Henry Morgan was perhaps the most successful buccaneer. Here we explore some of his adventures and the man behind the myth.
Henry Morgan is an infamous pirate shrouded in myth. Part of this myth was exacerbated by a buccaneer turned writer Alexander Exquemelin who claimed that Morgan was born of a lowly stature from a farmer and was an indentured servant. He also called him a pirate, which Morgan was not. However, looking beyond these remarks the truth about Henry Morgan shines through.
Born in Wales in 1635 he was the nephew of a major general and a colonel. This alone makes it impossible for him to have been a servant, since officer commissions in the military were bought and sold, making such a high rank a “luxury” of the wealthy upper class. When Morgan came to the West Indies he sailed under other privateers allowing him to quickly learn the trade. He went on to purchase his own ship and work as a privateer for the England. Privateers had paperwork (letters of marquee) stating that they had permission to pirate enemy ships. They were basically contracted civilians used to supplement the British Navy.
Henry Morgan only attacked those he felt were enemies of England and during his time period it was mainly Spain. According to English law, when ships were plundered at sea a portion of the spoils would have to be paid to the English government, therefore Henry Morgan did his pillaging on land where he could avoid the tax. Some of the places that he pillaged were: Gran Granada, Panama, Puerto Principe and Portobello which had a reputation of being impenetrable. When he took it he told the men that they could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t burn the city down. Morgan held the citizens and city for ransom from the Spanish government. Henry Morgan also assembled the largest buccaneer fleet to date. More than 2,000 men and 36 ships joined together under Morgan and went on to pillage Panama.
Henry Morgan was knighted in 1634. He later went back to the West Indies and became the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. Henry Morgan ceased pirating and issuing commissions when the King of England ordered that all pirating needed to stop. Morgan then turned pirate hunter. Should he catch anyone pirating, even if they were an old friend, he made sure to punish them according to the law which was hanging. Some called him a turncoat but he went on to live well in Jamaica drinking, partaking in politics and even defending Port Royal from French invaders. He died in 1688 at the age of 53.
Morgan was a master tactician, brilliant sailor and an extremely charismatic leader. Though some of his adventures have been tainted by myth he still reigns as perhaps the most successful buccaneer of all time.
