As Somali pirates are the thorn in maritime
shipping
today,
so were the Barbary Corsairs of North Africa four
centuries ago. Many
histories
on this topic cover either the entire period in which
these pirates and
privateers hunted, or they focus on the 19th century, when
nations
of the west finally succeeded in curtailing these
corsairs. Tinniswood,
however, examines them during a period when westerners
introduced them
to the
round ships, those of western construction that permitted
the corsairs
to sail
as far away as Iceland to acquire booty and slaves. The
principal
perspective
is from that of the English, although American and other
western
nations are
included.
Early chapters focus on infamous corsairs and Europeans
who
sailed for the Barbary States, some of whom turned Turk
(converted to
Islam and
attacked ships of Christian nations): Khair ad-Din, John
Ward, Sir
Francis
Verney, Simon Danseker, Peter Eston, Sir Henry Mainwaring,
and Jan
Janszoon of
Haarlem. Also intertwined through the information
presented here are
first-hand
accounts of corsair raids, their captives, and how the
various
governments
attempted to deal with the pirates, oftentimes with little
success.
Barbary
perspectives are shared to provide a well-rounded picture
of this
seventeenth-century
problem.
Maps, illustrations, and quotes from primary documents
enliven and emphasize the narrative. One stellar chapter
that captures
the
reader’s imagination is the recounting of Murad Rais’
attack on
Baltimore,
Ireland and the plight of the nearly one hundred captives
he took with
him.
Chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this
highly
readable and
understandable story of a truly frightening episode in
maritime
history.
Whether readers are interested in delving deeper into a
particular time
in
Barbary corsair history or just want a good introduction
to these
corsairs and
their exploits, Pirates of Barbary
fits the bill.
Review Copyrighted ©2010
Cindy Vallar
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Pirates
and Privateers
