The statue of Robert Surcouf on the northern wall of Saint-Malo in Brittany.The finger of the statue points out to sea towards England
Corsairs (French: corsaire) were privateers, authorised to conduct raids on shipping of a foreign state at war with France, on behalf of the French crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid letter of marque (lettre de marque or lettre de course, the latter giving corsairs their name), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law. By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could in principle claim treatment as prisoners of war, instead of being considered pirates.
Because corsairs gained a swashbuckling reputation, the word "corsair" is also used generically as a more romantic or flamboyant way of referring to privateers, or even to pirates. The Barbary pirates of North Africa as well as the Ottoman Empire were sometimes called "Turkish corsairs".
corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and...
Boards of Canada "Corsair", a 2007 song from the EP Voyage by In Fear and Faith Corsairs: Conquest at Sea, a 1999 game by Microïds Corsairs (Freelancer),...
by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear, whose Corsairs were designated FG, and...
The Barbary pirates, Barbary corsairs, or Ottoman corsairs were mainly Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from the largely independent Ottoman...
Corsair International, legally Corsair S.A., previously Corsairfly and Corse Air International, is a French airline headquartered in Rungis and based...
Russell, FrenchCorsairs at 13-33 (discussing repeated diplomatic efforts to ban privateering between France and England). Lord Russell, French Privateering...
by the corsairs. Both Spanish ships as well as coasts were subjected to attacks by the corsairs from the early 16th-century onward. The Corsairs of Tunis...
John Ward for turning corsair. Ward continued raiding Mediterranean shipping, eventually commanding a whole fleet of corsairs, whose flagship was a Venetian...
English, French and Dutch corsairs sometimes successful and often a failure; and on the other hand, the presence of pirates and corsairs from this archipelago...
regency of Algiers. Example of a flag used by corsairs of the Algiers regency. Example of a flag used by corsairs of the Algiers regency. Type of maritime...
Vane cruised again in May and June, capturing, among other ships, a 20-gun French ship that became Vane's new flagship. Vane was back at Nassau on 22 July...
various minor pirate bases such as Bona, Susa, Bizerta, and Salé. The corsairs were not solely natives of the cities where they were based; while many...
with lines from The Corsair. French painter Eugène Delacroix depicted a scene from the work in a watercolor, Episode from The Corsair (1831), which shows...
were no hostages, corsairs demanded ransoms in exchange for sparing towns from destruction. Whether ransoms were paid or not, corsairs looted and frequently...
term was applied to the corsairs and (later) privateers themselves, also known as the Brethren of the Coast. Although corsairs, also known as filibusters...
crew robbed several ships outside New York City, then encountered a large French man-of-war. The ship was at least twice as large as Vane's brigantine, and...
Xavier Dorison and illustrated by Mathieu Laufray which was published in French and English.[when?][full citation needed] John Silver, a fictional space...
corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and...
United States and England calls for joint suppression of Frenchcorsairs and a blockade of French ports. December 3: The Convention forms a committee of...
The Texas Gulf coast served as a sanctuary for seafaring buccaneers, corsairs, privateers, and non-fictional practitioners of the piracy occupation during...
increased their fame, and they were joined by several other well-known Muslim corsairs, including Kurtoğlu (known in the West as Curtogoli). In 1508, they raided...
had happened not to read the book. French novelist Michel Tournier published Friday, or, The Other Island (French Vendredi ou les Limbes du Pacifique)...
completely lawless pirates over time. The pirates attacked French and Spanish ships, while the French and Spanish forces burned Nassau several more times. Pirates...
War of 1812, with the encouragement of the United Kingdom, the Barbary corsairs resumed their attacks on American vessels. Following the conclusion of...
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