Letters of Marque

E873799

Letters of Marque are government-issued commissions authorizing private vessels to attack and capture enemy ships during wartime, effectively legalizing privateering.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf authorization for privateering
government commission
legal instrument
appliesDuring wartime
appliesTo private vessels
constitutionalContext US Congress has power to grant letters of marque and reprisal
declinedAfter Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law NERFINISHED
distinguishedFrom naval commission
piracy
effectOfRestriction abolished privateering among signatory powers
grantsRight bring captured ships before prize courts
capture enemy merchant ships
claim prize money from condemned vessels and cargo
hasPurpose authorize capture of enemy ships
authorize private vessels to attack enemy ships
legalize privateering
historicallyUsedIn 17th century naval warfare
18th century naval warfare
19th century naval warfare
Age of Sail NERFINISHED
imposesObligation refrain from attacking neutral shipping
respect laws and customs of war
submit captures to prize court adjudication
issuedBy national government
sovereign state
languageOrigin Old French "marque" meaning reprisal
legalStatusOfActions distinguish privateers from pirates
render acts of capture lawful under issuing state’s law
mentionedIn United States Constitution NERFINISHED
primaryDomain international humanitarian law
maritime law
regulatedBy admiralty law
international law of war
relatedConcept corsairing
reprisal
relatedTo maritime warfare
privateering
prize law
requires identification of commissioned vessel
name of captain or privateer
terms and limits of authorized operations
restrictedBy Paris Declaration of 1856 NERFINISHED
timePeriodOfUse Napoleonic Wars NERFINISHED
early modern period
late Middle Ages
usedByCountry Kingdom of England NERFINISHED
Kingdom of France NERFINISHED
Kingdom of Spain NERFINISHED
United States NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lord Cutler Beckett in Pirates of the Caribbean film series associatedWithObject Letters of Marque
subject surface form: Lord Cutler Beckett