Elena Theodoridou A husky parrot on the shoulder, gold in the chests and a mug of rum on the table – this is how we imagine the pirates of the 17th century. And also endless sea battles, lack of laws and complete freedom. Who in childhood did not dream of getting on a ship flying a black flag? Reality, as often happens, is a little different from books and films. Real pirates had to obey strict discipline, endure hunger, illness and do exhausting work. And the almost inevitable end of the career of every filibuster was a loop of fragrant hemp.
No personal space
The pirate's morning began in the common cabin. They didn’t hear about hygiene in those days, clothes were washed only on the shore, it was not customary to wash and there was nowhere … the smell was appropriate.
Even the captain could not be alone on the ship. Often he did not have a separate cabin, so he slept next to the rest of the sailors. We always dined together, made decisions, worked, rested – too.
The life of a pirate on a ship was subject to strict laws of honor. So, it was impossible to keep what was obtained during the robbery. During the day after a successful raid, the pirates had to bring all the loot to the general warehouse (after that, they had to undress and show that nothing was left hidden). Then everyone was given their share of the booty – but if someone from the team did not capture anything during the raid, he was left empty-handed. Theft was considered the worst crime (of course, from one's own). Such thefts were punished as harshly as possible – up to the painful death penalty. More on topic
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Rum instead of water
The love of pirates for alcohol is not a myth. Diluted rum was drunk instead of water and it was believed that such a potion helped fight diseases. The business was not limited to one rum – both beer and moonshine were used, everything that managed to get hold of on the shore.
Addiction to alcohol sometimes ended badly for pirates. There are cases when pirate ships were captured only because the crew was too drunk. Also, excessive drinking often caused lost battles, drunken riots and bloody fights.
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