Pirate code

Pirate articles, or articles of agreement, were a code of conduct for governing ships of pirates, notably between the 17th and 18th centuries, during the so-called "Golden Age of Piracy". The typical pirate crew was an unorthodox mixture of former sailors, escaped convicts, disillusioned men, and possibly former or escaped slaves, among others, looking for wealth at any cost; once aboard a seafaring vessel, the group would draw-up their own ship- and crew-specific code (or articles), which listed and described the crew's policies governing pirate behavior (such as drunkenness, fighting, and interaction with women) and the associated disciplinary action, should a code be violated. Failing to honor the Articles could get a pirate marooned, whipped, beaten, or even executed (such as one article described, for merely allowing a woman aboard their ship). Primarily, these articles were designed to keep order aboard the ship, avoid dissension or mutinies, and ensure the crews' loyalty, all of which was crucial to the group's mutual survival.