The Spanish Corsairs

The word corsair is actually related to the words currency and current, which come from that same Latin root word. It was usually used to refer to pirates who roamed the Mediterranean, specifically pirates from North Africa and other parts of the Islamic world. In Europe, they were sometimes called the Barbary Pirates, but again the common French term for them was corsair. A Spanish sailor named Miguel de Cervantes was captured by a group of corsairs and held for ransom for several years. Later in his life, he wrote a book that you've probably heard of: Don Quixote.