French corsairs Corsairs ( ) were privateer s , authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France , on behalf of the French crown . Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction , with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds . Although not French Navy personnel , corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France ( and allied nations ) , provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid Letter of Marque ( or , the latter giving " corsairs " their name ) , and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law . By acting on behalf of the French Crown , if captured by the enemy , they could claim treatment as prisoners of war , instead of being considered pirates . Because corsairs gained a swashbuckling reputation , the word " corsair " is also used generically as a more romantic or flamboyant way of referring to privateers , or even to pirates . The Barbary pirate s of North Africa as well as Ottomans were sometimes called " Turkish corsairs " . Etymology . The word " corsair " comes directly from the French word " corsaire " , itself borrowed from the Italian " corsaro " . This derives from the Latin " cursus " , meaning " course " ( as in journey or expedition ) . The French word " corsaire " may also come as a mispronunciation of the Arabic word " qorṣaan " , yet the term " pirate " had been in use in French since the Middle Ages . History . The corsairs were privateers working for the King of France attacking the ships of France ’ s enemies . In France they did not need to fear punishment for piracy — being hanged — as they were granted a licence as combatants , the " Lettre de Marque " or " Lettre de Course " , a document which legitimised their actions to the French justice system and which they hoped gave them the status of a war prisoner in case they were ever captured . The corsair was ordered to attack only the ships of enemy countries , theoretically respecting " neutrals " and his own nation ' s ships . If he did not respect this rule , he was then treated as a pirate and hanged . The corsairs ' activities also provided the King with revenue as the licence required them to hand over a part of their booty to the King . In common with privateers of other nationalities , however , they were often considered pirates by their foreign opponents , and could be hanged as pirates if captured by the foreigners they preyed on . The " corsair " activities started in the Middle Ages the main goals really being to compensate for the economic problems in war periods ; and the ship owners did not accept that the war was an obstacle to their trade . Jean de Châtillon , who was a bishop , in 1144 gave the town of Saint - Malo the status of rights of asylum which encouraged all manner of thieves and rogues to move there . Their motto was " Neither Breton , nor French , but from Saint - Malo am I ! " . Saint - Malo however , progressed and in 1308 the town was made into a free commune to encourage the commercial activities of craftsmen as well as merchants and ship owners . This did not really work out and later in 1395 the town became a free port . This situation continued until 1688 . Between the early 1500s and 1713 when the signing of the treaty of Utrecht effectively put an end to the French corsair raids in the Caribbean , the " Guerre de Course " , as the French called it , took a huge toll on the Spanish treasure fleet ' s efforts to ship the gold and silver from Peru to Santo Domingo and Havana and then on to Spain . During this period , there was a very intense drive to improve , not only the speed of the ships involved in this contest , but also their maneuverability and ability to sail into the wind ( the close haul ) . It was a matter of life or death , and immense wealth was at stake . Jean d ' Ango , father and son , came to be among the wealthiest and most influential men in France . Giovanni da Verrazano ( of Verrazano - Narrows fame ) and Jean Fleury are among the unsung heroes of this epic saga about which so little has been written . The activities of the corsairs were so profitable that the Minister of the Navy used this in his strategy to make money . Moreover , the King used to take one quarter and even one third of the booty . The corsairs ' activities weakened France ' s enemies ; indeed , the English trade losses were very important from 1688 until 1717 . The relationship between the corsairs and the State changed depending on who was leader . The rules became stricter and State control more and more present . At the end of the 18th century , the " course " started to decline until its legal death in 1856 . The " course " disappeared in France with the Empire in 1804 , but was officially ended only in 1815 during a meeting in Paris , where every major nation except Spain , Mexico and United States was present during the Congress of Vienna . Famous corsairs . Jean - François Roberval . Jean - François de La Roque de Roberval ( c . 1500 – 1560 ) was a French nobleman and adventurer who , through his friendship with King Francis , became the first Lieutenant General of New France . As a corsair , he attacked towns and shipping throughout the Spanish Main , from Cuba to Colombia . He died a Huguenot martyr . Jean - François Roberval ( c . 1500 - 1560 ) was a lifelong friend of King Francis . When his appointment as the first Lieutenant General of New France did not work out , he attempted to pay off his debts through privateering . The Spanish Caribbean was his main target , since at that time France and Spain were at war . Known to the Spanish as Roberto Baal , in 1543 he sacked Rancherias and Santa Marta , followed by an attack in 1544 on Cartagena de Indias . In 1546 , ships under his command attacked Baracoa and Havana . The next year , he retired from pirating . René Duguay - Trouin . René Duguay - Trouin was born in Saint - Malo in 1673 , and the son of a rich ship owner took a fleet of 64 ships and was honoured in 1709 for capturing more than 300 merchant ships and 20 warships . He had a brilliant privateering and naval career and eventually became " Lieutenant - General of the Naval Armies of the King " , " i . e . , " admiral , ( French : Lieutenant - Général des armées navales du roi ) , and a Commander in the Order of Saint - Louis . He died peacefully in 1736 . Robert Surcouf . Robert Surcouf was the last and best known corsair of Saint - Malo . Born there in 1773 , his father was a ship owner and his mother the daughter of a captain . Ship ' s boy at 13 and corsair captain at 22 years old , and then — very much against his licence — for several years attacked ships including those of the French East India Company , or " Compagnie Française des Indes " . During the French Revolution , the " convention " government disapproved of " lettres de course " , so Surcouf operated at great personal risk as a pirate against British shipping to India . Surcouf was so successful that he became a popular celebrity in France . After a brief early retirement Surcouf again operated against shipping to the Indies . Surcouf became a ship owner himself and died in Saint - Malo in 1827 . There is a statue of him on public display .