Privateer 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 (fr. "Lettre de Marque" or "Lettre de Course"), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law. By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could
British and French declaration of war on Germany British and French declaration of war on Germany The Declaration of war by France and the United Kingdom was given on 3rd September 1939, after German forces invaded Poland. Despite the speech being the official announcement of both France and the United Kingdom, the speech was given by the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, in Westminster, London. Below is the speech, given by Neville Chamberlain. This audio from the broadcast of the speech contains the first 2 minutes, 53 seconds of the declaration. At the conclusion of the First World War, the German Empire signed the First Armistice at Compiègne