There will be piracy

“Kapare och pirater” by Lars Ericsson Wolke is a Swedish book about piracy and privateering. The author is a professor of military history. 

The book is divided into two sections. The best written one deals with pirates and privateers in general, giving a broad historical (and legal) overview of the phenomenon. Short form: piracy has always existed, and can be effectively countermanded only by strong empires or strong nation-states working in unison. Absent this, piracy is ubiquitous, and the demarcation between it and privateering not always clear. Privateers are "legal" pirates and are therefore used by strong empires and nation-states, too, as auxilliaries to the regular navies. Only international agreements can stop privateering, and they were non-existent before the 19th and 20th centuries. 

The second (and larger) part of the book is a detailed history of piracy and privateering on the Baltic Sea from the 12^th century to the 19^th century. Unfortunately, it´s less well written, with the author constantly making jumps back and forth between the centuries. But then, the history of banditry at sea *is* incredibly complex, with many bands of pirates constantly shifting their allegiances. The book also contains information on piracy and privateering in the Atlantic, when it was directed against Swedish ships.

After the Viking Age, the newly Christianized Scandinavians found themselves at the receiving end of Viking-style attacks by Estonians, Vends and other still-pagan peoples. This triggered the so-called Northern Crusades. After centuries of warfare, the nefarious pagans were brought under control and the Baltic Sea was once again safe for commerce…not! It could have been, had it not been for the constant wars between the Christian polities themselves. Some of the pirates mentioned in this book also show up in more general historical overviews of Swedish history. There are the notorious Victual Brothers, allied to Swedish king-usurper extraordinaire Albrekt of Mecklenburg, who almost made trade on the Baltic Sea impossible due to their activities (14^th century). The motto of the Vitalienbrüder is said to have been “on the side of God, against the rest of humanity”. Another old favorite is deposed Swedish (and Kalmar Union) king Erik of Pomerania, who established himself as pirate overlord of Gotland after being forced from power (15^th century).

However, it´s patently obvious from this book that everyone was encouraging pirates and privateers, as long as they were willing and able to fight for the “good” side. (Perhaps the Teutonic Knights came close to being “sinless” in this regard. Of course, the knights had other foibles.) Another thing that struck me was that the dividing line between piracy and trade isn´t entirely obvious. Pirates, after all, have to sell their contraband. Medieval and early modern merchants certainly wanted profits, but “free trade” or legality weren´t the top of their priorities. All in all, it´s a dismal tale of human greed, violence and misguided ambition that meets us in the pages of “Kapare och pirater”. In the modern world, the Western nations no longer use privateers, but submarine warfare comes close to the original concept, except for the little detail that submarine crews can´t capture and sell the cargo of sunken ships!

If you´re Swedish and want more detailed information on pretty much every war involving Sweden, Denmark and the Hansa since the end of the Viking Age, at least as pertaining to banditry on the high seas, this book is probably a must. However, it´s not a pretty story. There will be war…and there will be piracy.