To be dubbed the "King of Pirates" is no small feat! To achieve that ye would have had to operate in multiple oceans, execute the ultimate raid, develop a notorious n' legendary reputation, as well as live to retire with all of yar earnin's! Ye would also need to set off the World's first International Man-Hunt. So that's exactly what Henry Every did.

Though actively pirate fer only a brief period o' two years in the mid 1690s, Every was able to garner the public's eye, n' is believed to have influenced more n' more people to take up a life of piracy.

Originally he was an English sailor aboard a Slave Ship, but he and the other members o' his crew rose up against the Captain at the time n' renamed their ship, the Fancy. Rather than sailing fer the New World, the Fancy raided the West African Coast n' sailed fer the Indian Ocean, assembling a small squadron of ships along the way.

The goal for Every's fleet was to tackle the 25 Ship Treasure Fleet of the Grand Mughal on its way to Mecca via the Arabian Sea. It was believed to be the richest fleet in the world, surpassing many Spanish Treasure Fleets in the Caribbean as well as numerous targets taken around this same time frame around the world.

Both fleets focused on evading and separating each other, the result was a grand chase with numerous small naval battles over the course o' several weeks. Numerous pirates n' Indian sailors died during the raids.

At the end of the raid Every's fleet rendezvoused in French Madagascar and divided the plunder. Even the ordinary sailors each made roughly $125,000 USD, with an additional hoard of gemstones n' loot.

The raid destroyed diplomatic ties between India n' England, n' Every snuck off to the Caribbean evading the English Crown. The Crown set a bounty n' offered amnesty to any o' his crew for his capture.

By 1696, Every disappeared from all records n' any stories regarding his retirement years be taken with a grain o' salt.   

The Pirate Fashions Arsenal be stocked with many fine weapons! Chief among them bein' Arrr wide selection o' blades! We have three varieties o' swords fer ye to choose from: Battle Ready, Stage Combat n' Display.

Keep in mind maties... We avoid shippin' out o' the US like the plague due to trade regulations, even Arrr Replicas!

Fer those who merely need a decorative weapon we encourage ye to pick up a Display Sword. Most come with sharpened stainless steel blades, but these be purely fer show as they crack and snap easily. They still be a fine piece in a Pirate's Wardrobe, but ye have been warned! No sword fightin'!

Though much stronger, Arrr Battle Ready blades do not come to ye sharpened. They can be used fer sword fightin' but will break with extended usage. Pirate Fashions has two levels of Battle Ready swords ones made with a common 1045 Carbon Steel n' a much better 1085 High Carbon Spring Steel which be the stuff flintlock spring steel is made of.

The Top o' the Line Pirate Fashions Swords be the Stage Combat Swords, designed fer Theatrical Reenactments n' Stage Battles. These be heavy, thick blades- perfect fer extensive combat. They're guaranteed fer life n' we've never had one break! They be made from 5160 high carbon spring steel n' heat tempered, making them the most expensive type o' sword we offer, but also the most hardy!

Most Pirates need only grab a sheathed sword to intimidate a merchant crew to surrender, but in times o' battle the cutlass was an incredibly easy tool to use, though a difficult one to master. It was also short enough to make it maneuverable within the confines of a ship. Many sailors also used a very similar sword called the Hanger, but one weapon ye rarely saw was the famous rapier!

Rapiers were much too thin fer the tumultuous nature o' ship to ship warfare n' mass battle, bein' a much better sword fer a duelist.

Learn more about Arrr Swords on Arrr website! http://bit.ly/2nHUbYC

We've enjoyed outfitting the most daring rogues o' the Seven Seas, n' we love seeing how yer garb has fared- as do all who look to Fly the Black Flag.

Visit Arrr Gallery to see the Many Brethren of Pirate Fashions and email yar own photos to show us the kind of Pirate ye have become! All we ask is that ye identify yer weapons n' gear used in yar shots! 

Browse the Pirate Fashions Gallery n' see how other pirates have garbed themselves! Some be Gasparilla Goers, others have gone to festivals such as the St. Augustine Pirate Gather, the Ybor Pirate Pub Crawl, various Ren Fairs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Games n' even several Piratical Plays such as Treasure Island!

We be the Premier Pirate Outfitter and our 4,500 plus customers have all be fearsome rogues that stand out in the crowds! They be authentic, flashy and made with quality materials!

http://bit.ly/2ketHQx

The settlement o' Tortuga has been featured prominently in Pirate Fiction o'er time, it's time to learn a little about this humble island! While Port Royal n' Nassau were much more prominent pirate ports, we shouldn't forget that Tortuga also has its own Pirate History.

Tortuga Island (Turtle Island) was a small island off the coast of Modern Haiti, orHispanola as it was dubbed in the Colonial Era. Allegedly, when Christopher Colombus sailed into the Caribbean in 1492, he saw the Island n' named it for its Turtle shell shape.

It picked up a small colony of Spanish settlers, but it was lightly populated until French n' English colonists arrived around 1625. The new settlers meant to make a life inHispanola but hadn't thought about the Spanish Military's presence. The Spanish occupied the Island, building a fort after they drove off the colonists. Whenever the military drove off one group of colonists another would appear somewhere else onHispanola, causing Garrisons to shuffle around n' leave unoccupied fortsfer opportunists!

The French saw this n' stole the fort to gain a foothold in the area in 1630, they also shared it with English n' Dutch colonists. The island went through 10 tumultuous years of revolting slaves, Spanish invasions, n' more before "The Brethren of the Coast" made themselves an official organization. It was ashort lived group that the Spanish stamped out, but pirates began to call the island home. It was the Fourth and Final time Spain occupied the Island before England n' France reclaimed the territory in 1655. France removed the English citizens and maintained a hold until 1676 when the island was abandoned.

Throughout the 17thCentury pirates would spring up from Tortuga however. Henry Morgan drew a sizable contingent of French Pirates from Tortuga in 1670 for a campaign in Cuba. France let their pirates run amok, so Tortuga was an excellent place to stash treasure in the formerly Spanish Fortifications.

Though not as popular in Hollywood as the pistol or cutlass, the Rifle n' Musket were an important part o' a Pirate's arsenal! WeArrrselves stock firing versions o' bothferyar own pleasure. Though we would be remiss to not tell ye about the differences!

A musket was an upgrade o' the Renaissance Era Arquebus, a shoulder fired weapon that was so heavy ye could only fire it effectively by usin' a stand o' it's own. The musket was a lighter weapon that began to appear in militaries as early as the 16th Century. It could also be fixed with a bayonet to convert it into a spear o' sorts. Though inaccurate they were an ideal infantry weapon, n' the range n' power they offered made them valuable aboard ships as well!

A rifle was a weapon that featured helical grooves etched into the barrel to spin a bullet as it was fired. Inturn this would make the shot more accurate. They were also lighter, but they fired a smaller caliber bullet than a musket (.50 Caliber as opposed to .69-.75) They were ideal among Hunters n' Sharp Shooters, but were expensive n' difficult to load so it never eclipsed the musket entirely.

Moving quickly a rifleman could fire 1 Shot per Minute as opposed to the Musketeer who could fire 3 Shots per minute. Fer a hunter or guerrilla fighter who needed to make every shot count, a rifle was an ideal weapon. Butfer a thrifty pirate or a government trying to bankroll an army the musket was more accessible, it could also be fired into crowds or used with other musketeers to deadly effect.

Aboard ships the Musketoon was popular. It was a shortened Carbine version of a musket that worked well for cavalry n' anyone fightin' in confined spaces!

Check out Arrr French Muskets! People may forget that the English n' Spanish weren't the only powers on the waters! The French were able to ship Muskets like these all around the world, n we make firing replicas just like them. http://bit.ly/2nzKv5u

Havin' a good shirt is all part o' assemblin' the best pirate outfit! Arrr shirtsbe authentic to the 15th Century-18th Century. Prior to the Napoleonic Era, many shirts did not feature prominent collars, n' consistently they were long sleeved regardless o' the climate ye foundyarself in.

They were also baggy n' loose. We still make'em this way to give ye the most authentic outfit. There were other drastically different fashion styles from this time period, it was normalfer men to have their own wigs n' heeled footwear. Heelsfer example helped ye ride a horse, n' even if ye didn't have a horse it was in style partiallyfer that reason. Shirts would have as many ruffles as possible! To guarantee accuracy we have a large rack o' ruffly shirtsferyar outfit.

As far as shirts go, itbecustom at Pirate Fashions to pick a Piratical Style- Rough or Fancy. We don't recommend goin'fer somethin' in between as the outfit pieces begin to clash.  The Rough lookbe goodfer the piratewhose been lost at sea or down on his luck, while the Fancy Pirate wears their wealth n' consorts with governors. Ruffled shirts would be part o' the Fancy Pirate's Garb.

All ofarrr clothing has its own washing instructions! Have a care when ye browse Arrr stock!

The most important thing aboutbein' a pirate is style! N' part o' that meansbein' able to pick the right colors! Webe experienced Salts when it comes to assemblin' the ideal wardrobe n' pickin' the right color combinations. An outfit like the Piratical Duchess lets us show off Arrr Range o' Fabric combos.

This be an elegant pirate outfit that lets ye dressfer a party or historical occasion, while also letting you mix n' match a variety o' colors. It was more historically accurate to have a fairly monochromatic outfit excluding black n' white, but we believe it's important to have contrast.

Fer example: a matte black combines well with a bright red. Arrr eyesbe more receptive to the stark changes n' though it's not always the case- contrasting colors are visually pleasing most o' the time.

Some pirates have a reputation for malevolence and savagery, but none have warranted the reputation more than the legendary scallywag known as Francois l'Olonnais, the Scourge of the Spanish! Much of Arrr Information about l'Olonnais (Pronounced Low-Low-Nay) is gathered from Alexander Exquemlin's Accounts n' can be taken with a hefty grain of salt, yet there is such detail!

For much of his life, l'Olonnais was an indentured servant when he arrived in the Caribbean sometime in the 1650's. Indentured Servants were one step above slaves in the New World, being bound to harsh working conditions by a binding contract. People in Europe could be kidnapped and sold into Indentured Servitude. The major difference would be that there was a theoretical end to the contract with a reward upon conclusion. It was banned by the United Nations alongside Slavery in 1948.

l'Olonais completed his contract by 1660 n' promptly made way to Haiti where he became a Buccaneer. A few years into his career he and his mates shipwrecked off the coast of Campeche, Mexico where they were massacred by the Spanish Army. l'Olonnais only survived by hiding among the dead. With the help of Spanish slaves he escaped to Tortuga, only to return later with a thirst for vengeance.

He and his crew promptly took settlements hostage, to which the Spanish responded with military force. l'Ollonais beheaded all but one of the men sentagainst him, whom he told to spread a message, "I shall never henceforward give quarter to any Spaniard whatsoever."

In 1666, he sailed toMaracaibo, Venezuela with a crew of 440 Pirates to sack the city with great success. To gather information about hidden valuables, l'Olonais flayed his victims, burned them alive, or squeezed them to death by strapping them tightly to a mast.

After several years of increasingly larger feats of piracy, l'Olonais wrecked his ship on an expedition to Honduras, only to allegedly be devoured by cannibalistic natives! http://bit.ly/2lRL7nb

Whether ye be a seasonedpirate, or a first-time adventurer. Allarrr Adventurers should learn about Arrr Pirate Fashions Tier System!

The first Tier befer First Time Pirates n' Wenches! Itbe an affordable outfit n' a good foundationfer yarpiratey endeavors! Both male n' female variations come with the basics: a top, a bottom n' a midriff piece such as a bodice or sash! These outfits run from $100-$200 typically.

The second Tier be an intermediate outfit! Ferarrr pirates n' wenches lookin'fer an upgrade from the first Tier ye will find awaist coat,footgear, leather goods, skirts, hats n' basic weapons. Thisbe the Officer Tier when ye begin to establishyar clout as an adventurer, n' it typically runs at $200-$600.

The third n' final Tier befer the Captains o' the Ship! This be the tierfer elaborate Frock Coats, Corsets, Boots n' a greater stash o' weapons! Though itbe an advanced tier, there be no reason ye can't add ontoyar Officer's Outfit! Sailors spend between $400-$1200 on a Captain's Outfit.

To make it even easierfer ye to find the outfit ye be lookin'fer we have two distinctive styles. A Gentleman can be Fancyfer a day ashore or Rough like the seas! Both fit neatly into the Tier System but establish a distinct aesthetic. Ye could have a Poor Rough Captain n' a Fancy Seaman.

Fer Arrr Ladies o' Fortune we have a Proper Look or a Sexy Lookfer Tavern Hopping or attendin' the Governor's Ball! Regardless ye will be drawing the attention of many a rogue, friend or foe! Pickin' a style will help ye find what ye are lookin'fer more quickly in an easy to understand manner.

Usin' the Categories n' Style System ye are well onyar way toyar first pirate outfit or upgradin' yourself for a new adventure!

What ye see here isarrr "outfits" and not costumes. Instead of going with a cheap Halloween costume for one night ye have chosen the garb of a movie star or a high seasadventurer. http://bit.ly/2jm8FuP

For Arrr Rogues who be interested in Fully Functioning Blackpowder Weapons, Pirate Fashions has the quality n' authenticity that ye want! Many of Arrr weapons be designed in-house n' proof tested to ensure reliability. Some of these Pirate Fashions Designs result in Firearms ye will not find anywhere else on the Seven Seas!

They also have alife-time warranty as long as ye do not fire them by using a black powder substitute (trust us mateys, it matters.) Any breakage or failure due to manufacturers defect will be repaired at no cost.

For mostmerchants if ye were to fire the weapon at all ye would voidyar warranty, think about that when you're looking foryar ideal pistol or rifle! Because of the Flintlock n' Pre-Flintlock FiringSystems they are defined as Antique Weapons by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco n' Firearms.

This makes black powder firearms easyfer us to ship within the U.S. with the exceptions of New York City, New Jersey n' Illinois. We will not ship Black Powder Firearms outside the U.S. Purchasing a black powder weapon is also very simple as it does not require a background check. Powder be a different story, as itbe classified as an explosive! Foryar powderneeds we recommendarrr mates over at Powder Inc.

Though theybe easy to purchase, we advise ye that polite society will still regulate where ye be carryingyar weapon as it is not a toy!

Learn more about Black Powder Firearms onarrr website n' of course, please use responsibly me hearties! http://bit.ly/2n0d7m8