In the predominantly male world of Caribbean piracy during the 17th and 18th centuries, sailors used an arrangement known as matelotage. The term comes from the French word matelot, meaning “sailor,” and described a contract between two crewmen who pledged to support each other in case of illness or injury and to share their booty equally.
Over time, and in the near absence of women in pirate life, some of these agreements became de facto partnerships, including sexual relationships. The arrangement could also allow one partner to leave his property to the other.
Matelotage was especially common on the island of Tortuga. However, the agreements were not always equal: some involved an experienced pirate and a young cabin boy. They remained illegal arrangements, recognized only within pirate ships and ports.
In 1645, the arrival in Tortuga of 1,500 prostitutes, brought there at the governor’s request, led many pirates to end these partnerships. Matelotage disappeared along with piracy. Nearly three centuries later, the Netherlands became the first country to legally recognize same-sex marriage, in 2001.
Sources: Focus.it.