Pirates: the scum of the earth, or rather, of the seas. Ruthlessly looking to loot. The Dutch wholly participated in these raids. What’s more, they did it in the name of their fatherland. Dutch captains conquered many vessels when they were chasing after the Spanish gold.
How was that possible though? Hijackers were criminals weren’t they? Officially they weren’t though because of the intention behind the raid. Pirates went out to loot for their own benefit while hijackers were commissioned by someone. Pirates were, and still are, outlaws. They attack ships, divide the booty, kill or sell the crew and hide in secret places to repair their vessels. Hijackers on the other hand, were commissioned by their king or leader to go and conquer enemy ships. These ships, including their crew and cargo, would be sailed back to the fatherland and the hijacker and his men would receive (a small) part of the profits. Hijackers could be just as cruel as pirates though.
Dutch vessel strikes a Spanish galley in between England and Flanders on the 3rd of October 1602. Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, 1617, Rijksmuseum
Sea Beggars and hijackers
At the start of the Dutch War of Independence (1568-1648), the Dutch nobility that opposed the Spanish King Philip II were nicknamed Beggars. The Revolt wasn’t very successful on the mainland but their rebellious colleagues at sea, the Sea Beggars, were quite victorious. With the hijacking order by William of Orange in their pockets they caused death and destruction. A hijacking order was emitted by a king or a government and this document approved of the attacking and hijacking of enemy vessels.
In the name of Orange the Sea Beggars caused a lot of destruction. Priests and monks were murdered, catholic churches were burnt to the ground and cities were raided. This wasn’t according to William of Orange’s wishes but there was little he could do about it. He needed the Sea Beggars and their fleet had become too powerful: a lot of people had joined the hoodlums so they could have a share in the booty. After the taking of Den Briel on 1 April 1572 though, more and more cities sided with the prince. This consolidated the Revolt and Orange’s position was soon strong enough to get rid of the cruel leaders of the Sea Beggars.
During the whole eighty years of war the Orange family emitted hijacking orders. Piet Hein was given one by governor Frederick Henry, one of William of Orange’s sons. The goal was to raid the Spanish silver fleet. The Spanish exploited silver mines in Peru and with the money earned they were able to pay for the armies that fought the Dutch. The Orange family wasn’t as wealthy as the Spaniards and witnessed the battle with concern. The only option was to attack the Spanish ships and steal the silver.
The Spanish Armada
The Spanish vessels, filled to the brim with silver, would gather every year in Havana to sail to Spain together, under the protection of heavily armed warships. In 1628 captain-general Piet Hein waited for the convoy, but the Spaniards had been informed of the ambush and a big part of the fleet, including the warships, was able to escape. Hein was able to get his hands on twelve vessels though, four of which were galleons full of silver. He didn’t even have to fire one gun. The ships were so chockfull of luxury goods that the gunmen were unable to reach the cannons.
The hijacking of these ships made the Dutch 12 millions of Florins, an enormous amount of money in those days. It sent the Spaniards into immediate money problems… Meanwhile, Piet Hein was the people’s hero and together with his men he was received as such. The whole country celebrated the hijacking for a week. After his death in 1629 Hein was buried in a mausoleum in the Old Church of Delft.
Dangerous game of
chess
The Chessmen Museum owns a colorful pirate chess set. The pirates, including their very tough queen, are facing genuine sailors and their passengers. Or maybe they are the future victims of piracy…?
The Pirates chess set
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