12 interesting facts about pirates (Part 1)

1. Homogeneous marriage

For centuries before humankind recognized homosexuality as a normal thing, pirates were already in the seventeenth century practiced a homogeneous marriage. The two-men union was called "matelotage" - a French word that could be translated as a seamanship. It is alleged that in 1645 Tortuga Governor even asked in the New World to send hundreds of prostitutes to "banish a man from a man."

Marine life was similar to that of a traditional marriage. The marriage had a common property, and there were also one another's heirs in the event of death. It has been argued that in the long run, the "matelotage" has shrunk to the present time, and now it's used in a completely different way - "mate".

(Photo Credit - pixabay)
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