Privateers and Kings

1660

''Privateers and Kings'' is the first book in a new series that tells of one family and their progeny whose fortunes and actions are fictional. In following the family down through the centuries in the Butler Family Chronicle series, I have set them in events that did happen or could have happened.

Book one of the Butler Family Chronicles, "Privateers and Kings ", depicts the American Colonies during and after the reformation in England. As a work of fiction this book and the series that follows tell of a family of entrepreneurs who, as privateers and colonists, benefited from the generosity of the Stuart Kings they loyally served. Although many well-known names and historical events are included, fictitious liberties have been taken with characters that actually lived and fictitious speech put into their mouths which, in my opinion, are not out of character for the persons involved.
The Stuart Kings, James I, Charles I, Charles II and James II, were generous in their granting, chartering or giving away land in North America. It was land that none of the Kings had never even seen. It cost them nothing for this generosity and furthered the British plan of imperialism. New England, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia were given to friends and proprietor's. New York and New Jersey were added to the crown in a bloodless war against the Netherlands and given by Charles the second to his brother the Duke of York. Charles also gave Pennsylvania to William Penn to settle a debt.

The Virginia colony began as a commune, governed by a group of stockholders in London. The settlers had no rights except to work and produce for their proprietors. When these communes were ready to collapse due to mismanagement and the lack of will to work hard to produce crops for unknown persons in England, changes were made in the articles of incorporation to allow the settlers to own and manage their land. The colonists eventually survived, persevered and soon prospered.
As privateers the Butler family, as did other privateers of time, augmented the naval arm of Britain in the capture and destruction of enemy ships and cargoes thereby profiting from the many wars being fought during this period.

The adventures depicted in this story paralleled actual happenings in those early days in the development of our country. Distance, travel time and a different lifestyle between the two continents isolated colonists from England and they began to develop a new culture, the genesis of a future nation.

Author: Brad Koch

Title: Privateers and Kings

Series: The Butler Family Chronicles

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Format: Kindle

Date: 25 October 2013

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