Corsairs
In the Mediterranean, privateers operating out of ports in France, Malta, the Barbary Coast and the Ottoman Empire were known as corsairs.
The French and their allies considered corsairs legitimate combatants, provided the vessel's commander carried a valid Lettre de Marque and the officers and crew conducted themselves appropriately. If captured, they were supposedly prisoners of war rather than pirates, a distinction often blurred due to long-standing religious rivalries elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
Maltese corsairs operated under the authority of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John. They included knights of the Order, native Maltese, and foreigners. The relevant Muslim authorities authorised those sailing from the Barbary Coast or the Ottoman Empire.
Regardless of the corsairs' origin, captured vessels and cargo were auctioned, crews and passengers held for ransom or enslaved and the rulers or religious authorities received a percentage of the proceeds.
Links to add:
Malta
Barbary Coast
Ottoman Empire
Order of St. John
