Robbers of the Sea: Piracy in Proclamations and Pamphlets, 1558-1675

Abstract

The article considers two printed sources that informed English readers about the early modern crime of piracy: the royal proclamation and the pamphlet. It contends that proclamations on piracy have been an overlooked genre among scholars theorizing maritime crime, and that reading a pamphlet on piracy was an experience mediated by intimate knowledge of royal proclamations: these pamphlets, in turn, capitalize on this knowledge within their pages. It does not so much consider piracy itself, but rather mediates the effects of obtaining information about the crime through these two disparate, although complementary, mediums.

Keywords

• Piracy
• Popular Print
• Royal Proclamations and Royal Authority Maritime Law