Privateers weren’t pirates, they were state mercenaries and usually went after opposing state forces (eg. british privateers going after Spanish ships and vice versa).
…and no, they didn’t get to keep everything they stole, they were expected to being it back to their respective counties, declare it, and only keep a portion.
In exchange they were allowed to operate with relative impunity, and retain their status as citizens (not criminals or outlaws).
…as you can see this is much aa Libertarians are today, a kind of cuckoldry to wealthy influnces.
Which is like the opposite of being a pirate.
Arrrr.
Privateers weren’t pirates, they were state mercenaries and usually went after opposing state forces (eg. british privateers going after Spanish ships and vice versa).
While this is technically true, in practice there was a great deal of fluidity between the two designations, with many pirates becoming privateers and vice-versa, sometimes swapping multiple times over the course of their careers. Furthermore, the fact that privateers generally targeted civilian shipping the same way pirates did, and for the same essential reason (plunder), they’re generally associated with each other.
