George I issued the 1717 proclamation offering pardons to pirates who surrendered.
The proclamation formed part of Britain’s effort to reduce piracy after the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1713. Wartime privateering had left many experienced sailors armed, mobile, and accustomed to attacking commercial shipping.
George I’s government offered pardons to pirates who surrendered within a specified period. The policy encouraged some pirates to abandon their careers, although others rejected it or returned to piracy after accepting a pardon.
The proclamation became especially important in the Bahamas, where Governor Woodes Rogers used royal authority to reestablish British control over Nassau in 1718. The policy did not end piracy immediately, but it helped divide pirates between those seeking legal reintegration and those prepared to continue resisting the law.