French corsairs now a small museum. French corsairs Corsairs () were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid letter of marque ( or , the latter giving "corsairs" their name), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law.
Name of France This nation is also explicitly mentioned by Julius Caesar in his "Notebooks on the Gallic War" ("Commentarii de Bello Gallico"). The name of the former French currency, the franc, comes from the words engraved on the coins of the Frankish King, "Rex Francorum", meaning "King of the Franks" or "Roi des Francs" in French. In most of the Latin languages, France is known by the word "France" or any of its derivatives, for example "Francia" in Italian and Spanish. In most of the Germanic languages, France is known as the historical "Land of the Franks", for example "Frankreich" (Reich of