Charles de la Cerda privatizes France's sea war

De la Cerda brought noble connections, recruiting power, and Castilian vessels that were generally larger than English clinker-built ships. A large annual payment plus captured prizes encouraged attacks on isolated merchants, but also gave the French crown little control over how the force behaved. Nobles killed captured crews, while pirates often favored surrender, ransom, and continued commerce because those practices supported their business. Entrusting such power to a contracted commander reveals the French crown's naval weakness as much as de la Cerda's usefulness.