History Main / Privateer

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' has a couple of strips which detail the story of England's privateers. Basically, England found a few pirates that were causing him trouble, and told them to "go beat up that Spain guy". They did, allowing England to get the upper hand over Spain. Whenever Spain complained to England, he would just apologize and say that the pirates were causing him trouble, too. That is, until Spain went over to England's house and saw him giving medals to the privateers. Whoops.

* ''Manga/OnePiece:''

* Rogue Traders from the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' universe are half privateers, half {{Intrepid Merchant}}s. They have actual letters of marque, some of which are hereditary. These letters of marque are incredibly valuable and can date their origins back thousands of years, with some having clauses restricting the owner to certain sectors or putting them in the service of certain organisations or noble houses. Rogue Traders often have entire fleets and armies at their disposal, and unlike many in the Imperium they are not persecuted for interactions with Xenos in order to achieve the wider Imperium's goals.

* In ''Fanfic/TheButcherBird'', the pirate alliance known as TheWildHunt eventually evolves into a privateering organization.

** The Shichibukai are seven highly powerful pirates who've had their [[PowerLevels bounties]] canceled in exchange for working autonomously on TheGovernment's behalf. They're notoriously hard to control, and some, like [[MagnificentBastard Crocodile]], are/were actively working against the World Government. WordOfGod notes that the Shichibukai are indeed based off the privateers, and a few, notably Bartholomew Kuma, are inspired directly from them... if in name only.
** Following the TimeSkip, Buggy the Clown has started an organization called the Pirate Temp Agency, whose member crews and warriors are allowed to pillage and plunder for the highest bidder. [[spoiler:It's legal because Buggy became a Shichibukai, providing him with UltimateJobSecurity.]]
** [[spoiler:Following the Revelry, the Shichibukai were officially disbanded, resulting in the five remaining members at the time becoming wanted pirates and enemies to the World Government once again.]]

** The Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven highly powerful pirates who've had their [[PowerLevels bounties]] canceled in exchange for working autonomously on TheGovernment's behalf. They're notoriously hard to control, and some, like [[MagnificentBastard Crocodile]], are/were actively working against the World Government. WordOfGod notes that the Warlords are indeed based off the privateers, and a few, notably Bartholomew Kuma, are inspired directly from them... if in name only.
** Following the TimeSkip, Buggy the Clown has started an organization called the Pirate Temp Agency, whose member crews and warriors are allowed to pillage and plunder for the highest bidder. [[spoiler:It's legal because Buggy became a Warlord, providing him with UltimateJobSecurity.]]
** [[spoiler:Following the Revelry, the Warlords were officially disbanded, resulting in the five remaining members at the time becoming wanted pirates and enemies to the World Government once again.]]

** [[spoiler:Following the Revelry, the Warlord were officially disbanded, resulting in the five remaining members at the time becoming wanted pirates and enemies to the World Government once again.]]

** The Shichibukai are seven highly powerful pirates who've had their [[PowerLevels bounties]] canceled in exchange for working autonomously on TheGovernment's behalf. They're notoriously hard to control, and some, like [[MagnificentBastard Crocodile]], are/were actively working against the World Government. WordOfGod notes that the Shichibukai are indeed based off the privateers, and a few, notably Bartholomew Kuma, are inspired directly from them... if in name only.
** Following the TimeSkip, Buggy the Clown has started an organization called the Pirate Temp Agency, whose member crews and warriors are allowed to pillage and plunder for the highest bidder. [[spoiler:It's legal because Buggy became a Shichibukai, providing him with UltimateJobSecurity.]]
** [[spoiler:Following the Revelry, the Shichibukai were officially disbanded, resulting in the five remaining members at the time becoming wanted pirates and enemies to the World Government once again.]]

* The pirate space ship Bentenmaru in ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'' is operating under a letter of marque given to it during space wars.

[[quoteright:350:[[Magazine/{{Escales}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pirates_vs_corsaires_en_01.png]]]]

** The Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven highly powerful pirates who've had their [[PowerLevels bounties]] canceled in exchange for working autonomously on TheGovernment's behalf. They're notoriously hard to control, and some, like [[MagnificentBastard Crocodile]], are/were actively working against the World Government. WordOfGod notes that the Warlords are indeed based off the privateers, and a few, notably Bartholomew Kuma, are inspired directly from them... if in name only.
** Following the TimeSkip, Buggy the Clown has started an organization called the Pirate Temp Agency, whose member crews and warriors are allowed to pillage and plunder for the highest bidder. [[spoiler:It's legal because Buggy became a Warlord, providing him with UltimateJobSecurity.]]
** [[spoiler:Following the Revelry, the Seven Warlords were officially disbanded, resulting in the five remaining members at the time becoming wanted pirates and enemies to the World Government once again.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the city-state of Limsa Lominsa was founded as a [[NotSoSafeHarbor pirate haven]] but has since reformed into a more legitimate port city, outlawing piracy in the process. Despite this, many bands of pirates carry on their trade, now with legal sanction, against ships of the [[TheEmpire Garlean Empire]].

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the pirates of Limsa Lominsa have been legally sanctioned to attack ships of the [[TheEmpire Garlean Empire]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pirates_vs_corsaires_en_01.png]]

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[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

* The crew of ''Webcomic/SeventySeas'' are privateers for the Imperial Republic of Fra.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the pirates of Limsa Lominsa have been legally sanctioned to attack ships of the [[TheEmpire Garlean Empire]].
* Edward Kenway of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' started out as a privateer for England, but quickly turned pirate when peace broke out.
** His grandson, Ratonhnhaké:ton (aka Connor) of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', also worked as a privateer on occasions on the side of the Colonies during the American Revolution.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' makes a point of repeatedly calling the mooks in the second half of the game this. But they don't seem to have any kind of agreement from any government, and far from hunting the "pirates" from the first half of the game, they seem to be aligned with them, and engage in exactly identical behaviour of kidnapping locals and selling them as slaves, making them a unique inversion of [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything pirates who don't do anything]]. It's not clear if the developers didn't understand what a privateer is, or the word is meant to be an in-universe euphemism, or if the developers just decided to misuse it because they thought it sounded cool.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' has "privateers" that represent the remnants of a destroyed empire's navy in the base game, wandering space and attacking whoever comes close. The Apocalypse DLC replaces them with [[TheHorde Marauders]].

* ''Webcomic/CrimsonDark'': Vaegyr Ward is quite insistent that he's a privateer, not a pirate.

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' has a couple of strips which detail the story of England's privateers. Basically, England found a few pirates that were causing him trouble, and told them to "go beat up that Spain guy". They did, allowing England to get the upper hand over Spain. Whenever Spain complained to England, he would just apologize and say that the pirates were causing him trouble, too. That is, until Spain went over to England's house and saw him giving medals to the privateers. Whoops.
* The pirate space ship Bentenmaru in ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'' is operating under a letter of marque given to it during space wars.
* The SpacePirates operating from the ship Megafauna in ''Anime/GundamReconguistaInG'' are actually members of the Amerian military. The reason they're operating as "pirates" is so that the advanced tech they're testing can't be traced back to Ameria.

* In Creator/CrossGen's ''ComicBook/ElCazador'', [[PirateGirl Lady Sin's]] first minor adversary is the English privateer Redhand Harry.

* ''Film/TheSeaHawk'' stars Errol Flynn as an English privateer who defends his nation's interests on the eve of the Spanish Armada.

* The hero of the 1952 movie ''Film/TheGoldenHawk'' is a privateer.
* The enemy ship pursued by the crew of the ''Surprise'' in ''Film/MasterAndCommanderTheFarSideOfTheWorld'' is a French privateer.
* In ''Film/AnneOfTheIndies'', Pierre was a privateer before joining Anne's crew and becoming 'an honest buccaneer'. [[spoiler:He is still a privateer and is undertaking a secret mission for the British in order to regain his captured ship]].

* In James Clavell's ''Literature/{{Shogun}}'', pilot John Blackthorne (based on the real life English navigator William Adams) was a privateer.

* In the ''Literature/AubreyMaturin'' series, numerous privateers are encountered, and for a time Captain Aubrey himself becomes a privateer captain (though he much prefers the term "private man-of-war" or "letter of marque.")
* In one of the ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' novels, Han and Talon Karrde go on a series of raids against Vong-allied shipping transporting supplies and captives. He mentions to one aggrieved captain that since he's only targeting the Vong, he's a privateer, not a pirate. (Technically he's not, since nobody in the New Republic authorized it.)
* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/LineOfDelirium'', Curtis Van Curtis, the second most powerful man in the [[TheEmpire Human Empire]], used to be a privateer during the Vague War. Thousands of these were given small one-manned raider vessels to go after humanity's enemies (which was [[CrapsackWorld everyone at the time]]). Arguably, they did more damage to the enemy than the regular forces.

* Mentioned occasionally in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' books. The majority of them seem to be outright pirates using a Letter of Marque as a shield to protect themselves if captured, particularly in poorly policed places like the Silesian Confederation, but more respectable ones turn up occasionally.
** A Havenite plot for an attack on the Manticoran base at Sidemore Station is discovered by a Silesian-flagged privateer ship commanded by a retired Manticoran officer, who happens to be one of Honor's old mentors. He spots a Havenite destroyer poking around (this was during a truce, and Silesia was theoretically neutral territory anyways) and shadows it far enough to realize it had friends before the destroyer discovers them and confronts them. Afterwards, he points out that he had no legitimate reason to do that, since his ship should have been neutral due to its Silesian sponsorship, but his Silesian crew [[TrueCompanions voiced no complaints on the issue.]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' series Charis commissions dozens if not hundreds of privateers and sends them out to systematically destroy the shipping of every other nation on the planet in retaliation for their participating in the Group of Four's undeclared war against Charis.
* One of the "nanofics" collected in ''[[Literature/{{Eldraeverse}} The Core War and Other Stories]]'' is a [[https://eldraeverse.com/2012/07/02/marque-and-reprisal/ letter of marque]] issued by the [[LibertariansInSpace Empire of the Star]], followed by a brief commentary on the armed merchant ship to whom that specific letter had been issued to.

* In ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'', Lawrence and Temeraire consider becoming ''aerial'' privateers when ReassignedToAntarctica in the Australian colony. Lawrence notes that Napoleon's merchant marine wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell against a [[DragonRider privateer guiding a heavy-weight dragon]].
* One of the reasons ringels are known for piracy in the ''Literature/HayvenCelestia'' universe is that their [[GovernmentInExile King-in-exile]] funds privateers to harass the Krakun Empire.

* In ''Series/TheWestWing'', first lady Abbey Bartlet's status as a "daughter of the American revolution" is contested, as her "revolutionary" ancestor was in fact a privateer helping the revolutionaries for money. She's very insistent that he was a privateer, and not a pirate.

* One of the characters in ''Series/SirArthurConanDoylesTheLostWorld'' reluctantly reveals that an ancestor of his was a privateer. A female companion makes fun of him, automatically assuming this means "pirate." The character insists on "privateer," as the letter of marque means the ancestor served the crown.

* "Privateering", song and album by [[Music/DireStraits Mark Knopfler]].

* Found in ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}''. Like everything else.
** The Third Imperium officially reserves to itself the right to issue letters of Marque and only occasionally issues them. Member substates and power blocks sometimes hire space mercenaries but these are not supposed to depend on plunder for their upkeep. When exactly that rule is violated is rather blurry. It probably depends on what the local Imperial Noble considers appropriate to the interests of the Imperium and/or himself.

* Rogue Traders from the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' universe are half privateers, half {{Intrepid Merchant}}s. They have actual letters of marque, some of which are hereditary. These letters of marque are incredibly valuable and can date their origins back thousands of years, with some having clauses restricting the owner to certain sectors or putting them in the service of certain organisations or noble houses. Rogue Traders often have entire fleets and armies at their disposal, and unlike many in the Imperium they are not persecuted for interactions with Xenos in order to achieve the wider Imperium's goals.

* One of the six protagonists in ''VideoGame/UnchartedWatersNewHorizons'' is a British privateer in charge of decimating the Spanish Armada.
* In theory, you start out as one of these in ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates''. Doesn't stop you from potentially turning against your employers, though.
** You can actually get letters of marque from all four nations, making you a privateer of all of them.

%%* Futuristic version in the ''VideoGame/WingCommanderPrivateer'' games.

* In the second ''VideoGame/BrokenSword'' game, two [=NPCs=] are the descendants of a privateer (''not'' [[InsistentTerminology a pirate]]) who claim he was falsely accused of acting without the correct papers by a governor and hung in order to get at his fortune.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' universe has the Corsairs, a secret branch of [[SpaceMarine Alliance Marines]] who act as independent groups outside of Alliance space. While not exactly pirates, their duties may include piracy, in addition to other black ops, and the Alliance can disavow any knowledge of them if they are caught. Jacob Taylor from the second game is an ex-Corsair.

* Unlike the other Covenant races in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the Kig-Yar (Jackals) are not officially a part of it. Instead, they're paid mercenaries who have to at least pretend to believe in the holiness of the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]]. They operate their own ships and are allowed to raid non-Covenant ships and colonies.

* A light-sided Smuggler in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' is essentially this, attacking the Empire exclusivly.
* In the Romulan Republic storyline in ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'', Empress Sela of the Romulan Star Empire starts hiring outsiders as privateers to destroy Republic ships. These include the Cardassian guerrillas known as the [[TheRemnant True Way]].

* One of the "nanofics" collected in ''[[Literature/{{Eldraeverse}} The Core War and Other Stories]]'' is a letter of marque issued by the [[LibertariansInSpace Empire of the Star]], followed by a brief commentary on the armed merchant ship to whom that specific letter had been issued to.

** After the 9/11 terrorist attacks Congressman Ron Paul proposed that the best response would be to issue Letters of Marque to PrivateMilitaryContractors, permitting them to go after Bin Laden and his henchmen in exchange for a sizable bounty. We'll never know if this would have worked, since Congress decided against issuing the Letters of Marque for ''some'' reason.

* In 1980, in the midst of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, at least one man applied to Congress for a Letter of Marque. He planned to seize tankers carrying Iranian oil out of the Gulf. Sadly, he was turned down.

** Following the TimeSkip, Buggy the Clown has started an organization called the Pirate Temp Agency, whose member crews and warriors are allowed to pillage and plunder for the highest bidder. [[spoiler: it's legal because Buggy became a Warlord, providing him with UltimateJobSecurity.]]

* ''VideGame/FarCry3'' makes a point of repeatedly calling the mooks in the second half of the game this. But they don't seem to have any kind of agreement from any government, and far from hunting the "pirates" from the first half of the game, they seem to be aligned with them, and engage in exactly identical behaviour of kidnapping locals and selling them as slaves, making them a unique inversion of [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything pirates who don't do anything]]. It's not clear if the developers didn't understand what a privateer is, or the word is meant to be an in-universe euphemism, or if the developers just decided to misuse it because they thought it sounded cool.

* Far Cry 3 makes a point of repeatedly calling the mooks in the second half of the game this. But they don't seem to have any kind of agreement from any government, and far from hunting the "pirates" from the first half of the game, they seem to be aligned with them, and engage in exactly identical behaviour of kidnapping locals and selling them as slaves, making them a unique inversion of [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything pirates who don't do anything]]. It's not clear if the developers didn't understand what a privateer is, or the word is meant to be an in-universe euphemism, or if the developers just decided to misuse it because they thought it sounded cool.