Privateering

Privateering is state-authorized naval warfare against enemy shipping, usually conducted by privately owned vessels under a letter of marque. It used private capital and crews to capture enemy vessels and cargo.

Letter of marque: A government commission authorizing a private vessel to attack and capture enemy ships. It defined which ships a privateer could lawfully target and under whose authority.
Medieval naval warfare: Armed conflict at sea during the European Middle Ages. Privateering grew from older practices of licensing maritime retaliation and seizure.
American Revolutionary War: The war from 1775 to 1783 in which thirteen British colonies gained independence. American commissions sent thousands of private vessels against British commerce.
Declaration of Paris (1856): An international agreement that abolished privateering among its signatories and established rules for maritime war. It marked the major diplomatic turning point against privateering.
Prize law: The body of law governing the capture, adjudication, and distribution of enemy property at sea. Captured ships and cargo became lawful prizes only after legal adjudication.
War of the League of Cambrai: A series of conflicts from 1508 to 1516 involving a coalition against the Republic of Venice. Venetian use of licensed maritime raiders illustrates privateering in early modern warfare.
War of 1812: A war fought from 1812 to 1815 between the United States and Great Britain. American privateers captured British merchant vessels and disrupted Atlantic trade.
American Civil War: The war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the United States and the Confederacy. The United States declined to join the 1856 declaration, making privateering a contested issue during the war.
Prize court: A court that determines whether property captured at sea is a lawful prize. Its rulings validated captures and divided proceeds among owners, officers, and crews.
Elizabethan sea dogs: English privateers and naval commanders active during Elizabeth I's reign. Their raids on Spanish shipping made privateering a prominent instrument of English policy.

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