Osprey Elite 69 : Buccaneers 1620-1700

Before the era of great pirates in the early 18th century, there was an even more bloodthirsty phase of attacks in the Caribbean known as the 'Buccaneering Era'. For over 50 years, English, French and Dutch buccaneers launched a series of devastating attacks on Spanish towns, ports and shipping. Well-known buccaneers such as Captain Henry Morgan carried out their raids under the protection of the English crown, and in 1692, the French even used buccaneers to help its army capture the great Spanish city of Cartagena! Angus Konstam details not only the buccaneer captains but also the crews of their ships, how they were recruited and how they fought their battles on both land and sea. The text is accompanied by illustrations by Angus McBride.

Contents

• Introduction
• Background and Sources
• The Spanish Main
• Early Buccaneers
• Buccaneering Crews
• The Buccaneering Art of War
• Buccaneer Captains and Characters
• Buccaneer Strongholds
• Buccaneer Booty
• Buccaneering Fleets
• Flags and National Identity
• Bibliography
• The Plates