What Pop Culture Gets Wrong About Pirates | Rogue History

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We all love pirate tales but what do we really know about the history of piracy? In this episode of Rogue History, we examine the common assumptions we make about pirates. Explore the origin of these myths and figure out which are true and which aren't.
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Rogue History
Shaking off the barnacles from this wildly popular storytelling canon, this Pirates historical series is an irreverent and enlightening voyage that unravels historical myths, unearths lost narratives, and discover fresh perspectives. This is the pirate history you were never told.
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00:00 Intro
00:05 The Mythology of Pirates
00:26 Pirates vs Privateers, Letters of Marque
02:31 The Golden Age of Piracy is a Fraction of the Full History of Pirates
04:06 Zheng Yi Sao was the Most Successful Pirate Ever
04:18 Depictions of Women in Piracy
04:45 BIPOC pirates
05:57 Pirates Relied on Native Populations to Survive
07:29 Why are Pirates Depicted as Heroes in Pop Culture?

[@francescoghizzo]

When the young Julius Cesar was kidnapped by pirates, he would constantely joke that the silver ransom they asked his family was too low and he was worth much more. He also told them that when he eventually got back home, he would assemble an army, capture them and put everyone to death. The pirates laughed at him, thinking he was just a foolish young nobleman talking from his @ss. When he got home, though, Julius Cesar did in fact assemble a military expedition and did slaughter every one of them

[@incoggneeto6937]

Sources? That'd be interesting to look into, if true. :)

[@ChanceNix]

I recently read about this and when the video said Julius Caesar, I was hoping he would mention this story.

[@aaronsirkman8375]

Even better (according to OSP, so I trust the research), he basically was in debt, had friends and family beg and gather money for a big-ass ransom...then when he came back to fulfill his promise, he took back his ransom as spoils, handily changing himself from "broke" to "broke the bank".

[@Strick-IX]

One of my favorite stories!

[@alextheasparagus6675]

OFMD may not be very historically accurate, but Oluwande telling Stede that he and Jim aren’t pirates because they like it, but because they didn’t have any other choice, and Stede realising he’s just a rich man with a toy who romanticised the pirate life, really hits it on the nail about how we view pirates.

[@Aleph_Null_Audio]

Zheng Yi Sao is overdue for a movie franchise! There's easily a trillogy's worth of exploits in her biography.

[@danielland3767]

Do you recommend a book?

[@Aleph_Null_Audio]

@@danielland3767 - I wish I could. I've just read a few odd articles.

[@danielland3767]

@@Aleph_Null_Audio oh okay, I'll have to hunt some down...thanks

[@lisapham4443]

Would be interesting if they can do a mini series about William Dampier. He's a love his story, hate his guts, interesting.

[@ged1798]

@@danielland3767 Golden Age of Piracy by Benerson Little, A Voyage to New Holland by William Dampier, Pirates in their own words by E.T Fox

[@soundseffecter9972]

What I really hate in pirate media is the depiction of pirates as "crazy people with knives in their mouths" who hated every other pirate and secretly wanted to kill each other all the time. How else would you work a ship, how could they even function if that was true? (raised eyebrow)

[@seriousmaran9414]

Yep, crazy people with knives in their mouths are politicians... ;)

[@sorryforprojectingmyparent6402]

Yea, good point

[@eaterdrinker000]

@@sorryforprojectingmyparent6402 : I like your name.

[@theobolt250]

there's an emoji for that (big grin oh, sorry 😁): 🤔 that one.

[@soundseffecter9972]

thank you theo (amused smirk)

[@farphos]

This was amazing, I'm excited for more episodes! I found the host very compelling and "maritime archiologist and historian" may be the absolute best job title i have heard.

[@georgegray2712]

Fantastic comment!!! I agree!!! Great presenter!! I could listen for hours!!!

[@stinkytoy]

Agreed! Im bummed that I cant just launch right into the next episode right away, but that just means i have something to look forward to 😁

[@pbsorigins]

@@stinkytoy We promise it'll be worth the wait :)

[@miriamrosemary9110]

Agreed!

[@One.Zero.One101]

The analogy I always like to make is how do we see Somali pirates today? We see them as criminals, thieves, kidnappers. That's how they saw pirates back then, they were a scourge to the public, not the Disney-fied and romanticized depiction we see in movies.

[@erraticonteuse]

They had to have been at least somewhat romanticized in their day, like mobsters during Prohibition, or else Stede Bonnet wouldn't have left his cushy life to become one.

[@rusedgin]

@@erraticonteuse In my Portugal they were historically demonized. Either Muslim pirates in the north of Africa, Asian and Dutch in the Pacific or French and British in the south American sea, they were seen as plagues.

[@fionahurley5546]

But are Somali pirates romanticized in Somalia?

[@FuzzyKittenBoots]

@@fionahurley5546 They are very much not. Because pirating is just another sign of how hard and poor life is for people in Somalia.

[@s.beccari4678]

If only the king was tough on crime... ⚓

[@e.matthews]

Currently reading Empires of the Sea, and the history of pirates (especially Ottoman sponsored pirate kings!!!) is pretty amazing! Like, taking over Algeria amazing! It's by Roger Crowley for those interested Edit: It's all 16th Century, pre-Golden Age

[@sandra-jones]

Thanks for the information!

[@danielland3767]

Can you drop a link to the book?

[@eliscanfield3913]

Zheng Yi Sao's life sounds like a movie plot already; they probably won't even need to have much tweaking to get a couple movies out of it. It kinda annoys me that there're all these kids shows with "good" pirates. I tease my spawn that a "good pirate" who doesn't steal is called a sailor.

[@sagefeather3405]

As long as they didn't have a letter of marque and were stealing, they'd be pirates no matter what their morals were. I definitely agree with your statement about if they didn't steal, though. That's not what pirates were.

[@NortherlyK]

Zheng Yi Sao was one of the many pirates in the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie and recently was a main character in the Doctor Who episode Legend of The Sea Devils. She's definitely due featuring in new media.

[@vicfirth]

I can't wait. I took a class in grad school called Bad Men of American History- Pirates, Outlaws, and the Mafia. This looks like it will provide a great update on recent scholarship.

[@sarahcraze7527]

Great information! The fascinating thing about studying pirate history is that the pop cultural mythology around Caribbean pirates dates to when they were still alive. In 300 years a lot of myth has been interpreted as fact. I will say though that pirates have been commercialised for profit and entertainment since long before Treasure Island. The different translations of Exquemelin's Bucaniers of America (1660) are a great example. The English emphasised the 'heroics' of Henry Morgan over the Spanish while the French minimised Morgan's exploits in favour of L'Ollonois. All while Exquemelin's original work was highly sympathetic to the Spanish! And don't get me started on Johnson's General History of the Pyrates...! I shall look forward to more videos!

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

I think with curses, mermaids, outsized cephalopods and the like we can ignore the inaccurate pirates in certain media.

[@dracos24]

Yeah, felt like they dwelled too much on "Pirates of the Carribean wasn't historically accurate!", when anyone with half a brain should know better.

[@DarkZerol]

It's not only Pirates of the Caribbean. Almost all media overly glorified being a pirate when it was filled with extremely desperate downtrodden people who have cannot find a way to earn of living or anywhere to go thus resorting to piracy out of desperation.

[@danielland3767]

The Tom Hanks joke landed very well..😅😅🤣🤣😂😂👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾

[@One.Zero.One101]

Great movie by the way. I highly recommend it.

[@oliverwilson11]

This is how I find out there is a pirate series with Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi? How did I not know?

[@literaterose6731]

Oh my, how *did* you not know?! Off, run, go watch, it’s really the best thing ever, I swear by the knives in my cat’s feet! (And a second season is coming, you want to be ready…) 🏴‍☠️❤️‍🔥

[@erraticonteuse]

Are you not on Twitter? It's been non-stop OFMD fanart since March.

[@danielland3767]

I didn't know either

[@oliverwilson11]

@@erraticonteuse I use Twitter AND I live in New Zealand AND I hadn't heard about it. I don't know how

[@alextheasparagus6675]

oh boy you’re in for a treat!

[@noneofyourbeezwax7284]

One of my ancestors was apparently a successful privateer for England in the Bahamian islands! And more of my Bahamian relatives were likely “wreckers” who pillaged and took advantage of shipwrecked resources. I find all this info so interesting. Thanks for making this!

[@uefets]

Great video, looking forward to the next ones! One tiny bit of criticism though: since you started with a definition of a pirate, I was hoping for more explanations of piratey terms. For example I would have loved a short explanation of what the differences between a corsair, buccaneer and privateer are.

[@Blokewood3]

1. A privateer has a commission allowing them to attack ships on behalf of a certain government. A good example of this was in the 17th century, many European powers were at war with Spain, and would allow privateers to attack Spanish ships. But to the Spanish, these privateers were nothing more than pirates. Privateers obtained their money from the prizes they captured, thus they were a great resource for governments that couldn't afford navies, because the government didn't need to pay them. However, the distinction between a privateer and a pirate was a very fine line, and most privateers crossed the line at times, such as attacking ships of governments they were not at war with, or raiding land settlements without it being allowed in their commissions. Sometimes privateers might be desparate to repay their backers, and turn to piracy just to make ends meet. Also, when peace was declared, suddenly there would be loads of former privateers who were out of work. If they didn't have enough money, there was a good chance of them becoming pirates outright. The privateer slogan: "No prey, no pay." 2. The word Corsair originally applied to French privateers in the Mediterranean, but over time the word evolved until it generally came to mean any pirate of the Mediterranean. 3. The first buccaneers were mostly French hunters who came to the Caribbean to hunt wild pigs and cattle and trade the meat. The Spanish tried to squash the buccaneers, as they provided resources to Spain's enemies, and eventually the buccaneers learned that robbing Spanish ships was far more profitable. After that, the word buccaneer came to refer to any pirate of the Caribbean.

[@dylanhentch9719]

While most pirate's would say their heart belong to the 'C'; many a pirate have a soft spot for the letter 'P'. See it's like an 'R', but missin' a leg.

[@tehphoebus]

Excellent video! More like this please. Clear, well written, informative, and expounds on the romantic view that is colors how we view historic periods.

[@Zurpanik]

SpaceTime sent me! I love PBS and more PBS is so very good!

[@theokogod6711]

I love to see this series. I hope it covers more than these super basic things but it’s good to see the topics being covered

[@pbsorigins]

We're glad you love it! Stay tuned, we know you'll really enjoy the upcoming episodes!

[@ArlenKundert]

I loved the dad joke at the end! 😂

[@FirstLast-di5sr]

This is an amazing segment, thanks to all involved!!

[@Pottery4Life]

A very good episode! Good format and information. Very entertaining. Thanks!

[@luispablogonzalezv4522]

Wealth, fame, power. The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, Gold Roger! At his death, the words he spoke drove countless men out to sea: "My treasure? It's yours if you want it. Find it! All the world has to offer, I left in that place!"

[@bluebearh3]

Kaizoku Ou ni,ore wa naru!

[@naufalariiif]

Yes

[@bryson0206]

ayyyy i knew someone would say this!!

[@whathell6t]

@@bryson0206 However, Naota became a Pirate King in just six episodes compared to Monkey D. Luffy which he hasn’t become after 1,000 chapters.

[@bryson0206]

@@whathell6t owkay!

[@yumibro8121]

I’ve been waiting for a series like this. Thank you PBS :) I can always count on you

[@johnaustin704]

PBS Spacetime sent me and I'm a fan of history, so I'm looking forward to enjoying your content.

[@manderse12]

So looking forward to this series. Thanks, PBS Origins. :)

[@Copperkaiju]

Are you a robot?

[@martinsirois3770]

The pirate tropes are found all around the Western world. For exemple, there’s two Tintin comic books about the search for Red Rackham’s treasure, the Barbe Rouge (Red Beard) comics (in French), and the Asterix parody of the main characters from Barbe Rouge. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

[@samuellong3766]

Here from Space Time! Can't wait to get into this series. Currently reading Rebels at Sea!

[@4g4m3n0n]

Matt O'Dowd sends his regards! Great video, subscribing now!

[@merlapittman5034]

Great video! I subscribed immediately because it is so good. Looking forward to more! And I love the silly joke at the end. More, please!

[@daciadovidbailey388]

No, a pirate's favorite letter is P because without it they would just be "irate". Great episode, I love to every bit of it!

[@pluspiping]

Looking forward to watching this series! My favorite "popular misconception" about pirates is their proclivity to deadly battles and violence... when the truth is, people are MUCH EASIER to steal from if they don't fight back and simply surrender to you, because they got scared when they saw your trademark pirate flag, your sharp stabby slashy weapons, and the lit fuses in your facial hair or what-have-you. There's a good fight you've already won without risking your own body getting injured! As always, it's all about brand and public perception!

[@JazLyte]

Great stuff! Very very hyped for more of this

[@renatacantore3684]

Thank you so much for this marvelous presentation!!! I’m so proud of you wonderful experts ♥️🏆🏆♥️

[@MrBrokenwrenches]

This series is gonna be so damn good! Thank you!

[@elainatheartist6542]

This is so informative! Very cool series ❤

[@ENZOKGCN]

PBS Space Time brought me here!! Great recomendation, greetings from Brazil

[@anarchakatty5438]

Loved it! Can't wait for more

[@pragati6218]

I personally don't care even a bit about fictional and inaccurate Hollywood but certainly don't want to miss on this new series. This guy Joel and his colleagues seem very smart and i am glad to have found this channel. All i thought of pirates was they were analogous to "a group of mountain bandits". Which might or might not be true. I came from PBS eon. And am now a fan. Keep up the good work.

[@artemisvsvenus]

You were losing me, but you REELED me in at terrible pirate puns.

[@wwoolofl8056]

This is the strangest episode of Space Time to date

[@DrewTrox]

Hey, PBS Spacetime sent me. I have a question, how accurate is Michael Crichton's 'Pirate Latitudes'? That book was a lot of fun.

[@teebee3631]

So excited for more episodes, and of course, the puns! 😂

[@tessat338]

It made a lot of difference between being captured by a privateer and being taken by pirates. If your ship was captured by a privateer, you'd lose the ship and its cargo but the officers, crew and passengers were considered to be prisoners of war and could expect to be brought into a friendly port where they could usually give their parole (agree not to fight until exchange) or even be exchanged back to the home country. They'd be out money but they wouldn't die. They might even be allowed to keep their personal property, though not always. If captured by a pirate ship, then all bets were off. The pirates couldn't expect to take prisoners to a safe port so prisoners might be pressed into serving on the pirate ship, tortured for information about hidden valuable or simply killed outright to save the trouble of feeding and accommodating them. If the shoe was on the other foot and the privateer ship was captured, if they could produce their letter of marque, they would also be treated as prisoners of war. If a raiding ship's crew couldn't produce adequate paperwork, then they could be arrested and taken in to port to be tried for piracy, where they could be hanged, or in some cases, the Royal Navy would simply string up the crew and hang them from the yard arm right then and there.

[@Zeggskoll]

This video was brilliant!

[@kickinghorse2405]

I'm here on the advice of the bloke over at "Be Smart" Glad I did. Great vid. Cheers!

[@indiealaska]

Love this episode!

[@Volamek]

Heard about this series from PBS Spacetime. I can't wait for more!

[@iLLadelph267]

PBS Space Time sent me here! great video!

[@bjmccann1]

Looking forward to the series.

[@fateatwork3191]

The past few weeks I've been listening to The Secret of Monkey Island's soundtrack and when I saw this series announced over at Storied I thought it was oddly in synch with me. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

[@ERYN__]

I'm sure pirates are fond of X too.

[@bjmccann1]

It marks the spot. X, that is. X marks the spot.

[@jso6790]

Ah, ok, this WAS an introduction video. I was going to say that you left me with lots of questions, but that was the point and well done. Monstrum sent me over here and I am glad they did. I look forward to your new episodes. I would be particularly interested to learn about any Pirates who might have had abolitionist tendencies and/or specifically raided slaving vessels to liberate the captives or to find new crews. I know the 'Half Moon" that sold the first African captives into slavery in Jamestown in 1619 was a "privateer" ship. I would also love to learn more about Southeast Asian pirates, as I have heard reference to a rich pirate tradition in that part of the world, beyond the Chinese pirate you mentioned in this video. (Of course.. the "Barbary Coast Pirates" seem essential, and whole Mediterranean.........ok ok.. you get the idea. I am excited for a lot your potential topics.)

[@benjsmithproductions]

Sidenote: Remember, the Pirate genre in Hollywood was actually pretty dead for more than decade after the disaster of "Cutthroat Island" and 2004's Pirates was seen as a massive gamble by Disney. A gamble Disney took again with the dead Western genre with "The Lone Ranger" using a lot of the same cast and crew..... it did not work as well.

[@chickrepelant]

i want like, another hour or 3 of this!

[@aaronpoole5531]

Looking forward to more of this, especially the question 'why the hell ARE we so invested in pirates?'

[@BoxStudioExecutive]

“Are you pirates?” -The Odyssey It’s been ongoing for five thousand years

[@williamswetnam4070]

In addition to pirates on the open seas, there were also inland river pirates. The early 19th century outlaw John Murrell led a large group of pirates on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Biloxi.

[@zanderwohl]

Here from Spacetime! This looks cool

[@TheLandscaper0115]

Got me with the joke at the end was the delivery that got me. 😆😆 dude likes his puns.. 👍🏿👍🏿

[@mikethejedi1982]

YESSSS!!!! I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS SERIESSS

[@ezekiel0606]

only watched 20 seconds so far and I'm already loving it

[@generalZee]

I just feel like I have to make one important correction. A pirate's favorite letter is a letter of clemency from the governor.

[@dasvero8745]

Love the theme of your show! Could you maybe do an episode about Störtebeker? He is my favourite pirat and i would really love to see your take on him

[@metalsomemother3021]

While I LOVE the puns, I beg to differ. The pirates favorite letter is "the letter of mark".

[@KyosukeShigure]

Love pirate history, great show. Sent by Dr. O'Dowd via Space Time.

[@nicks1451]

The most ironic part about Treasure Island’s influence was that it wasn’t even set in the golden era of piracy. It was set 20 years after the era ended lol

[@qarljohnson4971]

I recall about 30 years ago or so, there was much discussion of pirates as possible historic examples of anarchist hermetic dream, the Temporary Autonomous Zone ( aka TAZ).

[@DirkDwipple]

PBS Space Time asked me to stop by. I do like some history.

[@robertcorr6971]

I was just talking to a friend about the lack of information about certain pirate beliefs. Thank you.

[@brutalusgaming8809]

Great content.

[@Maxjoker98]

I enjoyed this. PBS space time sent me here.

[@jmlalonso6417]

A history teacher and archaeologist here! Fist of all, I love all documentaries that tries to bring light over shadows. Congrats for this one! Because that is the reason of any science and history is also a science where truth have to flow. Said that, romantization of pirates was just part of a continued marketing plan called "The Black Legend" just to justify the atrocities made against Spain (firstly), and other Spanish cultural nations (later). Behind the image of an adventure spirit and a freedom fighter hides a well documented monster with no hesitation of robbing, rapping, murdering, sexual slavery, and even cannibalizing other human beings in the worst horrific way possible. Non-military and peaceful villages all over central and south America were ravaged and burned down to the ground by these scum with the protection of their protective crowns (England, France & Netherlands, mostly). If you don't believe this, just do some deep research in historical sources to find out who did those atrocities and who was protecting them. And just one more reflection. Its so terrible to see how popular pirates are now days in schools, kindergartens and pop culture because of this merchandising tale, that imagine Russia and China would start to promote and protect drug dealers in USA; giving money to movements to see dealers as freedom fighters for the right of people to live their lives the way they want with fentanyl, cocaine or heroine. And 200 years after this, every eastern nation would see drug dealers as heroes in schools, kindergartens and pop culture icons. That would be terrible and bizarre. SPOILER: British imperium did exactly this in China, in Oppium War, making most Chinese population in drug dependents just for pure greed. On the other side, Chinese culture traditionally never promoted the image of pirates, because they knew them very well for being the greatest cause of torment in coastal lands: first by their own Chinese pirates, and then by British, French and Dutch pirates. Nowadays all these cultures presume to be educated very and civilized, but first Right Human Chart was not in 1789: fist was in 1504, by Queen Isabel of Spain, who claimed in her dead bed, as her last wish, to ensure the protection of native americans people whom Spain discovered in the new world. That was a growing snowball in Spanish psyche and the beginning of a process of brotherhood and good relations thaks to mixture between people, language and culture. People with a similar soul. After that point, no American native will never be enslaved or tortured by inquisitorial trials, and even African slaves were often freed, protected by laws, accepted as citizens and promoted under Spanish crown (see FORT MOSES for more references). Spain was not perfect at that time. That's for shure. But after 1504 and to 1898, black population was far better treated than in any part of the world (Africa included). Even slaves were treated as humans, with laws to ensure they were well treated, and their children were not slaves by heritage. As said, Spain was not perfect, but always fight against human villain nature searching for a better future, starting in its own territories, offering the example. The result is clear today: where Spanish settled, native American people, languages, traditions and culture were mostly their own and did not disappear, still living today. On the other hand, far away from Spanish settlements, in North America, native Americans where slaughtered and confined in reserves, sunken in alcohol and misery in a ridiculous proportion less than 3% of the population. All nations have their lights and shadows, but there are lights long ago shadowed, and shadows not lighted for too long. Disney can keep doing hypocritical "What If?" episodes where Spanish appear doing what really did people with Jones, Smith or Jackson as family names, because they still believe in that old friend of them Gloebbles mantra that prays "a lie repeated 1000 times can become a truth." Demonize non spanic cultures is no my intention, but some lies must be finally be put on their knees. Knowing the past is the only way to understand it, learn the mistakes and wins, and apply it in the future as only one race: the human race. Because history of all cultures belongs to you as the human being you are. If you arrived here, thanks and I encourage you to search the truth that lays under centuries of lies just to cover facts with guilty conscience.

[@feasible]

Fantastic!

[@Iowa599]

A little nervous, Joel? Excellent presentation! (blame the cameraman)

[@insulaarachnid]

Yeah, definitely want to hear all about Zheng Yi Sao.

[@UrsaJeager]

6:15 I've been wanting to know what the "scientist Salarian" tune came from for ages!

[@mecahhannah]

Awesome thanks

[@reggiefurlow1]

This is awesome

[@kristopherb8046]

Be smart channel sent me here, had my attention at pirates. (edit) not a bad video, I am interested in more pirate content so I will sub an bell, thanks.

[@JoAnnaQuincey]

Outstanding

[@Gandaleon]

Yes! More PLEASE!

[@MisfitKotLD]

Terrible puns? Sign me up. Outstanding first episode.

[@latesummer]

right to the brig for that last joke

[@s.beccari4678]

An episode about raisuli(sometimes called "the last of the Barbary pirates) would be a good addition

[@adammarktaylor]

I can't speak for everyone but for me there's also an allure to 18th and 19th seafaring... But tales of fishermen and whalers and such kinda satisfy that for me too. My ancestor captained a few ships and was captaining a ship somewhere across the world, not sure the actual destination, but died en route and was buried at Aden, though I suspect he was probably thrown to sea and Aden was just the nearest port. I'd love to learn more about his travels and what his work was like.

[@philleprechaun6240]

I'd say that Disney just capitalized on the pirate mythos spawned by early movies with Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, etc. Those movies set the stage more so than the current Disney movies. The Golden Age of Hollywood - from the 1930s to '50s - produced the best pirate flicks, according to a number of local film buffs. Here are a few treasures: "The Black Pirate," (1926) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. "Captain Blood," (1935) Errol Flynn "The Sea Hawk," (1940) Errol Flynn "The Black Swan," (1942) Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn "The Spanish Main," (1945) Paul Henreid, Maureen O'Hara "Sinbad the Sailor," (1947) Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn "The Master of Ballantrae," (1950) Errol Flynn "Treasure Island," (1950) Robert Newton "Buccaneer's Girl," (1950) Yvonne de Carlo "Against All Flags," (1952) Errol Flynn, Maureen O'Hara "Blackbeard the Pirate," (1952) Raoul Walsh "The Crimson Pirate," (1952), Burt Lancaster Not to overlook the MANY Treasure Island remakes and clones

[@Copperkaiju]

Wow! Thanks for the list! I didn't realize I was so far behind on pirate movies, lol.

[@papamoneyph]

space time sent me here. cheers matey

[@edwiprabowoputra8960]

As I took note from this video, I felt like the portrayal of pirates in One Piece is somewhat more accurate than these Hollywood staples. I mean, at least pirates in One Piece are quite diverse.

[@Blokewood3]

Zheng Yi Sao was definitely one of the most successful pirates of all time in that she controlled the largest pirate fleet ever and retired successfully, but Peter Easton is another contender for the title of most successful pirate. He also put together a large fleet pretty much all by himself, had a career that spanned over a decade and ranged from the Atlantic and Carribean to the Mediterranean. He retired successfully with the title of Marquis, a huge pension, and an enormous treasure amassed from his pirating days. But who talks about him? Almost Nobody.

[@Scam_Likely.]

I would love to see a video on Nassau and the pirate republic there during the Golden Age

[@gland1830]

And this just scratches the surface.

[@rednarok]

i hope it doesnt scratch the african surface too much leaving out the other surfaces

[@SweetBerryWine3000]

I LOVE this channel! And thank you for helping to set the record straight on the history of piracy. It is much more complex than pop culture suggests. Bravo!

[@DoloresJNurss]

I think the Golden Age of Piracy captures the imagination more than other times and places because the people of that time themselves romanticized it, because of the social upheaval. Before that era, peasants led lives circumscribed to a degree we find hard to even imagine today. You didn't travel beyond walking distance from your village--horses were for the nobles; you plowed with mules or oxen. You ate food unseasoned except for what herbs you could grow in your garden, although you might occasionally save up money to buy a clove tfor tooth-cleaning or medicinal purposes. You knew nothing of distant lands except what you heard in songs; nobody taught you how to read. You wore homespun clothes dyed various shades of brown, dull yellow, brown-black, blue-gray and sage from local vegetable matter. The lord of the land had absolute control over your life, and the Church reinforced this authority to the point where the only way you could even imagine freedom was as the illicit and short-lived wages of sin. The freest people you knew were criminals, and you didn't mind trading with them on the sly, but they led short lives and never got very far. To be a highwayman you had to steal a horse, and then teach yourself how to ride it on the fly while chased by cavalry who had been riding since their feet could reach the stirrups. You would then be declared an outlaw, which meant that no law protected you and anybody who wanted to loot your loot could do so with impunity, and you didn't have that many places to hide. And then the equation changed with the development of transoceanic seafaring! You suddenly had the option of going to sea! You could now see, hear, smell, taste and touch sensations that never occurred to you, encounter unheard of spices, fabrics, races, customs, religions, philosophies, climates and horizons, and leave your domineering masters behind. Except the captain would domineer you even more. You couldn't even run away into the woods for a brief respite--he was in your face at all times. He could whip you, starve you, brand you, half-drown you or otherwise brutalize you for the pettiest offenses--and he did so knowing that if he didn't keep your spirit broken, you would realize that there were more crewmen than officers. And when that realization broke through, whether spontaneously or by a pirate's invitation, or forced conscription onto a pirate's ship, you suddenly realized that a ship was much, much better than a horse and an outlaw's hideaway combined. Your mode of transportation was also your fortress, and you could hide in vast seas where those searching for you could sail miles away from you without a clue. You could create a whole new society of outlaws making different rules. And when the law got too nosy in Europe, you'd have to trade your calico and spices for food and water with colonist housewives in the Americas, but there you'd hear about how the Native people voted on everything, and how they refused to follow chiefs who demanded too much, and it put grand new ideas in your head. The very picture of pirates that we hold in our head are people who wear no uniform, who swath themselves in random rich, stolen fabrics from all over the world, bedeck themselves with jewelry without regard to gender roles or sumptuary laws, who don't care what the neighbor think because they create their own neighborhood and only keep whatever customs they please. We don't picture modern Somali pirates or ancient Roman pirates who look like everybody else in their vicinity--they lack that rule-breaking glamor, that drive to be more than merely thieves. We want to be that peasant who went to sea and discovered silk and cinnamon and pearls for the very first time by stealing them from those who told him all his life that he had no rights!

[@pragati6218]

That was long but i read it all. Thank you for writing so thoughtful. It could be nice if more people read it.

[@user-wi4lg1ym7v]

Very on point!

[@daedaluscenter2825]

nice one glad to know about you thanks to space time

[@cbleslie]

The pun at the end, I heard a sad trombone in the distance.

[@FrancoisBothaZA]

PBS Space Time gently nudged me this way.

[@kijokai5009]

Gan Ning was another chinese pirate. I think too some pirates were used by the government to get things done that they didn't want to dirty their hands with. Its still interesting to learn the new prospective. To me the idea of adventure and freedom of a pirates life interested me. My country had a song that link everyone that lived in the island jahaji bhai / brotherhood of the boats. This was more based on everyone traveling from great distances making a home there and we should have peace and live together. African/Indian/Chinese/Spanish/ and more. Times have changed though.

[@lizzieshale7831]

Thank you Space Time for sending me over!

[@timmcdaniel6193]

How many letters are in the pirate alphabet? 12. Arrr, aye aye, the 7 C's, the letter of marque (thanks, Metalsome Mother below!), and the X that marks the spot.