The Pirate History Podcast

Clint Danseker. Zymen Eastwood. John Ward & Jack Wayne. Revenge and betrayal. We're finishing up our look at the Barbary Pirates today, and doing so through the lens of the Western. I, maybe, take it too far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to talk about Murat Reis. No, not that one. Not that other one either. He was born Jan Janszoon, and his legacy was the first attempt at a radical idea: A Pirate Republic. In his case, the Independent Corsair Republic of Sale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we follow the pirates after they leave Algiers for more welcoming shores. Zymen Danseker & Sir Francis Verney took a different road from their comrades. Their paths wind through clandestine deals, betrayal, and happy reunions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Ward, Zymen Danseker, Bill Graves, Francis Verney, and every other pirate in Barbary were all gathered in Algiers when Spain showed up to crash the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Ward returned to Tunis with problems piling up. His greatest ship was gone, along with hundreds of his sailors. And soon, he lost his greatest ally, Uthman Dey. So, we discuss the steps he took following that return. And I get annoyed with my sources. Like, really annoyed. In fact, that's most of the episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to discuss the fall of what was once the top sea power in the world. The Republic of Venice replaced the Byzantine Empire as the primary check on Ottoman sea power. So, why weren't they players in the Age of Exploration? Today we look at one of the major factors in her decline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news that John Ward was dead sent ripples throughout the Mediterranean world, and narrowly avoided calamity. However, the question remained, what happened out there? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relations between England & Venice continued to unravel in the face of English pirates like Jack Ward attacking Venetian shipping. The task of circumventing a war fell on the shoulders of two diplomats, neither of whom were up to the task. Both failed in their missions, in very different ways. However, the realities of seafaring life saved their missions by taking away the very cause of all that international tension. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The aftermath of John Ward's capture of the Reniera e Soderina caused diplomatic relations to break down between England and Venice. Dealing with that fallout, as well as the fate of John Ward, rested in the hands of two European diplomats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The saga of the English Merchantman Charity was only just beginning when she was attacked by three Pirate ships of John Ward's fleet. We're going to follow Captain Bannister and his crew on their fateful journey. And we will look at Zymen Danseker and his first consequential raids in the Mediterranean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices