The Pirate History Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The aftermath of Preveza was contentious, but Barbarossa and his closest allies worked to secure Ottoman hegemony in the Mediterranean.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In 1502 two Papal Galleys were attacked off the coast of Italy by two Barbary corsairs with fiery red beards. Their attack shook Europe to its core.

Today we talk about the history of a land, and its native inhabitants. The Mediterranean coast of North Africa and the Berber People. We cover all the big events from 10,000 BCE until 1492. Carthage, Rome, the Vandals, and finally Arabian rule. We talk about Pagan Berbers, Jewish Berbers, Christian Monastic Berbers, and Islamic Berbers. We don't talk about the Zoroastrians. There just isn't time. There is discussion of liberty as a concept and the personification of that ideal. We talk about the role of women in society, how and why empires fall, and what it means to endure.

Today we discuss the Jewish population of Jamaica after most of the Catholics left. Then we'll talk about the first of two major figures in world politics that would influence their fate. It's a big picture episode, discussing how the Protestant Reformation, the Ottoman overthrow of the Dracula Dynasty, and an agent of the French king all play into the lives of the twenty Jewish families left on Jamaica.