The Victoire Democracy
by Jon Blanchard

A sailor and shipwright who came to be known as Francois Mission was born in Provence, France sometime before or around 1660. What little is actually known about him is the result of first hand accounts made by Thomas Tew and his crew to Daniel Dafoe/Captain Charles Johnson in the early 1700's as well as what shipping Hansard's as are available from the era.

Mission is said to have gone to sea at 16 and matured into a contradiction. Perhaps a decorated junior officer of the French Naval line. Mission is supposed to have been a noted and quite deadly fencer, but all that is certain is that Mission was rebel Democratic activist - all before 1692 - almost a century before the term 'Democracy' struck cold fear into steel Nobel born hearts throughout Europe.

Mission was said to be a passionate and erstwhile Christian, perhaps a displaced Huguenot. However like most men of his time - he was forced to kill at every opportunity at the behest of the King and Pope. He did so bravely and was ultimately promoted on the Victoire for both his valor and deadly leadership while discharging his assignments on French Ships of the Line.

Finally after a particularly vicious battle with a Moorish raider, where Mission is credited with single handedly killing more than a half dozen Moors during a boarding, he became inconsolably remorseful. When the Victoire docked in Italy - he was ordered to seek solace and absolution in the confessional.

By blind chance, a radical young Italian priest named Pare Caraccioli heard Mission's confession. Mission's confession of his seafaring adventures and sins so stimulated and intrigued the radical Padre - he promptly went to sea with his visitor. The two men spent weeks discussing the troubled times in which they lived with their shipmates and, like many men their age through the ages, conversation drifted to a better a world ruled differently.

During the patrol a Dutch frigate surprised the watch as it hove out from a mist and raked the Victoire from stem to stern before her guns could be chocked. Victoire was suddenly locked in a deadly battle unprepared. Dutch grape struck and instantly killed the Victoire's captain and several officers in the first moments of the engagement and the remaining Second officer made to run up the flag of surrender having been unable to regain order from the bridge.

Francois Mission had never surrendered his ship before and would not have it now. Mission knocked his superior unconscious and took command. Above the roar of the cannon and the whine of Dutch chain sweeping the decks - he lead the brave crew of the Victoire to rally and, ultimately, survived the encounter.

After the battle, there was much indecision. Mission would most certainly be hanged for assulting a superior officer during an engagement despite saving the ship. Moreover - given they had been badly surprised and the Victoire severely injured without capturing the Dutchman - the crew would all have to bear the inquisition regarding their role in damaging the King's property and the death of their noble born Captain.

Mission and Caraccioli conferred at length. Then finally Caraccioli confronted the men. He said:

'You, Francois, and you, my friends, have often spoken idly of wanting to be not subjects to a king but free citizens in a better world, in which liberty and equality of rights prevail. You have wished for an ideal Republic. Then here it is, the (Pirate) Republic of the Victoire!'

There were several moments of stunned silence as the swell rang the anchors and the wash rolled the wounded and the dead. But thus was born what is considered the first and least understood modern democracy.

Instead of the Black Roger - the Victoire flew a pure white flag embroidered with the motto 'A Deo a Libertate'. They equally divided all money and all belongings and dwelt in physical equality. On every possible occasion, Captain Mission exercised his belief in equality and liberty. Upon capturing his first Dutchman, he freed all the slaves and made them citizens of his amphibious democracy.

The Victoire raids on shipping were often as bloodless as they were cunning. Captain Mission using strength of word alone, won 11 volunteers for his floating Republic from their next Dutch trader. From the next, a fat English merchantman carrying shot and powder, Mission lured 30 British converts and a considerable supply of ammunition.

It was noted that, while as deadly as anything at sea at the time, the Victoire performed with great sensitivity and good humor. If possible - ensuring that pillaged ships were prepared and provisioned to make landfall following raids with what officers and passengers as wished to take their leave after scuttling their guns. While booty was plentiful, the Victoire primary raided to obtain food, arms, supplies and voluntary citizens.

Finally, when the sea colony of freemen and their riches had grown large, and their dreams had grown fat with them, Captain Mission realized that he must set anchor. He had once rounded the Cape and remembered a warm hidden island with a broad expanse of white beach and a deep harbor. The crew was piped to vote and made sail for a small island in the Comoro group, between Madagascar and the east coast of Africa. Here Captain Mission and his several hundred colonists built a bustling island paradise. A small amphitheater was specially constructed to hold meetings.

According to Charles Johnson writing in 1724 - Mission rose, lifted his flagon of wine and spoke:

'Here comes into being today the Republic of Libertatia. You, my people, are the Liberi. We dedicate ourselves to the spread of liberty, and the love of liberty, toleration, and the love of humanity under whatever faith and whatever skin. May our fortune equal the greatness of our hope!'

Mission and Caraccioli decided that Libertatia must have an organized democracy and popular law separate from the rules that are needed to govern fighting men at Sea. Several members of the fledgling Republic not being seamen at all - being instead slaves, debtors and bond wives.

To this end the pirates and colonists were divided into groups of 10, each group electing one of its number as a representative to a Central Assembly. The representatives elected Mission their first Lord Conservator for a term of 3 years. The Assembly approved Thomas Tew his admiral, a notable Rhode Island Privateer, heading the Libertatia pirate fleet. Caraccioli was approved as Secretary of State.

A printing press and its fonts of type were captured in a raid - and a newspaper was born. All money went into a common state treasury. Neither walls nor hedges were permitted to divide neighbors' homes. What cultivated land as was furrowed belonged to the labor that broke the soil. Since the colonists spoke French, English, Portuguese, Dutch and several other tribal dialects - a new official language, a kind of Esperanto, was invented and taught. Thus, a Frenchman, an American, and an Italian ruled a polyglot citizenry over 5 centuries before the formation of the UN and the experimental Island nation flourished.

Mission and his aides married native royalty in an attempt to foster local tribal relations - but complaints began to be heard at Assembly regarding the lack of enough wives for all. Not an uncommon colonial problem in the late 15th century, but a pressing concern for both the men and women of the sometimes short tempered Republic of Libertatia.

Mission realized that to evade a serious depopulation problem he must find additional mates for everyone. Tew took the Fleet on a special raid and intercepted a huge Mecca-bound harem galley. Following a brilliant night assault - Tew released well over a 100 stunned but unharmed females locked below. Later, the bands having been read, the Lord Conservator formally presented them individually to Father Caraccioli and their waiting grooms.

Following several raids on slavers, Portuguese Men of War started assaulting Coastal villages up the Eastern coast of African attempting to track down and crush the Pirate colony. While they were readily repulsed by Tew and the Fleet and several new colonists added to the roles - relations amongst the local coastal tribes were brought to a boiling point.

A coalition of neighboring tribes, fearing the Colony might grow too powerful and subsequently overwhelm them, united and struck. Again the crew of the Victoire were caught off guard, but this time the cunning second mate was unable to win the day. In a bloody continuous two day battle across the Island, Mission and the Pirate Army cut down wave upon wave of enraged warriors, but to avail.

Finally beaten, shocked at the horror of the battle despite their many years as veteran raiders, what remained of the Pirate Republic withdrew their ships. From the safety of the main decks, they stood at attention while the first modern democracy was pillaged, looted and burned to the ground. Then they sailed away.

Mission's spirit and mind were broken and mere weeks later a hurricane demolished what was left of his fleet somewhere off the African coast. Mission and what number of the original colonists as had survived were supposed to have been witnessed by Tew's ship foundering and awash and were claimed to be lost. No further report of the colonists or any subsequent evidence of the considerable treasure they amassed has been recorded.

However, it is said that Captain Charles Johnson's 'A General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates' was a bedside favorite of both Franklin and Voltaire and that they both discussed the implications of the Libertatia Colony and its lost treasure at length. Later, Lafayette named his Revolutionary warship Victoire in honor of Libertatia.

Interest in the Colony was revived last century by William S Boroughs when he noted it as an early Utopian movement in Cities of the Red Light and Johnson's General History has been recently republished - Lyons Press, 1998. ISBN 1-55821-766-5.