1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: In the twelfth century, cities like Lubeck, Hamburg, Bremen, Danzig 2 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: and others along the Baltic and the North Sea coast 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: experienced an increase in maritime trade, and of course, wherever 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: there are valuables for the taking, there were pirates. To 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: help address the issue, Lubeck and Hamburg created the Hanseatic 6 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 1: League in twelve forty one, also commonly called Hansa. The 7 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: term means fellowship or community, more of a mercantile alliance 8 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: than a city by city effort. The League both supervised 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: maritime trade and helped to safeguardships against pirates. By hundred 10 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: nineteen major ports had joined. Some countries, like Denmark, were 11 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: against Hansa and the mercantile monopoly the League had become 12 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: the opposing country. Solution was to create smaller brethren organizations. 13 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: One such group of free booters, the Vitalin Brewder or 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Victual Brothers, consisting of mercenaries and pirates, had been hired 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: to bring food visions to Stockholm in the thirteen nineties. 16 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: The Danes had waged an assault on the city in 17 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: an attempt to capture and control it. In response to 18 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: Hanseatic cities in Mecklenburg put out a call for free 19 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: booters at their own expense. The Victual Brothers would harass 20 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: and plunder ships from Denmark and Norway. Thus began the 21 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: privateers War, But seeing as the applicants lining up for 22 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: a license had seed reputations, the conflict seemore like pirates 23 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: versus pirates. The Victual Brothers frequently targeted ports outside of 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: Mecklenburg that belonged to the Hansa. Lubeck became a favorite target, 25 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: although the Brothers attacked any ship in the Baltic they pleased. 26 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: While they might have government allies, their actions showed that 27 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: they were first and foremost pirates by nature. One of 28 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: the Brothers vessels made the mistake of attacking a German 29 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: ship in Thirte. The German sailors bested the pirates and 30 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: stuffed them into barrels with just their heads sticking out 31 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: of the top. Once the ship reached the port in Strawson, 32 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: the men were carted off and beheaded. Other Victual brother 33 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: pirates pressed on, eventually becoming so successful that trading in 34 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: the Baltic nearly came to a standstill. Finally, a treaty 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: was signed in May of and the victual brothers were 36 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: ordered to leave the Baltic by that July. It won't 37 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: surprise you to learn that the brothers had no intention 38 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: of giving up piracy, though, They just split into smaller 39 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: groups and operated from their new capital on the island 40 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: of Helgoland. The location provided easy access to passing ships. 41 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: Local chieftains along the eastern coast of Frieseland hired the 42 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: pirates for their conflicts and campaigns. From this new brotherhood, 43 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: Klaus stora Becker became legendary in German folklore. Sometime around 44 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,919 Speaker 1: fourteen o one, the hands has set out a fleet 45 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: of ships to capture and destroy Claus's base. For three days, 46 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: the battle reached on. Men took to crossbows, axes, swords, 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: and hand to hand combat. At last, Klaus's ship Sea 48 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: Tiger was captured by the captain aboard the d Bunta Coup, 49 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: which oddly translates to the colorful Cow. Klaus and seventy 50 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: two of his crew were taken to Hamburg, where he 51 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: negotiated pardon not for himself, but for any of his 52 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,839 Speaker 1: crewmen that he could walk past after the executioner cut 53 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,399 Speaker 1: off his head. The legend says that headless, Klaus stumbled 54 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: past eleven men. If there's any truth to Klaus's end 55 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: or not, it makes us wonder why we have always 56 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: envisioned pirates as the lone, rogue wolves of the sea. 57 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: After all, most wolves hunt impacts. I'm Aaron Manky and 58 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: welcome two pirates. Pirate legends. We glorify them, massive ships 59 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: with brave captains, traveling the seas in search of fortune. 60 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: The Golden Age of Piracy even sounds somewhat romantic, but 61 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: peel back the legends and the history underneath is a 62 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: lot more brutal. Historians often debate just how long the 63 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: Golden Age of Piracy lasted. Some argue it lasted only 64 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: ten years, from seventeen fifteen to seventeen. Others claim it 65 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: occurred between seventeen fourteen and seventeen thirty, while still more 66 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: say that the exact start and end date is rather subjective, 67 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: since pirates roamed the seas hundreds of years before the 68 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: Golden Age of piracy. The definition is generally traced back 69 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: to the use of privateers during conflicts in the Caribbean 70 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: throughout the late sixteen hundreds and early seventeen hundreds. The 71 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: Treaty of You treked in seventeen thirteen ended the livelihoods 72 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: of many seamen who had come to places like Port Royal, 73 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: Jamaica to earn a profitable living as what was essentially 74 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: a sanctioned pirate for higher upwards of six thousand privateers 75 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: previously working with the government found themselves either out of 76 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: work or in a position where they had to return 77 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: to their former employment aboard slave, merchant or navy ships 78 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: with low pay and often deplorable conditions. Seaports in British 79 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: and colonial territories teamed with unemployed seamen. Others chose to 80 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: continue their line of work, officially making them pirates instead 81 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: of privateers. Many attacked only the French or Spanish vessels, 82 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: while others were less discerning and contributing to that rise 83 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: where government without a means to enforce anti piracy laws. 84 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: Most Caribbean pirates hailed from England, but not all of them. 85 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: Pirates came from Africa, Scotland, Ireland and other places around 86 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: the world. Regardless of their heritage, they formed a common bond, 87 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: even working together. Many even came to another pirate's aid. 88 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: We might think of them as lawless, but pirate crews 89 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: formed highly democratic communities and hierarchies. Their captains were not tyrants. 90 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: Crewmen could and did vote them out of power. Plunder 91 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: was divided fairly, and the crew had to say in 92 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: the captain's decision process. Democracy at sea granted them far 93 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: better protection than their employers or governments offered on land. 94 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 1: Some pirates from the Bahamas even provided disability benefits to 95 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: crew members. Something more than booze, adventure and treasure attracted 96 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: sailors to life as a pirate. It certainly wasn't the 97 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: picture governments painted for them, bloodthirsty murderers, rapists and thieves 98 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: out there only for themselves, who also relished in torturing 99 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,679 Speaker 1: women and children just for fun. While some individuals certainly 100 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: did fit that description, other stories were simply exaggerated. Yet 101 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: no matter what government officials said, the public regarded pirates 102 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: as a form of folk hero even during the Golden 103 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,679 Speaker 1: age of piracy. So Aside from the money, the booze, 104 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: the adventure, and the escape from poor working condition, there's 105 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 1: another reason rebellion pirates took a social and political stand 106 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 1: against injustices. When Queen Anne died, for example, and her 107 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: brother was refused the throne because he was Catholic pirates 108 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: like Benjamin Hornegald and Edward Teach remained loyal to the 109 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: House of Stuart and rebelled against King George. It's important 110 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: to remember that most pirates came from poor families, working 111 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: jobs that had little chance of paying off. These men 112 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: and women had nothing to lose and everything to gain, 113 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: Although there were pirates who valued the lifestyle above all else. 114 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 1: In seventeen twenty two, for example, pirate Joseph Mansfield once 115 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: said that he loved drinking and a lazy life more 116 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: than he valued any pure The men and women who 117 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: were active during the Golden Age of piracy left an 118 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: indelible mark on history, many becoming larger than life legends. 119 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: When we think of pirates today, popular names like Edward Teach, 120 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: Sam Bellamy, and Steve Bonnet come to mind, as well 121 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: as the trio of Calico, Jack and Bonnie and Mary Read. 122 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: And each of these pirates was powerful in their own right. 123 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: They captained or served aboard flagships that could hold their 124 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: own against any man of war, and with so many 125 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: of them commanding what amounted to entire naval fleets, it 126 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: seems as though they would see each other as direct competition. Yet, 127 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: as it turns out, these very capable individuals and crews 128 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: came to form a tighter bond. Not only did they 129 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: know each other, but they also created a community referred 130 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: to as the Pirate Republic. Pirates rated ships for more 131 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: than just gold. Honestly, they would plunder anything of value. 132 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: Of course, stolen goods required buyers who didn't ask a 133 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: lot of questions. Port Royal and Martinique had once been 134 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: prime locations to sell, but by the Golden Age the 135 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: ports began to crack down on pirates and their buyers. 136 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,679 Speaker 1: Small colonies short on supplies sometimes looked the other way, 137 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: but larger colonial ports prohibited and enforced laws preventing the 138 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: sale of stolen goods. This forced the buyers and pirates 139 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: to meet at prearranged locations to do their business. The 140 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: easiest solution for the pirates was to find a port 141 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: city they operated. They found the perfect spot in Nassau 142 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: on the island of New Providence. In the late seventeenth century, 143 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 1: England and Spain engaged in a conflict over salvaging wrecked 144 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: ships in the area. Spain raided the then British controlled Bahamas. Naturally, 145 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: the British retaliated with their own privateers against Spain. The 146 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: hostilities resulted in burning the settlement to the ground, but 147 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: mostly abandoned area attracted new settlers willing to rebuild, including 148 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: English privateers. By the colonists established Nasa as the capital. 149 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: As we learned earlier privateers found themselves without a job 150 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: after the Treaty of Utrecht was signed. Afterward, both the 151 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,960 Speaker 1: Spanish and French ignored the treaty and rated Nassau in 152 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: the early eighteenth century, and the settlement was abandoned once more. 153 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: In seventeen fifteen, though, a fleet of Spanish treasure ships 154 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: made their way home after a lengthy time at sea. 155 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: On June thirty, as they sailed through the channel between 156 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: Florida and the Grand Bahamas, they encountered a hurricane. The 157 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: one hundred mile per hour winds tore the sails, and 158 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,199 Speaker 1: the fifty foot waves slammed the ships into the jagged 159 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: reefs off the Florida coast. Only one ship survived. Ten 160 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: others sank, along with an immense treasure of silk, coins, ingots, 161 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: and jewels. When the hurricanes subsided, nearly a thousand corpses 162 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: washed ashore approximately seven million pesos worth of treasure lay 163 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: in shallow water. Everyone from the Spanish, to the navy 164 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: to the pirates converged on the area. Port Royal's governor 165 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: hired privateer Henry Jennings to bring back whatever he could. 166 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: Jennings and his men attacked a Spanish garrison and seized 167 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: nearly sixty thousand pieces of eight. Spain left the area 168 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: in seventeen sixteen, leaving behind a significant amount of treasure. 169 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: Jennings and his men packed up their treasure and left. 170 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 1: While the pirates raked in considerable sums. Spending them proved 171 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,079 Speaker 1: a bit more difficult. They couldn't spend them in Port Royal, 172 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: but Nasaw, a new providence, provided the perfect alternative. Benjamin 173 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: Hornegald and Edward Teach had already established themselves in the settlement. 174 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,680 Speaker 1: Hornegald had a hundred men and a well armed sloop 175 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: in the harbor, asserting an unchecked, if not temporary, authority 176 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,839 Speaker 1: over the settlement. Pirates nearly outnumbered other settlers, and they 177 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 1: walked freely through the streets as though the town belonged 178 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: to them. As more pirates converged, their dominance in Nasa 179 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: increased the pirates began to refer to themselves as the 180 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: Flying Gang. Those who didn't want to join left for Jamaica, 181 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: fresh office treasure hunt in Florida, Jennings and his men 182 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: arrived in Nasa. He stole a small Spanish sloop belonging 183 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: to Hornegal, challenging the status quo. As it turned out 184 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: the two men had a long history of rivalry. Hornegal 185 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 1: had to do something to prove his worth or risk 186 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: losing control, so he took Edward Teach and two hundred 187 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: men on his ten guns sloop through the Florida Straits 188 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: and around Cuba during the spring of seventeen sixteen, where 189 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: the crew captured several valuable prizes. Hornegal recruited a few 190 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: other pirate captains, including Sam Bellamy and an unlikely ally 191 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: French captain, Olivier Labouse. They returned to Nasa, only to 192 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 1: discover that the pirate community had substantially increased the population 193 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: there of pirates and illegal traders. Caught the attention of 194 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: Virginia's governor, who complained to England that pirates had taken 195 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: control of the Bahamas, and as time went on, streams 196 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,360 Speaker 1: of outcasts found their way to Nassau from farmers to 197 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: runaway slaves. Life among the pirates provided them with freedoms 198 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: and a sense of community that they didn't have back 199 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,840 Speaker 1: in the colonies. By seventeen seventeen, most of the names 200 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: that were familiar with called Nassa home, though not all 201 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: of them belonged to the Flying Gang, and although Jennings 202 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: and Hornegold remained enemies, the island provided room enough for 203 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: both leaders. New providence had become a pirate's paradise. Sources 204 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,960 Speaker 1: indicate that they might have taken counsel with each other 205 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: and may have formed an organized and structured community, living 206 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:28,319 Speaker 1: what we might call governing by pirate code. But utopia 207 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: is just an illusion, and all good things, as they say, 208 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 1: must come to an end. Word reached England's King, George 209 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 1: the First that the Caribbean had become so infested with 210 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,679 Speaker 1: pirates that the future of trading, even into the American 211 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: colonies had become endangered. To deal with the pirates and 212 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: those trading with them, the king signed a proclamation in 213 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: September of seventeen seventeen. Pirates had until the following September 214 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:04,199 Speaker 1: to surrender to authorities. However, instead of punishment. They would 215 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: receive a pardon as long as they gave up piracy 216 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: for good after one year. England would offer a bounty 217 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: for the capture of pirate officers, and of course, military 218 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: force would be used against all pirates. The proclamation reached 219 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: New Providence in December. As you might imagine, the letter 220 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: divided the pirates into two different camps, those who favored 221 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: taking the pardon, like Jennings and Hornegal, and those who 222 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,559 Speaker 1: were against it, like Charles Vane. Those who accepted flew 223 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,079 Speaker 1: the Union Jack on top of Fort Nassau to signify submission. 224 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: Vain wasn't alone in his refusal to submit. Jack Rackham 225 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: and Edward England, among others, didn't see themselves as outlaws. 226 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: Although their individual reasons varied, they basically saw themselves as rebels. 227 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: They removed the Union Jack, replacing it with a death's 228 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: head flag. Both sides held counsel but were unable to 229 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: agree on the pardon. Those opposed mostly packed up and left, 230 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: and when the HMS Phoenix arrived in February of seventeen eighteen, 231 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: many of the pirates welcomed the ship, much to the 232 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: captain's surprise. Regardless of where they stood on the King's offer. 233 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: Hornegold had counseled them to take the pardon and buy 234 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 1: some time. They could always return to piracy. Later, the 235 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: Phoenix returned to New York with the names of over 236 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: two hundred pirates willing to take the pardon. But while 237 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: the Phoenix had been there in Port, Charles Vane had 238 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: been busy assembling a crew. Not long after the Phoenix left, 239 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: his reign of terror began. Not only did he plunder ships, 240 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: but he also brutalized their crews. In response, Britain named 241 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: a new governor in the Bahamas to help bring the 242 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: Golden Age of piracy to an end. Newly appointed Woods 243 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: Rogers had once successfully keptained a privateering crew, providing them 244 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: with fair treatment, good food, and medical care. During his service, 245 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: he also managed to capture a Manila galleon, a feat 246 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,479 Speaker 1: that only four other ships and three centuries had ever accomplished. 247 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: Described as courageous and deeply devoted to king and country, 248 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: Woods Rogers was eager to devote himself to the task. 249 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: Three Navy warships escorted the British fleet to New Providence 250 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:13,320 Speaker 1: on the evening of July eighteen. The squadron anchored just 251 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: outside the harbor. Even under the cloak of darkness, the 252 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: pirates knew the ships were there. The arrival took Charles 253 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 1: Vane by surprise. Although he had added his name to 254 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: the people on the pardon list, he had no desire 255 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: to honor it. Over the last few days, he and 256 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: his crew had prepared his ship to leave New Providence 257 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: and set sail for Brazil. But now Roger's fleet blocked 258 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: his exit. He couldn't fight his way out, but he 259 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: did have a plan of escape. That night, the crew 260 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: took a French ship filled with combustibles. They rolled the 261 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 1: guns to their gun holes and filled them with cannonballs 262 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:51,040 Speaker 1: and gunpowder. The men slathered the deck and rigging with tar, 263 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: and then they set sail. Vain and the rest of 264 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: the crew sailed out in a smaller sloop behind them. 265 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: The crew aboard the French vest set their ship on fire. 266 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: When they drew closer to the anchored British fleet, they 267 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: jumped overboard, hoping their fiery ship would collide with one 268 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: of the Navy's vessels. The men aboard two of the 269 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 1: British ships, the Rose and the Shark, scrambled to cut 270 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: the anchor lines and raise their sails. The Navy ships 271 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 1: moved just in time, nearly colliding with the French ships. 272 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: As the cannons and gunpowder exploded, Charles Vane sailed straight 273 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: out of the harbor, black flag flying in the wind. 274 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: After outrunning roger ship, he set off a single cannon 275 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: shot in defiance. The next day, the new governor took 276 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: control of New Providence. Later he hired Hornigal to hunt 277 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,119 Speaker 1: down vain In see Charles Vane was hanged for piracy. 278 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: The remaining pirates, who had once served with each other, 279 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: once more stood on two different and opposing sides, the 280 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: hunted and the hunters. The golden age of piracy and 281 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 1: the pirate community that had filled it had finally come 282 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: to an end. The island of New Providence had provided 283 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: the pirates with a distinct vantage point in which to 284 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: see arriving ships, and now it served Woods Rogers. He 285 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 1: had the island fortified, including a barricade around the fort, 286 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: and armed militia watched for surprise attacks. In a short time, 287 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,400 Speaker 1: he'd done more to curb piracy in the Caribbean than 288 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:28,400 Speaker 1: anyone else before, and he remained staunchly devoted to England. 289 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: In a time where many British colony governors were lining 290 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 1: their pockets. Instead, Rogers used some of his own money 291 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: to fund the efforts, believing in the greater cause. Things 292 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: didn't run smoothly for him, though. The size of his crew, 293 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,119 Speaker 1: relatively small to start with, grew smaller still as the 294 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 1: men succumbed to a variety of tropical diseases. Despite his 295 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,400 Speaker 1: hard work and his good results, England ignored his repeated 296 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: requests for extra men and funding. Governors from the colonies 297 00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: wrote to England. Each stated their concern that without proper support, 298 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 1: the pirates would overtake New Providence and set up camp 299 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: once more. Even Vain sent Rogers a letter vowing to 300 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:13,199 Speaker 1: return and take back the island. Determined and eternally loyal, 301 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,919 Speaker 1: Rogers carried on even without support from the Crown. But 302 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: his devotion would be his downfall. He worked until his 303 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: health suffered. Exhausted, ill and bankrupt, he finally returned to England, 304 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 1: hoping to start over. In his place. The Crown sent 305 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: George Fenny to govern the Bahamas. Back in England, Rogers 306 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 1: received no thanks, no gratitude, and no assistance for his work. Instead, 307 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: he was thrown into debtor's prison. The new governor of 308 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,959 Speaker 1: the Bahamas, Fenny, didn't subscribe to his predecessor's honesty and 309 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: became corrupt, and sometime in the late seventeen twenties, the 310 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: Crown reappointed Woods Rogers to govern the Bahamas in his place. 311 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: Once he returned, he eradicated the pervasive corruption in the colony. 312 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: He continued his work to wipe away the pirate legacy 313 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: and replace it with honest business and a booming economy. 314 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: And the best part of all, he accomplished all of 315 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 1: that in part by hiring some of the very same 316 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: people he'd been sent to get rid of pirates. The 317 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,159 Speaker 1: centerpiece of the Golden Age of piracy, in the minds 318 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: of many people today, is their community at Nassau. It 319 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 1: was where they lived out the freedoms they fought so 320 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:32,919 Speaker 1: hard to acquire, where they rested, and where they planned 321 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: for the future. But it wasn't the only place for pirates. 322 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: In fact, my crewmates, Alie Steed has one more location 323 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: to discuss with you, and if you stick around through 324 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: this brief sponsor break, she'll tell you all about it. Well. 325 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: The Pirate Republican New Providence is fairly well documented there's 326 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: another pirate utopia nearly lost to history. Although there's much 327 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:02,359 Speaker 1: debate on exactly how much of the story happened, the 328 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:06,640 Speaker 1: roots appear based on some facts. According to Captain Charles Johnson, 329 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: the author of the seventeen twenty four book A General 330 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:13,680 Speaker 1: History of the Robberies and Murders of the most Notorious Pirates, 331 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: there was once a Captain James Mission. Mission was a 332 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: restless soul by nature. When his father wanted him to 333 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: join the Musketeers, he chose a life at sea instead. 334 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,119 Speaker 1: Hoping to satisfy his adventurous spirit, he found a spot 335 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: on a French privateering ship called the Victois. Life at 336 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: sea proved to be even more than he dreamed of, 337 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 1: and Mission devoted himself to learning everything about life aboard 338 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 1: a ship. At some point in the journey, the ship 339 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: docked at Naples. With the captain's permission, the pious Mission 340 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: traveled to Rome. What he saw there disheartened him. The 341 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: immoral behaviors of the local clergy deeply shook his faith. 342 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: A priest named Karaguli confirmed Mission's worst fears, telling the 343 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,199 Speaker 1: young traveler that organized religion served as a means to 344 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: keep the public under control. Mission asked the priest to 345 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: join him on the ship, and without hesitating, corrachially agreed. 346 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: The two became fast friends and captured many treasures together. 347 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,639 Speaker 1: When the Victoria's captain died in battle, the crew voted 348 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:16,400 Speaker 1: Mission as their captain and currachily for their lieutenant. During 349 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,440 Speaker 1: their travels, the crew converted to the former priest's ideals, 350 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,679 Speaker 1: namely that all men were equal, regardless of race, and 351 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: that they had a right to absolute freedom from both 352 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 1: the chains of religion and the secular government. There should 353 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: be no social status and no slavery. In fact, they 354 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 1: wouldn't even speak the word Courragili suggested that they sail 355 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,000 Speaker 1: in defiance of any government. From then on they would 356 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,400 Speaker 1: have no grudges, only brotherly love and equality. The crew 357 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,400 Speaker 1: cheered and set sail across the sea, taking treasures from 358 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,120 Speaker 1: any merchant ship they found along the way. The men 359 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: took great care to be as respectful as possible to 360 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,360 Speaker 1: the captains and crew of the ships they plundered. They 361 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: rescued mistreated sailors and declared those aboard slave ships free, 362 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,159 Speaker 1: often taking on both his crew mates. Eventually they found 363 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: their way to the northern tip of Madagascar and decided 364 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: to establish a camp. The island they chose had an 365 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 1: excellent harbor, and the area provided plenty of fresh water 366 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: and good soil for farming. The men set to work 367 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: building a settlement they named Libertalia. While some of the 368 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 1: men built forts and homes, others searched for food. These 369 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,639 Speaker 1: hunters encountered in native men they befriended and gifted with 370 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: an axe. As time went on, Pirate Captain Thomas too 371 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,480 Speaker 1: came upon the settlement. He and his crew became so 372 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 1: impressed that they joined the establishment. As more time passed, 373 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,399 Speaker 1: the colony only grew. The men married local women and 374 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: started families of their own. Every member in Libertalia equally 375 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: shared in the work and the prizes taken from merchant 376 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: ships they raided while at sea. Mission commanded ships with 377 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: French crews, and two commanded those aboard English vessels. The 378 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 1: colony eventually formed a government based on fairness and equity. 379 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 1: They chose to elect a conservator who would serve for 380 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:00,360 Speaker 1: no more than three years. The village, of course appointed Mission. Well, 381 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: it's true that Thomas too was a real pirate, The 382 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,880 Speaker 1: legend's timeline may be a bit more fabrication than fact. 383 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: Two died by the end of the seventeenth century, and 384 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,879 Speaker 1: by the author's own account, some of the story's timeline 385 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: happened after his death. Fact or fiction. The utopian town 386 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: did not survive while Too was away, Natives ambushed the 387 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,119 Speaker 1: colony in the middle of the night, killing many of 388 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: the settlers, including Karachili. Mission and some of the crew 389 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: managed to escape and find Too. After hearing what had happened, 390 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: Two suggested that Mission had to the Americus. Not long 391 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 1: after the men parted ways, mission ships sank in a 392 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: storm with no survivors, and while two ships arrived, he 393 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,200 Speaker 1: later died in battle. Skeptics point out that the story 394 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:49,160 Speaker 1: exists only in Johnson's book. They point to the striking 395 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 1: resemblances to fictional pirate narratives, including the novel Robinson Crusoe. 396 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,879 Speaker 1: Many experts believed that Captain Charles Johnson was actually a 397 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: pseudonym for Daniel Defoe, than novels author, and yet there 398 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: are some historically correct details. There was a settlement of 399 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: pirates in Madagascar, and we know that because Woods Rogers 400 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: provided the novelist with accurate details about the life of pirates. 401 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: And although Libertalium may have been fiction. New Providence serves 402 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: as a real life example that pirates once set up 403 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: their own community, work together and formed a government. Brothers, 404 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: as they say to the Bitter End. Pirates was executive 405 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 1: produced by Aaron Manky and narrated by Aaron Manky and 406 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:36,520 Speaker 1: Alexandra Steid. Writing for this season was provided by Michelle Mudo, 407 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 1: with research by Alexander Steide and Sam Alberty. Production assistance 408 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,439 Speaker 1: was provided by Josh Thayne, Jesse Funk, Alex Williams, and 409 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,439 Speaker 1: Matt Frederick. To learn more about this and other shows 410 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,399 Speaker 1: from Grimm and Mild and I Heart Radio, visit Grimm 411 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:56,640 Speaker 1: and Mild dot com.