The Sad Story of Captain Kidd
The privateer captain who was duped into becoming a pirate
One common myth people believe about pirates is that they used to bury their treasure. Modern historians believe that this myth lacks foundation, as most of the pirates usually spent their money rather than bury it, and I guess it is very fitting that the figure whose actions gave birth to this myth was not even a real pirate.
The man I am talking about is the famous William Kidd, a figure who during his lifetime, was wrongly believed to have been a notorious pirate and whose trial in London was one of the highlights of the year 1701.
To understand how William Kidd became the Captain Kidd of the songs and tales, we need to look at his early life.
Early Life of Captain Kidd
Historians believe that Kidd was born in around 1645 and probably became a sailor at an early age. After the English conquered New Amsterdam from the Dutch during the Second Angol-Dutch War, Kidd moved to New York and became a well-known citizen of the town.
He served aboard privateer ships during the 1670s and 1680s, but he only became a captain in 1689.
In the following period, he served the British government as a privateer during the Nine Year’s War, where he mainly targeted French ships. By…
