The Pirate History Podcast
A podcast about the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, the real men and women that threatened the trade and stability of the Old World empires, the forces that led them to piracy and the myths and stories they inspired. Famous names like Captain Henry Morgan, Henry Avery, Charles Vane, Mary Reed, Anne Bonny, Black Bart Roberts, Ned Low, and Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach will rub elbows with Queens, Kings, Popes, rebellious monks, Caribbean Natives, African Slaves and notorious governors like Woodes Rogers. History, high seas adventure, myth and magic, voodoo, treachery, biography and freedom await.
Latest episodes
Feb 27, 2018 • 52min
Episode 59 - The Tragedy of la Limonade
Today the war comes home to Cap‑Français. What was left of the French buccaneers on Saint-Domingue face off against a well armed, well organized Spanish Army. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 22, 2018 • 54min
Episode 58 - Fall of Titans
War arrives in the West Indies. Jan Willems, Anne, & Laurens de Graaf are each impacted in their own way. We discuss revenge, honor, and the end of a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 15, 2018 • 47min
Episode 57 - A Parcel of Thieves
Laurens de Graaf sought revenge after the attack on his plantation. He hunted two Spanish privateers in particular - Juan Corso and Blas Miguel. He would find them, but Spain was sending reinforcements to deal with the pirate menace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 7, 2018 • 59min
Episode 56 - Armageddon
In 1685 & 1686, in the West Indies, the English were hunting pirates and arresting any Englishmen that sailed under a foreign flag. The French were arresting pirates while reigning in their privateers. The Spanish had called an Inquisition to deal with the corsairs and were building mercenary privateer navies to attack the pirates where they lived. These were the opening moves of a war that would engulf the world, and the first shots were fired against the Buccaneers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 31, 2018 • 1h 12min
Episode 55 - Twilight of the Buccaneers Part 3
The Brethren of the Coast sail from Saint Domingue in one last flurry of high seas piracy. Are they the embodiment of Robin Hood? The Alamo? A metaphor for America? Maybe none of those. But their days of ruling the waves are finally at their end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 25, 2018 • 1h 4min
Episode 54 - The War of the Reunions
Christmas, 1683. King Louis XIV invaded The Holy Roman Empire in a bid to claim the western bank of the Rhine. At that exact moment Laurens de Graaf attacked one of the jewels of the Spanish Empire. He was called a pirate despite his Letter of Marque, but if so, his piracy was remarkably unprofitable and played perfectly into Louis' war aims. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 16, 2018 • 43min
Episode 53 - Twilight of the Buccaneers Part 2
The weeks following the raid on Veracruz were difficult for Laurens de Graaf and Michel de Grammont. Today we look at those weeks, and the initial fallout from the raid. Then we discuss the early days of a young woman named Anne, new to Tortuga, and what she may have gone through upon arriving on the island. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 11, 2018 • 1h 3min
Episode 52 - Twilight of the Buccaneers part 1
The Buccaneers of the West Indies didn't yet know it but their days were numbered. Their decline was caused by the fallout from their last truly great raid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 30, 2017 • 45min
Episode 51 - Desperate Rogues
The summer of 1682 was a busy season for the pirates of the West Indies. Today we follow the cruises of Captain Jean Hamiln who defined that summer. We also take some time here at the end of the year to catch up with all the major pirates operating in 1682. Sharp, Dampier, Davis, de Graaf, Grammont, Coxon, & even Henry Morgan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 24, 2017 • 44min
Episode 50 - Violins & Trumpets
The French & Dutch defined West Indian piracy in the early 1680s. Three names in particular - Laurens de Graaf, Michel de Grammont, & Nicholas van Hoorn - were the titans of the era. Today we introduce them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
