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Two styles of scimitars: an Egyptian shamshir (left) and an Ottoman kilij (right). A scimitar (/ ˈ s ɪ m ɪ t ər / or / ˈ s ɪ m ɪ t ɑːr /) [1] is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade [2] [3] [4] of about 76.2 to 91.44cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures.
Pirates were unauthorized by the state and did not avoid targeting the ships and settlements of their own nations of origin. [ 6 ] : 176–177 The act of piracy was "massively" criminal. [ 7 ] : 204 Laws against piracy were often very strict, with charges and punishments escalating in attempts to curb piratical actions.
The cutlass is a 17th-century descendant of the edged short sword, exemplified by the medieval falchion.. Woodsmen and soldiers in the 17th and 18th centuries used a similar short and broad backsword called a hanger, or in German a messer, meaning "knife".
Most legendary pirates date back to the Golden Age of Piracy, which occurred between the 17th and early 18th centuries.While dead men tell no tales, we have uncovered all the gripping.
Peter Gerhard, Pirates of New Spain, 1575–1742. Dover Books 2003. ISBN 978-0486426112; Peter Gerhard, Pirates of the Pacific, 1575–1742. University of Nebraska Press 1990 ISBN 978-0803270305; Captain Charles Johnson, A General History of the Pyrates. Kritzler, Edward, Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean. Anchor Books 2009. ISBN 978-0-7679-1952-4
Modern pirates also use a great deal of technology. It has been reported that crimes of piracy have involved the use of mobile phones, satellite phones, GPS, machetes, AK74 rifles, sonar systems, modern speedboats, shotguns, pistols, mounted machine guns, and even RPGs and grenade launchers. [citation needed]
Most pirates in this era were of Welsh, English, Dutch, Irish, and French origin. Many pirates came from poorer urban areas in search of a way to make money and of reprieve. London in particular was known for high unemployment, crowding, and poverty which drove people to piracy. Piracy also offered power and quick riches. [citation needed]
In a pirate stronghold on the lush eastern shore of Madagascar, the child of a native-born sorceress and a roving buccaneer unites warring kingdoms, fends off a tyrant from the mountains and ...