Bartholomew Sharp
Encyclopedia
Bartholomew Sharp an English buccaneer
whose pirate career lasted only three years (1679–82). His flagship
was the Trinity.
Sharp's career as a pirate captain began when the buccaneers, with whom he was sailing round South America, needed a new commander. He quickly proved himself a natural leader and a capable seaman, however these qualities did not prevent him being deposed as captain in January 1681, after storms and setbacks provoked a mutiny. His successor was killed three weeks later and Sharp resumed command. Under him the buccaneers continued around South America and up to the Caribbean
, taking 25 Spanish ships and plundering numerous Spanish towns. Bartholomew Sharp is credited as being the first Englishman ever to travel eastwards around Cape Horn
. Sharp had planned to return to England via the Strait of Magellan
, but a storm pushed the Trinity too far south forcing him to navigate the Cape. An eyewitness account of Sharps adventures was published in "The Dangerous Voyage And Bold Assaults of Captain Bartholomew Sharp and Others", London, 1684.
.
). By 1700, due to his debt, he tried to flee the island and the Danish colonial authorities. The attempt failed and Sharp was confined to prison where he died on 29 October 1702.
Buccaneer
The buccaneers were privateers who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
whose pirate career lasted only three years (1679–82). His flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
was the Trinity.
Sharp's career as a pirate captain began when the buccaneers, with whom he was sailing round South America, needed a new commander. He quickly proved himself a natural leader and a capable seaman, however these qualities did not prevent him being deposed as captain in January 1681, after storms and setbacks provoked a mutiny. His successor was killed three weeks later and Sharp resumed command. Under him the buccaneers continued around South America and up to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, taking 25 Spanish ships and plundering numerous Spanish towns. Bartholomew Sharp is credited as being the first Englishman ever to travel eastwards around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
. Sharp had planned to return to England via the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
, but a storm pushed the Trinity too far south forcing him to navigate the Cape. An eyewitness account of Sharps adventures was published in "The Dangerous Voyage And Bold Assaults of Captain Bartholomew Sharp and Others", London, 1684.
Pardon
Because England and Spain were not at war, the Spaniards demanded Sharp's prosecution for piracy. Sharp however presented the authorities with a book of maps taken from the Spanish ship El Santo Rosario in July 1681; their value to English seafarers was such that Sharp received a full pardon from Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
Prison and death
In 1696, Sharp established himself on the Danish island of St. Thomas (present day U.S. Virgin IslandsUnited States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
). By 1700, due to his debt, he tried to flee the island and the Danish colonial authorities. The attempt failed and Sharp was confined to prison where he died on 29 October 1702.
External links
- http://www.bonaventure.org.uk/ed/flags2.htm
- http://www.piratesoul.com/notable_detail.aspx?id=17