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The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down
The untold story of a heroic band of Caribbean pirates whose defiance of imperial rule inspired revolt in colonial outposts across the world. In the early eighteenth century, the Pirate Republic was home to some of the great pirate captains, including Blackbeard, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and Charles Vane. Along with their fellow pirates—former sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves—this "Flying Gang" established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote. They cut off trade routes, sacked slave ships, and severed Europe from its New World empires, and for a brief, glorious period the Republic was a success.
383 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,277 reviews
November 22, 2019
Meticulously researched and fascinating. Reads like a Hollywood box office smash hit with love and heartbreak, battles and betrayal, yet it’s all non-fiction. Tempted to flip back to the beginning and read it all over again. 🖤
February 24, 2016
I admit that the main reason I read this book is because of Black Sails, an excellent Starz series about the golden age of the pirates in the Bahamas, set as a loose prequel of RL Stevenson's Treasure Island. After two seasons (of me fangirling over the series' version of Charles Vane, whose cheekbones and penetrating stare can melt me into a puddle of happy goo), season 3 (currently being aired) features this guy:
Yes, that's Blackbeard, aka Edward Thatch (or Teach, depending your source). Played by the amazing Ray Stevenson, whom you might recognize as Titus Pullo from Rome. Yes, the real Blackbeard wore three pistols. There were some added theatrics too, but I won't spoil those. Anyway, I suddenly have the itch to find out more about the real Blackbeard how he lived, what are his exploits and so on.
Then I found this book. I was ecstatic since it apparently it also tells me about Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, and Henry Avery - all legendary pirates PLUS the tragic tale of Woodes Rogers, the man who presided over the Bahamas as governor at that time and saw the pirate reign dwindled. If you expect an all-out war between English man-of-wars vs. pirate fleets, you'll be disappointed.
This happened though... *wink wink*
I expected a historical account and I was not disappointed. Indeed there is a pretty extensive laundry list of various merchant vessels, sloops and frigates captured by the pirates, as well as the names of their captains and their cargos (added with the stories where most of these were released without being harmed), they all just strengthen the fact that the pirate's life were not all swashbuckling, dramatic, action-packed adventures like the Pirates of the Carribbeans franchise, or even the more historically-based Black Sails. This is not boring, it's the fact. Sure, broadsides were fired, ships boarded, swords drawn, violent acts occurred but at the end it's all about pirating, as in, they robbed things in the sea. As simple as that. And if there's no use for bloodshed when the crews surrendered and the cargos were secured, why have one.
The author did a good job in weaving all captain's logs, previous publications and other documents into a readable account on the 'republic' the pirates created as well as the world around it. He debunked lots of myths and legends. He gave quite an extensive background of the politics in the Bahamas: the corruptible governors, the often supportive locales, the rivalries with Spain and France, the colonial treatment by the Crown and most interesting of all, the pirates's indirect involvement in the Jacobite rebellion and the British wars of successions. While the true motivations of such entanglement remain blurry, it is just fascinating to read about these badass pirates actually thought about the political brouhaha far away in Europe. Some of the ringleaders like Hornigold refused to take English vessels. I guess they were still nationalistic at heart.
I was also fascinated with the democratic way of life in these pirate ships. Sure, the captains got the absolute authority during certain conditions like during wars, but there was this spirit of equality especially if compared with the Royal Navy, or even the merchant ships. Meanwhile, I wish the author spent more time in describing the lives in Nassau under this pirate republic (e.g. how the non-pirate civilians fared among them, what about the people living in the interior, was there any codependency thing going on), but maybe he just didn't have enough material for that.
All in all, as my first non-fiction book about pirate I find this book highly informative and surely whets my appetite to read some more. Will try to read Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates later.
Yes, that's Blackbeard, aka Edward Thatch (or Teach, depending your source). Played by the amazing Ray Stevenson, whom you might recognize as Titus Pullo from Rome. Yes, the real Blackbeard wore three pistols. There were some added theatrics too, but I won't spoil those. Anyway, I suddenly have the itch to find out more about the real Blackbeard how he lived, what are his exploits and so on.
Then I found this book. I was ecstatic since it apparently it also tells me about Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, and Henry Avery - all legendary pirates PLUS the tragic tale of Woodes Rogers, the man who presided over the Bahamas as governor at that time and saw the pirate reign dwindled. If you expect an all-out war between English man-of-wars vs. pirate fleets, you'll be disappointed.
This happened though... *wink wink*
I expected a historical account and I was not disappointed. Indeed there is a pretty extensive laundry list of various merchant vessels, sloops and frigates captured by the pirates, as well as the names of their captains and their cargos (added with the stories where most of these were released without being harmed), they all just strengthen the fact that the pirate's life were not all swashbuckling, dramatic, action-packed adventures like the Pirates of the Carribbeans franchise, or even the more historically-based Black Sails. This is not boring, it's the fact. Sure, broadsides were fired, ships boarded, swords drawn, violent acts occurred but at the end it's all about pirating, as in, they robbed things in the sea. As simple as that. And if there's no use for bloodshed when the crews surrendered and the cargos were secured, why have one.
The author did a good job in weaving all captain's logs, previous publications and other documents into a readable account on the 'republic' the pirates created as well as the world around it. He debunked lots of myths and legends. He gave quite an extensive background of the politics in the Bahamas: the corruptible governors, the often supportive locales, the rivalries with Spain and France, the colonial treatment by the Crown and most interesting of all, the pirates's indirect involvement in the Jacobite rebellion and the British wars of successions. While the true motivations of such entanglement remain blurry, it is just fascinating to read about these badass pirates actually thought about the political brouhaha far away in Europe. Some of the ringleaders like Hornigold refused to take English vessels. I guess they were still nationalistic at heart.
I was also fascinated with the democratic way of life in these pirate ships. Sure, the captains got the absolute authority during certain conditions like during wars, but there was this spirit of equality especially if compared with the Royal Navy, or even the merchant ships. Meanwhile, I wish the author spent more time in describing the lives in Nassau under this pirate republic (e.g. how the non-pirate civilians fared among them, what about the people living in the interior, was there any codependency thing going on), but maybe he just didn't have enough material for that.
All in all, as my first non-fiction book about pirate I find this book highly informative and surely whets my appetite to read some more. Will try to read Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates later.
April 3, 2022
“Tho', damn ye, you are a sneaking puppy, and so are all those who will submit to be governed by laws which rich men have made for their own security, for the cowardly whelps have not the courage otherwise to defend what they get by their knavery, but damn ye altogether: damn them for a pack of crafty rascals, and you, who serve them, for a parcel of hen-hearted numbskulls. They vilify us, the Scoundrels do, when there is only this Difference: They rob the Poor under the Cover of Law, forsooth, and we plunder the Rich under the Protection of our own Courage... but there is no arguing with such sniveling Puppies, who allow Superiors to kick them about Deck at Pleasure; and pin their Faith upon a Pimp of a Parson; a Squab, who neither practices nor believes what he puts upon the chuckle-headed Fools he preaches to." - Sam Bellamy, pirate captain, to a Captain Beer, a merchant captain he held prisoner.
Colin Woodard’s book covers what he terms “The Golden Age of Caribbean Piracy”, roughly the first two decades of the 18th century. The title doesn’t refer to a formally constituted pirate republic, but rather to the idea that during this period parts of the Caribbean, especially Nassau in The Bahamas, fell under the effective control of pirates, to the extent that transatlantic trade began to be seriously threatened.
The book really follows the careers of the main pirate captains of the period, Henry Jennings, Benjamin Hornigold, the aforementioned Bellamy, Charles Vane, the French pirate Olivier “La Buse”, and of course Blackbeard, whom Woodard refers to as Edward Thatch rather than the more commonly used Edward Teach. Others feature as well, and towards the end there is a discussion of the female pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read, who were part of the crew of “Calico Jack” Rackham.
On the whole the author is sympathetic to the pirates. The early chapters highlight the appalling conditions under which sailors worked during this time. The author’s descriptions are such that you wonder why more sailors didn’t try their hand at piracy. Woodward argues that, whilst the pirates robbed their victims of everything (including sometimes the clothes they stood up in) they rarely inflicted physical violence on them. One exception was Charles Vane, who frequently tortured his prisoners, and Woodard argues that Vane’s excesses allowed the authorities to tar all the pirates with the same brush. Vane also sold free black men into slavery. Many of the other pirate crews seem to have featured a significant proportion of black crewmen, both free men and escaped slaves, although the acceptance of black sailors seems to have been mostly limited to those who were English-speakers from the Caribbean. The pirates often intercepted slave ships but generally sold the slaves on if they were West Africans unable to speak English and unfamiliar with sailing. This highlights a vital aspect of Caribbean piracy – it was supported by a network of outwardly respectable merchants who fenced stolen goods and sold ammunition and other supplies to the pirates. Another notable aspect of the book is on how few occasions the pirates had to fight an actual battle. Generally their victims surrendered without a fight, even when they had a more powerful ship. The pirates seemed to have waged very effective psy-ops, that terrorised their opponents into speedy submission.
Some years ago I read former pirate John Esquemeling’s account of mid-17th century piracy “The Buccaneers of America”, and in that book the pirates were less gentlemanly than Woodard portrays them. I had a slight scepticism about how favourably he described them here, but despite that caveat I found this an informative and an entertaining read.
Arrr, Jim lad!
Colin Woodard’s book covers what he terms “The Golden Age of Caribbean Piracy”, roughly the first two decades of the 18th century. The title doesn’t refer to a formally constituted pirate republic, but rather to the idea that during this period parts of the Caribbean, especially Nassau in The Bahamas, fell under the effective control of pirates, to the extent that transatlantic trade began to be seriously threatened.
The book really follows the careers of the main pirate captains of the period, Henry Jennings, Benjamin Hornigold, the aforementioned Bellamy, Charles Vane, the French pirate Olivier “La Buse”, and of course Blackbeard, whom Woodard refers to as Edward Thatch rather than the more commonly used Edward Teach. Others feature as well, and towards the end there is a discussion of the female pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read, who were part of the crew of “Calico Jack” Rackham.
On the whole the author is sympathetic to the pirates. The early chapters highlight the appalling conditions under which sailors worked during this time. The author’s descriptions are such that you wonder why more sailors didn’t try their hand at piracy. Woodward argues that, whilst the pirates robbed their victims of everything (including sometimes the clothes they stood up in) they rarely inflicted physical violence on them. One exception was Charles Vane, who frequently tortured his prisoners, and Woodard argues that Vane’s excesses allowed the authorities to tar all the pirates with the same brush. Vane also sold free black men into slavery. Many of the other pirate crews seem to have featured a significant proportion of black crewmen, both free men and escaped slaves, although the acceptance of black sailors seems to have been mostly limited to those who were English-speakers from the Caribbean. The pirates often intercepted slave ships but generally sold the slaves on if they were West Africans unable to speak English and unfamiliar with sailing. This highlights a vital aspect of Caribbean piracy – it was supported by a network of outwardly respectable merchants who fenced stolen goods and sold ammunition and other supplies to the pirates. Another notable aspect of the book is on how few occasions the pirates had to fight an actual battle. Generally their victims surrendered without a fight, even when they had a more powerful ship. The pirates seemed to have waged very effective psy-ops, that terrorised their opponents into speedy submission.
Some years ago I read former pirate John Esquemeling’s account of mid-17th century piracy “The Buccaneers of America”, and in that book the pirates were less gentlemanly than Woodard portrays them. I had a slight scepticism about how favourably he described them here, but despite that caveat I found this an informative and an entertaining read.
Arrr, Jim lad!
August 9, 2011
For a book about pirates it was surprisingly dull. I realize that the very nature of pirates means there is not much archival material to work with other than official documents that are very likely biased, but I came away from this book not much more enlightened than when I started.
The title is never really addressed, in my opinion. Mr. Woodard simply states the pirates wanted a base and made one on Nassau. So how, exactly, was it a republic by and for pirates? We never find out. At no point is there any mention of how such a society functioned. Was it rule by the strongest, most daring, the one with the best charisma? Don't know, it is never stated. Instead, we get a pretty complete rundown of ships taken.
And then the pirates themselves. While finding out about the real Blackbeard is interesting (he is not as bloodthirsty as the books I read as a kid made out), there is still way too much about the ships he captured and not enough about him. Charles Vane, another pirate, is mentioned in the introduction as a particularly violent one, but when, after much slogging, we come to the brief section about him it is just more captured ships.
It seems to me that Woodard had a great prospectus and sold the book based on it, and then found there was not much to write about. UNDER THE BLACK FLAG was much better. It talks more about the daily lives of the pirates and how the ship hierarchy was organized.
I wanted this book to tell me about how a society of pirates functioned, not an insurance adjustors claim list.
The title is never really addressed, in my opinion. Mr. Woodard simply states the pirates wanted a base and made one on Nassau. So how, exactly, was it a republic by and for pirates? We never find out. At no point is there any mention of how such a society functioned. Was it rule by the strongest, most daring, the one with the best charisma? Don't know, it is never stated. Instead, we get a pretty complete rundown of ships taken.
And then the pirates themselves. While finding out about the real Blackbeard is interesting (he is not as bloodthirsty as the books I read as a kid made out), there is still way too much about the ships he captured and not enough about him. Charles Vane, another pirate, is mentioned in the introduction as a particularly violent one, but when, after much slogging, we come to the brief section about him it is just more captured ships.
It seems to me that Woodard had a great prospectus and sold the book based on it, and then found there was not much to write about. UNDER THE BLACK FLAG was much better. It talks more about the daily lives of the pirates and how the ship hierarchy was organized.
I wanted this book to tell me about how a society of pirates functioned, not an insurance adjustors claim list.
May 18, 2012
Wow, this was super informative book. If you're not really interested in the subject matter, you may find it a bit dry, but I personally found the attention to detail wonderful. This is a really gritty, close up look into the life and times of some of the world's most famouse pirates. Sam Bellamy, Blackbeard, Henry Avery and Charles Vane to name a few. You certainly come away with sense these were some very, very rough men, who lived rather short lives to their own code.
The issues around slavery and child labour during this era although not new to me were very confronting and there were a few bits I simply wished I hadn't read. However, Woodard sets the scene in with incredible thought - right down to the last, smelly, cruel, scurvied detail.
If you're interested in pirates, like real history with all its glorious plunder and sordid realities then this is an absolute must read.
The issues around slavery and child labour during this era although not new to me were very confronting and there were a few bits I simply wished I hadn't read. However, Woodard sets the scene in with incredible thought - right down to the last, smelly, cruel, scurvied detail.
If you're interested in pirates, like real history with all its glorious plunder and sordid realities then this is an absolute must read.
November 3, 2020
This book is the story of the Golden Age of Piracy, 1715 – 1725, through the lives of four pivotal people: pirates Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy, Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch (or Teach), Charles Vane, and Woodes Rogers, who occupied the Crown’s seat of government in the Bahamas. Woodard starts with a biography of each man and moves into their interactions. He illuminates the motivations of the pirates, as they sought social and political revolt. The book covers the vast sea lanes of pirate activity, including the Atlantic coast of the American colonies and the Caribbean islands.
In addition to the seafaring adventures and battles, Woodard analyzes the socioeconomic changes taking place in the region. He separates old myths and legends into fact and fiction. The book is organized logically and flows well. I was impressed that the author used primary sources for this book, providing a lengthy biography and many footnotes. We find out what happened to the notorious pirates and how piracy of the period came to an end. I found it informative and entertaining.
To get a total picture of pirates, buccaneers, and privateers, you will need to supplement this book with others that cover the earlier time periods, starting in the 1650s. I can recommend Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign by Stephan Talty.
In addition to the seafaring adventures and battles, Woodard analyzes the socioeconomic changes taking place in the region. He separates old myths and legends into fact and fiction. The book is organized logically and flows well. I was impressed that the author used primary sources for this book, providing a lengthy biography and many footnotes. We find out what happened to the notorious pirates and how piracy of the period came to an end. I found it informative and entertaining.
To get a total picture of pirates, buccaneers, and privateers, you will need to supplement this book with others that cover the earlier time periods, starting in the 1650s. I can recommend Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign by Stephan Talty.
June 2, 2014
I ended up picking up this book because I realized I didn't really know much about the historical pirates. Despite my rating, I really do appreciate what this book attempts to do. It really attempts to correct a lot of the mythology concerning the pirates in caribbean, which is probably exacerbated due to the movies and Disney Ride that was eventually decommissioned. I had fond memories of this ride from when I was a child and I quite enjoyed the first few movies.
That being said "The Republic of Pirates" is a very thorough account of the history of piracy in the early American colonies. I really tore through the first 150 pages or so of this book. The information was exhilarating and interesting. Woodard appeared to be a great writer for conveying all this information and I really thought this whole book would be a quick read for me. I was worried about reading other reviews who said this book was boring, because, for me, it was anything but. Unfortunately, as I made it into the heart of piracy the book really slowed down for me. The mythology concerning lots of dangerous naval engagements is very exaggerated. Here the book turns into a sort of catalog of what certain pirates took from merchant vessels. There's no real hunt for treasure or taking Spanish gold that was cursed by the natives. I'm glad I walked away with the new knowledge that piracy wasn't all canon fire and sword fights... but I feel like the book could have left out a lot of the immense details. I'm sure a proper historian would want to know all about these different things, but as a lay reader on this topic, it made the book slow going on my end.
The last couple chapters were fairly interesting though. As the pirates began to be hunted and tried across the Americas the interest perked up again. The catalog of takes became less and less and the story focused on those who tried to get away or those who didn't. The political intrigue between all the nations involved in the Caribbean is very interesting to read about as well and creates a pretty fascinating backdrop on how quickly a lot of the nations were trying to just get some kind of territory in the "New World".
The name of the book sort of feels mistitled, because this really doesn't discuss any kind of "republic" set up by pirates. The closest you get is some discussion on places like Nassau, but for the most part this really serves as a general history of piracy in the Caribbean, not of any specific republic founded. Perhaps it's a nod toward the Pirates like Vane, who really wanted to wrest control of the region, but never really succeeded in doing so.
In the end, if you're looking for a deep account of the actual history behind the legendary Pirates like Calico Jack, Black Beard and so on, this is a great book. If you are really into that history I think you would even find the boring sections fascinating. Even though I gave this a mediocre rating, I am still rather glad I read the book... it just took me forever to complete it.
That being said "The Republic of Pirates" is a very thorough account of the history of piracy in the early American colonies. I really tore through the first 150 pages or so of this book. The information was exhilarating and interesting. Woodard appeared to be a great writer for conveying all this information and I really thought this whole book would be a quick read for me. I was worried about reading other reviews who said this book was boring, because, for me, it was anything but. Unfortunately, as I made it into the heart of piracy the book really slowed down for me. The mythology concerning lots of dangerous naval engagements is very exaggerated. Here the book turns into a sort of catalog of what certain pirates took from merchant vessels. There's no real hunt for treasure or taking Spanish gold that was cursed by the natives. I'm glad I walked away with the new knowledge that piracy wasn't all canon fire and sword fights... but I feel like the book could have left out a lot of the immense details. I'm sure a proper historian would want to know all about these different things, but as a lay reader on this topic, it made the book slow going on my end.
The last couple chapters were fairly interesting though. As the pirates began to be hunted and tried across the Americas the interest perked up again. The catalog of takes became less and less and the story focused on those who tried to get away or those who didn't. The political intrigue between all the nations involved in the Caribbean is very interesting to read about as well and creates a pretty fascinating backdrop on how quickly a lot of the nations were trying to just get some kind of territory in the "New World".
The name of the book sort of feels mistitled, because this really doesn't discuss any kind of "republic" set up by pirates. The closest you get is some discussion on places like Nassau, but for the most part this really serves as a general history of piracy in the Caribbean, not of any specific republic founded. Perhaps it's a nod toward the Pirates like Vane, who really wanted to wrest control of the region, but never really succeeded in doing so.
In the end, if you're looking for a deep account of the actual history behind the legendary Pirates like Calico Jack, Black Beard and so on, this is a great book. If you are really into that history I think you would even find the boring sections fascinating. Even though I gave this a mediocre rating, I am still rather glad I read the book... it just took me forever to complete it.
April 5, 2019
Somewhere around this time of year (mid-January or just after one of the big cold snaps that pass for winter in central Texas) I usually get an urge to pick up a book that will put a smell of sea salt in my personal air. I freely admit to a love of coastal areas and good beach time, and I will typically begin to start thinking ahead to planning some playtime in the sand during the many warmer months to come.
Author Colin Woodard's “The Republic of Pirates” is a rollicking introduction to some of the most notorious of the Bahamian pirates and their consorts. It's a colorful romp through pirate history, and it's more interesting than anything that Hollywood could have conjured.
It picks up a few years after Stephan Talty's book "Empire of Blue Water" leaves off, and in fact I recommend reading that volume first as it really puts this book in its historical perspective. "Empire" covered the Henry Morgan era of privateering in the mid to late 1600s, while "Republic of Pirates" takes up the story during the "Golden Age of Piracy" some years later in the early 1700s. During this time, a group of pirate captains settled New Providence with the intention of setting up a pirate headquarters of sorts, a loose society of rogues and vagabonds committed to living life on the account, free to roam the sea lanes and cause as much mischief among the merchant fleets as possible.
Woodard provides good biographies of several of the main figures of the Golden Age, primarily Samuel Bellamy, Edward Thatch (otherwise known as Blackbeard), and Charles Vane. He also profiles Woodes Rogers, himself a famous privateer and circumnavigator of the globe who eventually took position as Governor of the Bahamas and was charged with restoring order and safety to the shipping lanes by driving out the pirates who had settled the area. Of course many other pirates are given time as well, including some of the lesser known faces of Bahamian pirating such as Benjamin Hornigold and his rival Henry Jennings.
Woodard also covers a lot of the political climate that overshadowed the rise and subsequent fall of the pirate republic. England and the colonies had their share of colorful political characters as well, and some of the stories will amaze. The tale of Blackbeard's North Carolina capture at the hands of a Virginian "invasion" is worth the price of the book all by itself.
This is a fast paced book that moves along with full-throttle narrative force. The author certainly did his research, as the extensive notes and sources will attest to. There are many fascinating details and adventures within these pages, and the characters really come to life under Woodard's skilled prose. The last third of the book especially is a whirlwind of thrills as the pirate empire begins to collapse and we learn of the final fates of many of the book's protagonists.
I had a couple of small issues with the book. It would have been nice to have had a glossary included for those of us who are not familiar with nautical terminology and slang. Also, the dust jacket makes claim that the pirate republic somehow fanned the flames of the American Revolution, but that theme is never really explored much in the book. Benjamin Franklin makes a small token appearance, but it's only a passing reference at best. Small quibbles, though, as the book is very well written and satisfying otherwise.
Author Colin Woodard's “The Republic of Pirates” is a rollicking introduction to some of the most notorious of the Bahamian pirates and their consorts. It's a colorful romp through pirate history, and it's more interesting than anything that Hollywood could have conjured.
It picks up a few years after Stephan Talty's book "Empire of Blue Water" leaves off, and in fact I recommend reading that volume first as it really puts this book in its historical perspective. "Empire" covered the Henry Morgan era of privateering in the mid to late 1600s, while "Republic of Pirates" takes up the story during the "Golden Age of Piracy" some years later in the early 1700s. During this time, a group of pirate captains settled New Providence with the intention of setting up a pirate headquarters of sorts, a loose society of rogues and vagabonds committed to living life on the account, free to roam the sea lanes and cause as much mischief among the merchant fleets as possible.
Woodard provides good biographies of several of the main figures of the Golden Age, primarily Samuel Bellamy, Edward Thatch (otherwise known as Blackbeard), and Charles Vane. He also profiles Woodes Rogers, himself a famous privateer and circumnavigator of the globe who eventually took position as Governor of the Bahamas and was charged with restoring order and safety to the shipping lanes by driving out the pirates who had settled the area. Of course many other pirates are given time as well, including some of the lesser known faces of Bahamian pirating such as Benjamin Hornigold and his rival Henry Jennings.
Woodard also covers a lot of the political climate that overshadowed the rise and subsequent fall of the pirate republic. England and the colonies had their share of colorful political characters as well, and some of the stories will amaze. The tale of Blackbeard's North Carolina capture at the hands of a Virginian "invasion" is worth the price of the book all by itself.
This is a fast paced book that moves along with full-throttle narrative force. The author certainly did his research, as the extensive notes and sources will attest to. There are many fascinating details and adventures within these pages, and the characters really come to life under Woodard's skilled prose. The last third of the book especially is a whirlwind of thrills as the pirate empire begins to collapse and we learn of the final fates of many of the book's protagonists.
I had a couple of small issues with the book. It would have been nice to have had a glossary included for those of us who are not familiar with nautical terminology and slang. Also, the dust jacket makes claim that the pirate republic somehow fanned the flames of the American Revolution, but that theme is never really explored much in the book. Benjamin Franklin makes a small token appearance, but it's only a passing reference at best. Small quibbles, though, as the book is very well written and satisfying otherwise.
March 12, 2012
Truth, not speculation.
I found this book incredibly informative. Much of what I thought I knew about pirates was entirely false.
Woodard builds this book around solid facts. Facts backed up by relevant journals and ledgers. In many cases he directly refutes previous stories with honest facts and dates.
The downside to this is that the book CAN become very dry in parts. The most detailed documents relating to pirates would be the claims lists for lost cargo. This means that you do get plenty of detailed lists of what each pirate stole, sank or otherwise ruined.
The only other downside I saw to this book was how it was organized. Woodard makes an attempt at going in a chronological fashion. Unfortunately many of the pirates in the book are active at the same time. This means you can expect to follow one from 1715-1719, then backtrack to 1716 to follow another pirate to 1720. It tends to get a tad confusing with all the different events taking place.
At some points this book DOES touch on other historic events that took place, but at some point Woodard has to draw the line and cannot cover all the events as much as they deserve. This IS a book about pirates, and not the history of English royalty.
I found this book incredibly informative. Much of what I thought I knew about pirates was entirely false.
Woodard builds this book around solid facts. Facts backed up by relevant journals and ledgers. In many cases he directly refutes previous stories with honest facts and dates.
The downside to this is that the book CAN become very dry in parts. The most detailed documents relating to pirates would be the claims lists for lost cargo. This means that you do get plenty of detailed lists of what each pirate stole, sank or otherwise ruined.
The only other downside I saw to this book was how it was organized. Woodard makes an attempt at going in a chronological fashion. Unfortunately many of the pirates in the book are active at the same time. This means you can expect to follow one from 1715-1719, then backtrack to 1716 to follow another pirate to 1720. It tends to get a tad confusing with all the different events taking place.
At some points this book DOES touch on other historic events that took place, but at some point Woodard has to draw the line and cannot cover all the events as much as they deserve. This IS a book about pirates, and not the history of English royalty.
March 22, 2022
Not what I expected. Instead of a semi-academic story about how the republic of pirates flourished, we get a uneventfull tale of the misdeeds of the various pirates. I guess it is "true" and "surprising", but for me the only surprise was that this book was surprisingly dull.
April 28, 2019
So.... Ive been looking for a series about Pirate scallywags for an age since starting to watch “Black Sails” & harking back to my schooling days (Navy School) where tales of Pirates were told from an early age. My search for a more modern/updated fiction series has turned out to be fruitless so I’ve gone with this book which is highly rated, as i wanted to learn more about the characters involved as an adult & not the fantastical recollections of a small child (who wanted to be a pirate..... Arrrrrrr!) and that portrayed more recently in film.
The author gives a summation of his narrative in the opening chapter which i’ll copy here to give you a flavour of it’s source material – “What follows is based on material found in the archives of Britain & the Americas. No dialogue has been made up, and descriptions of everything from cities & events to clothing, vessels, and the weather are based on primary documents. Previously lost aspects of the pirates history were recovered by integrating legal testimony & trial documents, the letters of English & Spanish Governors, colonial officials & naval captains; accounts in period pamphlets, newspapers, books, scrawling in custom house ledgers, parish registers & the log books of His Majesty’s warships.”
We start in 1696 with the story of Henry Avery, the forerunner of the more well known (to many I would suppose) Pirates & his association with the port of Nassau. His story is mired in as much legend as is fact although it would be fair to say that his dealings with the British governor of Nassau were likely accurate & set the foundation of his story. The following chapter tells of life at sea as a sailor, picturing it as being no better than a criminal in prison with its draconian laws, floggings meted out for nearly 300 “offences”, around 50% of sailors dying at sea, most not getting their full pay due to many reasons one being “deductions” if the cargo was damaged by storms or even mishandled by the dockworkers/packers. Those being press ganged (taken to the sea by force) were sometimes not even paid. The chapter paints a really bleak existence & goes to show how Pirates arose during the period. Charles Vane’s history (as it was) is revealed as is Edward Thatch’s (Blackbeard) (again scant) whilst Woode Rogers background is transcribed over quite a few pages.
I’m engrossed in what is turning out to be a very readable history.
The War of Spanish Succession (1702-1712) is highlighted where the plight of the West Indies colonies is retold at the hands of Spanish & French Buccaneers. The lie of the colonies in the area is given, fighting ships of the time are discussed (and illustrated), the spread of the fleets over such a wide area & the problems (rot, decay, disease affecting the crews, fleets unable to support each other in combat due to the distance/trade winds) with the ships on station in the West Indies. It’s from these desperate times that the colonists, merchants & the British navy fought back, assembling their own privateers to raid the Spanish main & their merchant shipping, in doing so becoming incredibly rich (as only 10% was paid to the crown). Its from here that men like Edward Thatch & Charles Vane emerge although their history & story is still scant at this stage. We do focus though on the story of Woode Rogers who began life as a Bristol merchant before investing monies into privateering, his story being quite detailed, as when as captain of the 36 gun “Duke” he kept a diary which was published on his return. Some great stories are included including the rescue of one Alexander Selkirk who became better known as “Robinson Crusoe” on an island off the coast of Peru. A very informative narrative concerning Woode Rogers is to be had.
With the War ending, the Navy demobilises & ¾ of it’s strength is cast out, many finding themselves destitute in Ports throughout the Americas. Merchant trade is cut in the area as the Spanish customs patrol seizes any trader that is found to hold Spanish coin (which has become the currency of the region) resulting in even more sailors (merchant) looking for work. With so few crews required, wages also tumble...... the region is ripe for Pyrates! A certain Captain Hornigold (with Edward Thatch as a crewman) comes to the fore & with a crew of like minded souls sails to the port of Nassau, an ideal location for a base as it’s a colony fallen into disrepair & mostly abandoned, it also has many islands/channels around to hide away in. From here he begins a very successful career & others flock to him...... the main turning point though being the wrecking of the Spanish treasure fleet by a great hurricane in 1715 which sees hundreds of small ships descend upon the Florida keys to hunt for treasure with a great many ending up in Nassau which becomes the de facto base of operations for the building Privateers fleets who at first only attack/raid Spanish/French ships as they don’t recognise the recent Treaty of Utrecht.
“Pirates gathering” is a great chapter to read as the privateers start to turn towards being fully fledged Pyrates, in that anyone is fair game, British merchants too! It’s in this period that many paths cross & they begin to band together & grow in strength, the chapter is littered with such tales & makes for a grand read. The history also overlays with Jacobite rebellion & it's likely fact that many Pirates were sympathisers to James of Scotland & had other motives for raiding British ships & banding together a fleet in the West Indies.
With the scene now set the majority of the rest of the book focuses on tales/escapades/history of the individual Pirate Captains & the folklore surrounding them comes under scrutiny, once such thing being that as I read the text I noted that one myth was now expunged at least and that was of making captives walk the plank or killing them outright if they refused to join the pirate ranks, no record of it at all within the testimony, with many being released once they’re cargo was secured, most likely a myth conjured up to put fear into opposing captains to make them surrender without a fight which is evidenced quite a lot. They seem to spend more time getting drunk which is evidenced frequently & oft to their detriment ie One such tale has a crew so inebriated they wreck their sloop & loose all their booty! Others are captured because they’re too pissed to fight or evade their pursuers!
In “Begging pardon” Charles Vane & Edward Teach (Blackbeard) are the main Pirates (not Captain Flint nor Long John Silver.....! for those who follow “Black Sails”) who resisted past the point when the crown offered pardons (also Calico Jack latterly). Their histories feature throughout the later book & much is known (& told) about them from the point of when they became Captains in their own right, moreso as they continued to be Pirates to the end.
“Brinkmanship” sees Woodes Rogers & the Royal Navy arrive at Nassau to install him as Governor of the Bahamas in which he at first manages to run off Charles Vane before the conflict turns itself on its head as the newcomers fall to tropical disease, the Royal Navy depart with their 3 warships & the “pardoned” Pirates prove unwilling & lazy in restoring the colony. Woodes Rogers seems a particularly unfortunate character who gives his all to destroy the pirates but ends up in a debtors prison despite being the man (and not the Crown nor Royal Navy) who defeated said Pirates.
“Hunted” & “Piracy’s end” neatly wrap up the demise of the notorieties & piracy itself throughout the Americas, even those who escaped the region & end up of the coast of Africa don’t escape justice entirely although one or two die of old age on tropical Islands! A whose who of the Pirate world & its interesting to know their actual demises & not how a certain TV show portrayed it.
Overall, Very readable, giving a good account of life endured by folk at the time as well as the lay of the land that created the Pirates from the origins of the privateers through to the stories of the individuals behind the legends, many of who I hadn’t actually heard of. I would add perhaps the myths known are bigger than the actual men, certainly that’s what struck me come voyage end.
The final fifth of the book contains notes, references & an Index.
4.5 Stars rounded to a 4, highly recommend for all followers of Buccaneers, Scallywags, Rovers, wreckers, ne’er do wells et al more commonly termed Pirates..... Arrrrrrrrr
The author gives a summation of his narrative in the opening chapter which i’ll copy here to give you a flavour of it’s source material – “What follows is based on material found in the archives of Britain & the Americas. No dialogue has been made up, and descriptions of everything from cities & events to clothing, vessels, and the weather are based on primary documents. Previously lost aspects of the pirates history were recovered by integrating legal testimony & trial documents, the letters of English & Spanish Governors, colonial officials & naval captains; accounts in period pamphlets, newspapers, books, scrawling in custom house ledgers, parish registers & the log books of His Majesty’s warships.”
We start in 1696 with the story of Henry Avery, the forerunner of the more well known (to many I would suppose) Pirates & his association with the port of Nassau. His story is mired in as much legend as is fact although it would be fair to say that his dealings with the British governor of Nassau were likely accurate & set the foundation of his story. The following chapter tells of life at sea as a sailor, picturing it as being no better than a criminal in prison with its draconian laws, floggings meted out for nearly 300 “offences”, around 50% of sailors dying at sea, most not getting their full pay due to many reasons one being “deductions” if the cargo was damaged by storms or even mishandled by the dockworkers/packers. Those being press ganged (taken to the sea by force) were sometimes not even paid. The chapter paints a really bleak existence & goes to show how Pirates arose during the period. Charles Vane’s history (as it was) is revealed as is Edward Thatch’s (Blackbeard) (again scant) whilst Woode Rogers background is transcribed over quite a few pages.
I’m engrossed in what is turning out to be a very readable history.
The War of Spanish Succession (1702-1712) is highlighted where the plight of the West Indies colonies is retold at the hands of Spanish & French Buccaneers. The lie of the colonies in the area is given, fighting ships of the time are discussed (and illustrated), the spread of the fleets over such a wide area & the problems (rot, decay, disease affecting the crews, fleets unable to support each other in combat due to the distance/trade winds) with the ships on station in the West Indies. It’s from these desperate times that the colonists, merchants & the British navy fought back, assembling their own privateers to raid the Spanish main & their merchant shipping, in doing so becoming incredibly rich (as only 10% was paid to the crown). Its from here that men like Edward Thatch & Charles Vane emerge although their history & story is still scant at this stage. We do focus though on the story of Woode Rogers who began life as a Bristol merchant before investing monies into privateering, his story being quite detailed, as when as captain of the 36 gun “Duke” he kept a diary which was published on his return. Some great stories are included including the rescue of one Alexander Selkirk who became better known as “Robinson Crusoe” on an island off the coast of Peru. A very informative narrative concerning Woode Rogers is to be had.
With the War ending, the Navy demobilises & ¾ of it’s strength is cast out, many finding themselves destitute in Ports throughout the Americas. Merchant trade is cut in the area as the Spanish customs patrol seizes any trader that is found to hold Spanish coin (which has become the currency of the region) resulting in even more sailors (merchant) looking for work. With so few crews required, wages also tumble...... the region is ripe for Pyrates! A certain Captain Hornigold (with Edward Thatch as a crewman) comes to the fore & with a crew of like minded souls sails to the port of Nassau, an ideal location for a base as it’s a colony fallen into disrepair & mostly abandoned, it also has many islands/channels around to hide away in. From here he begins a very successful career & others flock to him...... the main turning point though being the wrecking of the Spanish treasure fleet by a great hurricane in 1715 which sees hundreds of small ships descend upon the Florida keys to hunt for treasure with a great many ending up in Nassau which becomes the de facto base of operations for the building Privateers fleets who at first only attack/raid Spanish/French ships as they don’t recognise the recent Treaty of Utrecht.
“Pirates gathering” is a great chapter to read as the privateers start to turn towards being fully fledged Pyrates, in that anyone is fair game, British merchants too! It’s in this period that many paths cross & they begin to band together & grow in strength, the chapter is littered with such tales & makes for a grand read. The history also overlays with Jacobite rebellion & it's likely fact that many Pirates were sympathisers to James of Scotland & had other motives for raiding British ships & banding together a fleet in the West Indies.
With the scene now set the majority of the rest of the book focuses on tales/escapades/history of the individual Pirate Captains & the folklore surrounding them comes under scrutiny, once such thing being that as I read the text I noted that one myth was now expunged at least and that was of making captives walk the plank or killing them outright if they refused to join the pirate ranks, no record of it at all within the testimony, with many being released once they’re cargo was secured, most likely a myth conjured up to put fear into opposing captains to make them surrender without a fight which is evidenced quite a lot. They seem to spend more time getting drunk which is evidenced frequently & oft to their detriment ie One such tale has a crew so inebriated they wreck their sloop & loose all their booty! Others are captured because they’re too pissed to fight or evade their pursuers!
In “Begging pardon” Charles Vane & Edward Teach (Blackbeard) are the main Pirates (not Captain Flint nor Long John Silver.....! for those who follow “Black Sails”) who resisted past the point when the crown offered pardons (also Calico Jack latterly). Their histories feature throughout the later book & much is known (& told) about them from the point of when they became Captains in their own right, moreso as they continued to be Pirates to the end.
“Brinkmanship” sees Woodes Rogers & the Royal Navy arrive at Nassau to install him as Governor of the Bahamas in which he at first manages to run off Charles Vane before the conflict turns itself on its head as the newcomers fall to tropical disease, the Royal Navy depart with their 3 warships & the “pardoned” Pirates prove unwilling & lazy in restoring the colony. Woodes Rogers seems a particularly unfortunate character who gives his all to destroy the pirates but ends up in a debtors prison despite being the man (and not the Crown nor Royal Navy) who defeated said Pirates.
“Hunted” & “Piracy’s end” neatly wrap up the demise of the notorieties & piracy itself throughout the Americas, even those who escaped the region & end up of the coast of Africa don’t escape justice entirely although one or two die of old age on tropical Islands! A whose who of the Pirate world & its interesting to know their actual demises & not how a certain TV show portrayed it.
Overall, Very readable, giving a good account of life endured by folk at the time as well as the lay of the land that created the Pirates from the origins of the privateers through to the stories of the individuals behind the legends, many of who I hadn’t actually heard of. I would add perhaps the myths known are bigger than the actual men, certainly that’s what struck me come voyage end.
The final fifth of the book contains notes, references & an Index.
4.5 Stars rounded to a 4, highly recommend for all followers of Buccaneers, Scallywags, Rovers, wreckers, ne’er do wells et al more commonly termed Pirates..... Arrrrrrrrr
April 21, 2022
Pirates still capture the popular imagination. I mean, they still keep making Pirates of the Caribbean movies after all. There is something about them which makes them the perfect antiheroes. They operate outside strict societal guidelines and are fiercely democratic. It is easy to seem them as benign escapism. That is, until you remember the murdering, raping, and pillaging of innocent people.
In any case, history once again is stranger than fiction. It turns out, a republic of pirates did exist for a little while. It wasn’t a formal agreement, but a pirate code did exist and many of the famous pirates we remember were a part of it. Turns out, when a colonial empire just decides you aren’t worth the trouble, you are left to your own devices.
Of course, cause too much trouble, and that colonial empire will once again start paying attention. Colin Woodard’s book explores all of this, including the arrival of Captain Woodes Rogers, who put an end to the pirate party. His biggest weapon? Pardons. Well, pardons and then hangings. Go read about it.
In any case, history once again is stranger than fiction. It turns out, a republic of pirates did exist for a little while. It wasn’t a formal agreement, but a pirate code did exist and many of the famous pirates we remember were a part of it. Turns out, when a colonial empire just decides you aren’t worth the trouble, you are left to your own devices.
Of course, cause too much trouble, and that colonial empire will once again start paying attention. Colin Woodard’s book explores all of this, including the arrival of Captain Woodes Rogers, who put an end to the pirate party. His biggest weapon? Pardons. Well, pardons and then hangings. Go read about it.
March 28, 2019
Shockingly boring for a book about pirates
July 8, 2020
The Republic of Pirates was an easy 4 Star history of the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, along the Spanish Main, the east coast of America and other locales. Any fan of Starz’s Black Sails will find their favorite characters here, although the real stories are not always aligned with the miniseries. Never mind, the accounts read easily and keep your interest. The author gives a good overview of the background of the times and why this area and the life of a pirate was attractive. War played a large role as licensed privateers found themselves unemployed once the war was over. An easy slide over to the life of a pirate. It seemed the pirates conducted themselves more honorably than the British Empire at times. The pirates were heroes to many people, sometimes acting like “Robin Hood” and his merry men. But some pirates descended into pointless or vengeful cruelty and bloodshed. The book relates just how effective many of the pirates were in shutting down trade. I would like to have seen more information on the French and Spanish aspects, along with the impact to the British interests. Some excerpts:
Long before Australia, the English found places to send their less desired. Life was brutal in the islands. Eventually a recruiting ground for “pyrates”:
It was even worse by the early 1700s:
The hidden colony of escaped slaves in Black Sails was not made up:
The Pope had “awarded” Spain dominion over a huge expanse of the globe. But many other countries intended to contest Spain for control. Clearly Spain could not maintain dominance over all the Americas and concentrated to the south:
Everything south of Virginia, however, the Spanish regarded as an integral part of their empire, including Spanish Florida, the Bahamas, and the vast archipelago of the West Indies.
The treasure fleets of Spain were truly impressive and worth attacking (or finding sunken ships in the modern era):
For anyone who loved the miniseries Black Sails, all the main players are here and their actions are familiar. Hornigold's apprentice finally gets his chance to lead:
Blackbeard engages in some effective psychological warfare as he begins a rapid rise to fame:
George I conducted some of his own psychological warfare. It was very effective in splitting the pirates into opposing sides and eventually led to the pirate downfall:
The pirates fade away, some fought to their demise while others are caught, tried and hanged. Few made it out alive.
Long before Australia, the English found places to send their less desired. Life was brutal in the islands. Eventually a recruiting ground for “pyrates”:
It was even worse by the early 1700s:
The hidden colony of escaped slaves in Black Sails was not made up:
The Pope had “awarded” Spain dominion over a huge expanse of the globe. But many other countries intended to contest Spain for control. Clearly Spain could not maintain dominance over all the Americas and concentrated to the south:
Everything south of Virginia, however, the Spanish regarded as an integral part of their empire, including Spanish Florida, the Bahamas, and the vast archipelago of the West Indies.
The treasure fleets of Spain were truly impressive and worth attacking (or finding sunken ships in the modern era):
For anyone who loved the miniseries Black Sails, all the main players are here and their actions are familiar. Hornigold's apprentice finally gets his chance to lead:
Blackbeard engages in some effective psychological warfare as he begins a rapid rise to fame:
George I conducted some of his own psychological warfare. It was very effective in splitting the pirates into opposing sides and eventually led to the pirate downfall:
The pirates fade away, some fought to their demise while others are caught, tried and hanged. Few made it out alive.
April 12, 2024
”Expulsis Piratis, Comercia Restitua”
(Pirates Expelled, Commerce Restored) – the official motto of the Bahamas
When I first saw “The Republic of Pirates” and until right before I started reading it I thought it was a fictional story. I was looking on my phone when I added it to my TBR and I didn't read down the the part below the title “Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down” - it shows how much I pay attention 😜. In any case, I'm a sucker for pirate stories. Whether it be Jack Sparrow, Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards #2), Treasure Island, or the show Black Sails... I just enjoy stories about pirates.
I knew from watching the show Black Sails a lot of the names of the actual pirates featured in the book. If you hadn't watched this show (which is great) it is a combination of actual pirates mixed in with fictional pirates from Stevenson's Treasure Island. The fictional pirates on that show include (Long) John Silver, Captain Flint, and Billy Bones. The non-fictional pirates on that show include Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham, Israel Hands, and the one who came up with the idea of the republic... Benjamin Hornigold. Characters inspired from real people include the Maroon Queen (based on the Granny Nanny) and Eleanor Guthrie (made up but possibly inspired from real life Robert Guthrie). What about the Man Who Brought Them Down? That would be Woodes Rogers... featured in the show as well as in the book.
All the 'Black Sails' non-fictional characters listed above played a part in 'The Republic of Pirates” so this was all fascinating for me. When I watched Black Sails I had looked up things about the show and I remember reading that the show featured fictional and real pirates, but the real pirates were taken from different eras and brought together for dramatic effect. After reading this, I found this is not totally accurate. What is thought of as the 'Golden Age of Piracy' actually only spanned a single decade according to Woodward... from 1715 to 1725. Woodward's account covers events starting in the late 17th century and concluding in the 1730s. All the pirates listed did in fact interact during this time. Vane was a pupil of Blackbeard, Rackham was Vanes Quartermaster, Anne Bonny and Rackham were a couple... and one of the biggest surprises to me as that Hornigold was a pirate who took advantage of the pardon programs and later became a pirate hunter – just like in the show.
Speaking of pardons... I thought that was all made up. They really did however try to entice the pirates to give up their wicked ways in exchange for a full pardon from England. Just like in the show...this was an idea promoted by Woodes Rogers. The idea was to split off enough pirates to weaken their forces and come down hard on the remainder. This worked better than you might expect. And to reduce the numbers is actually a pretty good plan. Blackbeard had 700 pirates under his command at one point.
In Pirates of the Caribbean there are some funny scenes where they are trying to 'recruit' crew members for the Black Pearl. In reality, this was anything but funny. The recruiting techniques were categorized as Spirits, Crimps, and Press Gangs. Spirits would seek out drunks who would be coerced into serving. Crimps.. would go after the dregs of society and do the same. The press gangs would go into communities and coerce any able bodied men that had skills of value.. doctors, carpenters, iron workers.. etc and force them into becoming sailors. The press gangs would be more likely to let married men avoid such service – since they were more likely to resist the 'pirate ways'.
So let's say you wanted to serve your country and support the navy instead... those conditions were actually worse. A quote from the book was “Those who would go do sea for pleasure would go to hell as a pastime” given the choice between the navy and being a pirate – many made the latter choice because the conditions were better.
In many Hollywood views of pirates they rightly show them cleaning the undersides of the ships. I misunderstood what that was all about. I thought it was re remove barnacles and thus reduce drag. While that's partly true it was mainly to wood bores that could easily make the hulls of the ships so porous they ruined many a good ship. According to Woodward.. "A Shipworm is a ravenous wood-eating parasite that would bore through the warships’ oaken hulls"
Another thing I was unfamiliar with was that many of the pirates saw themselves as 'Robin Hood' figures of the time. Stealing from the rich and enriching themselves (the poor). Many of them also were very opposed to the rise of King George the first to the throne who ascended after Queen Anne died. George was a distant relative of Anne, was German, and didn't even speak English. The queen's half-brother – James Stuart – was considered by many to be the rightful heir, but was passed up because he was Catholic. Many of the same pirates were supporters of Stuart – or Jacobites – and considered their civic disobedience to be patriotic in support of the true king.
Another thing I didn't realize was that a lot of the pirates that are known for being in the Caribbean actually did a lot of their pirating far North up the New England coast – with a lot of attacks in and around Chesapeake Bay.
I learned what a Buccaneer was...
Buccaneer is an imprecise term referring to the pirates and privateers who operated out of the West Indies in the seventeenth century, particularly in the 1670s and 1680s. The word originally referred to bands of lawless men, most of them French, who roamed the island of Hispaniola, hunting wild cattle and drying the meat on a boucan, an Indian-style meat-smoker
Contrasting to a Privateer... who are authorized by their governments with letters of marque to take on merchant ships during times of war. A lot of the prates began as privateers - including Hornigold, Blackbeard, and… Woodes Rogers.
One surprising bit to me was that Blackbeard went way out of his way to not kill any hostages. He is certainly not portrayed as such by most representations of him in different media formats. Many of the pirates were quite different than what you might think really. The one exception was Charles Vane. In Black Sails he was a ruthless, but brilliant opportunist. In reality... pretty much the same thing. His story – and most of the real pirates actual stories were quite a bit different though.
So it was boring- right? I certainly didn't think so. I thought the actual events were quite interesting and played out much like any Hollywood scripts. Woodward did extensive research for this book with some 50 pages of references and footnotes. Many of the ships taken list the actual day of the events and the captain of the vessel as well as their manifests. Maybe it was too detailed for some folks? I don't understand why it rates under 4 stars. I thought it was very well done would recommend it to any 'pirate junkies' like me 😜🏴☠️☠️⚔️💣🦜
When I first saw “The Republic of Pirates” and until right before I started reading it I thought it was a fictional story. I was looking on my phone when I added it to my TBR and I didn't read down the the part below the title “Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down” - it shows how much I pay attention 😜. In any case, I'm a sucker for pirate stories. Whether it be Jack Sparrow, Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards #2), Treasure Island, or the show Black Sails... I just enjoy stories about pirates.
I knew from watching the show Black Sails a lot of the names of the actual pirates featured in the book. If you hadn't watched this show (which is great) it is a combination of actual pirates mixed in with fictional pirates from Stevenson's Treasure Island. The fictional pirates on that show include (Long) John Silver, Captain Flint, and Billy Bones. The non-fictional pirates on that show include Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham, Israel Hands, and the one who came up with the idea of the republic... Benjamin Hornigold. Characters inspired from real people include the Maroon Queen (based on the Granny Nanny) and Eleanor Guthrie (made up but possibly inspired from real life Robert Guthrie). What about the Man Who Brought Them Down? That would be Woodes Rogers... featured in the show as well as in the book.
All the 'Black Sails' non-fictional characters listed above played a part in 'The Republic of Pirates” so this was all fascinating for me. When I watched Black Sails I had looked up things about the show and I remember reading that the show featured fictional and real pirates, but the real pirates were taken from different eras and brought together for dramatic effect. After reading this, I found this is not totally accurate. What is thought of as the 'Golden Age of Piracy' actually only spanned a single decade according to Woodward... from 1715 to 1725. Woodward's account covers events starting in the late 17th century and concluding in the 1730s. All the pirates listed did in fact interact during this time. Vane was a pupil of Blackbeard, Rackham was Vanes Quartermaster, Anne Bonny and Rackham were a couple... and one of the biggest surprises to me as that Hornigold was a pirate who took advantage of the pardon programs and later became a pirate hunter – just like in the show.
Speaking of pardons... I thought that was all made up. They really did however try to entice the pirates to give up their wicked ways in exchange for a full pardon from England. Just like in the show...this was an idea promoted by Woodes Rogers. The idea was to split off enough pirates to weaken their forces and come down hard on the remainder. This worked better than you might expect. And to reduce the numbers is actually a pretty good plan. Blackbeard had 700 pirates under his command at one point.
In Pirates of the Caribbean there are some funny scenes where they are trying to 'recruit' crew members for the Black Pearl. In reality, this was anything but funny. The recruiting techniques were categorized as Spirits, Crimps, and Press Gangs. Spirits would seek out drunks who would be coerced into serving. Crimps.. would go after the dregs of society and do the same. The press gangs would go into communities and coerce any able bodied men that had skills of value.. doctors, carpenters, iron workers.. etc and force them into becoming sailors. The press gangs would be more likely to let married men avoid such service – since they were more likely to resist the 'pirate ways'.
So let's say you wanted to serve your country and support the navy instead... those conditions were actually worse. A quote from the book was “Those who would go do sea for pleasure would go to hell as a pastime” given the choice between the navy and being a pirate – many made the latter choice because the conditions were better.
In many Hollywood views of pirates they rightly show them cleaning the undersides of the ships. I misunderstood what that was all about. I thought it was re remove barnacles and thus reduce drag. While that's partly true it was mainly to wood bores that could easily make the hulls of the ships so porous they ruined many a good ship. According to Woodward.. "A Shipworm is a ravenous wood-eating parasite that would bore through the warships’ oaken hulls"
Another thing I was unfamiliar with was that many of the pirates saw themselves as 'Robin Hood' figures of the time. Stealing from the rich and enriching themselves (the poor). Many of them also were very opposed to the rise of King George the first to the throne who ascended after Queen Anne died. George was a distant relative of Anne, was German, and didn't even speak English. The queen's half-brother – James Stuart – was considered by many to be the rightful heir, but was passed up because he was Catholic. Many of the same pirates were supporters of Stuart – or Jacobites – and considered their civic disobedience to be patriotic in support of the true king.
Another thing I didn't realize was that a lot of the pirates that are known for being in the Caribbean actually did a lot of their pirating far North up the New England coast – with a lot of attacks in and around Chesapeake Bay.
I learned what a Buccaneer was...
Buccaneer is an imprecise term referring to the pirates and privateers who operated out of the West Indies in the seventeenth century, particularly in the 1670s and 1680s. The word originally referred to bands of lawless men, most of them French, who roamed the island of Hispaniola, hunting wild cattle and drying the meat on a boucan, an Indian-style meat-smoker
Contrasting to a Privateer... who are authorized by their governments with letters of marque to take on merchant ships during times of war. A lot of the prates began as privateers - including Hornigold, Blackbeard, and… Woodes Rogers.
One surprising bit to me was that Blackbeard went way out of his way to not kill any hostages. He is certainly not portrayed as such by most representations of him in different media formats. Many of the pirates were quite different than what you might think really. The one exception was Charles Vane. In Black Sails he was a ruthless, but brilliant opportunist. In reality... pretty much the same thing. His story – and most of the real pirates actual stories were quite a bit different though.
So it was boring- right? I certainly didn't think so. I thought the actual events were quite interesting and played out much like any Hollywood scripts. Woodward did extensive research for this book with some 50 pages of references and footnotes. Many of the ships taken list the actual day of the events and the captain of the vessel as well as their manifests. Maybe it was too detailed for some folks? I don't understand why it rates under 4 stars. I thought it was very well done would recommend it to any 'pirate junkies' like me 😜🏴☠️☠️⚔️💣🦜
April 8, 2015
After watching the last season of Black Sails, I wanted to learn more about the true historical pirates rather than Hollywood types. This book gives a very good overview of the golden age of Piracy. Black Beard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonney, Mary Reed and Calico Jack Rackham, as well as many other well known pirates make appearances in this book. It tells of the rise and fall of this golden age of Piracy and the stories of the pirates, and those that hunted them. I found the book very informative and very interesting. It goes over the whole era pretty well, in a very good presentation of stories and facts.
December 12, 2020
Pretty decent overview. Made some good points about why piracy flourished at that particular moment in time. From the Jacobite movement to horrific conditions for the average sailor...many of whom were forced into service/
7/10
7/10
February 1, 2023
Bien investigado y con una narración amena y hasta novelesca, lo único que puedo imputarle a The Republic of Pirates es una notoria carencia de hipótesis y una tediosa insistencia en detalles técnicos (particularmente en lo que refiere a los tamaños y el arsenal de todos y cada uno de los barcos que forman parte de la historia, que pueden imaginar que son muchos. También contiene muchos más nombres de los que me parecen necesarios).
Si bien empieza con Avery y termina con la muerte de Woodes Rogers, el grueso del libro está dedicado a la vida y obras de Bellamy, Tatch y Vane. No leí A General History of the Pyrates así que no podría asegurarlo, pero me da la impresión de que sigue bastante cerca su estructura: quizás por eso me pareció un poco una recopilación de biografías entretejidas. Las anécdotas son fascinantes y los retratos de los personajes históricos maravillosos. El contexto general está presente, si bien un poco relegado: la Guerra de Sucesión Española, los levantamientos jacobitas, la guerra de la Cuádruple Alianza, todas aparecen e influyen, pero no se discuten en profundidad. Quizás también por eso las interacciones con los franceses y los españoles me parecieron un poco menospreciadas; entiendo que no es su área de interés y veo que no parece haber consultado con franceses ni españoles, así que entiendo el motivo, pero me hubiera gustado entender mejor ese microcosmos caribeño.
Me resultó, como mencioné, demasiado anclado en el dato y la narración fáctica: me faltó teoría, debate, análisis, hipótesis. Es una historia sobre aventureros, ladrones, y oficiales de la Corona, no sobre la sociedad en la que vivían. Creo que todo lo que no me termina de gustar del libro lo puedo atribuir a que Woodard es periodista, no historiador. Así, el libro se lee mejor como una larga crónica. ¿Es entretenido? Seguro. ¿Es informativo? También. Habiéndolo leído, conozco más y mejor las figuras más famosas de la piratería caribeña, sus orígenes y sus destinos. Pero no entiendo mejor la piratería caribeña en sí, menos que menos la república pirata de Nassau.
Tengo que decir que se vale de muchísimas fuentes y que planeo consultar algunas de ellas. El trabajo de investigación es admirable.
Si bien empieza con Avery y termina con la muerte de Woodes Rogers, el grueso del libro está dedicado a la vida y obras de Bellamy, Tatch y Vane. No leí A General History of the Pyrates así que no podría asegurarlo, pero me da la impresión de que sigue bastante cerca su estructura: quizás por eso me pareció un poco una recopilación de biografías entretejidas. Las anécdotas son fascinantes y los retratos de los personajes históricos maravillosos. El contexto general está presente, si bien un poco relegado: la Guerra de Sucesión Española, los levantamientos jacobitas, la guerra de la Cuádruple Alianza, todas aparecen e influyen, pero no se discuten en profundidad. Quizás también por eso las interacciones con los franceses y los españoles me parecieron un poco menospreciadas; entiendo que no es su área de interés y veo que no parece haber consultado con franceses ni españoles, así que entiendo el motivo, pero me hubiera gustado entender mejor ese microcosmos caribeño.
Me resultó, como mencioné, demasiado anclado en el dato y la narración fáctica: me faltó teoría, debate, análisis, hipótesis. Es una historia sobre aventureros, ladrones, y oficiales de la Corona, no sobre la sociedad en la que vivían. Creo que todo lo que no me termina de gustar del libro lo puedo atribuir a que Woodard es periodista, no historiador. Así, el libro se lee mejor como una larga crónica. ¿Es entretenido? Seguro. ¿Es informativo? También. Habiéndolo leído, conozco más y mejor las figuras más famosas de la piratería caribeña, sus orígenes y sus destinos. Pero no entiendo mejor la piratería caribeña en sí, menos que menos la república pirata de Nassau.
Tengo que decir que se vale de muchísimas fuentes y que planeo consultar algunas de ellas. El trabajo de investigación es admirable.
November 18, 2016
The most boring book about pirates you'll ever read. Really though, it's shocking how uninteresting the whole thing is. I made it about 2/3 of the way through before finally coming to the realization that this was it - the damn thing simply wasn't going to get any better.
FAR too much of this is given over to lists. Lists of the provisions carried aboard a particular pirate ship, lists of the measurements of a particular type of ship, lists of the plunder taken from a particular ship. I forgot it all in a matter of minutes. I mean, seriously though, why go into that much detail? Even the descriptions of the sea battles lack intrigue. Simply put, nothing in this book is all that interesting.
I always feel bad when I fail to finish a book, but in this case reading it was just worse. This should have been great and the fact that it isn't can only be blamed on the author because the history itself is fascinating!
FAR too much of this is given over to lists. Lists of the provisions carried aboard a particular pirate ship, lists of the measurements of a particular type of ship, lists of the plunder taken from a particular ship. I forgot it all in a matter of minutes. I mean, seriously though, why go into that much detail? Even the descriptions of the sea battles lack intrigue. Simply put, nothing in this book is all that interesting.
I always feel bad when I fail to finish a book, but in this case reading it was just worse. This should have been great and the fact that it isn't can only be blamed on the author because the history itself is fascinating!
March 7, 2023
I don't know if it was the subject matter (which is weirddd cuz it's pirates) or the way it was presented, but I was just not interested while reading this. It felt long-winded and nonlinear. But, hey, if you like pirates--you might like this.
✍🏻Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
👣Pacing: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
🖤Enjoyment Level: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆」
✍🏻Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
👣Pacing: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
🖤Enjoyment Level: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆」
June 29, 2021
A very interesting read. Four and a half stars. It lost half star because, like a previous reviewer noted- it doesn't go into detail about The Republic of Pirates itself- as in, it doesn't discuss how it was governed or how it constituted a republic. Other than that, a great read.
June 22, 2014
Fun and interesting, but the story got extremely dull. Come on.... how hard is it to make pirates exciting...?
October 25, 2023
“Yo ho yo ho a pirate’s life for me!” I wish all historical writing was this well written. An excellent read for lovers of Pirates of the Caribbean 🏴☠️
August 9, 2024
Lots of fun.
July 2, 2025
Forget everything you ever learned through the entertainment industry. This book was a revelation. Amazing.
March 17, 2022
Overview:
Page turner. Goes through the "Golden Age" of piracy and the downfall. Shows the brutal life of a sailor and the reasons so many became pirates. Some pirates saw themselves as Robin Hoodesque figures. Some saw themselves as outlaw fighters still loyal to their motherlands. Some just enjoyed the lifestyle and freedom.
Gives details of major figures including Henry Avery, Rogers, Blackbeard, Hornigold, Vayne, Bellamy, etc.
Also gave a look into the politics behind piracy. A major reason for it was the Spanish Succession War. This led to privateering, or government endorsed piracy, in Great Britain. As the war ended large amounts of unemployment among sailors and the suppressive stances of the Spanish led to many looking towards piracy. When ships and crews were taken it was not uncommon for a third of the crew to join the pirates. And depending on the pirates, slaves were either sold or they joined the band of pirates when captured. The conditions of sailors was poor, with dried maggot filled meats, and salaries that were less than a farmer and often not guaranteed. It was mentioned that 40% of sailors would die in a voyage. Combat, ship wrecks, disease, and starvation were common.
Notes:
1696
Henry Avery
Legendary Pirate former member of British Royal Navy for two decades
Left to work for wealthy merchants
Onboard of Charles II
After a while they stopped getting paid
The ships were now owned by the King of Spain
Henry Avery led a mutiny and took control of the ship
85 men joined him all but the doctor joined of their own accord
Raised ships and settlements around the world. The Caribbean, Indian and African Coasts.
Ship was renamed to Fancy
Avery sympathetic to the English.
Did not kill unnecessarily and gave back what he didn't need.
Was not as kind to others, especially if they weren't white.
Stole from Indian fleet.
Including from Aurangzeb's ship. The legendary Mughal emperor
Sailed to Nassau and bribed Governor Trott.
Stayed there and his crew split.
Some to the American colonies, Great Britain,
Avery bought the Sea Flower and said for Northern Ireland.
His crew mates were found
Five were hung on Nov. 25 1696
Avery was never heard from again.
His legend grew after his disappearance.
The defacto legendary pirate that the others derived from
Chapter 2
Going to Sea
1697-1702
Samuel Bellamy
From Dartmoor setting of Hounds of Baskervilles
Charles Vane
Little know probably English possibly French
Lived in Jamaica before turning Pirate
Cruel dude
Edward Thatch AKA Black Beard
Educated from a well off family
Had a morale code
Sailers often treated poorly
Expected for crew members to die
Around 40%
Made less than farmers, cheated out of wages often
There were many sadistic captains.
Cabin boy who was tortured story page 43
Wooden Rogers
Rogers the Pirate Hunter
Same age, profession, and area as Thatch
Likely were acquaintaned
Was told stories of Avery by friend William Dampier
Dampier circumnavigated the world and was an author
Spent months with Avery and men in La Corina in 1694.
Sympathetic to Avery but did not mutiny.
Likely offered directions, helped with lawsuit for survivors, assisted crew members he came across in Brazil
Rogers took a lenient fair-minded approach likely because of Dampiers stories.
Died in the winter of 1705-1706 at sea
Estate passed to his son who became the legendary pirate hunter
Piracy was set by the war of Spanish succession
Was known as a household name from
London to Edinburgh
Boston to Barbados
In France and Spain, known as a pirate
Chapter 3
War
1702-1712
Port Royal had poor conditions
Outnumbered
Hurricanes and fires decimated Port Royal
French and Spanish privateers attacked British ships and colonies
British started hiring their own privateers
Rogers was a slave trader
Received commission to plunder French and Spanish
Eventually set eyes on New Spanish fleet
Unmatched riches but also well protected
Lost his brother in the fights
Took a bullet in the mouth that blew open his upper jaw and teeth.
Wooden debris damaged his leg.
Couldn't speak or walk properly.
Went home poor and depressed
Wrote a successful book after:
Most notable story in the book was about a sailor whom they found had been living on a deserted island for 3 years.
Chapter 4
Peace 1714-1715
Sailors largely out of work
In West Indies the Guards Costas (Spanish Coast Guard Vessels)
Seized vessels in Jamaica
Many went to the unlawful life of pirating
Including Hornigold and Thatch
July 13th 1715
Spanish treasure fleet left Havana
Was during hurricane season
They needed to leave to take the treasury to the Spanish King
Got caught in hurricane
Fleet with treasure sank
News spread and many went for a payday
Salmon of the Spanish and Jennings of the English faced off
Spanish had no choice but to surrender
Thatch and Hornigold continued plundering and built up wealth and power.
Hornigold was later voted out of command. His reluctance to attack British ships angered other sailors. He left with his most loyal followers, which included Thatch.
Chapter 5 Pirates Gather
January - June 1716
Details activities of the Governor and the key pirate figures
Chapter 6 & 7
Hornigold and Thatch ousted
Hornigold saw himself as a vigilante. He did not want to attack English and Dutch ships.
They rebuild their forces
Bellamy takes control
Adventures of Bellamy
Becomes a legend, builds a huge fleet with powerful ships
Later finds himself in a bad storm and dies
Chapter 8
Blackbeard
Hornigold left Thatch is command of his own crew.
Grew in power and cemented himself as the legendary Black Beard
Huge disheveled beard with braids and fuses.
Apparently was very intimidating and had crazy looking eyes.
Had a pretty good moral code for a pirate. Didn't unnecessarily kill.
Blackbeard never directly killed someone.
Chapter 9
Pardons
King George offered pardons to all pirates hoping they would return to being law abiding subjects.
Many took the offer.
This greatly cut down on the power of the pirates. Many retired with their riches. The main prominent pirates left were Black Beard and Vane.
Vane was hardcore and wanted to die in a blaze of glory. He was one of the more violent pirate captains.
Thatch looked to retire but went back to piracy. He didn't have enough money to live like a king for the rest of his days.
Rogers at this point had returned to bring order to the colony. He had to beg and plead with investors and government officials. He was given the resources but he himself would not be paid. He took the journey anyway. He spent money out of his own pocket to run the colony. Ended up in large debt as a result
Chapter 10
Brinksmanship
Vane gives a middle finger to the government.
This is were Thatch returns to piracy.
They both agreed to the pardons but went against them.
Vane was cornered in the straights near Port Royal. Eventually escaped.
The Royal Navy left Rogers without help.
They didn't want to stay any longer and so 2 of the 3 ships left.
The 3rd left soon after.
Chapter 11
On the Hunt
Iconic Blackbeard and Maynard faceoff
Chapter details the duel. Blackbeard gets the upper hand.
Maynard backs off and shoots him with a pistol.
Others join in and Blackbeard dies.
Vane gets ousted by his crew. The majority of his crew wanted to fight a warship. He used his final combat authority to make them back off. Called him a coward. He was right not to fight it. Rackham took leadership.
Vane was eventually caught and killed
Prologue Piracy's End
Has the story of the women pirates. One of them was the lover of Rackham. Captured and hung.
Rogers had a resurgence when another pirate book came out. He was again seen as a hero. He was released from debtor prison and given a pension. He became the governor of the Bahamas again but was ill. He died a year into his govern ship.
Page turner. Goes through the "Golden Age" of piracy and the downfall. Shows the brutal life of a sailor and the reasons so many became pirates. Some pirates saw themselves as Robin Hoodesque figures. Some saw themselves as outlaw fighters still loyal to their motherlands. Some just enjoyed the lifestyle and freedom.
Gives details of major figures including Henry Avery, Rogers, Blackbeard, Hornigold, Vayne, Bellamy, etc.
Also gave a look into the politics behind piracy. A major reason for it was the Spanish Succession War. This led to privateering, or government endorsed piracy, in Great Britain. As the war ended large amounts of unemployment among sailors and the suppressive stances of the Spanish led to many looking towards piracy. When ships and crews were taken it was not uncommon for a third of the crew to join the pirates. And depending on the pirates, slaves were either sold or they joined the band of pirates when captured. The conditions of sailors was poor, with dried maggot filled meats, and salaries that were less than a farmer and often not guaranteed. It was mentioned that 40% of sailors would die in a voyage. Combat, ship wrecks, disease, and starvation were common.
Notes:
1696
Henry Avery
Legendary Pirate former member of British Royal Navy for two decades
Left to work for wealthy merchants
Onboard of Charles II
After a while they stopped getting paid
The ships were now owned by the King of Spain
Henry Avery led a mutiny and took control of the ship
85 men joined him all but the doctor joined of their own accord
Raised ships and settlements around the world. The Caribbean, Indian and African Coasts.
Ship was renamed to Fancy
Avery sympathetic to the English.
Did not kill unnecessarily and gave back what he didn't need.
Was not as kind to others, especially if they weren't white.
Stole from Indian fleet.
Including from Aurangzeb's ship. The legendary Mughal emperor
Sailed to Nassau and bribed Governor Trott.
Stayed there and his crew split.
Some to the American colonies, Great Britain,
Avery bought the Sea Flower and said for Northern Ireland.
His crew mates were found
Five were hung on Nov. 25 1696
Avery was never heard from again.
His legend grew after his disappearance.
The defacto legendary pirate that the others derived from
Chapter 2
Going to Sea
1697-1702
Samuel Bellamy
From Dartmoor setting of Hounds of Baskervilles
Charles Vane
Little know probably English possibly French
Lived in Jamaica before turning Pirate
Cruel dude
Edward Thatch AKA Black Beard
Educated from a well off family
Had a morale code
Sailers often treated poorly
Expected for crew members to die
Around 40%
Made less than farmers, cheated out of wages often
There were many sadistic captains.
Cabin boy who was tortured story page 43
Wooden Rogers
Rogers the Pirate Hunter
Same age, profession, and area as Thatch
Likely were acquaintaned
Was told stories of Avery by friend William Dampier
Dampier circumnavigated the world and was an author
Spent months with Avery and men in La Corina in 1694.
Sympathetic to Avery but did not mutiny.
Likely offered directions, helped with lawsuit for survivors, assisted crew members he came across in Brazil
Rogers took a lenient fair-minded approach likely because of Dampiers stories.
Died in the winter of 1705-1706 at sea
Estate passed to his son who became the legendary pirate hunter
Piracy was set by the war of Spanish succession
Was known as a household name from
London to Edinburgh
Boston to Barbados
In France and Spain, known as a pirate
Chapter 3
War
1702-1712
Port Royal had poor conditions
Outnumbered
Hurricanes and fires decimated Port Royal
French and Spanish privateers attacked British ships and colonies
British started hiring their own privateers
Rogers was a slave trader
Received commission to plunder French and Spanish
Eventually set eyes on New Spanish fleet
Unmatched riches but also well protected
Lost his brother in the fights
Took a bullet in the mouth that blew open his upper jaw and teeth.
Wooden debris damaged his leg.
Couldn't speak or walk properly.
Went home poor and depressed
Wrote a successful book after:
Most notable story in the book was about a sailor whom they found had been living on a deserted island for 3 years.
Chapter 4
Peace 1714-1715
Sailors largely out of work
In West Indies the Guards Costas (Spanish Coast Guard Vessels)
Seized vessels in Jamaica
Many went to the unlawful life of pirating
Including Hornigold and Thatch
July 13th 1715
Spanish treasure fleet left Havana
Was during hurricane season
They needed to leave to take the treasury to the Spanish King
Got caught in hurricane
Fleet with treasure sank
News spread and many went for a payday
Salmon of the Spanish and Jennings of the English faced off
Spanish had no choice but to surrender
Thatch and Hornigold continued plundering and built up wealth and power.
Hornigold was later voted out of command. His reluctance to attack British ships angered other sailors. He left with his most loyal followers, which included Thatch.
Chapter 5 Pirates Gather
January - June 1716
Details activities of the Governor and the key pirate figures
Chapter 6 & 7
Hornigold and Thatch ousted
Hornigold saw himself as a vigilante. He did not want to attack English and Dutch ships.
They rebuild their forces
Bellamy takes control
Adventures of Bellamy
Becomes a legend, builds a huge fleet with powerful ships
Later finds himself in a bad storm and dies
Chapter 8
Blackbeard
Hornigold left Thatch is command of his own crew.
Grew in power and cemented himself as the legendary Black Beard
Huge disheveled beard with braids and fuses.
Apparently was very intimidating and had crazy looking eyes.
Had a pretty good moral code for a pirate. Didn't unnecessarily kill.
Blackbeard never directly killed someone.
Chapter 9
Pardons
King George offered pardons to all pirates hoping they would return to being law abiding subjects.
Many took the offer.
This greatly cut down on the power of the pirates. Many retired with their riches. The main prominent pirates left were Black Beard and Vane.
Vane was hardcore and wanted to die in a blaze of glory. He was one of the more violent pirate captains.
Thatch looked to retire but went back to piracy. He didn't have enough money to live like a king for the rest of his days.
Rogers at this point had returned to bring order to the colony. He had to beg and plead with investors and government officials. He was given the resources but he himself would not be paid. He took the journey anyway. He spent money out of his own pocket to run the colony. Ended up in large debt as a result
Chapter 10
Brinksmanship
Vane gives a middle finger to the government.
This is were Thatch returns to piracy.
They both agreed to the pardons but went against them.
Vane was cornered in the straights near Port Royal. Eventually escaped.
The Royal Navy left Rogers without help.
They didn't want to stay any longer and so 2 of the 3 ships left.
The 3rd left soon after.
Chapter 11
On the Hunt
Iconic Blackbeard and Maynard faceoff
Chapter details the duel. Blackbeard gets the upper hand.
Maynard backs off and shoots him with a pistol.
Others join in and Blackbeard dies.
Vane gets ousted by his crew. The majority of his crew wanted to fight a warship. He used his final combat authority to make them back off. Called him a coward. He was right not to fight it. Rackham took leadership.
Vane was eventually caught and killed
Prologue Piracy's End
Has the story of the women pirates. One of them was the lover of Rackham. Captured and hung.
Rogers had a resurgence when another pirate book came out. He was again seen as a hero. He was released from debtor prison and given a pension. He became the governor of the Bahamas again but was ill. He died a year into his govern ship.
January 4, 2010
This book read like a high school book report, and what a shame because the subject matter is otherwise so fascinating.
I would have happily traded the 200-page, mind-crushingly dull descriptive laundry list of captured vessels (their total weight, their contents, and their captains' names) for *ten* decently written pages about the Jacobite rebellion, or about the historical relevance of the pirates' republic and how it influenced the American Revolution and the creation of our democracy.
My favorite "WHERE WAS THE EDITOR??" moment came from this sentence: "Thousands of pounds of provisions were ordered: lumber for houses and gun carriages....arms, cannon, and clothing for the soldiers; and enough salt, bread, FLOWER, and preserved food to feed the expedition's 530 people for more than a year."
Flower?
Really?
*Nobody* caught that?
A minor spelling mistake, sure, but clear evidence that the editors must have dozed off while reading this too.
Still looking for a good book about the golden age of piracy, if anyone can recommend something.
I would have happily traded the 200-page, mind-crushingly dull descriptive laundry list of captured vessels (their total weight, their contents, and their captains' names) for *ten* decently written pages about the Jacobite rebellion, or about the historical relevance of the pirates' republic and how it influenced the American Revolution and the creation of our democracy.
My favorite "WHERE WAS THE EDITOR??" moment came from this sentence: "Thousands of pounds of provisions were ordered: lumber for houses and gun carriages....arms, cannon, and clothing for the soldiers; and enough salt, bread, FLOWER, and preserved food to feed the expedition's 530 people for more than a year."
Flower?
Really?
*Nobody* caught that?
A minor spelling mistake, sure, but clear evidence that the editors must have dozed off while reading this too.
Still looking for a good book about the golden age of piracy, if anyone can recommend something.
October 6, 2023
This is one of the most interesting non-fiction/history books I've read before. I mean, you'll no doubt enjoy it more if you have any kind of interest in pirates, but I found that it just provided a really in-depth view of this time and area of the world as well added a dose of reality to all the pirate stories and myths that I'd heard over the years and read/seen in other books and movies.
It presents a very real and raw picture of what it was like to be a pirate (or someone who came across them) rather than the "sensationalised" depictions that are obviously more typical of the aforementions books/movies. I also found it facinating to learn about the general history and geography of the Americans and Carribean of the 1700's and what life was like for colonists in these areas, especially on the more isolated islands.
Definitely worth a read if you're at all interested in a bit o' swashbucklin', or just a bit of a history nerd!
It presents a very real and raw picture of what it was like to be a pirate (or someone who came across them) rather than the "sensationalised" depictions that are obviously more typical of the aforementions books/movies. I also found it facinating to learn about the general history and geography of the Americans and Carribean of the 1700's and what life was like for colonists in these areas, especially on the more isolated islands.
Definitely worth a read if you're at all interested in a bit o' swashbucklin', or just a bit of a history nerd!
August 16, 2016
I've never seen another book where adventures of pirates and their hunters would seem so humdrum. The general impression on the Golden Age of piracy that is given by this book is that most activities of sea rovers were rather mundane and petty. Small crews, short careers, sloops with few cannons, surrenders without a fight, prizes mostly full of rum, grain and cocoa but for the few exceptions… Definitely not the rivers of pieces of eight one could conceive! (Sometimes the book mentions that pirates brought commerce to a hold, but without numbers and details I'd like.) On top of it, it turned out that Blackbeard was among the most humane pirates, very loyal, true to his word, savvy and not known to ever kill a prisoner, but spreading rumors in order to facilitate capture by fear…
Very good book, well researched, but some places are a somewhat tedious read.
Very good book, well researched, but some places are a somewhat tedious read.
March 17, 2008
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It gave a disclaimer talking about how people have this romanticized view of pirates and then went on to give a similarly golden picture of freedom-loving rebels, the forerunners of the American founding fathers who never killed anybody without need and, no doubt, nursed orphan puppies back to health. It also had one of the most skewed, over-simplified summaries of the Jacobite Rising that I have EVER seen outside of a third-grade textbook. It did get marginally better after the first chapter, but I didn't end up finishing the book. It was too much work staying alert at all times to watch for lazy scholarship for me right now.
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