Henry Morgan’s Pirate State Funeral

When the famous privateer Henry Morgan died in 1688 in Jamaica, the colonial authorities ordered a state funeral in Port Royal so the public could pay their respects. An amnesty allowed pirates and privateers to come into town and attend without fear of arrest, turning the ceremony into a rare legal gathering of outlaws. Morgan received full honors as his body went to the Palisadoes cemetery in Port Royal. Ships in the harbor marked his burial with a 22-gun salute.

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