Letter of Marque of the First French Empire given to Captain Antoine Bollo, via the ship owner Dominique Malfino from Gena, owner of the Furet, a 15-tonne privateer, 27 February 1809.

Letter of Marque given to Captain Antoine Bollo, via the ship owner Dominique Malfino from Gena, owner of the Furet, a 15-tonne privateer, 27 February 1809.

A letter of marque and reprisal is an official warrant or commission from a government authorizing the designated agent to search, seize, or destroy specified assets or personnel belonging to a party which has committed some offense under the laws of nations against the assets or citizens of the issuing nation, and has usually been used to authorize private parties to raid and capture merchant shipping of an enemy nation. The Aubrey–Maturin series, also known as the Aubreyad, is a sequence of 20 historical novels by Patrick OBrian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centring on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ships surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a physician... Image File history File links Lettre de marque remise au capitaine Antoine BOLLO. Concédée le 27 Février 1809 à M. Dominique MALFINO de GENES, armateur du Furet, corsaire de 15 tonneaux. ... Image File history File links Lettre de marque remise au capitaine Antoine BOLLO. Concédée le 27 Février 1809 à M. Dominique MALFINO de GENES, armateur du Furet, corsaire de 15 tonneaux. ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and satellite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1804 - 1814/1815 Napoleon I  - 1814/1815 Napoleon II Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif Historical era Napoleonic... Image File history File links Lettre de marque remise au capitaine Antoine BOLLO. Concédée le 27 Février 1809 à M. Dominique MALFINO de GENES, armateur du Furet, corsaire de 15 tonneaux. ... Image File history File links Lettre de marque remise au capitaine Antoine BOLLO. Concédée le 27 Février 1809 à M. Dominique MALFINO de GENES, armateur du Furet, corsaire de 15 tonneaux. ... In law, a warrant can mean any authorization. ... Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting an office, a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as... International law deals with the relationships between states, or between persons or entities in different states. ... In most seafaring countries, the merchant marine (or merchant navy) is a fleet of ships used for commerce that sometimes complements the navy. ...

The formal statement of the warrant is to authorize the agent to pass beyond the borders of the nation ("marque" or frontier), and there to search, seize, or destroy an enemy's vessel or fleet not necessarily a nation. It is considered a retaliatory measure short of a full declaration of war, and, by maintaining a rough proportionality, has been intended to justify the action to other nations, who might otherwise consider it an act of war or piracy. As with a domestic search, arrest, seizure, or death warrant, to be considered lawful it needs to have a certain degree of specificity to ensure that the agent does not exceed one's authority and the intent of the issuing authority. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ... This article is about maritime piracy. ...

In the past, a ship operating under a letter of marque and reprisal was privately owned and was called a "private man-of-war" or "privateer." The French sometimes used the term lettre de course for its letters of marque, giving rise to the term corsair. Italian Full rigged ship Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large watercraft capable of offshore navigation. ... A Dutch man-of-war firing a salute. ... A privateer was a private ship (or its captain) authorized by a countrys government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. ... Look up corsair in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Letters of Marque were abolished in France by the 1856 Declaration of Paris, which was an annex to the 1856 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Crimean War. The United States was one of the main states not to ratify the Declaration. 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Declaration of Paris from April 16, 1856 was issued to abolish privateering. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Treaty of Paris of 1856 settled the Crimean War between Russia and Ottoman Empire and its allies France and Britain. ... Combatants Allies: Second French Empire British Empire Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia Russian Empire Bulgarian volunteers Casualties 90,000 French 35,000 Turkish 17,500 British 2,194 Sardinian killed, wounded and died of disease ~134,000 killed, wounded and died of disease The Crimean War (1853–1856) was fought...

Letter of marque by nations

United Kingdom

Letters of marque were issued by England, after 1707 Great Britain, and after 1801 the United Kingdom until the signing of the Declaration of Paris in 1856. Famous recipients include Sir Francis Drake, Sir Henry Morgan, and William Kidd. To further illustrate the subtle difference between piracy and privateering, both Henry Morgan and William Kidd were later brought up on charges of piracy by England. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Declaration of Paris from April 16, 1856 was issued to abolish privateering. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Sir Francis Drake, c. ... Sir Henry Morgan (c. ... William Captain Kidd (c. ...

France

Letters of Marque were given by France in a very selective manner. Under Napoleon, they covered a six-month period in case a war should come to an end. This meant that captains left port with several Letters of Marque, since expeditions rarely lasted less than a year. Once he returned to harbour, the captain had to hand the letter over to the naval authorities, who destroyed it, creating a greater sense of accountability and rarity. For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ...

United States

Article 1 of the United States Constitution lists issuing letters of marque and reprisal in Section 8 as one of the enumerated powers of Congress. One question is whether Congress can issue such a letter to the President, as an authorization for limited offensive warlike operations outside the territory of the United States. In 2002, Douglas Kmiec, then dean of the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that: Wikisource has original text related to this article: Article One of the United States Constitution Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of the legislative branch of the United States government, known as Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The United States Constitution The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... The enumerated powers are a list of specific responsibilities found in Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution, which enumerate the authority granted to the United States Congress. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Douglas W. Kmiec, b. ... In an educational setting, a dean is a person with significant authority . ... The Columbus School of Law is the law school of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1897. ... The Catholic University of America (abbreviated CUA), located in Washington, D.C., is unique as the national university of the Roman Catholic Church and as the only higher education institution founded by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops. ... The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary (informally Senate Judiciary Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate, the upper house of the United States Congress. ...

Because the difference between a privateer and a pirate was a subtle (often invisible) one, in 1856 the issuance of Letters of Marque and Reprisal to private parties was banned for signatories of the Declaration of Paris. The United States was not a signatory to that Declaration and is not bound by it. During the 1861-65 American Civil War and the 1898 Spanish-American War, however, the United States issued statements that it would abide by the principles of the Declaration of Paris for the duration of the hostilities. (The Confederate States of America issued Letters of Marque and Reprisal during the Civil War.) A privateer was a private ship (or its captain) authorized by a countrys government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Declaration of Paris from April 16, 1856 was issued to abolish privateering. ... Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Combatants United States Republic of Cuba Philippine Republic Spain Commanders Nelson A. Miles William R. Shafter George Dewey Máximo Gómez Emilio Aguinaldo Patricio Montojo Pascual Cervera Arsenio Linares Ramón Blanco Casualties 3,289 U.S. dead (432 from combat); considerably higher although undetermined Cuban and Filipino casualties... Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem (none official) God Save the South (unofficial) The Bonnie Blue Flag (unofficial) Dixie (unofficial) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Religion...

The issue of Marque and Reprisal was raised before Congress by Rep. Ron Paul of Texas after the September 11, 2001 attacks^[2], and again on July 21, 2007. Paul, defining the attacks as an act of "air piracy," introduced the Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001, which would have granted the president the authority to use Letters of Marque and Reprisal against the specific terrorists, instead of warring against a foreign state. Paul compared the terrorists to pirates in that they are difficult to fight by traditional military means.^[3] Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is a 10th-term United States congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a member of the Republican Party, a pro-life physician, and a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly...

Examples of some famous privateers include

• Alexander Godfrey

Alexander Godfrey was born in Chatham, Massachusetts in 1768. ...

In science fiction

Science fiction writer Poul Anderson, in his book The Star Fox, depicts a future when Letters of marque are revived and space privateers fight across the light years. Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926–July 31, 2001) was an American science fiction author of the genres Golden Age. ...

In the science fiction book Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon the lead character Kylara Vatta is surprised to receive a Letter of Marque, and by the fact that her planet actually runs Privateers. Vattas War is the collective name for an on-going science fiction series by Texas writer Elizabeth Moon. ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Elizabeth Moon, born 1945 March 7, is an American science fiction and fantasy author. ... This article is about the concept in naval history. ...

In the science fiction setting of Warhammer 40,000, the human Imperium employs so-called "Rogue Traders" to explore uncharted areas of space and pursue trade with human settlements outside the Imperium. The license to act as a Rogue Trader is referred to by many different names, one of which is the Letter of Marque. This article is about the tabletop miniature wargame and the fictional universe in which it is set. ...

See also

• Privateer
• reprisal
• commerce raiding

A privateer was a private ship (or its captain) authorized by a countrys government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. ... In warfare, a reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of the laws of war to punish an enemy for breaking the laws of war. ... Commerce raiding or guerre de course is a naval strategy of attacking an opponents commercial shipping rather than contending for control of the seas with its naval forces. ...

References