The Politics of Piracy in the British Atlantic, c. 1640-1649

This paper examines the early seventeenth century, drawing together traditional histories of piracy with literary and theoretical studies. Considering in turn the resonant language of "piracy" during the early seventeenth century, polemical use of this language during the British civil wars of the 1640s, and its manipulation by seafarers themselves in the Atlantic at the edges of British imperial authority, the paper argues that "piracy" must be understood not as a distinct category of maritime violence but rather as a label applied in specific political ways. © 2013 International Maritime Economic History Association.