Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Privateer
(2,206 words)

1. Origins of privateering in medieval right of seizure

Privateering was a phenomenon of seafaring history whose origins and development were inextricably bound up with the overseas expansionism of the European powers in the early modern period. Its roots lay in the medieval practice of capturing merchant vessels, which was generally recognized as a legitimate tactic of naval war…

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Bohn, Robert, “Privateer”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 10 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019377>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



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