The French Corsairs

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• published: 10 Sep 2008
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Hated by the english, loved by the women, feared by all... Here come the CORSAIRS !!! The Corsairs were privateers working for the King of France, attacking the ships of France's enemies. In the Caribbean sea, the corsairs worked for the french governors and were called "Flibustiers". Some anecdotes : - The Saint Michael's Mount resisted to the English during all the Hundred Years War, defended and supplied by Corsairs. After the final french victory, the kings of France changed their Patron Saint Denis for Saint Michael. - Jean Marant (Marant means "funny" in French) was a corsair known for his extrem cruelty. During the siege of Calais in 1346-1347, he heroically supplied the city two times by the sea, slaloming between english war-sheeps and watchtowers. -When Calais finally surrended to the English in August 1347, Marant successfully leaves the city by the see. One day later, he meets a english ship and he captures it. On board : many English nobles women coming to celebrate with their husbands the storming of Calais ! The ransom was historical... - In 1521, near the Azores, Jean Fleury captures the two spanish Gallions, filled with extraordinary treasures, sent by Hernan Cortez from Mexico to Spain. Distress in Spain, the country is in mourning... - "L'Olonais" is a fascinating corsair known for his violence and his science of torture. During many years, he terrorizes the spanish. He was given the nickname "Flail of the Spaniards" - One of his most famous exploits is the sack of Maracaïbo in 1666. We know that he spent very quickly his plunder with women and rhum in Tortuga island. - In 1668, L'Olonnais and his crew ran aground on a sandbar in the Gulf of Honduras. Unable to dislodge their craft, they headed inland to find food, but were captured by Kuna's Tribe in Darién, and he was eaten by the Native Americans. Exquemelin wrote that the natives: "tore him in pieces alive, throwing his body limb by limb into the fire and his ashes into the air; to the intent no trace nor memory might remain of such an infamous, inhuman creature." - Monbars is a french noble from Languedoc, south of France. When he was young, he devoured the books of Father Las Casas, defender of the Natives Amerindians. When the war between France and Spain starts,in 1683, he goes to West Indies in order to fight the spaniards and protect the Indians. - Monbars was a giant guy, with long black hairs, and an excellent fencer. He starts his corsairs'career in Tortuga island, organizing punitive expeditions against the spaniards on Hispaniola island and delivering indians and black slaves. - Soon, his crew is an extraordinary mix of Blacks and Indians totally comitted to their Captain. - During several years, Monbars achieves his ideal and avenges the Indians'massacre. He's particularly brutal with the spaniards and he was given the nickname "the Angel Exterminator". - One day, the Exterminator and his crew mysteriously disappear at sea : high relief for the spaniards, but they still shaking legs when they ear the name of Monbars... - In 1693, English invent Terrorism : They try to introduce a boat, full of explosives, in the Saint-Malo harbor (traditionally a corsair stronghold), in order to kill many as french-civilians as possible. But the boat bumps into a reef and blasts. All english sailors are killed. In Saint Malo... only a cat is wounded !!! - In 1712-1714, Jacques Cassard harasses the british navy, in Carribean sea, always with very reckless tacticals. He takes Montserrat and Antigua. - He continues his fantastic saga, this time against the Dutches. He takes Paramaribo in Surinam and Curaçao on Venezuela's coast. - Jacques Cassard finishes his career undefeated and feared by all nations. Till today, 10 french military ships were named "le Cassard" in tribute to this daredevil. - Robert Surcouf (born in 1773 in saint Malo, called the "wasp nest" by the brits) is the nightmare of the English. During his legendary career, he captured 47 ships and was renowned for his gallantry and chivalry, even with his prisoners, earning the nicknames of Roi des Corsaires ("King of Corsairs"), or sometimes le Tigre des mers ("Sea Tiger"). - He fights for France during the Revolution's wars and Napoleonic wars. As a corsair, Surcouf uses tactics to compensate being out-gunned by larger British ships: he would use small, fast ships to make the huge ships think he was either not enough of a threat to consider firing at, a vessel on the verge of sinking, or a fishing vessel. - Ironically, it is the tactic used by English Jack Aubrey against a french corsair in the Movie "Master and Commander"... Perhaps, it is a sort of exorcism for the Britons... - Discussing with a captured British officer : "You French fight for money, while we British fight for honour." "A man fights for what he lacks the most!" said Surcouf