Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in Their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom--and Revenge
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3.4 • 21 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In this lively debut work of history, Edward Kritzler tells the tale of an unlikely group of swashbuckling Jews who ransacked the high seas in the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition. At the end of the fifteenth century, many Jews had to flee Spain and Portugal. The most adventurous among them took to the seas as freewheeling outlaws. In ships bearing names such as the Prophet Samuel, Queen Esther, and Shield of Abraham, they attacked and plundered the Spanish fleet while forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews living in hiding. Filled with high-sea adventures–including encounters with Captain Morgan and other legendary pirates–Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean reveals a hidden chapter in Jewish history as well as the cruelty, terror, and greed that flourished during the Age of Discovery.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian and journalist Kritzler brings the political and religious ramifications of Caribbean pirating into a whole new context while explaining how the Jewish diaspora funded piracy to advance their religious (and financial) freedom in the New World. Through a deft combination of factual overview and anecdotes involving some of the more colorful figures of the time, Kritzler paints a unique picture of this perhaps over-exposed period of history. For centuries in Europe, Jews were shunted from country to country, exploited by penurious rulers for their financial acumen and promptly persecuted after the country became solvent (most egregiously in Spain). By financing piracy, the Jews ensured their own survival, as well as monopolizing the most lucrative income sources Europe had seen in centuries. While figures like Henry Morgan and Barbarossa will leap out at readers familiar with pirate lore, the little-known "pirate rabbi" Samuel Palache will excite just as much interest. Though Kritzler tends to leap from topic to topic, he covers an impressive interdisciplinary range-combining politics, economics and religion-that should satisfy fans of religious history and swashbuckling true stories.
Customer Reviews
Worth reading but a bit disappointing
While well written and sourced, this is NOT the swashbuckling tale its jaunty title enticingly suggests. It did open a universe of fascinating characters, indeed a fresh way of looking at Europe's exploration and yes, exploitation of the New World, largely trail blazed by a vanguard of "conversos" and other Jewish soldiers of fortune, navigators, sailors, and entrepreneurs driven west out of Spain and later, the entire Iberian Peninsula by the unspeakable horrors of the Inquisition. But it does not flesh out these wonderful characters in any detail, which is exasperating and ultimately tedious. Moreover, it skips the dashing pirates, soldiers and naval commanders in favor of businessmen. Argh! This is closer to "Pirates of Wall Street". Still, a good overview of largely forgotten Jewish history.