Consider This: Pirate Atrocities

Of course, pirates were not just disenfranchised sailors that wanted to operate in a more democratic way. They were thieves, with some being more bloodthirsty than others. On the one hand, Captain Samuel Bellamy was so generous as to trade his old ship in exchange for robbing the captain of the Whydah and taking it as his new flagship. On the other hand, there were pirates like Edward Low.

Edward Low's cruelty towards those he captured became legendary in the Atlantic in the latter days of the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean. One story details upon how after capturing a Portuguese ship, Low discovered that the captain had tossed out a bag full of golden coins, rather than have them fall into the hands of pirates.

The Captain of the Portuguese Ship cutting away the Bag of Moidores (Portuguese gold coins)

Enraged, Low ordered the captain's lips to be cut off, broiled, and then forced the captain to eat them before killing him and all his men. This was not an isolated event; dozens of accounts exist of Low and his crew burning, disemboweling, torturing, and slaughtering captives for sport. The almost animalistic brutality of pirates like Low and his crew contributed to such a dangerous environment for ships that they inspired a greatly increased military presence in the Caribbean. Eventually, this would lead to the end of the Golden Age of Piracy

       As the dark side of lawlessness, the cruelty that some pirate crews inflicted on their victims caused conflict throughout their environment. Does this mean that they were the cause of the ruthless attitudes of imperial powers that were interested in protecting their colonies?