The lawless buccaneer
The buccaneer is first and foremost an outlaw. He plunders and kills shamelessly. Looking only to increase his booty.
Generally based in the West Indies, pirates don't return to port, but have their own bases. Any booty earned is shared equally with the entire crew.
Freebooters are hunted down and punished by death. They're hanged "high and short" ("high" to keep them in plain sight, and "short" to avoid wasting rope!).
Today, freebooters are a thing of the past, replaced by pirates. In the same way, they attack ships and loot valuables, sometimes taking hostages.
Today, the "Frères de la Côte" brotherhood claims to be descended from freebooters (even if it's just a gathering of yachtsmen).
Famous buccaneers :
- Redbeard, Tintin comic strip character in The Secret of the Unicorn and also in Jean-Michel Charlier's Redbeard comic strip.
The King's privateer
A privateer is an officer who acts on a "letter of marque". This is a writing from the king (or signed in his name) that gives the privateer authorization to attack the ships of the country with which we are at war, mainly merchant ships. This letter of marque protects the privateer from being hanged if caught. They are then taken prisoner and treated as prisoners of war.
Privateers returned to their home ports to share the booty. Part of the spoils went to the shipowner who chartered the boat, the crew and the Treasury, which also took its share.
Famous privateers :
- Jean-Bart, born and died in Dunkirk in the service of Louis XIV
- Robert Surcouf (1773-1827), privateer from Saint-Malo under Napoleon 1 er
