Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers

by Albert Marrin

Romanticized in modern times, the pirates of the 1600s were actually a ruthless lot, and a historian sheds new light on a man who was a failed gentleman and inspired the respect of his outlaw peers, yet also earned a knighthood.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Pirates

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Albert Marrin is a historian and the author of more than twenty nonfiction books for young people. He has won various awards for his writing, including the 2005 James Madison Book Award and the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal. In 2011, his book Flesh and Blood So Cheap was a National Book Award Finalist. Marrin is the Chairman of the History Department at New York's Yeshiva University.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seventeenth-century life certainly was less stable than it would become for much of the populace a few hundred years later. Humans had yet to achieve far-reaching control over their gigantic planet, leaving room for outlaws to do as they pleased and still dodge punishment from authorities. As conquest of the New World took shape and the premier powers of Europe commissioned explorers to claim and settle these foreign lands, the stakes rose in land disputes between sovereign entities. Spain, Portugal, England, France, and other nations wanted their share of the New World's vast wealth, and resorted to any treachery they could imagine to promote their own interests. It was the ideal era for a man like Henry Morgan to flourish, a cutthroat buccaneer who took full advantage of government mandates in order to sack and plunder elegant cities, killing thousands of people and writing his name into the history books as a ruthless man of magnificent charisma and terrifying ambition. Legends of Captain Morgan would be told in every corner of the world for centuries after his death, stories about a man who influenced global culture as much as anyone else of his day. His is a grand yet unsettling tale with no clearcut message, just the exploits of a marauder operating in accord with the moral standards of his time. Readers can take from it what they wish.

Henry Morgan of Wales didn't attain his prime as a buccaneer captain until age thirty-two, but rarely after that did he make any notable blunders while commanding his ship and crew. Fearless to the bone, he ordered raids on fortified Spanish holdings throughout the Caribbean, slaying leaders, enslaving citizens, and gathering their loot to boost his own wealth and that of his crew. Puerto Príncipe, Maracaibo, and Old Panama were his three greatest triumphs, takeover missions he completed against staggering odds with minimal losses to his stalwart crew of buccaneers. By the time he lost his men's confidence and retired from government-sanctioned pirating in favor of a life of luxury as Jamaica's governor, Captain Morgan's reputation was sealed in common lore, his story already a source of fascination to others who dreamed of voyaging the seven seas and taking crazy chances as Morgan did. He was a stone-cold killer who took pleasure in the suffering of others, but Henry Morgan was by no means a forgettable man.

Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers is a deceptively dense read that contains a lot of detail, but its main value is author Albert Marrin's instruction on how to correctly view history. "(A) word of caution is necessary when considering the buccaneer life. Fiction, particularly good fiction, can easily blur the difference between entertainment and truth. By playing to our emotions, fiction tempts us to identify with attractive figures, even glorify them." Captain Morgan was a robber and murderer, not a romantic hero of the high seas, and the author takes care not to portray him as such. At the same time, judging him by today's ethical standards would be backwards and unfair. "Sir Henry Morgan may not have been a likable person....History remembers him as a thief, and so should we. Yet, to be fair, we must also remember that he was a product of his age, as we are of ours." Behavior today deemed reprehensible by the majority may not have been considered out of bounds centuries ago, and it's crucial that we respect the ways of people in other times and cultures. To hold ourselves up as superior is nothing but recency bias, an insidious form of bigotry in itself. Albert Marrin also reminds us to suspend hindsight when reading history, recognizing that yesterday's dramas felt as poignant, harrowing, and unpredictable to the people involved in them as ours do to us. "Today we can look back and see the story unfold to its 'inevitable' conclusion. Yet, in the seventeenth century, all was suspense and uncertainty." Major crises feel like the end of the world to whatever generation is living them, and we have to look at historical events through that lens if we're to understand what they meant to contemporaries so we can apply the lessons to our own lives. That's how we learn from history, and why authors such as Albert Marrin devote their careers to telling true stories for kids. Clear comprehension of the past provides the wisdom needed to properly shape our future.

This isn't the most riveting nonfiction book, but it's refreshing to see a factual account for kids of events that predate the American Revolution. Scraping together enough information for a full-length book on the secretive Henry Morgan had to be a challenge, and I respect Albert Marrin for successfully doing so. The concluding paragraphs of the narrative are a nice poetic touch, too. I'd probably rate Terror of the Spanish Main one and a half stars, but it's a solid information source about the most renowned buccaneer of the 1600s, and I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more of Albert Marrin's award-winning juvenile nonfiction.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells a story of a man who lived a pirates life with England's blessing. The adventures of Henry Morgan are interesting and learning about the way life was back in the 1600's was also very interesting. The main problem with the book is that the author is not the greatest story teller in the world. He often tries to romanticize stuff too much instead of just telling you how it was. His histories were disjointed and even boring at parts. Often times there was way too much back story before he got to what he was really trying to tell you. Still, enjoyable read. Just not a real page turner.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about Sir Henry Morgan, a vicious Welsh buccaneer who had a nasty habit of trying to get info on the location of loot from Spanish victims by roasting women alive, putting bands on victims' heads and squeezing so hard their eyes popped out, and putting women in containers of gunpowder and demanding info with a lit match. The British honored him as a hero despite knowing he did this for profit since it was against their enemy, Spain. He wound up as a rich landowner in Jamaica.,

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way more then I wanted to! JK It was really sad how brutal the Buccaneers were, but it was their way of life. There was tons of history in it that was interesting. And the origan of so many of the words.......wow. That is really cool!

[Colin Kemmis]

Great description of the pirate's life and the times they lived in. Included the politics of the day without boredom. Made for a little younger readers but I still enjoyed it greatly. Vivid depictions throughout.

[Teresa TL Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, Albert Marrin writes history in an engaging way that makes a story out of real places, people and events. The REAL picture of piracy and politics in the Carribean...