Letters of Marque
In times of war, letters of marque gave privateers — essentially licensed pirates with a degree of legitimacy via official recognition —a quasi-military status, authorising the bearer to attack foreign vessels, take them as prizes and hold their crews as prisoners for exchange. Captured ships were usually sold under prize law, with the proceeds divided between the privateer's sponsors or owners, captains and crews, with a share usually going to whoever issued the letters— usually the sovereign.
