Port Royal, Jamaica

In the year 1655 the English forces took over the Caribbean island Jamaica of the Spanish. But they had to less forces in the area to protect the island from the attacks of the French and Spanish. Because of that they made a deal with the buccaneers. The pirates were allowed to dock in the harbour of Port Royal, but to make sure that no ship of the enemy would come close to the island.

Around 1660 Port Royal was also called "Sin City" or the "city without laws", because of all the pirates, wh.res, murderers and other kinds of people that had found their way to the town.

The most famous pirate that lived around Port Royal was Henry Morgan. The government allowed Morgan to plunder Spanish ships and settlements along the coast.
Morgan was only one of the pirates who was able to protect Port Royal with his crew. Because of that the colonial government didn't mind his acts of piracy and violence. In England the king even made him a "Sir" and Morgan became "governor lieutenant" of Jamaica.
The respectable life turned out not to be good for Morgan. In 1688 he died. Morgan had become an alcoholic. After his death Port Royal didn't need the pirates anymore and became a place where pirates were hanged.

The punishment of God? Who knows..
On July 7th 1692 a terrible earth crack made the streets of Port Royal shake. A part of the town was disappeared in the sea. When the news about the earth crack started to spread, people believed that it was the punishment of God.