Historical Topics

This section is a collection of articles describing pirate topics, most of which have to do either with costuming or with the sorts of things that attendees are likely to engage in at a pirate event. To see the list of topics, simply click the arrow to the left of “Historical Topics” in the menu to the left. I have gathered information from several sources. Because documented evidence about pirates is scarce, these sources do not always agree on historical facts. I have decided to quote reputable sources verbatim, rather than distilling the information into a coherent narrative, so as not to blur the distinction between fact and legend. If you see a term that you do not understand, you can use the “Search this site” button in the upper right corner to see if it is mentioned or defined elsewhere. You may need to search for different forms of the term separately, e.g. singular and plural. There is not enough time or space available to cover everything to do with pirates in these pages. If you would like to learn more, try the resources listed on the Bibliography or Links pages.