The Golden Age of Piracy refers to a period of intense pirate activity from roughly the 1650s to the 1730s.

It is often divided into three periods, with the final period (c. 1716-1726) being the most famous, featuring pirates like Blackbeard and Calico Jack.

The end of major European wars, like the War of the Spanish Succession, left thousands of trained sailors unemployed, many of whom turned to piracy.

The Caribbean Sea was the primary theater of operations, with major pirate bases in locations like Nassau in the Bahamas.

Pirates targeted merchant ships traveling the lucrative trade routes between Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

Life aboard a pirate ship was often surprisingly democratic, with crews electing their captains and operating under a set of rules known as the 'pirate code.'

The iconic pirate flag, the 'Jolly Roger' (a skull and crossbones), was used to intimidate victims into surrendering without a fight.

The Golden Age of Piracy came to an end due to a concerted effort by European navies to hunt down pirates, as well as the offering of royal pardons.

Some of the most famous pirates of the era were women, such as Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

The romanticized image of pirates in popular culture often belies the brutal and short reality of their lives.