In English there is an expression self-made man - "a man who made himself." Rootless Welshman Henry Morgan is one such person. In other circumstances, he would probably have become a great hero that Britain would have been proud of. But the path that he chose for himself (or was forced to choose) led the other way, and Morgan became just a hero of "pirate" novels and films. However, many thousands of people with a similar fate have not achieved this either. In today's article we will tell you the incredible fate of one of the most famous corsairs in world history.
Henry Morgan's origins
The English surgeon Richard Brown, who met our hero in Jamaica, reports that he came to the West Indies (on the island of Barbados) in 1658 or 1659. At the same time, we know that at the end of 1671 Morgan (by his own admission) was "thirty-six years old or so." Consequently, at the beginning of his Caribbean adventures, he was 23 or 24 years old.
Morgan claimed to be "the son of a gentleman." Moreover, Frank Candall, in his book "Governors of Jamaica in the 17th Century," reports that Morgan allegedly often said that he was the eldest son of Robert Morgan of Llanrimney in Glamorganshire. This author suggested that Henry Morgan was the grandson of Sir John Morgan, who in the documents of those years is referred to as "another of the Morgan, residing near Rumni in Magen and having a beautiful home."
Other researchers disagree with Candell. Llewelyn Williams believed that the famous corsair was the son of Thomas Morgan, a yeoman of Penkarn. And Bernard Burke, who in 1884 issued the General Arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, suggested that Henry Morgan was the son of Lewis Morgan of Llangattock.
Alexander Exquemelin, a contemporary and subordinate of Morgan, in the book "Pirates of America" reports the following about the youth of this corsair and privateer:
“Morgan was born in England, in the province of Wales, also called Welsh England; his father was a farmer, and probably quite well-to-do … Morgan did not show a penchant for field farming, he went to the sea, ended up in the harbor, where the ships bound for Barbados, and hired one ship. When it arrived at its destination, Morgan, according to English custom, was sold into slavery."
That is, the payment "for travel" became the usual in the West Indies onerous three-year contract, the terms of which put "temporary recruits" in the position of slaves.
This fact is confirmed by an entry in the Bristol archive dated February 9 (19), 1656:
"Henry Morgan of Abergavenny, Monmouth County, contract worker with Timothy Townshend of Bristol, cutter for three years to serve in Barbados …"
Morgan himself denied this fact, but it is unlikely that his words in this case can be trusted.
Barbados island on the map
Henry Morgan at Port Royal. The beginning of the career of a privat
For adventurers of all stripes, Barbados was just the right place. The skipper of the English ship "Swiftshur" Henry Whistler wrote in his diary that this island
“Was a dump where England dumped its garbage: robbers, whores and the like. Who in England was a robber, here was considered something like a petty swindler."
But Port Royal was a much more promising place for a young man about to start a filibuster career. And in the mid-60s of the 17th century, we see Morgan in this city, and a man already known and authoritative among the pirates and privateers of the island of Jamaica. It is known that in 1665 he was one of the captains of the squadron that plundered the cities of Trujillo and Granada in Central America. Somehow, Morgan earned the trust of the famous corsair Edward Mansfelt (who was described in the article Privateers and corsairs of the island of Jamaica), after whose death at a general meeting of the crews of pirate ships based in Port Royal, he was elected a new "admiral" - in late 1667 or early 1668.
The first campaign of "Admiral" Morgan
Soon, the Jamaican squadron (of 10 ships) went to sea for the first time under the leadership of Henry Morgan. At the same time, Olone's squadron attacked the coast of Central America (this expedition is described in the article The Golden Age of Tortuga Island).
On February 8, 1668, off the coast of Cuba, two ships from Tortuga joined the Morgan flotilla. At the general council, it was decided to attack the Cuban city of Puerto Principe (now Camaguey). On March 27, the pirates disembarked and, defeating the Spanish detachment sent against them in a four-hour battle (about a hundred Spanish soldiers were killed), they began to storm the city. Chroniclers report that after Morgan threatened to burn the entire city, killing all its inhabitants, including children, the townspeople surrendered - because "they knew very well that the pirates would instantly fulfill their promises" (Exquemelin).
Morgan's squad captures Puerto Principe. Engraving from the book of Exquemelin. 1678 g.
In addition to the ransom (50 thousand pesos), Morgan demanded from the townspeople 500 head of cattle, which was slaughtered, the meat was salted on the shore. During this work, a conflict broke out between the British and the French due to the fact that an Englishman, who did not participate in butchering the carcasses, took a bone from a Frenchman and sucked the brain out of it.
“A quarrel began, which ended with pistol shooting. At the same time, when they began to shoot, the Englishman cunningly defeated the Frenchman: he shot the enemy in the back. The French gathered their friends and decided to grab the Englishman. Morgan stood between the disputants and told the French that if they care so much about justice, then let them wait until everyone returns to Jamaica - there they will hang the Englishman … Morgan ordered that the criminal be tied hand and foot in order to take him to Jamaica.
(Exquemelin.)
As a result of this quarrel, the French left Morgan's squadron:
“However, they assured him that they treated him like a friend, and Morgan promised them to arrange a trial for the murderer. Returning to Jamaica, he immediately ordered to hang the Englishman, because of whom passions flared up."
(Exquemelin.)
The Cuban authorities were outraged by the "cowardice" of the inhabitants of the robbed city. The Governor of the city of Santiago de Cuba, Don Pedro de Bayona Villanueva, wrote to Madrid:
“It seemed appropriate to me to summon a sergeant major and an ordinary mayor to listen to them after they were charged with a crime they had committed, and to see what kind of refutation they could present, given that there is a considerable number of people, and that given the opportunities offered by the terrain and the rocky mountains for fourteen leagues, the local people, so practical and experienced in the mountains, even with two-thirds fewer people, could defeat the enemy. If necessary, they will suffer severe punishment in order to serve as a lesson to other places, for which it has become habitual to yield to any number of enemies, without risking people even on such a serious matter as defending their homeland and their king."
According to the testimony of Alexander Exquemelin, after the departure of the French
“It would seem that bad times have come for the British, and the courage they need for new campaigns has run out. However, Morgan said that if they just follow him, and he will find the means and ways to succeed."
Hike to Puerto Bello
The following year, he led the corsairs of Jamaica to the city of Puerto Bello (Costa Rica), which was called "the most significant of all cities founded by the Spanish king in the Western Indies, after Havana and Cartagena." In response to the doubts expressed about the possibility of the success of this expedition, he said: "The fewer of us, the more we will get for everyone."
Ships of corsairs in Puerto Bello bay. Engraving from the book by D. van der Sterre, 1691
I think many have heard the saying that "a lion at the head of a herd of rams is better than a ram at the head of a herd of lions." In fact, both are bad, history gives us many examples of the falsity of this aphorism. The only thing that the hero, leading the crowd of cowardly inhabitants, can do is to die in a hopeless and vain attempt to fulfill his duty. The history of the Caribbean corsairs is replete with examples of this kind. The capture of Puerto Bello by Morgan's squad is one of them.
The assault on the city continued from morning until lunchtime, and the pirates, even Morgan himself, were already ready to retreat when the English flag was raised over one of the towers - this cowardice cost the townspeople dearly.
Assault on Puerto Bello, 1668 Engraving from the book of Exquemslin
Only the governor, having closed with some of the soldiers in the fortress, continued to resist. Morgan
“He threatened the governor that he would force the monks to storm the fortress, but the governor did not want to surrender it. So Morgan actually made the monks, priests, and women put ladders up against the wall; he believed that the governor would not shoot his people. However, the governor spared them no more than the pirates. The monks in the name of the Lord and all the saints prayed for the governor to surrender the fortress and keep them alive, but no one heeded their prayers … the governor, in despair, began to exterminate his own people, like enemies. The pirates invited him to surrender, but he replied:
"Never! Better to die like a brave soldier than to be hanged like a coward."
The pirates decided to take him prisoner, but they failed, and the governor had to be killed."
(Exquemelin.)
After the victory, Morgan seems to have lost control of the situation. According to the testimony of the same Exquemelin, “The pirates began to drink and play with the women. On this night fifty brave people could break the necks of all the robbers."
However, the murdered governor turned out to be the last brave man in this city.
Having robbed the city, the pirates demanded a ransom from the townspeople, threatening to burn it down if they refused. At this time, the governor of Panama, having collected about 1,500 soldiers, tried to drive the corsairs out of the city, but his troops were ambushed and defeated in the first battle. Nevertheless, the numerical superiority, as before, was on the side of the Spaniards, who, nevertheless, approached the walls of the city.
“However, Morgan did not know fear and always acted at random. He stated that until then he would not leave the fortress until he received a ransom. If he is forced to leave, he will level the fortress to the ground and kill all the captives. The governor of Panama could not figure out how to break the robbers, and, in the end, left the inhabitants of Puerto Bello to their fate. Finally, the townspeople raised money and paid the pirates one hundred thousand piastres ransom."
(Exquemelin.)
The filibusters, who at the beginning of the expedition had only 460 people, were in the captured city for 31 days. One of the pirate captains of that expedition, John Douglas (in other sources - Jean Dugula), later said that if they had at least 800, they
"Perhaps they would have gone to Panama, which lies about 18 leagues south of Puerto Bello, and would have easily become its masters, like the whole kingdom of Peru."
Pirate, pewter figurine, circa 1697
The production of filibusters amounted to about 250 thousand pesos (piastres) in gold, silver and jewelry, in addition, a lot of canvas and silk, as well as other goods, were loaded on the ships.
Joint hike of filibusters of Port Royal and Tortuga to Maracaibo
Returning to Jamaica, Morgan already in the fall of 1668.sent an invitation to the corsairs of Tortuga to take part in a new campaign against the Spanish possessions. The allies met in early October at the beloved island of Vash by the pirates (here their ships often stopped to divide the spoils). Morgan had 10 ships, the number of crews of which reached 800 people, in pursuit of them, the governor of the island sent the royal frigate Oxford, which came from England, 2 ships came from Tortuga, including the frigate "Kite" armed with 24 guns and 12 coolers. Captain Pierre Piccard, a member of the expeditions of the deceased François Olone, arrived with the French, who invited Morgan to repeat the campaign to Maracaibo. In March 1669, this city, and then - and San Antonio de Gibraltar were captured. But, while the corsairs were plundering Gibraltar, 3 Spanish warships and 1 auxiliary brig approached Maracaibo. The Spaniards also took possession of the fortress of La Barra, previously captured by the corsairs, again installing cannons on its walls. The maps below show how favorable the position of the Spaniards was, and how desperate and disastrous it was for Morgan's squadron.
Morgan was offered surprisingly mild conditions for an unhindered exit from the lagoon: the return of the loot and the release of prisoners and slaves. No less surprising was the decision of the pirates, who, in such a difficult situation at the council of war, unanimously decided that "it is better to fight to the last drop of blood than to give up the loot: for the sake of it they have already risked their lives and are ready to do the same again."
Moreover, the pirates "took an oath to fight shoulder to shoulder to the last drop of blood, and if things turn out badly, then do not give the enemy mercy and fight to the last man."
Pirate with saber, pewter figurine
It is difficult to say what is more surprising in this case: the desperate bravery of filibusters or their pathological greed?
Morgan tried to bargain with the Spanish admiral, offering him the following conditions: the pirates leave Maracaibo unharmed, refuse to ransom both for this city and for Gibraltar, liberate all free citizens and half of the captured slaves, leaving the other half of them and already plundered property for themselves. The admiral did not accept this offer.
On April 26 (according to other sources - 30), a squadron of filibusters set out for a breakthrough. Launched in front, a corsair fire-ship rammed the Spaniards' flagship and blew it up. The rest of the ships, fearing a repetition of such an attack, tried to retreat under the protection of the fort, while one of them ran aground, the other was boarded and set on fire. Only one Spanish ship managed to get out of the lagoon.
Morgan privatized attack on Spanish ships in Maraibo Bay. Engraving
But Morgan's flotilla, despite the victory in a naval battle, could not yet go out to the open sea, since the fairway was fired upon by six cannons of the Spanish fort. The first attempt to storm the Spanish fortifications was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, Morgan did not lose optimism and nevertheless received a ransom from the residents of Maracaibo in the amount of 20,000 pesos and 500 head of cattle. In addition, divers retrieved 15,000 peso silver bars and silver-decorated weapons from the sunken Spanish flagship. Here, contrary to custom, the booty (250,000 pesos, as well as various goods and slaves) was divided between the crews of different ships. The share of one corsair this time turned out to be about two times less than in the campaign to Puerto Bello. This was followed by a demonstration of preparations for an attack on the fort from land, because of which the Spaniards turned their guns away from the sea. Taking advantage of their mistake, pirate ships in full sail jumped out of the lagoon's bottleneck into the Venezuelan Gulf.
This story was retold by Raphael Sabatini in his novel The Odyssey of Captain Blood.
Illustration for the novel by Raphael Sabatini "The Odyssey of Captain Blood"
Immediately after this campaign, the Governor of Jamaica, Thomas Modiford, by order of London, temporarily stopped issuing letters of marque. The corsairs were interrupted by the trade in skins, bacon, tortoiseshells and mahogany; some were forced, like the buccaneers of Hispaniola and Tortuga, to hunt wild bulls and pigs in Cuba, the two captains went to Tortuga. Morgan, who had previously invested the money he had acquired in plantations in Jamaica with a total area of 6,000 acres (one of which he called Llanrumni, the other - Penkarn), was engaged in economic affairs.
Hike to Panama
In June 1670, two Spanish ships attacked the north coast of Jamaica. As a result, the Council of this island issued a letter of marque to Henry Morgan, appointing him "Admiral and Commander-in-Chief with full authority to harm Spain and all that belongs to the Spaniards."
Alexander Exquemelin reports that Morgan sent a letter to the Governor of Tortuga d'Ogeron, the planters and buccaneers of Tortuga and the Coast of Saint-Domengo, inviting them to take part in his campaign. At this time, his authority on Tortuga was already very high, therefore "the captains of the pirate ships immediately expressed a desire to go to sea and take on board as many people as their ships could accommodate." There were so many people who wanted to rob along with Morgan that some of them went to the place of general gathering (the southern coast of Tortuga) by canoe, some - on foot, where they replenished the crews of English ships.
Flutes, 17th century
From Tortuga, this squadron went to the island of Vas, where several more ships joined it. As a result, under the command of Morgan was a whole fleet of 36 ships - 28 English and 8 French. According to Exquemelin, there were 2,001 well-armed and experienced fighters on these ships. Morgan divided his flotilla into two squadrons, appointing a vice admiral and a rear admiral, after which it was decided at the general council that, "for the safety of Jamaica," an attack on Panama should be made. Already notified that peace was concluded with Spain in Madrid, the governor of Jamaica, Thomas Modifird, did not cancel such a promising campaign. To divert suspicions of complicity with the pirates, he informed London that his envoys, allegedly, had not been able to find your squadron of corsairs that had already left the island.
In December 1670, Morgan's fleet approached the Spanish island of Saint Catalina, located opposite Nicaragua (now - Isla de Providencia, or Old Providencia, belongs to Colombia, not to be confused with the Bahamas New Providence).
Old Providencia Islands (left) and San Andreas (right)
At that time, this island was used as a place for exile for criminals and had a fairly strong garrison. The position of the Spaniards, who moved to a small island connected to the coast by a bridge (it is now called the island of St. Catalina), was almost impregnable, moreover, the weather deteriorated sharply, it rained, and the corsairs began to experience problems with food. As it had happened more than once (and will happen more than once), the cowardice of the Spanish governor decided everything: he agreed to surrender on condition that a battle was staged, during which, allegedly, he would be defeated and forced to surrender at the mercy of the enemy. And so it all happened: "from both sides merrily fired from heavy cannons and fired from small ones, without causing any harm to each other." (Exquemelin).
The production was not great - 60 blacks and 500 pounds sterling, but the corsairs found guides here, ready to lead them across the isthmus to the city of Panama, which is, as you know, on the Pacific coast. One mestizo and several Indians became such.
Panama map
The most convenient way to the Pacific Ocean was covered by the fort of San Lorenzo de Chagres, located at the entrance to the mouth of the Chagres River. Morgan sent one of his squadrons here, with orders to seize this fortress by all means. The Spaniards, who had already heard rumors about the corsairs' campaign (either to Panama, or to Cartagena), took measures to strengthen the garrison of this fort. Standing in a small harbor about a mile from the main one, the corsairs tried to bypass the fortress. Here they were helped by slaves captured on Santa Catalina, who cut a road through the thicket. However, the forest ended at the fortress itself, as a result, the attackers suffered heavy losses from the fire of the Spaniards, who, according to Exquemelin, shouted at the same time:
"Bring the rest, English dogs, enemies of God and the king, you still won't go to Panama!"
During the second assault, the corsairs managed to set fire to the houses of the fort, the roofs of which were covered with palm leaves.
Pirate with a bomb, pewter figurine of the 17th-18th centuries
Despite the fire, the Spaniards defended themselves desperately this time, when they ran out of ammunition, fought with pikes and stones. In this battle, the pirates lost 100 people killed and 60 wounded, but the goal was achieved, the way to Panama was open.
Only a week later, the main forces of Morgan's flotilla approached the captured fortress, and, at the entrance to the harbor, a sudden gust of the north wind threw the admiral's ship and some other ships onto the beach. Exquemelin speaks of three ships (in addition to the flagship), claiming that none of their crews died, William Fogg - about six, and calls the number of those drowned - 10 people.
Leaving 400 people in the fortress, and 150 - on ships, Morgan headed the rest, accommodated in small ships (from 5 to 7 according to different authors) and canoes (from 32 to 36) went to Panama. There were 70 miles of the most difficult path ahead. On the second day, at the village of Cruz de Juan Gallego, the pirates were forced to abandon the ships, allocating 200 people to guard them (the number of Morgan's strike force was now no more than 1150 people). Others went further - part of the detachment in a canoe, part - on foot, along the coast. The Spaniards tried to organize several ambushes on their way, but they were abandoned by them at the first encounter with the enemy. Most of all, Morgan's people suffered from hunger, so on the sixth day, faced with the Indians, some of the corsairs rushed after them, deciding that if they did not find anything edible, they would eat one of them. But those managed to leave. That night in Morgan's camp there was talk of going back, but most of the corsairs were in favor of continuing the march. In the village of Santa Cruz (where the Spanish garrison was stationed, which left without a fight), the pirates found only a dog (which was immediately eaten by them), a leather sack of bread and earthen vessels with wine. Exquemelin reports that “the pirates, having seized the wine, got drunk without any measure and almost died, and they vomited everything that they ate along the way, leaves and all other rubbish. They did not know the real reason, and they thought that the Spaniards had added poison to the wine."
Several groups of pirates were sent to search for food, but nothing was found. Moreover, one group was captured, but Morgan hid it from the rest so that the other corsairs would not completely lose heart. On the eighth day of the campaign, the road passed through a narrow gorge, from the slopes of which the Spaniards and allied Indians fired at the corsairs from muskets and bows. Moreover, the Indians fought most fiercely, who retreated only after the death of their leader. Having lost 8 people killed and 10 wounded, the pirates nevertheless escaped into the open. On the ninth day, they ascended the mountain (which has since been called the "Mountain of Buccaneers"), from where they finally saw the Pacific Ocean and a small trading squadron going from Panama to the islands of Tovago and Tavagilla - "and then courage again filled the hearts of the pirates." It seems that the Greeks of Xenophon experienced similar feelings when, after many days of travel, they saw the Black Sea ahead. The pirates' joy increased even more when, going downstairs, they found a large herd of cows in the valley, which were immediately killed, roasted and eaten. On the evening of that day, the corsairs saw the towers of Panama and rejoiced as if they had already won.
Meanwhile, Panama was one of the largest and richest cities in the New World. There were more than 2,000 houses in it, many of which rooms were decorated with paintings and statues brought by the owners from Spain. The city also had a cathedral, a parish church, 7 monasteries and 1 nunnery, a hospital, a Genoese courtyard, in which the Negro trade was carried out, and many stables for horses and mules used to transport silver and other colonial goods. On its outskirts there were 300 huts of Negro drovers. In the garrison of Panama at that time there were about 700 cavalry and 2,000 infantry. But for those who survived the incredibly difficult transition of Morgan's corsairs, this no longer mattered, and even the possible death in battle seemed to them better than a painful death from hunger.
View of Panama, English engraving, 17th century
At dawn on January 28, 1671, they left the camp - to the sound of drums and with banners unfurled. Through the forest and hills of Toledo, they descended to the Plain of Matasnillos and took up a position on the slopes of the Front Mountain. The Spaniards tried to give battle at the walls of the city. 400 cavalrymen were thrown into the attack, who could not act effectively due to the swampy terrain, 2,000 infantrymen, 600 armed blacks, Indians and mulattoes, and even two herds of 1,000 bulls each, which 30 vaqueros shepherds tried to send to the rear of the corsairs in order to summon disorder in their ranks. The pirates, having withstood the first onslaught of the enemy, counterattacked, putting him to flight.
Battle of Panama between the Spaniards and the Morgan Pirates, medieval engraving
Inspired by the victory, the corsairs rushed to storm the city, the streets of which were blocked by barricades protected by 32 bronze cannons. After 2 hours Panama fell. The losses of the pirates turned out to be less than in the battle for Fort San Lorenzo de Chagres: 20 people were killed and the same number were wounded, which indicates a rather weak resistance from the townspeople.
Morgan captures Panama. Trade card issued in Virginia in 1888.
Upon completion of the assault
“Morgan ordered to gather all his people and forbade them to drink wine; he said that he had information that the wine was poisoned by the Spaniards. Although this was a lie, he understood that after a strong drink his people would become incapacitated."
Meanwhile, a fire broke out in Panama. Alexander Exquemelin claims that the city was set on fire by a secret order of Morgan, which is illogical - after all, he came here to rob rich houses, and not burn them. Spanish sources report that such an order was given by don Juan Perez de Guzman, a knight of the Order of Santiago, “President, Governor and Captain-General of the Kingdom of Tierra Firm and the Province of Veraguao,” who headed the city's garrison.
One way or another, Panama was burnt, sacks of flour smoldered for another month in the burned-out warehouses. The filibusters were forced to leave the city, and they entered it back when the fire died down. There was still something to profit from, the buildings of the Royal Audience and the Accounting Office, the governor's mansion, the monasteries of La Merced and San Jose, some houses on the outskirts, about 200 warehouses were not damaged. Morgan was in Panama for three weeks - and the Spaniards had neither the strength nor the determination to try to drive his considerably thinned army out of the city. The prisoners said that "the governor wanted to assemble a large detachment, but everyone fled and his plan was not realized due to a lack of people."
The Spaniards did not dare to attack even a small detachment of 15 people sent by Morgan with the news of the victory in San Lorenzo de Chagres.
Alexander Exquemelin reports:
“While some of the pirates plundered at sea (using ships captured in the port), the rest plundered on land: every day a detachment of two hundred people left the city, and when this party returned, a new one came out to replace it; they all brought great booty and many captives. These campaigns were accompanied by incredible atrocities and all kinds of torture; what did not occur to the pirates when they tried to find out from all captives, without exception, where the gold was hidden.
Some of the pirates (about 100 people) intended to go to Europe on one of the captured ships, but, having learned about these plans, Morgan "ordered to cut down masts on this ship and burn them, and do the same with the barges that were standing nearby."
Henry Morgan in the vicinity of Panama. Medieval engraving
On February 14 (24), 1671, a grandiose caravan of victors left Panama. The Soviet edition of the book by Alexander Exquemelin speaks of 157 mules loaded with broken and chased silver and 50 or 60 hostages. In English translations, these numbers increase: 175 mules and 600 hostages.
Arriving in San Lorenzo de Chagres, Morgan found that most of the wounded left there had died, the survivors were starving. The ransom for the fortress could not be obtained, so it was destroyed.
Ruins of Fort San Lorenzo de Chagres, modern photo
A division of the loot was carried out, which caused many displeasure with the small sums that eventually went to ordinary pirates (about 200 pesos or 10 pounds sterling). Morgan himself estimated the production at 30 thousand pounds, but the surgeon Richard Brown, who took part in that expedition, claims that only silver and jewelry were worth 70 thousand - not counting the value of the goods brought. Therefore, fearing the wrath of his comrades-in-arms, Henry Morgan decided to leave them "in English" - without saying goodbye: on the ship "Mayflower" he quietly went out into the open sea. He was accompanied by only three ships - "Pearl" (captain Laurence Prince), "Dolphin" (John Morris - the one who fought with captain Champagne from Tortuga in 1666, see the article The Golden Age of Tortuga Island) and "Mary" (Thomas Harrison).
Exquemelin reports:
“The French pirates chased him in three or four ships, hoping, if they caught up, to attack them. However, Morgan had a fair amount of everything edible, and he could walk without parking, which his enemies could not do: one stopped here, the other - there for the sake of looking for food."
This unexpected "flight" was the only stain on the reputation of Henry Morgan, who until then enjoyed great respect and authority among the corsairs of the West Indies of all nationalities.
On May 31, at the Council of Jamaica, Henry Morgan received a "commendation for fulfilling his last assignment."
The impression from Morgan's campaign was enormous - both in the West Indies and in Europe. The British ambassador wrote from Madrid to London that upon the news of the fall of Panama, the Queen of Spain "sobbed and rushed about in rage that those who were nearby were afraid that this would shorten her life."
The Spanish ambassador told King Charles II of England:
“Never will my power bear the insult inflicted by the devastation of Panama in peacetime. We demand the most severe sanctions and, if necessary, will not stop before military action."
On the other hand, Charles heard rumors about the scandalous division of the booty received in Panama, and this was already "hitting the pocket" of the king himself - after all, Morgan had not paid him a "legal" tithe of the amount assigned to him.
Thomas Lynch, chief of the colonial militia and personal foe of Morgan's patron Governor Modiford, writes to Lord Arlington:
“The expedition to Panama humiliated and insulted people (filibusters). They are terribly offended by Morgan for making them starve, and then robbing them and leaving them in distress. I think Morgan deserves a harsh punishment."
This was not entirely true: there were really enough offended, but the fame of the successful corsair Morgan in the West Indies reached its climax. The grandiose celebration he hosted in Port Royal to celebrate his return also contributed to Morgan's popularity in Jamaica.
Pirate in the Tavern, pewter figurine, 18th century
Henry Morgan and Thomas Modiford in London
The British authorities had to react. First, the governor of Jamaica, Modiford, went to London for explanations (sailed on August 22, 1671). Then, on April 4, 1672, Henry Morgan went there on the frigate "Welcom".
Modiford had to "sit" a little in the Tower, Morgan was forbidden to leave the frigate for some time. As a result, everything ended quite well, since the former governor found an influential relative - the young Duke of Albemarle, the nephew of the minister of colonies, and Morgan had money (after all, it was not for nothing that he ran away from Panama from his accomplices). Albertville achieved their release, and even introduced them to the most fashionable salons in London. He did not need to make much effort for this: among the London aristocrats just at that time there was a fashion for everything "overseas". Monkeys and parrots were bought for a lot of money, and the absence of a Negro footman in the house was considered a terrible bad manners and could put an end to the reputation of any "secular lion." And here - such a colorful couple from Jamaica: the former governor of an exotic island and a real sea dog, whose name was known far beyond the West Indies.
Henry Morgan, pewter figurine
Modiford and Morgan were just snapped up, invitations to social events followed one after another.
In the end, both were acquitted. Moreover, from King Charles II, Morgan received the title of knight and the post of vice-governor of Jamaica (it was decided that "to curb the greed of filibusters" there was no better candidate than an authoritative "admiral" among them). Then Morgan got married. And in 1679 he also received the post of supreme judge of Jamaica.
Henry Morgan on a Jamaica postage stamp
Morgan's career as Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica nearly ended before it even began. His ship was wrecked off the island of Vash, but the lucky adventurer was rescued by his "colleague" - Captain Thomas Rogers, who at that time was privatizing according to the marque of Tortuga Island. Once in Jamaica, Morgan immediately did everything to get his friends back to "good old Port Royal." His superior, Lord Vaughan, wrote to London that Morgan
"Praises privateering and puts obstacles to all my plans and intentions to reduce the number of those who have chosen this path in life."
However, as they say in France, noblesse oblige (noble origin obliges): sometimes Morgan had to portray severity and intransigence towards former "colleagues" - not to the detriment of himself, of course. Thus, Morgan confiscated the ship from Captain Francis Mingham, accused of smuggling, but "forgot" to deposit the money raised for its sale into the treasury. In 1680, the governor of Jamaica, Lord Carlisle, was recalled to London, and Morgan actually became the owner of the island. Striving to get the post of governor, he suddenly becomes a champion of "law and order", and issues an unexpected order:
“Anyone who leaves the pirate craft is promised forgiveness and permission to settle in Jamaica. Those who, after three months, do not obey the law, are declared enemies of the crown and, being detained on land or at sea, will be tried by the Admiralty tribunal in Port Royal and, in the absence of extenuating circumstances, will be hanged.
The ostentatious severity did not help; Henry Morgan's administrative career ended in the spring of 1682, when he, accused of abuse of office and embezzlement, was dismissed.
On April 23, 1685, the Catholic king, James II, a supporter of peace with Spain, entered the English throne. And then, very at the wrong time, in England at once in two publishing houses the book "Pirates of America" was published, written by his former subordinate - Alexander Exquemelin. This work described in detail the anti-Spanish "exploits" of Morgan, who, moreover, was repeatedly called a pirate in it. And the Honorable Sir Henry Morgan now asserted that he "was never a servant of anyone but His Majesty the King of England."And even more than that, at sea and on land, he proved himself "a man of the most virtuous aspirations, always resisting unrighteous deeds, such as piracy and theft, for which he feels the deepest disgust." One of the publishers agreed to release a "revised edition", but the other, by the name of Malthus, did not want to follow Morgan's lead. As a result, the former privatizer and lieutenant governor began a lawsuit against him, demanding an incredible amount of £ 10,000 as compensation for "moral damage". Communication with "decent people" was not in vain: Morgan realized that, for a robbery, a musket and a saber are not necessary - a corrupt lawyer is also perfect. And why should he, such a well-bred and respectable gentleman, be ashamed? Let him pay, "the land rat", if he does not understand the "concepts".
The English court fined Malthus 10 pounds and reduced the compensation for non-pecuniary damage to 200.
This was the first lawsuit against a book publisher in world history. And, since the basis of the English legal system is "case law", many generations of British lawyers then racked their brains trying to comprehend the true and innermost meaning of the famous phrase from the court ruling of 1685:
"The worse the truth, the more sophisticated the slander."
Out of work, Morgan actively abused alcohol, and died, probably of cirrhosis of the liver, in 1688. Shortly before his death, the Duke of Albertville arrived in Jamaica, appointed governor of the island. It turned out that he had not forgotten his old friend: in order to provide moral support to the dying Morgan, Albertville achieved his restoration in the Council of the island.
Henry Morgan was buried in the Port Royal cemetery. After 4 years, a terrible earthquake destroyed this city, followed by tsunami waves, among other trophies, carried away the ashes of the famous corsair.
The death of Port Royal in 1692. Medieval Engraving
So, by nature itself, the lines written after the death of Henry Morgan of the song were refuted:
Contemporaries said that "the sea has taken for itself what has long been due to it by right."
The end of the history of filibusters Tortuga and Port Royal will be discussed in the next article.
