The Pirate History Podcast

The Gentleman Adventurers set a trap for one of the greatest prizes ever captured. Madre de Deus will test their bravery, ruthlessness, and skill. It will also change England, and the world, forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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