The Republic of Pirates
Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Black Sails and Crossbones comes a new history of the Golden Age of Piracy. . .
In the early eighteenth century a number of the great pirate captains, including Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach and 'Black Sam' Bellamy, joined forces. This infamous 'Flying Gang' was more than simply a thieving band of brothers. Many of its members had come to piracy as a revolt against conditions in the merchant fleet and in the cities and plantations in the Old and New Worlds. Inspired by notions of self-government, they established a crude but distinctive form of democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which indentured servants were released and leaders chosen or deposed by a vote. They were ultimately overcome by their archnemesis, Captain Woodes Rogers-a merchant fleet owner and former privateer - and the brief but glorious Republic of Pirates came to an end.
Meticulously researched and full of incident and adventure, The Republic of Pirates brings to life an extraordinary forgotten chapter of history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Woodard (The Lobster Coast) tells a romantic story about Caribbean pirates of the "Golden Age" (1715 1725) whom he sees not as criminals but as social revolutionaries and the colonial governors who successfully clamped down on them, in the early 18th-century Bahamas. One group of especially powerful pirates set up a colony in the Bahamas. Known as New Providence, the community attracted not only disaffected sailors but also runaway slaves and yeomen farmers who had trouble getting a toehold in the plantation economy of the American colonies. The British saw piracy as a threat to colonial commerce and government. Woodes Rogers, the governor of the Bahamas and himself a former privateer, determined to bring the pirates to heel. Woodard describes how Rogers, aided by Virginia's acting governor, Alexander Spotswood, finally defeated the notorious Blackbeard. Woodard's portrait of Rogers is a little flat the man is virtually flawless ("courageous, selfless, and surprisingly patriotic"), and the prose is sometimes breathless ("they would know him by just one word... pirate"). Still, this is a fast-paced narrative that will be especially attractive to lovers of pirate lore and to vacationers who are Bahamas-bound. Maps.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!
For me it’s 5 stars. The book was incredibly detailed, easy to follow, well written with information from good sources. Above all, it educated me about the interesting pirate history in an exciting way.