The Pirate History Podcast

No organization, not the Armada de Barlovento nor the Royal Navy, terrified pirates as much as the East India Company. The Company was brutal, efficient, and merciless. Strangely, the company's roots were similar to those of the pirates themselves. Today we look at those roots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William Dampier and Charles Swan go ashore on Mindanao to meet with the Sultan. However, things on the island are not exactly how they appear. Did I steal this title from a story about Indonesia I heard on the radio? Maybe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'The Fleshpots of Asia' was a stereotype held for many years. The roots of that phrase and that stereotype come largely from the experiences of those who visited the East Indies during the Colonial Era, and had experiences similar to those that we will be exploring today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We get to meet the crew of a pirate ship. Not just the Captain and Quartermaster, but the real pirates. We talk about their jobs on board, their character, and the relationships on board. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're taking our first steps into Southeast Asia through the eyes of Ferdinand Magellan. And the Dread Pirate Roberts. And one deadly rabbit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is sort of a time hopping adventure. We're looking at William Dampier in the East Indies alongside the story of Ferdinand Magellan. It kind of weird, but as an introduction to the Pacific we couldn't ask for better guides. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When William Dampier arrived in the East Indies he found a world that had been forever altered by contact with Europeans. Today we talk about the voyages that initiated that contact. Those voyages would shape the political and economic face of the globe for centuries. I attempt to lighten the mood with really bad jokes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're returning to the sea, and our overall narrative. This is the tale of William Dampier, Charles Swan, and The crew of Cygnet as they leave the Americas behind and sail west into the largest body of water in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I will make no concession. My father made concessions, and he was beheaded.” Those words were spoken by King James II of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. They proved to be the harbinger of three revolutions that would shape British society until this very day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who was Charles II, King of England, Ireland, & Scotland? His reign defined the era of the English Buccaneers, and his flaws were largely responsible for the growing division in British society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Stuart Dynasty was born in Scotland, but once they took the English throne, especially when Charles II was restored, they began to persecute their Scottish brethren. Today we look at Stuart policies in Scotland, and how they stirred the rebellious pot that was bubbling in Britain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The English Monarchy has long been one of the most divisive and unifying institutions in the world. Its relationship with the English people has been difficult, and the monarchy has been challenged time and again by the English people. Today we look at that tumultuous history, and how that will impact our story moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Age of Enlightenment saw some of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known. It saw the application of their ideas in the many revolutions that shaped the modern world. Today we look at one of the earliest proto-Enlightenment thinkers, and how his ideas shaped our perception of the Golden Age pirates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're discussing Apocalypse, allegory, the name Jacques, JRR Tolkien, and the actions of James Misson and the pirate ship Victorie on the west coast of Africa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're moving forward, at last. We introduce our first pirate from A General History of the Pyrates, and discuss truth, lies, and liberty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our final episode looking back on the story so far. We're talking about the 1680s, and the end of the Buccaneers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Piracy Act of 1677 turned thousands of privateers into ... unemployed privateers. They turned to other trades like trading and logwood cutting. But a select few chose instead to use their true talents in the voyage known as the Pacific Adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Piracy Act of 1677 changed everything for a generation of English privateers. Literally overnight hundreds of sailors were turned from legal, licensed, legitimate, privateers into Enemies of the Whole Human Race. A few chose to go off the account, but John Coxon chose a Pirate's Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're zooming in, narrowing our scope, and focusing on the Franco-Dutch War of the 1670s. That war was the seminal event for an explosion of privateers turned pirates that would infest the Americas for more than a decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we discuss what might be the largest pirate raid in history: Henry Morgan's attack on Panama. The actual attack takes a backseat though, to the surrounding political, military, and piratical forces at play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk about Henry Morgan as Admiral of The Brethren of the Coast. We discuss his raids on Puerto Principe, Porto Bello, and Maracaibo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we discuss the two pirates that defined the early years of the Buccaneer era: Francois l'Olonais and Henry Morgan. We follow them on their raids, as well as a number of other pirates that terrorized the West Indies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1655 the English invaded Jamaica, but the island almost immediately fell into drunken debauchery and piracy. In an effort to quell that trend the King sent over Christopher Myngs. But he and his lieutenants Edward Mansvelt and Edward Morgan turned Port Royal into the pirate capital of the West Indies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we follow an imaginary young man to the New World in the waning years of the 30 Years War. We discuss his struggles and slip into piracy as he arrives in the West Indies. Then we talk about the real world Buccaneers that lived similar experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're continuing on our journey toward the Buccaneers. We're talking about the formative events of the early 17th Century, the events that will forge the first Buccaneers in the fires of war and strife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our 100th Episode! And it's 2019! The new year promises to be an exciting one for The Pirate History Podcast, and for our centenary episode I'm going to be cramming everything you need to know before we set out into two episodes. I hope it works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clint Danseker. Zymen Eastwood. John Ward & Jack Wayne. Revenge and betrayal. We're finishing up our look at the Barbary Pirates today, and doing so through the lens of the Western. I, maybe, take it too far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to talk about Murat Reis. No, not that one. Not that other one either. He was born Jan Janszoon, and his legacy was the first attempt at a radical idea: A Pirate Republic. In his case, the Independent Corsair Republic of Sale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we follow the pirates after they leave Algiers for more welcoming shores. Zymen Danseker & Sir Francis Verney took a different road from their comrades. Their paths wind through clandestine deals, betrayal, and happy reunions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Ward, Zymen Danseker, Bill Graves, Francis Verney, and every other pirate in Barbary were all gathered in Algiers when Spain showed up to crash the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Ward returned to Tunis with problems piling up. His greatest ship was gone, along with hundreds of his sailors. And soon, he lost his greatest ally, Uthman Dey. So, we discuss the steps he took following that return. And I get annoyed with my sources. Like, really annoyed. In fact, that's most of the episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to discuss the fall of what was once the top sea power in the world. The Republic of Venice replaced the Byzantine Empire as the primary check on Ottoman sea power. So, why weren't they players in the Age of Exploration? Today we look at one of the major factors in her decline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news that John Ward was dead sent ripples throughout the Mediterranean world, and narrowly avoided calamity. However, the question remained, what happened out there? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relations between England & Venice continued to unravel in the face of English pirates like Jack Ward attacking Venetian shipping. The task of circumventing a war fell on the shoulders of two diplomats, neither of whom were up to the task. Both failed in their missions, in very different ways. However, the realities of seafaring life saved their missions by taking away the very cause of all that international tension. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The aftermath of John Ward's capture of the Reniera e Soderina caused diplomatic relations to break down between England and Venice. Dealing with that fallout, as well as the fate of John Ward, rested in the hands of two European diplomats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The saga of the English Merchantman Charity was only just beginning when she was attacked by three Pirate ships of John Ward's fleet. We're going to follow Captain Bannister and his crew on their fateful journey. And we will look at Zymen Danseker and his first consequential raids in the Mediterranean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Anthony Shirley was an English nobleman turned soldier turned privateer turned (or at least accused of being a) pirate. But then his affairs ran afoul of that English Arch-Pirate John Ward. Ward was back on the prowl, and his next exploit would create even larger ripples than the capture of Reniera e Soderina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're talking about two new pirates on today's episode. Somehow I turn that conversation into one of class bias, historical accuracy, and 400 year old international conspiracy theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Ward sets out on his first cruises from Tunis into the Mediterranean. His successes mirror those of Barbarossa or Francis Drake. And then he happens upon a ship that will make him infamous the world over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we discuss how a pirate might have talked in 1600, and then we follow John Ward to Algiers where he gained a famous reputation and influenced a famous name. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Maghreb was a fertile location for outright piracy at the turn of the 17th century. No national, monarchical, or imperial power held sway there thanks to mutiny, revolution, and what some have called anarchist sensibilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first decade of the 17th century saw an explosion of Mediterranean piracy that was unlike anything the world had ever seen. Today we will introduce the first of these pirates and discuss the culture of privateering and piracy that led to a sea change in how violence on the sea was conducted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our story today bridges three different stories. The Sephardi Jews that made their way to Amsterdam, the Barbary Corsairs, and the Dutch in revolt all meet in today's story thanks to one mariner who was a pirate, a diplomat, a merchant, and a spy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the death of Barbarossa a number of corsairs vied for his position, but only one commander commanded the respect of the men, the trust of the Sultan, and the love of the late Khizr. Turgut Reis became known in Europe as Dragut. On Barbary he was called The Drawn Sword of Islam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The aftermath of Preveza was contentious, but Barbarossa and his closest allies worked to secure Ottoman hegemony in the Mediterranean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The defeat at Tunis was a major blow to Barbarossa, but he would retaliate with a scourge of piracy that dwarfed any that had come before. The Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor had to answer his challenge and did so in the last great sea battle fought with oars and galleys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The contest for the Mediterranean reaches a fever pitch as Barbarossa ravages the shores of Italy and then returns to Africa. Charles V realizes his mistake in ignoring the younger Barbarossa brother, and decides to rectify the situation in the city of Tunis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we introduce the major players in the building conflict. We talk about Charles V & Suleiman the Magnificent. We talk about Khizr Barbarossa and his Italian raids that culminated in one of Renaissance Italy's greatest tales. We discuss Sinan Reis, who the Portuguese called 'The Great Jew' and his personal war on Spanish shipping that brought Mediterranean trade to a virtual halt. And then we introduce the last major player. Andrea Doria, a Genoese mercenary who turned down a crown to continue his fight against the Corsairs of Barbary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles V arrives in Oman with ten thousand soldiers to face off against the Pirate King Barbarossa. Within months of his arrival territories have changed hands and most of the major players have changed. Soon enough it was an entirely new crop of soldiers and sailors and commanders facing off in an ancient contest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our story today is the pinnacle of piracy in the career of the Barbarossa brothers. Their actions, combined with Ottoman and Spanish policies, brought and end to their pirate career. But they were transformed into something more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices