Few personalities epitomize the chaos of the late medieval era as well as John Crabbe. Flemish by birth he entered the records through his act of piracy in 1305. Over the next nearly five decades he would serve Flanders, Scotland, and ultimately the English, for whom he fought in the Battle of Sluys. Along the way he lost a son to the Scots, captured many prizes, and sailed his way through international politics, ultimately earning him both fame and infamy before his death in 1352.