Heritage Daily shares some interesting facts about the Pirate Code that might come in handy for writers in the trendy pirate genre.
Despite their reputation as lawless marauders, pirates did have a code, based on a form of democratic rule. The Pirate Code was a ship’s agreement, sometimes called the Chasse-Partie, Charter Party, Custom of the Coast, or the Jamaica Discipline. When sailors agreed to the code, they were entitled to vote, bear arms, receive compensation for injury, and share in the plunder.
According to the article, nine piratical articles have survived. The earliest was written by Irish captain George Cusack, who operated in northern Europe and the West Indies in the late 17th century. The article shares excerpts from several pirates’ codes.
