The buccaneers were privateers who attacked enemies of their state, namely Spain, in the Caribbean and on the American coast (the Spanish Main) throughout the 17th century. Initially hunters and then seamen and soldiers, the buccaneers successfully attacked Spanish ports like Portobelo, Panama, and Veracruz, but they only very rarely captured treasure ships at sea.
More about: BuccaneerDefinition
Timeline
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1620 - 1697Buccaneers operate in the Caribbean and attack both ports and ships along the Spanish Main.
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1620Buccaneers begin to camp and hunt illegally in the western part of Hispaniola (modern Haiti).
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c. 1630Tortuga becomes a major buccaneer base.
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1642The French engineer Jean Le Vasseur builds a fortress on Tortuga.
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1657Edward D'Oyley, Governor of Jamaica, encourages buccaneers of several nationalities to make Port Royal their base.
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1664The buccaneer Henry Morgan attacks Villahermosa on the Spanish Main.
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1665The buccaneer Henry Morgan attacks Tabasco and Gran Granada on the Spanish Main.
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1667François L'Olonais leads a buccaneer force which attacks Venezuela on the Spanish Main.
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Jul 1668A buccaneer force led by Henry Morgan attacks and captures Portobelo on the Spanish Main.
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Apr 1669A buccaneer force led by Henry Morgan captures the port of Maracaibo. on the Spanish Main.
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Jan 1671A buccaneer force led by Henry Morgan attacks and captures the port of Panama on the Spanish Main.
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1674Sir Henry Morgan is appointed Lieutenant Governor of Port Royal.
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1680Bartholomew Sharp leads buccaneer raids on the Pacific coast of the Spanish Main.
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1681The Jamaican authorities prohibit piracy.
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1683Laurens De Graaf leads a buccaneer attack on Veracruz on the Spanish Main.
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1684The Buccaneers of America by Alexander Oliver Exquemelin is published in English.
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1684 - 1688Edward Davis leads buccaneer attacks on the Pacific coast of the Spanish Main.
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1697The last great buccaneer operation captures Cartagena on the Spanish Main.
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1697The Peace of Ryswick signed between France, Spain, England, and the Netherlands effectively ends buccaneering in the Caribbean.
