![]() This got even worse when the War of Spanish Succession ended in 1714, and Britain and France dismissed their privateer fleets from duty. During this time, privateering and piracy flourished as colonial governors handed out letters of marque to anyone who’d attack the enemy and bring back the spoils, but by the 1690s this fell out of practice, leading many would-be privateers to go freelance. (The Dutch, for their part, mostly fought the Portuguese in Brazil). This strategy had a dual purpose: not only did privateers bleed the Spanish, but the large influx of cash served to build fledgling English and French colonial ports like Jamaica and Port Royal that could challenge Spanish possession of the New World. Simultaneously, Spain’s largest rivals the English, French and Dutch saw an enormous opportunity – to take bread from the Spanish mouth through privateering and licensed piracy. ![]() The result was that the Spanish became dependent on the supply of silver from their colonial possessions in the New World to keep their economy afloat, and began to expand its colonial efforts to protect the financial lifeline. Decades of conflict drove the Spanish Empire to near bankruptcy as it simultaneously fought Protestant nations, the Ottoman Empire, France, and tried to hold onto its colonial possessions. Not only was there the human cost-the Thirty Years War alone killed 8 million people-but Europe’s political borders shattered and reformed, dragging entire countries into anarchy or decline. However, during the 16th and 17th centuries, two opposing ideologies actually did fight a worldwide struggle that led to the pirates’ ascent – Catholicism and Protestantism.ĭuring the 16th and 17th centuries, the European wars of religion tore the continent apart for over a hundred years. The war between the Assassins and the Templars didn’t fuel the Golden Age of Piracy. So I’ve compiled a helpful primer either supporting, or debunking, the myths Ubi’s going to throw at you this week. Indeed, Ubisoft will have to walk a fine line trading on the most appealing aspects of the pirate legend while still keeping its chops as an historical series.īut legends aren’t what we deal with here at Critical Intel – we like facts. Far from their origins as vicious sea-borne criminals, torturing and murdering across the waves, we now see the sea rovers as symbols of freedom and individualism. Pirates are probably the most romanticized figures in history. Previous installments dropped players into well-known historical periods like the Renaissance, Crusades, and American Revolution, but AC4 is the first time the series has to deal with a period that the public primarily knows through myth. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag sails the series into uncharted territory. ![]()
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