Who were the pirates?

Pirates were a serious menace in olden times. They were armed thieves who attacked and robbed ships at sea by threatening or killing their crew. More than 2000 years ago, lots of pirate ships used to lurk on the sea trade routes. This problem assumed serious proportions during the period between the 16th and 18th centuries, after the discovery and colonization of America, Pirates would particularly target those ships that took silver, tobacco, and cotton to Europe. During the time when European colonial rulers were at war with each other, some of these rulers are known to have allowed pirates to plunder the trade ships of their enemies.