Why Were There Pirates in the Caribbean?
(Photo: Courtesy of Rhumhuys Distillery)
As long as there is Hollywood, there have been movies about Caribbean pirates. “The Pirate’s Gold” by D.W. Griffith is considered to have started the genre in 1908. From the subsequent days of “swashbuckler” Errol Flynn to the recent “Pirates of the Caribbean” starring Johnny Depp, movies about Caribbean pirates have been fascinating audiences young and old for over well a century.
This while pirates operated worldwide. So how come it is always buccaneers, privateers of this region being highlighted in cinema? Three reasons come to mind:
1. The Spanish Main
In the 17th century, the most highlighted pirate era, piracy focused on the treasure laden galleons bringing stolen gold from the Americas to Spain. The Caribbean was a must-pass portal for shipments from many important Spanish settlements, and a sound base of departure for Atlantic expeditions in addition. The key pirate trade post was Port Royal, the biggest city in the western hemisphere until it was destroyed by an earthquake. Famous pirates known to have roamed the waters around St. Maarten / St. Martin were Edmund Teach (“Blackbeard”), Jean Hamlin and Cornelis Jol, also known as “Houtebeen” (“Wooden Leg”).
2. The vested interest of states
It was also in the interest of other European powers to sabotage world hegemon Spain, and gain footholds to Spanish gold and regional spices in the process. Islands in many cases changed hands – Trinidad for example was Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and Latvian (Courland) for a while until the British took control. The continuous struggles to get access to the strategically positioned region led to many fortresses being built along the sea routes. Islands like Hispaniola, St. Kitts and St. Maarten / St. Martin even got divided in the process. In case of St. Maarten / St. Martin, multiple strategic reasons were in play for such a division.
The importance of this competition led the vying nations to not just tolerate piracy, but to even facilitate it. “Privateers” were in fact pirate ships operating on behalf of European states in an attempt to undermine the Spanish and each other, further adding to the volume and reputation of Caribbean piracy in this era.
3. Beaches Are Nice For Cinema!
It is an understatement to say “Pirates of Antarctica” would provide for less beautiful scenery than the gorgeous Caribbean, further adding to the array of pirate movies shot or situated in the region. It is not for nothing most pirate movies include shots of beautiful Caribbean beaches! Also other movies and series were shot on islands like St. Maarten for this reason.
That does, of course, not mean that everything you see in pirate movies actually happened! In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), the Caribbean island of Saint Martin serves as the backdrop for several scenes, including the spectacular bank robbery of the fictional “Bank of St. Martin.” Although it is highly likely that famous pirates passed by the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin during the Golden Age of Piracy, it was not the privateer haven depicted in the film, and its architecture was quite different. The town of “St. Martin” does not reflect how either Philipsburg or Marigot would have looked at that time. It was not until the tenure of Governor John Philips, between 1735 and 1746, that the island began to experience significant population growth. Furthermore, both the bank brand and the island astronomer Carina Smyth are fictional creations.
If you are interested in finding remnants of piracy on St. Maarten / St. Martin, consider the following excursions:
Like a true pirate would, go and explore the history, variety and creation of this favorite buccaneer poison at Rumhuys.
Fort Amsterdam was created as stronghold to protect the salt trade, but changed hands regardless.
The Heritage Museum has many artifacts from the 17th century.
On the other side of the island, Fort Louis had the same function.
A tiny cannon of unknown origins was found at St Rose Beach Bar, and might well have belonged to a pirate ship.
Pinel Island was named after pirate Pinel and is a great excursion.
Buccaneers Beach Bar might not be built on a known pirate beach, but definitely allows its clientele to drink as such.
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