In 1603 James I withdrew permission for privateers to raid enemy ships.
Piracy in the Caribbean was instead carried out by buccaneers from the island of Hispaniola. The buccaneers originally made a living from trading meat, fat and hides from pigs and cattle to passing ships. They had a wild reputation, and dressed in uncured animal hides.
They got their name from the “boucan” smokehouses they used to cure their meat. So they were called buccaneers.
They turned to piracy after they were attacked by the Spanish, who killed the animals from which they made their living. They formed the “Brotherhood of the Coast” to defend themselves. They began by attacking small Spanish ships before going after larger vessels.
Convicts, outlaws, and escaped slaves increased their numbers. The buccaneers obeyed no laws but their own, and exacted ruthless and cruel punishment on captives.