I think you could argue that England didn't really become a naval power until they realized that organized piracy could be wildly lucrative. The East India com

I think you could argue that England didn't really become a naval power until they realized that organized piracy could be wildly lucrative. The East India company probably doesn't get founded if a British privateer doesn't capture a Portuguese carrack loaded with spices and make everyone involved rich enough to be a lord. For much of its early history, the merchant shipping of the company heartily supplemented their more legitimate trading with raiding their Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch competitors. Even the Royal Navy was a pretty piratical endeavor. Reading through their wartime exploits, there are a very few big fleet actions, some smaller single-ship actions, and an enormous amount of prize-taking of enemy merchant shipping. And it makes sense - the captain would get one-quarter to three-eighths of the prize's value, with the remainder parceled out down the line to the ship's officers and crew.