Black Banners

A set of Iberian corsair fraternities of the western Basin, organised by articles like a trade, with ports of origin and long standing. They do a good deal of lawful escort work and some that is not, and are famed above all for systematic boarding.

Iberian corsair seafarers of the far south-western coasts, remembered for piracy and sea-law insolence and envied for passing water other ships cross only under blessing and escort. Pirate flotillas that fell upon British shipping in the Southern Sea and were broken by Crown squadrons and hired captains in the actions at Salt Hook and Lantern Shoals.

Named with it

• Captain Yusuf ibn Sadiq · captain

Ties

• broken by the Navy's Crown squadrons
• respected and hired as pilots by British masters
• priced by the insurance rooms for a century
• subject to the treaty court of Qadis

At the table

Remembered in the southern convoy wars as an example of corsair enemies striking where convoy discipline grew thin. Their attacks on British merchant hulls and relief ships led to the fights at Salt Hook and Lantern Shoals, still in school summaries. A vanished shipmaster may have taken refuge among them. Their raids helped harden London's customs, convoy papers and bonded suspicion.