Aims
This course aims to:
- provide knowledge of the “golden age” of piracy and the people involved
- give an understanding of the linkage between piracy and empire
- provide an understanding of the financial and other motivations for piracy
Content
We begin the course by focusing on England and the “Pirate Queen”, Queen Elizabeth I.
We will look at the role of Sir John Hawkins in developing a predatory trade between the West African coast and the West Indies before we look at the activities of the “master pirate of the
whole world” Sir Francis Drake. Heralded in England as a national hero; views of him elsewhere differ significantly.
We will then move forward to look at the rise of legal pirates, privateers, although, once again, the legality is in the eye of the beholder rather than any agreed international definition. We will consider people such as Henry Morgan, who rose quickly through the ranks before attaining the position of “Leader of the Brethren” and leading one of the biggest parties of seaboard raiders in the late 17th century.
As we enter the early 18th century, we move from the veneer of respectability to outright villainy. At this time, we are introduced to many of the names that have resonated through the ages, such as Blackbeard, Black Bart Roberts, and Black Sam Bellamy; pirates who were plying their trade in the Caribbean and beyond. We will end our examination of this era by examining the lives and activities of Anne Bonny and Mary Read and the improbable but true story of their meeting on board a ship in the West Indies.
We will also examine what drove sailors to become pirates and what drove their activities once in the brotherhood, before turning our attention to life on board an 18th-century sailing ship. What was lifelike in this wooden world? Where did they sleep? How did they survive the cramped conditions? What technology did they utilise to capture their prey?
In the week's final class, we will move away from history and look at how pirates have invaded our minds through literature and popular culture by examining works ranging from J M Barrie, through Arthur Conan Doyle to the Muppets.
Presentation of the course
The course will be taught by PowerPoint presentation, including a wide range of audio-visual sources with time for discussion and debate.
Course sessions
- Pirate Queen – an examination of Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake.
- Buccaneers – investigating Edward Morgan and friends.
- Hostis humani generis (enemies of mankind) – investigating Blackbeard, Anne Boony
and others.
- Life on board – life on an 18th-century sailing ship and pirate’s weapons.
- Literature and popular culture – we love pirates, but why?
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- to gain a knowledge of the “golden age” of piracy and the people involved
- to gain an understanding of the linkage between piracy and empire
- to gain an understanding of the financial and other motivations for piracy
