The Barbary Pirates 15th-17th Centuries

Osprey Elite #213

by Angus Konstam, Gerry Embleton (Illustrator)

For the best part of three centuries the “corsairs,” or pirates, from the “Barbary” coasts of North Africa dominated the western and central Mediterranean, making forays far into the Atlantic and preying on the shipping and coastal settlements across Christian Europe, ranging from Greece to West Africa to the British Isles. In the absence of organized European navies, they seldom faced serious opposition, and the scope of their raiding was remarkable.

As well as piracy and slave-raiding, they fought as privateers, sharing their spoils with the rulers of the port cities that provided them with ships, men, and a ready market. This book examines their development and style of fighting, chronicles their achievements and failures, and illustrates their appearance and that of their ships, explaining why they were so feared and so effective.

Genres: History, Northern Africa, Africa, 17th Century, 16th Century, Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2016

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

They are often called “pirates,” but for almost three hundred years, the marauders hailing from the northern coast of Africa were privateers and the Italians, French, and Spanish referred to them as “corsairs.” Their havens were situated on the Barbary Coast, and their plunder, the most prized of which were slaves, was sold in the markets of Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco. Their raids took them from Greece and other Mediterranean shores to West Africa and the British Isles, and as far as Iceland. The majority of these city-states owed their allegiance to the Ottoman Empire, but Morocco remained independent. In the pages of this entry in Osprey’s Elite series, Konstam focuses on these marauders from the fifteenth century through the middle of the seventeenth when European nations implemented naval and diplomatic strategies to curb the most egregious of their corsairing raids.

The 1500s saw the zenith of the Barbary corsairs, and when the century began, Christians and Muslims have been fighting a “Holy War” for nigh on eight centuries. But the rulers of Africa’s northern shores aren’t the only marauders. Christian privateers, such as the Knights of Malta, also prowled the seas and, therefore, Konstam uses “Barbary corsair” to denote pirates from both sides, although the majority of the text and pictures focus on those of the Barbary Coast. He also explains why he chooses to call them “pirates,” rather than “privateers” or “corsairs.”

After a brief introduction and explanation of nomenclature, the book presents an overview of the history of the region and the Hafsid and Marinid dynasties that ruled prior to the upswing in privateering. From there Konstam discusses the first corsairs, including Kemal Reis and the Barbarossa brothers. Other sections examine the region’s geography, individual Barbary states, corsairing vessels, the pirates’ chains of command, the division of plunder, the crews, their tactics, and where they hunted. Throughout the narrative we meet specific Barbary pirates; in addition to the three already mentioned, we are introduced to Turgut Reis; Murad Reis (also known as Jan Janszoon) who raided Baltimore, Ireland in 1630 and founded the Republic of Salé (pirate haven); and John Ward.

The entire sixty-four-page book is illustrated with contemporary illustrations and maps, as well as full-color artwork by Gerry Embleton, who adeptly brings to life the pirates and their vessels (galley, galiot, polacca, tartan, xebec, and barca longas). Not only are these renderings illustrative of fine detail but they also vividly depict moments in corsair history, such as the c. 1480 raid on Corsica, a battle against a Venetian galley (c. 1540), and Turgut Reis at the 1538 Battle of Preveza. Also included in the book are a chronology for events occurring between 1450 and 1660, a reading list, and an index.

Anyone familiar with Osprey’s series books know that they provide a succinct and detail-oriented summary of the history and people involved in the military subjects being discussed. The Barbary Pirates continues this tradition, introducing readers to a topic that often doesn’t get the same level of attention in pirate history as other periods do. Equally important is that while Konstam concentrates on the marauders of the Barbary States, he also incorporates information about the Christian privateers, including the differences between how the two sides treated their galley slaves – the men forced to row their ships into battle. This volume provides anyone seeking information on the Barbary corsairs with a good introduction.