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✅Privateering and Piracy in the Waters of the Azores

The Portuguese prosperity resulting from voyages to India had aroused the greed of other European nations, mainly France and later England and the Netherlands. These nations did not accept the division of the world between the Iberian kingdoms, as defined in 1493 by Pope Alexander VI’s Inter cætera bull and the Treaty of Tordesillas. Therefore, in addition to the usual coastal piracy in the Mediterranean and the North Sea, some countries began to prepare ships or groups of ships with the objective of attacking Iberian interests, not only along the peninsular coasts but also in the archipelagos of Madeira and, especially, the Azores, where Portuguese ships of the India Route and Spanish ships of the New Spain Route passed through.

Although it was not easy to distinguish between privateering and piracy, as they were objectively similar activities, they had different statuses: the privateer operated under a legalized status granted by a monarch who issued a letter of marque and shared in the profits from their actions, while the pirate acted independently and without any official backing.

The first instances of privateering or piracy in the waters of the Azores were initiated by French shipowners from the ports of Normandy and Brittany, particularly from Dieppe. These ships sailed south to the Canary Islands and west to the Azores. There is a record that in 1521 a French fleet of three carracks and five galleons captured two Spanish caravels in the waters of the Azores. These caravels, coming from the ports of New Spain, were returning with Aztec treasures and many other riches. This capture encouraged French privateers to attack navigation in the waters of the Azores, with records of nearly twenty assaults between 1521 and 1538.

At that time, there was already some concern regarding the protection of the ships of the India Route, leading to the promulgation of the "Regulation for the Ships of India in the Azores," which established rules regarding cargo, supplies, and protection. The "Armada of the Islands" was then created, and the king appointed Pêro Anes do Canto as the "Provider of the Armadas and Ships of India in the Azores."

However, the royal response to privateering activity in defense of the Azorean populations was slow, seemingly only beginning in 1552, as inferred from a letter from King John III to Pedro Annes do Canto, who had been the Provider of the Armadas and Ships of India in all the islands of the Azores since 1532.

Pedro Annes do Canto. I, the King, send you my regards. Being informed of the robberies and damages that the privateers commit each year in those islands of the Azores, I have ordered measures to be taken for their defense. To that end, I now send to Terceira Island Dr. Manuel Alvares [...] and Isidro d’Almeida, a noble knight of my household, for his expertise in fortifications, so that, with your assistance and advice, they may assess what should be done in the city of Angra, on the said island of Terceira, as well as in all the settlements and ports on the island [...] once they have finished their assessment of the entire island with you, they shall proceed in the same manner with the other islands of the Azores.

Thus began the construction of small fortifications in various islands of the Azores. However, these did not completely eliminate the privateer threat.

Although French privateering focused primarily on the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, in 1576, they still attacked the island of Santa Maria to resupply.

However, when Portugal and Spain united under the Iberian Union in 1580, the English, who had strong political and religious rivalries with the Spanish, also became adversaries of the Portuguese. This rivalry escalated into a war between Elizabeth I of England and Philip II of Spain, which began in 1585 with English attacks on Spanish colonies and ended only in 1604 with the Treaty of London.

Queen Elizabeth I herself was the driving force behind an aggressive naval policy and began supporting the formation of fleets dedicated to privateering, particularly along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula and the Azores archipelago, aiming to capture Portuguese and Spanish ships.

However, the English privateering ships that waited in the waters of the Azores for Iberian return voyages required fresh water, firewood, and provisions. They frequently visited the islands, sometimes to trade for these supplies with the local population, but other times to impose their will and plunder settlements. This was the case, for example, with the Englishman Walter Raleigh and later the Frenchman Duguay-Trouin, who, despite being privateers, were made admirals by their respective monarchs and regarded as great navigators.

The first encounter between Portuguese and English ships is said to have occurred in 1583 when the ship Boa Viagem, returning from Goa to Portugal, was attacked by three or four English ships in the waters of the Azores. However, after both sides suffered heavy damage in the naval battle, the English attackers withdrew.

Then, in 1587, English privateers plundered the island of Flores, and according to the account of Gaspar Frutuoso, "they destroyed everything they found, burning all the temples and leveling the houses, leaving not a single one standing." Other attacks by English privateers, in need of resupply, continued over the years, particularly on the islands of Faial and Santa Maria.

However, in the late 16th century, Barbary piracy, sometimes referred to as Turkish piracy, also appeared in the Azores. Numerous raids were recorded, especially on the most militarily vulnerable islands, such as Santa Maria, Graciosa, São Jorge, and Corvo. One of their main objectives was the capture of populations for ransom or the lucrative slave trade.

As maritime movement intensified in the waters of the Azores, with the passage of large fleets from Brazil, privateering and piracy also increased. A passage from the Annals of Terceira Island states that dozens of ships engaged in these activities.

It appears that in this year [1653] there was a great sea surge that destroyed most of the coastal fortifications and caused extensive damage on the island [Terceira]; but repairs were immediately undertaken along the coast, as it was known that 40 to 50 pirate ships were roaming these waters.

By the late 18th century, the populations still felt the threat of privateer ships that appeared near the islands. In 1796, "the people were in great fear and alarm" on Terceira Island, as there was "neither gunpowder nor war supplies" to resist any attack. This led Francisco Drummond to reflect and write:

"If such was the deplorable state of the capital of this province, one could imagine the condition of the other islands under its jurisdiction."

Finally, when news reached Lisbon about the situation in these waters, where French privateering was engaging in numerous robberies and hostilities, a small fleet with some war frigates was dispatched to protect commerce and transport recruits for the royal navy.

In another historical context, following the American independence movements of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Atlantic centrality of the Azores became a stage where emerging powers practiced privateering against the metropoles from which they sought independence. Documents reference the presence of American, Mexican, Colombian, and Argentine privateers in the waters of the Azores.

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