Bartholomew Roberts' Death Weakened Piracy

The so-called Golden Age of Piracy lasted less than 50 years, from the 1680s to the 1720s. Rival European powers authorized privateers to attack enemy shipping, but valuable Caribbean cargoes encouraged some sailors to continue raiding during peacetime. In the 1720s, governments deployed naval forces, offered pardons, and executed captured crews, making piracy increasingly dangerous and less profitable. The Royal Navy killed Welsh pirate Bartholomew Roberts in 1722, helping bring the era to an end.

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