As the Golden Age of Piracy drew to a close, the oceans turned into hunting grounds where pirates became prey. Dan tells the dramatic tale of the rise and fall of Bartholomew Roberts, or Black Bart, one of the most feared pirates of the age.
From West Africa to South America, Roberts dominated the Atlantic. He captured over 400 ships before the British Navy, led by Captain Chaloner Ogle, finally caught up with him. His death in a blaze of cannon fire—and the mass hanging of his captured crew—marked the brutal end of piracy’s golden era.
Dan is joined by Sophie Nibbs, the curator of the new Pirates exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, to explore this final chapter of our Pirates series.
You can discover more and book tickets for the 'Pirates' exhibition at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich here.
Written by Dan Snow, produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore
Join Dan and the team for a special LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday 12th September 2025!
To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask!
Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/
You can now find Dan Snow's History Hit on YouTube! Watch episodes every Friday (including this one) here.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.
You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
