. Charles W. Hayes, Galveston: History of the Island and the City (Galveston, 1974), Volume 1, p. 43.
3. "Jean Lafitte". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
4. Jack C. Ramsay Jr: Prince of Pirates, Eakin Press, 1996. Retrieved from psychnews.psychiatryonline.org.
5. Davis, William C. (2005), The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf, Harcourt Books
6. RODNEY KITE-POWELL, Tribune correspondent, Published,. June 16, 2014, Pirates, real and legendary, left their mark on Tampa area