November 23rd, 2013 by Piper Smith
Most of us have heard of Port Royal from the acclaimed Pirates of the Caribbean saga, but did you know that Port Royal actually exists? It was a city located in southeastern Jamaica at the mouth of Kingston Harbor. Port Royal was founded in 1518 as a center of shipping commerce in the Caribbean. It was a home to privateers commissioned by various European states and a home to one of the most infamous destinations of lewdness, drunkenness, and debauchery. After a devastating earthquake, the European states stopped giving their privateers letters of marque. Every privateer became a pirate and soon enough, pirates from all over the world began to congregate at Port Royal. Even our beloved Captain Jack Sparrow!
Picture caption: A portrayal of Port Royal as it would have been in the 18th century from “The Pirates of the Caribbean.”
