For me it coincided with a refund from an old savings pot.

Exhibition may be of interest.

Hi,
Thanks Victrix for the heads up. Here is a more in depth idea of what's on offer.
Regards,
Norman.


https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/natio...museum/pirates

The early Borneo expeditions (early 1800's, just after the VOC had been abolished), had as goals of occupying Borneo:
1: Confirming the Dutch flag and offering protection to sovereigns who requested it;
2: Subdue sea plunder by pirates, promote trade, and give peace and tranquility to the many regions where robbers and murderers beset weak nations with calamities.
3: Collect moderate taxes to provide revenue for the government and subsistence for the subjects.

It is point two, mentioned above we have to take in account.
The coastal areas of Borneo where a hotbed of pirates and piracy.
As we know, the beladah belabangs where manufactured (made) in South Borneo, the Bandjemasin area, to be specific in Negara. In Bandjermasin a lot of trade was going on! And there sure were some pirates trading or selling their trophies.

The attached photos give some food for thought:-)

One photo had been made in 1894/1895 by Schadee in the Landak area (NW Borneo). You see a bunch of lovely(?) people, with on the right a man wearing a Beladah Belabang. (Also notice the sundang on the left).

The other photo is a photo of the online database of the Scheepvaartmuseum, collectionnumber S.4543, pirate sword 1825-1850.
(mention the BB blade)...

There is also an old style Beladah Belabang in the Bronbeek collection known, captured from a pirate around 1850, during a raid against piracy in the seas south of the Philipines. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to place a photo here, which I have to ask first.

Just had contact with John, and I'm allowed to place a photo from the pirate sword from the Bronbeek (in Arnhem) collection.
Captured from 'Alima Baba, uit het Soloschen archipel'.

the thought which comes to my mind and perhaps not so a strange thought...with regard to item 2:

for the population and peoples in that part of the world, were not we, the ones from Europe, actually pirates and robbers....?
And concerning " sovereigns ": were they not "bought" and left in their positions and thus allowed the Dutch, English and French to do their (colonial) mischief...? Which was specially a proven policy in the Indonesian archipelago by the VOC and their successor...

Nevertheless then just like now there were and are indeed quite some pirates active...

Beautiful sword from Bronbeek; which museum is a place highlý to be recommended to visit, although the Dutch government wants to close this historical treasure sadly...
It has items and data from the earliest times till the end of WW II and Indonesia's independence.
Most interesting to see there all the diversity of data, items, pictures and cold weapons

https://www.bronbeek.nl/museum

These parang nabur/beladah belabang are incredibly beautiful and no doubt formidable sabers, and interesting to learn more on them (thanks to Kai i the note on the term meaning dragons blood) . While these seem to have originated (?) in Kalimantan in S. Borneo according to references, I cannot resist noting features associated with Yemen, and perhaps Arab traders which of course brought notable diffusion to and from their ports of call.

The widely flared blades resemble the sabers we have established as having come from Yemen, and the banding around the scabbards resembles saif coming from Yemen as well.

We know that there was both piracy and privateering in times of war with trjbes in these regions, so the potential for circulation of these swords into surrounding areas certainly existed.

We know that 'pirates' (the ones we are familiar with) were not just situated in the Caribbean, but many took the 'round' around the Cape of Good Hope, north past Mozambique to Madagascar, and Comoros Islands. From there they sought to prey on Indian vessels etc. and some apparently reached far into the island archipelagos of Malaysia and perhaps further.
'
We only really know of the pirates of the Golden Age in the works of "Capt. Johnson" but cannot know the full roster of active pirates who dd not make the 'press'. Like trade routes, the voyages of pirates 'networked' and via these same conduits, all manner of goods, and weapons etc. changed hands in various means of contact.

There is no way to assert with confidence that a certain weapon was used by 'pirates', though there are a number retrieved from wrecks with compelling evidence of belonging to a certain pirate...the 'Whydah' for example, to Sam Bellamy.

Though we cannot say for sure, we can presume, through deduction, that certain forms in use in a period, and reasonable record of who used them, that a weapon is 'OF THE TYPE'.

As long as we recognize that evidence is compelling and believe what we will without assertion, the inevitable contention has no legs, but what fun is there? Looking back at the 18 years of this thread, there have been many broadsides and dynamic discords.... I learned a lot!

Glad to see the thread again, I had forgotten! and again beautiful sabers!
The exhibition! Thank you Victrix!!!! I wish I could go, but maybe there will be a catalog?

Let's not forget the Barbary pirates ( most of them European renegades in Algiers, Tunis and Sale):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_Coast

and shorter home ( at least to Europe), the lads in France:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirkers
https://www.historiamag.com/dunkirke...ntury-pirates/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_corsairs

interesting to see which weapons they used / had...
and if any forum member can advise any museums about them,
next to the St Malo one
https://traveltoeat.com/french-corsa...t-malo-france/

Absolutely not! and surprising that many of those Barbary pirates and others were Dutch (Europeans as you noted). Those guys got around.
Piracy was not a new phenomenon, and not isolated to any area, people, culture etc.
For most of our purposes things focus on the popularized versions of pirate which come of course from "Treasure Island" , Pyle and Wyeth illustrations which derived from Washington Irving, Sir Walter Scott, Poe et al.

In references I have found cases where a pirate referred to his cutlass as a 'shell', for the shell guards that were so often seen on European dusagge (also termed 'Sinclair sabers') in 17th c.

There are not 'pattern books' or 'regulation pirate swords', if course, and in the tag line from "Pirates of the Caribbean".....no 'rules', they're more guidelines'. :)

Ofcourse, I have also my own concerns and thoughts about the goals mentioned above. And I am glad I'm able to look at myself in the mirror every day because they were not the goals that I would have set.
And take into account, that these were different times, and also before the Dutch, English, French and Portugese arrived, there was a lot of missoury at places all over the world.
It wasn't always that civilized or better before the colonial oppressors arrived.
However, this is something that is a hot topic now everywhere, and I understand that. But to dispose of all museum pieces now or put them behind lock and key, I also disagree. We can use it as a learning opportunity, but when I watch the news every day, we haven't learned much yet as a world population.




What is your source that Bronbeek is on the list of closing by the government?




Unfortunately there is not enough time to update the database, as many objects has no photos placed.
Bronbeek is by far one of my favorite museum. And I feel privileged to have the opportunity to visit the museum often in the past, and mostly that I had been able to visit the Bronbeek depot several times, to do some study.
As a matter of fact I visited Bronbeek a couple of months ago. They have a wonderful exhibition, also to let the visitors overthink and feel about the injustice that happened there a long time ago.
And to keep in track of this thread, the Alima Baba pirate sword is to be seen now in their exhibition!

Hi,
Not a European only trade. The history of the world is full of one group or groups, race, ethnicity, religious leaning etc. etc. coercing another for personal advantage be it labour, land etc. The African slave trade was well established and run by Africans long before Europeans got involved as was conquest and land grabs for power and financial gain. The Vikings were consummate slavers but as they enslaved almost exclusively from Europe it gets little attention these days. Unfortunately slavery, land grabs etc. still go on and as far as I can see it will always be endemic to the human psyche.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/britis...laves_01.shtml

This has been a fascinating thread which was intended to study the weapons and historic factors involved in piracy, admittedly with focus on the popularized versions most of us are familiar with. It is great to see this active 18 years later, and while there were of course the usual scrapes typical of forum and social media discussions, the valuable and interesting content manages to prevail.

I personally hope that more objective input can continue here without the editorial, idealistic and socio-philosophical perspectives which are better placed in other venues. I think we can all agree that 'piracy', clouded with 'privateering' has always existed in some degree on the seas, in most nations, cultures and times. However my goal here was to recognize the objective characters of the weapons used by all parties engaged in these activities.

I think Captain Kidd was one of the best examples of the fine line between privateer and legitimate preying on vessels and the state of being a renegade outlaw, pirate. Clearly there was great opportunity which attracted many men from various nationalities and ethnic groups. While this of course brought certain influences and biases, for the most part, pirate factions were strongly democratic in a most ironic twist. That being said, IMO that is as much of the political critique as needed to examine the weapons used in these pirate situations of these earlier periods and modern 'piratical' or other circumstances are indeed more political and not useful.

Returning to the central topic.......just WHAT determines a weapon is indeed a bonified pirate weapon? and how do we determine just what forms were in fact in use, and in certain areas in the 'Golden Age' and post Golden Age into early 19th c.?

I'm glad to see this thread alive and well after all of these years! As a collector of all things maritime,pirate/privateer, I'm also excited to see that the Maritime Museum is having this display. Too bad I probably won't be able to attend in person-:( Still, the history of piracy, which covers so many nations and many centuries of time, remains a fascinating subject for many. Keep up the posts as I'm enjoying them greatly!

I want to add two pictures of captain Blackbird which demonstrate how he probably used to wear his armament. The following text I found in my archives but unfortunately don't know its author!

These 'Queen Anne' pistols have always recalled Blackbeard, and the 'Golden Age' of piracy. They are believed to have begun in England during the reign of Queen Anne (r. 1702-1707) but of course there may be more to it, also the term remained loosely applied to these type of pistols long into the 18th c.

Blackbeard, in the popularized illustrations, seems to typically be wearing several braces of what appear to be these 'Queen Anne' type pistols, but I have not found much in detail that substantiates that romanticized notion. It is presumed of course that obviously, with single shot pistols, and that these had to be dismantled (usually with 'turn off' barrels screwed off), that one in his 'line of work' would need multiple shot capacity, thus the number of them.

What is hard to imagine is that he somehow obtained not one pair (brace) of them, but up to three, and all seemingly matched. In paintings of his 'final action' vs. Lt. Maynard in 1718 off Ocracoke, N.C. he is shown with these pistols in place on his belts, while he fights with his sword. Why would these remain attached unfired? but that is artistic license.

Pirates of course used sundry weapons obtained through all manner of acquisition, and any sort of matching or 'typical' weaponry is mostly unlikely if not simply assumed or imagined.

Still, I would like to consider if this weapon, by a London maker might have been in use in the time of Blackbeard. While we know it is 'of the type' , and these were produced well into the 18th c., often even using earlier preferred styles, sometimes amalgamated with later, such as 'rococo' decoration ...it is interesting to try to consider.

John Harman (1693-1760) was apparently apprentice to Henry Antonison with James Freeman, and was 'turned over' to James Shaw in 1707. It is noted (Burgoyne, 2002, p.29-30) that he was 'free' of the gunmakers co. in 1714.
He worked at the 'Cross Guns over against Norfolk Street in the Strand' from 1718-45, and was gunmaker to Frederick, Prince of Wales from 1729.

As this pistol has the crowned proof and viewers marks (P and V) we would presume the gun was made prior to 1714, if by being 'free' on the Gunmakers Co. (of London) in 1714 means he was no longer 'under their jurisdiction'.
However the grotesque face (or pugnosed) was apparently first used by Turvey (London) c. 1720.
Silversmiths of course produced these elements privately, so it may be possible that James Shuder had begun using that form earlier, but that seems unlikely unless it is simply that Turvey was a more profoundly known maker than Harman.


The Blackbeard Image and Queen Anne pistols
________________________________________
Just thinking more on the depictions of Blackbeard, and the appearance of usually six pistols worn in some sort of bandolier(s) somewhat consistently. It would seem that these pistols may represent 'Queen Anne's ' by the butt shape and plates. In my previous post I wondered if perhaps the pistol of the OP may be of the period including Blackbeard (d. 1718) or if perhaps artistic license is at hand.

The beginning source for 'Blackbeard' would best be construed as by the mysterious Capt. Charles Johnson's "General History of the Pyrates" (1724).
Apparently he took accounts from various persons, including Israel Hands, the mate in Blackbeards crew.
According to an account by Henry Bostock (Capt. of the ship 'Margaret' captured by Blackbeard) given Dec. 19, 1717:
"...he was dressed in a long sea captain coat, crossed by two belts-a sword belt and a bandlolier-while three brace of pistols hung from improvised holsters over his chest. He wore a small brown fur cap* with two small lengths of match poked out behind each ear"

*this was probably what was known as a 'thrummed cap', worn by sailors in cold weather...but as he was in Caribbean, odd. In first version of Johnson's book the cap is shown, but later changed to a tricorn hat.

The tricorn hat seems more in line with the fashions of c.1720s, and I am thinking perhaps that the following illustrations of Blackbeard, following the style context with the hat. might follow the pistols as well.

It is known that other pirates wore pistols in similar fashion, but it seems they often used ribbon tied around the handles as with the case of 'Black Sam Bellamy' (note the 'Black' appellation, cf. 'Blackbeard') . He and Blackbeard were both in the crew of Benjamin Hornigold c. 1716.
In Feb. 1717 he became captain of the captured English slaver "Whydah".
In an account on Bellamy, it was said he always wore black coats (hence 'Black' Sam) and had four 'dueling pistols' in his sash.

The Whydah wrecked in April 1717 off Cape Cod, and in 2004 wreck was found. One of the relics was a 'Sun King' (Sonnenkönig Louis XIV) pistol, which still had silk ribbon tied around it, as it was known some pirates did, and draped them around their necks. It would seem unlikely that four full size pistols (of the probable French cavalry size c. 1710 =sun king?) would carry well in his sash, so perhaps two on a ribbon?

Udo, this is an absolutely fantastic and wonderful entry, and thank you so much for putting all this together and the great illustrations.

You bring up an intriguing subject! these braces of "Queen Anne pistols" which have become virtually cliche' for the Blackbeard persona.
It makes sense that in these times, long before the famed 'six shooter', and single shot pistols, one would need multiples in case of misfire or needing more shots.

You bring up a good point, how did Blackbeard acquire not one, but six (a brace is a matching pair) of these seemingly select pistols?

It would appear that these 'Queen Anne' pistols with turn off barrels (had to be screwed off to reload) were intended as smaller pocket type pistols for the use of gentlemen as self defense. If I understand correctly they began in England about 1680s-90s with Huguenot makers and Andrew Dolop, a Dutch maker in England around 1695.

While the style was apparently known in England in this time, these seem to have been in use for years later, but these early ones are what seems depicted in the woodcuts in Johnson (1724).

Blackbeard is usually who I think of regarding these pistols, as you note, Black Sam Bellamy (the 'Whydah') was noted as wearing 4 dueling pistols in his sash. As you note, these were much larger pistols and hard to imagine 4 in a sash.....let alone on ribbons (as the one pistol found in that wreck had).

The book "General History of Pyrates" (Capt. Charles Johnson) is agreed to be by an unknown author, and with notable license, however it literally set the standard for the pirate persona ever since.

I noticed that Bartholomew Roberts, who became 'pirate' in 1719, the year after Blackbeards death, was noted in Johnson(1724, p.212) as having "...a sword in hand, and two pair of pistols slung over his shoulders".

It seems an interesting coincidence that both Blackbeard and Bellamy, both in the service of Hornigold, followed the practice of multiple pistols, in braces in either bandolier or ribbons.

Yet Roberts, after them, adopted the idea, it would seem independently.

So the question is:
Did pirates indeed wear braces of pistols as discussed ? was this a practice more widely known in these times? or was this exclusive to the pirate images of 'Capt. Johnson'?
Was Johnson (?) inspired by the 'Queen Anne' pistols which were likely known among gentlemen of his time in England and chose these smaller pistols as good candidates for braces of guns as illustrated in his book?

Obviously a number of the larger 'sun king' type guns would look ridiculous in a bandolier or strung on ribbons, rather like a bandolier of howitzer shells.


Great food for thought!!! Thank you again Udo!

I think the description of the bandoliers makes sense for several reasons. Obviously, the guy with the most armament stands a better chance of winning. One-shot flintlocks in a battle had limited effect unless you had more. Secondly, remember that these folks loved to intimidate simply by their looks. Blackbeard purportedly set fuses in his beard and under his hat on fire to appear like the devil himself! They exaggerated their appearance, so a multi-brace of pistols did just that. As far as the Queen Anne types being of smaller caliber, you didn't necessarily need a huge .70 cal hand cannon! These folks were fighting in close proximity on the deck of a ship. Their swords, far from being huge rapiers or broadswords, were shorter hangers. The Queen Anne types were lighter for carrying in bundles and had just as lethal effect at close range!

VERY good points Capn, the notion of psychological impact was clearly used by pirates, much as in many combative or adversarial situations. As Confucius said (loosely translated) 'the idea is not to beat the opponent into submission, but to make him not wish to fight".

Blackbeard was probably the most notably recorded for this practice, especially the decoration of his beard, said to be with lit fuses (possibly to deter mosquitos ?) but more likely red ties or to that effect. However the braces of pistols on display would be formidable in appearance as well. The idea is, any guy with this much firepower means business!

Well noted on the close quarters combat, no need to large guns, caliber, or swords of length. Which brings the subject of the swords depicted in these woodcuts from Johnson's book......these appear be 'hangers' of various sorts, some which fall into the nebulous category of the 'scimitar'. The oddly clipped blades seem to defy comparison in most blade forms we are familiar with, aside from some ethnographic forms such as the kampilan, mandau and some Chinese types.

So then, might these 'cutlasses' depicted in these images also be somewhat 'sensationalized'?

VERY good points Capn, the notion of psychological impact was clearly used by pirates, much as in many combative or adversarial situations. As Confucius said (loosely translated) 'the idea is not to beat the opponent into submission, but to make him not wish to fight".

Blackbeard was probably the most notably recorded for this practice, especially the decoration of his beard, said to be with lit fuses (possibly to deter mosquitos ?) but more likely red ties or to that effect. However the braces of pistols on display would be formidable in appearance as well. The idea is, any guy with this much firepower means business!

Well noted on the close quarters combat, no need to large guns, caliber, or swords of length. Which brings the subject of the swords depicted in these woodcuts from Johnson's book......these appear be 'hangers' of various sorts, some which fall into the nebulous category of the 'scimitar'. The oddly clipped blades seem to defy comparison in most blade forms we are familiar with, aside from some ethnographic forms such as the kampilan, mandau and some Chinese types.

So then, might these 'cutlasses' depicted in these images also be somewhat 'sensationalized'?

This always struck me as having seafaring roots. The guard is hammered steel and the grip is bone(?). Blade is marked as the picture shows but has that north african vibe.

Came with a wooden scabbard too. I bit long for hand to hand on a ship's deck I think.

We seem to have overlooked the Iranun peoples somehow.

https://the-iranun.blogspot.com/2011...of-iranun.html

Thank you Rick for bringing us back to the ethnographic aspects of this topic. We have traveled far and wide, including westerners. Many of the Ilanun (Iranum) were a plundering group. I posted last year some drawings from the 1840s in the following thread showing some of these pirates: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...&postcount=498


Some of the weapons, including lantaka, are illustrated.

Thank you Ian, and Rick. In the pirate spectrum, there are many factions and theaters of operation for this maritime phenomenon, and these more exotic areas definitely bring in the ethnographic factor.

In the thread just posted by Pirate Lady, on Zheng Yi Sao, the woman who took over the huge Chinese pirate confederation that had been run by her late husband (over 400 junks and up to 60,000 pirates!), who operated in the South China sea in early 19th c.

It seems to me that the European pirates operating in from the Atlantic from Madagascar to the Red Sea, and Indian Ocean may well have ventured as far as the South China Sea in some cases. There are unproven accounts of Captain Kidd reaching an island off the coast of Viet Nam (said to be near the China Sea/South China Sea).
I am wondering if perhaps some of the native weapons in use in these areas of piracy in the many asian archipelagos might have diffused into pirate armories via capture of European vessels frequenting or trading in those areas. Though doubtful there was direct contact between our European pirates and the Eastern versions, the diffusion of weapons through networking it would seem.

I was thinking that the unusual 'scimitars' with notably clipped points etc. seen in the woodcuts of pirate notables in 'Johnson' (1724) might have been influenced by these exotic sword types of Asia, Indonesia, Philippines etc.

I believe I have an Iranun Kampilan,or so Xasterix tells me. It seems that it would be pretty cumbersome for boarding another vessel but it cerainly would be a fearsome weapon once one was ashore raiding.

I only have 2 examples of these swords, and I believe he was referring to this one that went to Macao for the H.O.S. exhibition.

Pardon the poor photo quality. :o

Thats pretty cool Rick! I dont know a great deal on the weapons of these regions, and the kampilan seems to have been used by various tribal groups including sea dyaks (?) and of course Moro.
As you note, these full size swords would have been awkward in melees on deck, but deadly in encounters ashore.

I recall always wondering why full length bladed swords were so often associated with pirates such as the 'Barbary pirates' and the so called nimchas. What I found later was that shore raids and combat were far more prevalent than boarding vessels with these ethnographic pirate groups.

With the 'black flag' pirates of the 'Golden Age', there was seldom boarding and combat as in most cases merchant vessels surrendered without such action.

Question, on these kampilan, how does one distinguish one kampilan used by one group from another?
Whatever the case, I agree, these would be extremely deadly swords!

Jim,

The Ilanun (Iranum) kampilan that Rick shows has an unusual tip for kampilan in that it has no spike or file work, and the length of the edge from tip to the spine is a little longer. I have associated that arrangement as a distinguishing feature between Borneo (Iranum, "Sea Dayak") and Moro kampilan. Perhaps Xasterix can add further distinctions.

Attached is an enlargement from one of the drawings I linked to in the comment above. This unhappy local in the Brunei Datu/Sultan's retinue has a sword with a similarly shaped tip. This sword seems to have a slightly curved blade (such kampilan are very uncommon) and a mandau style hilt. This may not be a kampilan but a sword more akin to a Dayak parang.

Regards,

Ian.
.

Rick and Ian, thank you so much guys!
That example you show Rick, is amazing, and I remember you posting it years ago. What I noticed is the unusual squiggle (?) type guard. The wrap on the grip seems to resemble that on my example (attached).

My example acquired about 40 years ago, has a cloth tied to the hilt. I have heard the tales offered to explain its purpose, but as always take these mostly as collectors lore in 'western' parlance having little to do with the actual purpose or perhaps 'meaning'.

Ian, thank you for the detailed notes on this. It is fascinating to learn more on these, which in my admitted lack of knowledge in this area has simply relegated the kampilan to the Moro's without really considering other tribal use in the larger sphere.
The notion of a curved blade on one of these, even to my uninitiated perspective , seems very unusual, and my thought would be probable European influence or even one of their blades. As always, maybe just the artists license.

I added the other sword I have from this sphere, a mandau, again from about 40 years ago, which I have never regarded as particularly old, but carried out in traditional manner and decoration.

What was the significance of that unusual element on the back of the blade near the hilt?

Hello,

Are these kampilan blades concave/convex?

PS, I added a photo from early times in Minahasa.
Several kampilan can be found in this photo, and the people carrying them are no Lanuns, Moros or Dajaks, but people from North Celebes.

Regards,
Maurice

Hello Jim,

Which element are you exactly referring to?
Do you mean the motif engraved at the shoulder (ricasso) of the mandau blade, above the protrusion?

Regards,
Maurice

Thank you Maurice,
The extension on the back of the blade (on the mandau) that looks like it is to wrap cord around or whatever (I cant think of the right descriptive term).

It is great to look into these weapons which bring in the ethnographic element in the study of piracy, which indeed cover the figurative 'seven seas'!

I have always assumed these cloths were meant to bind the sword to the wrist of the wielder so that they cannot lose hold of it in the heat of battle.

Hello Jim,

Sometimes you find here lot of curls and protrusions,
which are supposed to represent genitals.
I can't recall I have seen that 'motif' before like on yours (as far as I can judge from the fuzzy photo, as I can't see it clearly).

Kind regards,
Maurice

Thank you David, that does make sense and I wondered as well if these wrapped would offer more secure grip if hilt slippery.I guess often with ethnographic forms pragmatic purposes are often overlooked by westerners seeking more esoteric notions. I think Christopher Spring mentioned that in "African Arms and Armor" noting attempts at trying to explain the wild shapes of blades on throwing knives.