How long did the average captive remain in pirate custody before being ransomed or sold?

The length of time a captive remained in pirate custody before being ransomed or sold varied widely depending on several factors, including the location, the type of pirates involved, and the status of the captive. Typically, the average captive might be held anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Pirates primarily sought to extract the maximum financial benefit, so they would usually hold prisoners long enough to negotiate a ransom with family members, employers, or governments.

In some cases, the negotiation process was relatively swift, especially if the captive was of high social or economic standing and had resources capable of paying a ransom. When ransoms were paid promptly, captives could be released within weeks. However, for less prominent prisoners, the wait could extend much longer because pirates had little incentive to rush the sale or negotiation. The captive might be kept as a bargaining chip until a better offer materialized or until they were sold to slave traders.

Pirate captives were sometimes used as slaves themselves, in which case their fate rested on the dynamics of the regional slave markets. This could result in longer captivity if pirates believed they could obtain a higher price over time. Throughout all this, captives lived under harsh conditions, often confined in cramped quarters aboard pirate ships or in makeshift prisons on shore, contributing to the urgency many faced once any ransom was offered.

Overall, while it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact average duration, most captives spent a period of several weeks to a few months in pirate hands before being ransomed or sold. This timeframe was influenced by a complex interplay of economic motives, negotiation success, and the strategic calculations of the pirates involved.