The Pirate History Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.