A brigand is a person who lives in a gang and lives in pillage and robbery. Historically, many brigands were simply criminals who banded together to rob people and plunder settlements in order to acquire loot, and these types of criminals included "highwaymen" (horse-riding highway robbers) and "footpads" (muggers). In addition, brigands could also be partisans of a lost cause who refused to give up. Brigands conducted warfare as irregulars and partisans, made the war support itself by plunder, extortion, and ransom, and killed prisoners who could not pay ransom. Brigands have been around since the beginning of time, with brigand armies being active in some poorly-policed regions of Europe from the times of the Roman Empire up until the very end of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. There were brigands still active in southern Italy during the 1860s and in Greece until the 1870s, and Juan Cortina's Mexican brigands raided the United States' American West during the mid-19th century. By the 21st century, the establishment of able law enforcement forces worldwide led to the near-eradication of outward brigandage, although organized crime, street criminals, and piracy are still major issues.
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