[Namsan Ddalggakbari] The History of the British Empire Changed by One English Pirate King

Indian Treasure Ship Plundered... East India Company’s Colonization Accelerated
Pirates Operated with Democratic Methods... Also Influenced the Founding of the US

Steve Johnson, Author / Kang Jooheon, Translator / Korea Economic Daily / 16,800 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] "The Enemy of All Mankind" is a book that traces the footsteps of Henry Every, an English pirate who was called the greatest "Pirate King" of his time for two years of piracy in the 17th-century Indian Ocean, where pirates ran rampant. After he plundered the treasure ship of Emperor Aurangzeb, the ruler of the Mughal Empire in India, in 1695, a worldwide manhunt was issued, and he became known as the enemy of all mankind, as the book's title suggests.

The book begins with the scene on September 11, 1695, when Every's pirate ship Fancy plundered the Mughal Empire's royal treasure ship. Every, who had enlisted early in the British Navy due to financial hardship, and the British pirates who honed their artillery skills in the Mediterranean and Atlantic were experienced. In contrast, the Mughal Empire's army, with little combat experience, was brutally defeated. The British pirates' persistence in not missing even the smallest mistakes of the Mughal troops quickly changed the ownership of the treasure fleet.

Despite committing such bold crimes, Every was never caught. Until 1699, he demonstrated elusive plundering skills in the Atlantic and Mediterranean before suddenly disappearing one day. Having accumulated enormous wealth through piracy, it is widely speculated that he changed his name and retired somewhere in the Middle East or Asia. The fact that he is called a legendary pirate king is likely because his fate remains completely unknown.

The author, an expert in historical documentary scenarios, connects this dynamic story?which could easily drift into the micro daily life of a pirate?to a grand historical flow. He argues that the many butterfly effects caused by Every's piracy accelerated the British East India Company's colonization of India. The author claims that the first step of history, which would continue for centuries, began with the bold plundering of a pirate.

The author's argument has some basis. After the incident, Emperor Aurangzeb entrusted the British East India Company with Every's capture and ordered the company to protect its trade ships from pirates in the Indian Ocean. This changed history. From the perspective of the Asian autocrat who unified the Indian subcontinent, protecting Indian Ocean trade ships was a trivial matter. However, for the East India Company, which had just begun establishing trade networks in India, it was an opportunity for unlimited expansion.

Having received permission to establish and dispatch a trade office in India in 1685, the East India Company finally found a legal avenue to engage in mercenary business throughout India. The company's military power was built by importing various firearms from Europe and hiring mercenaries locally in India. Amid the ensuing chaos in the Mughal Empire and rebellions by regional feudal lords, the East India Company prospered.

The East India Company began receiving land and tax collection rights from Indian princes who failed to pay mercenary fees in full. As its business expanded, it grew into a major power controlling various parts of India. To distribute dividends to investors in Britain, it continuously expanded its war efforts. The East India Company is remembered as a pioneer of the colonial exploitation management methods later called "imperialism" by Western countries. These management methods were fully inherited by the British government, which purchased and delisted the company in 1858.

The author also argues that pirates had a considerable influence on modern corporate culture and democracy. The method of distributing loot based on performance, the ranking system on pirate ships determined by ability rather than class, and the decision-making process through votes by all crew members are said to have originated from pirates a hundred years before the birth of the world's first republic, the United States.

There are some leaps in logic that are difficult to fully accept. However, even historians do not deny the significant contribution of pirates to the birth of the United States. Major eastern cities such as Philadelphia, where American independence began, were founded by pirates who fled to the Northeast carrying goods plundered from the Spanish West Indies in Latin America. Pirates not only blocked routes but also led the way in pioneering new sea routes.

What the author wants to show is the dynamism of the world 300 years ago, which seems to have come to a standstill from the modern perspective. The world's seas were already connected through the Silk Road maritime routes and transatlantic routes. The massive movement of goods made the appearance of pirates possible. Readers with a high level of understanding of the concept and history of globalization, which began in this pre-modern era, will find this book even more engaging.