1620 – French outlaws on Hispaniola, who soon come to be called buccaneers, begin attacking Spanish shipping.  When the Spanish sweep the island to eliminate the threat, the buccaneers flee to the island of Tortuga off the northwest coast of Hispaniola. 

1623 – Dutch freebooters begin capturing Spanish shipping.  Between 1623 and 1638, the Dutch seize 500 Spanish and Portuguese ships. 

1625 - Spain and France are openly at war. The unpopular English King James I is in very poor health.  It seems unlikely that his son and heir will show his father's tolerance of the Spanish.  France and England have one Caribbean settlement each, side by side on St. Kitts, and in Europe their relationship is strained.  Dutch freebooters are raiding Spanish shipping from pirate ports; they too will be looking to establish colonies very soon.  Caribbean towns are strong and rich; the age of piracy is in its infancy. 

1629 - The Spanish begin a campaign to drive the buccaneers off Tortuga Island, but fail.   

1630 - The four year war between England and France has just ended, and England is also on the verge of making peace with Spain.  However, Charles I's friendliness with Spain and his abolition of parliament does not make him popular with his people.  France and Spain remain at war.  Barbados, Dominica, Nevis North, and Tobago now have fledgling English colonies, but French presence remains weak and Dutch settlement non-existent.  The Spanish Main is still a well defended treasure trove, but its Governors have started to rule independently, many miles from home; there is a good living to be made for the pirate who picks his fights carefully.  The Spanish take Tortuga by force, but the French buccaneers retake the island a short time later after most of the Spanish leave. 

1633 – The buccaneers on Tortuga send a request for a governor to the Governor of St. Kitts, and Jean Le Vasseur is sent to Tortuga with men and equipment to fortify the island as a base for privateers and pirates.  Some English and a few Dutch pirates begin to frequent Tortuga. 

1635 - Both the French and Dutch have very poor relations with Spain, but no state of war exists.  The handful of English colonies has developed a healthy tobacco economy, and France appears to be on the verge of major Caribbean expansion from its two islands.  The Dutch, previously traders and pirates, have just taken Curacao, an island close to the Spanish Main, causing great tension in the region.  As the nations try to threaten each other, there are plenty of opportunities for pirates to cause trouble.  The Spanish capture the pirate stronghold of Tortuga, killing many buccaneers, but then they abandon the island, and the surviving buccaneers return to take control again. 

1640 - Charles I of England, Philip IV of Spain, Louis XIII of France and Frederick Henry, the Dutch Stadtholder have all held power for at least 15 years, and the uneasy peace holds in Europe.  But there is 'no peace beyond the line' which marks European waters.  In the Caribbean the French grow stronger at Guadeloupe and Martinique, and the major English islands develop economically as they switch from tobacco to sugar cultivation.  The Dutch have colonized Bonaire, another island just off the Spanish Main, and St. Eustatius, at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles.  Portugal gains her independence from Spain, which ends 60 years of rule by the Spanish monarchy and dismantles the second largest empire in the world.  Jean Le Vasseur is commissioned as the governor of Tortuga, and the buccaneers begin calling themselves the Brethren of the Coast. 

1645 - Civil War rages in England. Charles I and his Cavaliers do battle with Parliament and its Roundheads.  France is also in turmoil, with Louis XIV succeeding to the throne, but Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin run the country and the population revolt.  Increasing Dutch presence in the Caribbean is disrupting Spain's flow of treasure back to Europe.  The other powers believe that Spain's whole empire is in danger of crumbling, and are eager to win support of any freebooter willing to help.  

1650 - The Civil War in England has ended with the beheading of King Charles I. Oliver Cromwell has become a dictator under the title of Lord Protector.  William II has become Dutch Stadtholder, and relations between Holland and England look set to worsen.  In the Caribbean, Holland, England and France all consolidate their powers, building strong agricultural colonies shipping all manner of exotic goods back to Europe.  This industry needs defending, and they are usually happy to have pirates do it, turning a blind eye to any action which weakens the crumbling Spanish empire in the process.  Jean Le Vasseur imports several hundred prostitutes to Tortuga in the hopes of regulating the lives of the buccaneers. 

1653 – French pirate Jean “L’Olonnais” Nau begins to attack Spanish ships. 

1655 - Holland and England's two year war is over, but the war between France and Spain rages on.  In England, the law-making puritans ban sports and games, see theatres burned, close alehouses and ruthlessly suppress the Irish.  They also have great designs on Caribbean expansion, and a huge fleet is ready to sail to capture Hispaniola.  But the English invade and take Jamaica starting a five-year war with the Spanish.    In order to defend Jamaica, the English tolerate the growth of Port Royal, a dirty, bawdy pirate haven, and encourage raids on Spanish shipping.  The great pirate stronghold of Tortuga is taken by the Spanish in retaliation for the havoc being caused by pirates around Hispaniola and Cuba.  The Spanish abandon Tortuga once again, and many of the buccaneers return, but some decide it is time for a change and go to Port Royal.  Dutch pirate Roch Braziliano and Portuguese pirate Bartolomeo arrive at Port Royal. 

1657 - The English and French sign a peace treaty allying against Spain.

1659 – Christopher Myngs, a Royal naval captain commanding the British squadron in Jamaica, recruits buccaneers to aid him and sails with three ships to plunder Cumana, Puerto Cabello, and Coro on the coast of Venezuela returning to Port Royal with loot estimated at 200,000 to 300,000 English pounds.

1660 - England and France sign a peace treaty with Spain.  France and England go to war with Holland.  The French see Hispaniola as their next place of colonization.  Jean L’Ollonais joins the buccaneers in Tortuga.   

1662 – France makes peace with Holland, as does England, after Charles II regained the throne.  England passes the Navigation Act, which allowed only English ships to transport goods to and from England or its colonies.  English ship-owners promptly raised their cargo rates leaving English colonists complaining bitterly.  Pirates show up offering goods at a quarter the cost, and Boston, New York, Newport, Philadelphia, and Burn become free ports for the pirates.  Christopher Myngs captures Santiago, the second largest port in Cuba, destroys the fortress, and captures six ships.

1663 – Christopher Myngs with 12 pirate ships and 1500 buccaneers takes Campeche, 14 Spanish ships, and plunder worth 150,000 pesos.  Spain halts the sailing of the Treasure Fleet until warships can arrive to protect it, and complains bitterly to the English crown.  King Charles II forbids any future assaults.

1665 -   It is doubtful the peace will last between France and Spain.    However, England has just captured New Amsterdam from the Dutch, and another war looks imminent.  The health of King Philip IV of Spain gives his people great cause for concern, with his infant son due to succeed him.  Port Royal has become “the wickedest city on Earth” and a mysterious illness is affecting people in London.  It is a great time to be a pirate in the Caribbean.  Christopher Myngs returns to England, where he is appointed vice-admiral of a squadron fighting Dutch forces in the English Channel.  He is knighted for his outstanding achievements. 

1665-1667 - The English warred with the Dutch, the French joined the Dutch against the English, and then they all made peace.  London suffered the Plague and the Great Fire in successive years.  In 1666, Henry Morgan arrives in Tortuga and joins the buccaneers as a surgeon.  In 1667, Jean L’Ollonais and Michel le Basque attack Gibraltar and Maracaibo.  Later that same year, L’Ollonais is shipwrecked on the coast of Nicaragua, captured by Indians, and tortured to death. 

1668 – Henry Morgan puts together a force of 10 small ships and 500 buccaneers from Port Royal and 2 larger ships and 200 men from Tortuga, sailed to Cuba, hid their ships, and marched overland to attack Puerto Principe 30 miles inland.  He was able to gain 50,000 pesos in plunder and a large herd of cattle.  From there, Morgan sailed to the Spanish Main and attacked Puerto Bello on the Panama coast taking three forts and a castle and carrying off 250,000 pesos worth of plunder. 

1669 – Henry Morgan with 8 ships and 500 buccaneers attacked and plundered Maracaibo and Gibraltar and returned to Port Royal with several captured ships and loot worth 125,000 pesos.  Spain, angry over these outrages, ordered the governors of their colonies to procure privateers with letters of marque to fight back.  A Portuguese pirate Manoel Pardal Rivero was commissioned in Cartagena and sails north to sack the poor settlement on Cayman Island and take two small boats.  Sailing on to Cuba, Rivero finds the Dutch pirate Bernard Speirdyke and takes his ship. 

1670 - The Spanish King Charles II is a sickly child, leaving his country leaderless.  England's relationship with Spain has deteriorated gradually into a state of war.  There is now a Danish presence in the Caribbean at St. Thomas.  Pirates and Buccaneers are now so daring they raid major Spanish cities like Cartagena with no fear (and the active support of the other European nations).  England and France sign a peace treaty.  England and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid banning pirate raids, and it is at this point that buccaneer raids begin to decline.  Manoe Pardal Rivero returns to Cartagena to a hero’s welcome and is promoted to admiral of the Spanish corsairs.  Rivero sails north with 2 ships to challenge Morgan himself, but encounters a buccaneer captain John Morris instead.  Rivero is killed in the ensuing battle and all his men drowned or shot. 

1671 – Henry Morgan in command of 36 ships, including 500 buccaneers from Tortuga and 1000 buccaneers from Port Royal, attacks and plunders Santa Maria, Rio de la Hacha, and Panama.  Most of Panama’s wealth is carried away before Morgan arrives, and so only 30,000 pesos worth of plunder is taken.  These attacks are technically a violation of the Treaty of Madrid, and Morgan is returned to England and briefly imprisoned in the Tower for appearances sake.   

1674 – England and France sign the Treaty of America with Spain, in which Spain gives England the right to colonize America.  Henry Morgan is knighted for the capture of Panama and appointed deputy governor of Jamaica.   

1675 - England, Spain and France all waged war against the Dutch recently, but at the moment peace prevails. William III now rules Holland.  The English have begun a settlement at Charlestown in North America.  The French now have several ports on Hispaniola.  There are rich pickings and many commissions to be won by pirates, although a few Governors are beginning to tire of them and withdraw support.  

1680 - Both the Dutch and French continue to cause trouble for the Spanish, whose army and navy are in terminal decline.  Peace prevails between Spain and England in Europe, but there is little respect for formal treaties in the Caribbean.  The adventures of great buccaneers like Henry Morgan are legendary, and many men are looking for a career in piracy.   

1683 – French pirate Michel de Grammont and Dutch pirate Laurens de Graff attack Vera Cruz. 

1684 - By signing the Truce of Ratisbon, France and Spain agree to peace in Europe and the Caribbean. 

1685 – The Truce of Ratisbon is already being broken in places!  James II has succeeded to the throne in England and is predicted to ally with the Catholic nations.  The Spanish are getting weaker every year; the constant war with the pirates has taken its toll.  Yet, those nations, who were glad to have the pirates fight for them in years past, now grow weary of their activities.  The heyday of Piracy is passing.  Buccaneers Edward Davis, John Eaton, Charles Swan, and others lead 3000 men to attack Panama, but fail. 

1689 – The Catholic James II of England lost the support of his people and lost his throne to Protestant King William III of Holland in 1688, making the Dutch and English nations into a formidable alliance.  William's main aim seems to be to thwart Louis XIV, who, in revoking the Edict of Nantes has taken away all rights of Protestants in France.  England declares war on France, and so begins King William’s War.  The Brethren of the Coast at Tortuga are all but gone.  The buccaneers are almost evenly divided, Englishmen and Frenchmen, and most leave to take letters of marque when England and France go to war.  Others just turned pirate and begin to attack all shipping regardless of nationality.  French pirates Jean Du Casse and Baron Jean de Pointis capture Cartagena.  Henry Morgan dies in Jamaica.  

1690 - Spain and France have recently signed the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and are at peace, as are the Spanish and English.  

1692 – A massive earthquake destroyed the pirate stronghold of Port Royal.  After many years of debauchery and depravity, many saw it as divine retribution.  The pirates that remained moved north to the Bahamas.   

1694 – Henry Every leads a mutiny aboard a privateer and begins a pirate career. 

1695 - The English - Dutch alliance, joined by the Spanish on occasion, continues to wage war against the French. The Spanish are looking to reclaim Hispaniola and discourage pirate activity in the region.  New York’s governor closes the city to pirates and commissions and outfits Captain William Kidd as a privateer to hunt down pirates in the area and any French ships he happened upon.  Once at sea, Kidd and his crew turn pirate themselves setting a course for the Indian Ocean, where they take a number of ships with rich cargoes.  Many pirates are succumbing to the lure of the Far East as fewer prizes are available in the Caribbean.  Henry Every and Thomas Tew with four other ships capture an Indian treasure ship, the Gang-i-sawai laden returning from Mecca with gold and silver worth 325,000 English pounds.  Tew is killed in the bloody battle.  It is a tough time to be a pirate.  

1697 – King William’s War ends with many privateers becoming pirates again. 

1700 - If, as expected, the lame duck King of Spain Charles II dies soon, there will be an almighty war for succession.  The alliance of France and Spain against Holland and England will leave little for pirates to capture.  Indeed, the Caribbean seas swarm with pirate hunters and many Governors have taken to executing pirates without trial.   It is time for the pirate swan-song.  Jolly Roger flags become popular with pirates and are seen throughout the Caribbean, the Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.  Gold is discovered in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro, and the New World’s first major gold rush begins. 

1701 – Captain William Kidd is tried for piracy in England and executed.  His trial brings to light the depth of the corruption and the pirate trade in the American colonies, and a purge is soon underway.  The War of the Spanish Succession begins, and saves most pirates because they are issued letters of marque to loot the Spanish and French.  French privateers begin attacking the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coast. 

1714 – The War of Spanish Succession ends and many privateers switch to piracy and begin to sail under the black flag.  New Providence in the Bahamas becomes a base for pirates.  Only North Carolina remains open to pirates on the American coast. 

1715 – Henry Jennings discovers a Spanish salvage crew from Havana attempting to recover the cargo of the Spanish Treasure Fleet that sank during a hurricane near southeastern Florida and attacks them.  They capture 350,000 silver pesos, and on the way back to Jamaica take another Spanish ship carrying a rich cargo and 60,000 pesos. 

1716 – Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, arrives in New Providence and joins the crew of Benjamin Hornigold.  Samuel Bellamy and Olivier La Bouche seize a number of ships near the Virgin Islands. 

1717 – Samuel Bellamy and crew drown after running their prize ship the Whydah carrying 20,000 English pounds worth of cargo aground during a heavy storm off Cape Cod.  Woodes Rogers, ex-privateer and pirate hunter is appointed governor of New Providence.   

1718 - North Carolina closes her ports to pirates.  Blackbeard dies in battle with Lieutenant Maynard near Ocracoke, North Carolina.  Stede Bonnet is captured and hung in Charleston, South Carolina.  Charles Vane is captured and hung in Jamaica. 

1720 -  Bartholomew Roberts, a.k.a. Black Roberts or The Great Pirate Roberts, begins a reign of terror plundering numerous ships from Newfoundland to the West Indies.  Roberts raided ships off St. Kitts North, St. Lucia, and Martinique, capturing the governor of Martinique and hanging him from the yardarm of his own warship.  Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny and Mary Reed tried for piracy.  Edward England and John Taylor capture English East Indiaman with a cargo worth 75,000 English pounds.  Diamonds are discovered just north of the gold fields near Rio de Janeiro. 

1721 – Olivier La Bouche and John Taylor take a rich Portuguese ship in the Indian Ocean dividing their loot at Saint Mary’s Island near Madagascar. 

1722 – Bartholomew Roberts, who had captured more than 400 ships during his career from the coasts of the Americas to the coasts of Africa, is killed by a broadside of grapeshot fired by the British Man-o-War Swallow, commanded by Challoner Ogle.  And so ends the Golden Age of Piracy, with the death of its greatest pirate.