Established around 1670 as a commercial port, Nassau was overrun by lawless, seafaring men. He took the pardon of 1720 and went back to … The first pirate to arrive in Nassau, is credited to Henry Avery. There is a deep and fascinating link between The Bahamas and the history of pirates. Charles Vane (c. 1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.. Vane was likely born in the Kingdom of England around 1680. The Golden Age of Piracy lasted for thirty years from 1690 to 1720 and Nassau was at its heart. Since at least the 1680’s, the laxity of British rule encouraged pirate activity in the Bahamas, largely … The history of piracy in Nassau is long and winding. In fact, the origin of Nassau’s infamous “republic of pirates” can be traced to events long before the pirate haven was founded. After discovering Nassau, Avery suddenly disappeared. Nassau drew up-and-coming pirates who Hornigold would take in and sometimes mentor, like his second-in-command Blackbeard, who would become one of history’s most famous pirates. One of the founders of the Pirate Republic in Nassau, Hornigold was a moderate, who strongly disapproved of harming captives. The Republic of Pirates was the base or stronghold of a loose confederacy run by privateers-turned-pirates in Nassau on New Providence island in the Bahamas for about eleven years from 1706 until 1718. The era of piracy in the Bahamas began in 1696 when the privateer Henry Every brought his ship the Fancy loaded with loot from plundering Indian Empire trade ships into Nassau harbour. Soon after, pirates began looting the heavily laden cargo ships. Avery played a very specific role in pirate history, being seen as the father of pirating by many. Our location near busy shipping routes meant there were always plenty of passing ships loaded with valuable cargo to steal. Nonetheless, he headed back out to sea the following year after seizing a 12-gun sloop from Nassau harbor in the Bahamas. Although not a state or republic in a formal sense, it was governed by its own informal 'Code of Conduct'. He arrived at the end of the 1600s, and is a very well known pirate. At the time, he was the first mate, aboard Charles II. Years later, Nassau was destroyed twice—once by Spanish troops, the other time by French and Spanish navies. LATE 1600s: THE AGE OF PIRACY. History does prove that women like Eleanor were not common, and negotiating with the pirate community that had overtaken Nassau was not a woman's job. Benjamin Hornigold was an English pirate from the early 18 th century who operated in the waters of the Caribbean, specifically in the Bahamas.Best remembered for establishing the ‘Republic of Pirates’ - a pirate stronghold in Nassau on the Bahamian island of New Providence - in later life he switched sides and became a pirate hunter, helping to bring down the confederacy he had created. The romantic era of piracy we see in blockbuster movies, novels, and video games draws its inspiration from the real pirates who called Nassau home. Pirates of The Bahamas. By 1713, there were over 1,000 pirates in Nassau and they outnumbered the 400-500 legitimate residents, basically making the port city a … One of his first pirate ventures was under the leadership of Henry Jennings, during Jennings' attack on the salvage camp for the wrecked Spanish 1715 Treasure Fleet off the coast of Florida. From the late 1600s to the early 1700s, pirates were plentiful in Nassau. Eventually, the pirates became a problem that governments of Europe and the Americas were determined to solve. A History of Nassau's Pirates: Experience It Today.