"Buccaneer" is a term applied to a specific group of 17th European settlers in the Caribbean who traded with non-Spanish societies. "Pirate" is an umbrella term that is applied to all crew members who primarily live their lives aboard ships that aggressively pursue and rob water vessels.
The majority of buccaneers eventually adopted a life of piracy as a way of garnering wealth. To add to the complication of terms, privateers were mercenary type figures who were specifically employed by a government to act as pirates. Spoils obtained by the raids of privateers technically belonged to the governments by whom they were employed. Privateers, like buccaneers, eventually came to understand that by simply being pirates, they could keep whatever they accumulated and eliminate the need for government subsidized employment. By the end of the 18th century, pirate, buccaneer and privateer had become interchangeable and were used synonymously because almost all buccaneers and privateers were also pirates, but not all pirates were necessarily buccaneers or privateers. "Buccaneer" is French in origin with a somewhat vague etymology and meaning. Most scholars agree that it refers to a French word used to describe someone who consorts with those below their status in life.Learn More
The Children's Crusade is supposed to have involved between 15,000 and 30,000 French children, who attempted to reach the Christian Holy Land by foot and boat in an effort to reclaim Jerusalem for their faith. Historical evidence for the Crusade is dubious at best, and it is unclear whether it ever really happened.Full Answer >
The primary residents of European castles during the Middle Ages were the lord and lady of the realm. These might be royalty or simply the liege lords of the district where the castle was built.Full Answer >
In 1753, Ben Franklin won the Copley Medal awarded by the Royal Society of London. The same year, he was also awarded honorary doctorate degrees from a number of prestigious universities, including Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. In 1759, the University of St. Andrews in Scotland awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.Full Answer >
Characteristics of Mongol control over China included a new written language, a golden age of theater, a rise in status of artisans (especially painters), an increase in hunting for sport, and battle rituals that paid tribute to Tenggeri, the Mongol sky god. Mongol rule also conserved much of the culture of China that was in place at the time.Full Answer >