Brethren Court

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This article is about the meeting of the Pirate Lords. You may be looking for the musical theme "Brethren Court" or the wiki forums: Brethren Forum.

Brethren Court
General information
Leader	Pirate King
Notable members	Pirate Lords Keeper of the Code
Ships
Headquarters	Pirate Hall, Shipwreck Island
Other information
Affiliation	Barbary Corsairs Buccaneers New Orleans pirates Pirate Confederation of China Sao Feng's Empire Spanish Treasure Fleet
Behind the scenes
First appearance	At World's End (video game)
Latest appearance	At World's End

"As he who issued summons, I convene this, the fourth Brethren Court!"

―Hector Barbossa^[src]

The Brethren Court, also known as the Order of the Brethren^[1], Pirate Conclave^[2] or Pirate Council,^[3] was the formal organization of the nine Pirate Lords and their followers, intended to serve as a ruling council for pirates across the world in matters of emergency.

Contents 1 Structure 2 History 2.1 The first Brethren Court 2.1.1 Known members 2.1.2 Known ships 2.2 The second Brethren Court 2.2.1 Known members 2.2.2 Known ships 2.3 The third Brethren Court 2.3.1 Known members 2.4 The fourth Brethren Court 2.4.1 Known members 2.4.2 Pirate fleet 2.4.2.1 Known ships 3 Appearances 4 Sources 5 Notes and references

[edit] Structure

"There's not been a gatherin' like this in our lifetime."
"And I owe them all money."

―Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow^[src]

The Brethren Court was led by the Pirate King, chosen by popular vote by the nine Pirate Lords, each lord hailing from a different region spread across the Four Corners of the Earth. This system of election was known to be flawed, as the pirates would commonly vote for themselves, making a decision difficult. The title was non-gender specific, though Elizabeth Swann was believed to be the first female Pirate King.

Pirate Lords were required to each carry a piece of eight, signifying their status as a member of the Brethren Court. It was initially suggested that the Pirate Lords carry actual silver coins, though the pirates, finding themselves short on money, opted for holding various items and trinkets that would be instantly recognisable and linked to the individual Lord.

Meetings of the Brethren Court were convened by means of a "call" intended to draw all nine Lords to a single location. This call took the form of a sea shanty, Hoist the Colours, known to all pirates.

[edit] History

"Advise your Brethren. You can fight, and all of you will die. Or you can not fight, in which case only most of you will die."

―Cutler Beckett^[src]

[edit] The first Brethren Court

The first Brethren Court consisted of the Nine Pirate Lords who bound the sea goddess Calypso in her human form, on the instruction of Davy Jones. They sealed her fate with Nine Pieces of Eight, so that the rule of the seas would belong to men. According to a legend, this Court was in the times of Ancient Greece, however this cannot be true. ^[4] The Brethren would convene a further three times before her eventual release.

[edit] Known members

• Calypso
• Davy Jones
• Unknown Pirate King

[edit] Known ships

• Flying Dutchman
• First Pirate King's flagship

[edit] The second Brethren Court

On the second Brethren Meeting the Pirates' Code was set down by the Captains Morgan and Bartholomew and recorded in the Pirata Codex. In addition to the Nine Pirate Lords new Members of the Court were appointed: the keeper of the code and the carriers of the code.^[4]

[edit] Known members

• Bartholomew
• Henry Morgan
• Teague

[edit] Known ships

• Henry Morgan's flagship
• Bartholomew's ship
• Misty Lady

[edit] The third Brethren Court

During the third Brethren Court, a pirate thief named Tartaglia attempted to use the Timekeeper as a false Piece of Eight to fool the assembled Pirate Lords into thinking he was one of them. His plan failed and the third Brethren Court ended in violence^[5].

[edit] Known members

• Tartaglia^[6].

[edit] The fourth Brethren Court

The fourth Brethren Court was called when the song was sung by convicted pirates and pirate associates at Fort Charles, initially sent forth by Hector Barbossa^[7]. The majority of the Brethren assembled in the Pirate Hall on Shipwreck Island, joined later by the recently-resurrected Jack Sparrow and Barbossa, and Elizabeth Swann, who replaced Sao Feng. Barbossa chaired the meeting, noting that the Brethren had not gathered in either his or Sparrow's lifetime.

The Brethren assembled to discuss their course of action against Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company, finally decided following the election of Elizabeth Swann to the position of Pirate King. She elected to go to war, upon which the Pirate Lords agreed. Their nine pieces of eight were burned as part of a ritual that saw the release of Calypso, and the ultimate defeat of Lord Beckett.

[edit] Known members

• Ammand
• Hector Barbossa
• Chevalle
• Ching
• Jocard
• Prison Dog
• Teague
• Ragetti
• Jack Sparrow
• Sumbhajee Angria
• Elizabeth Swann
• Eduardo Villanueva

[edit] Pirate fleet

"Prepare every vessel that floats. At dawn, we're at war."

―Elizabeth Swann to the Brethren Court^[src]

The fleet of the Brethren Court numbered less than the three hundred ships Cutler Beckett marshalled against it, but was comprised of every vessel available at Shipwreck Cove. The fleet, prepared following the fourth meeting of the Brethren, brought together pirate vessels from around the world. The armada that witnessed the battle of Calypso's maelstrom included ships as diverse as galleons, ketches, sloops, boutres, schooners, frigates, galleys, brigs and junks.^[8] Ching commanded a vast fleet of pirate junks,^[9] while Sao Feng's Empress made an appearance, helmed by Tai Huang.

[edit] Known ships

• Black Pearl
• Centurion
• Misty Lady
• Ranger
• Fancy
• Empress
• Ching's flagship
• Seref
• Otter

[edit] Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First mentioned)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game) (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours (Mentioned only)

[edit] Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - The Official Website
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Pirates' Guidelines

[edit] Notes and references

1. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game): "Port Royal"
3. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game): "Tortuga"
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Pirates' Guidelines
5. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours
6. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours
7. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide p88-89 "Shipwreck Island"
8. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p92-93 "The Wrath of Calypso"
9. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p90-91, "Pirate Lords"

Members of the Brethren Court
Pirate Kings First Pirate King – Elizabeth Swann Pirate Lords Ammand – Sumbhajee Angria – Hector Barbossa – Chevalle – Ching – Sao Feng Jocard – Jack Sparrow – Elizabeth Swann – Eduardo Villanueva Aides: Askay – Pusasn Keeper of the Code: Teague Others: Prison Dog
[edit]