Edward Mansvelt

Edward Mansvelt
Born	fl. 1659 Curaçao
Died	1666 Isle of St. Catherine
Piratical career
Type	Buccaneer
Allegiance	England
Years active	1650s–1660s
Rank	Admiral
Base of operations	Port Royal

Edward Mansvelt or Mansfield (fl. 1659–1666) was a 17th-century Dutch corsair and buccaneer who, at one time, was acknowledged as an informal chieftain of the "Brethren of the Coast". He was the first to organise large scale raids against Spanish settlements, tactics which would be utilised to attack Spanish strongholds by later buccaneers in future years, and held considerable influence in Tortuga and Port Royal. He was widely considered one of the finest buccaneers of his day and, following his death, his position was assumed by his protégé and vice-admiral, Henry Morgan.^[1]