Captain William Kidd has come down through history as a notorious pirate, but his true history is full of complex nuance that speak to the strangeness of the era he lived in. Kidd was actually originally a pirate hunter. However, at one point he experience a dry spell where he was not able to find any legitimate targets to attack. His crew became outspoken and increasingly mutinous. They were far less concerned about the nuances of what kind of ship they attacked. Kidd had a letter of mark, which did allow him to act as a privateer — allowing him to commit acts of piracy against enemies of the English crown. However, the ships he kept encountering were all from countries that were not at war with England. Finally, though, he had some luck and managed to capture a 400 ton vessel aligned to the French East India company. His men were jubilant at the prize, but Kidd was unsettled when he found out that the captain was actually an Englishman who had simply purchased French documentation for this trip. Kidd’s men, though, were having none of that and insisted that they keep the vessel. Legally, they were in the right, and Kidd went along with them. However, his enemies back in Britain seized on the opportunity and branded him a pirate. Kidd spent the next few years running from the law, and with his crew gradually abandoning him and turning against him. Eventually offered an opportunity for a pardon in exchange for his surrender, he accepted the deal. Despite his surrender, he was tried and sentenced to be executed. Standing on the scaffolding, waiting for the noose to tighten around his neck, Kidd’s last words were, “This is a very fickle and faithless generation.”
– A few thoughts from your friend Saxo