Moor Pirates 'link' Official

Here is the real story of the Sultans of the Sea. The "Golden Age" of the Moorish pirates ran roughly from the 16th to the 19th century. Unlike the disorganized, rebellious crews of the Caribbean, the Barbary Corsairs were state-sponsored. They operated out of the major ports of the "Barbary Coast": Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and the famous pirate republic of Salé (in modern-day Morocco).

So the next time you hear a sea shanty, spare a thought for the captives chained to the oars of a Barbary galley, rowing toward a lifetime of slavery on the shores of Africa. The Moor pirates were real, they were ruthless, and for three centuries, they were the true masters of the sea. Did you learn about the Barbary pirates in school? Did you know about the raid on Ireland? Let me know in the comments below.

When we hear the word "pirate," most of us picture the rugged, European outlaws of the "Golden Age" (think Blackbeard, eye patches, and the Jolly Roger ). But for nearly 300 years, the most feared pirates in the world weren't based in the Caribbean. They were based in North Africa, and they were known as the Moor Pirates. moor pirates

For decades, Europe and the fledgling United States paid tribute (bribes) to the Barbary states to leave their ships alone. By 1800, the US was paying nearly 20% of its annual federal budget to Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis, and Morocco.

Historians estimate that between 1 million and 1.25 million Europeans were enslaved by the Barbary pirates between 1500 and 1800. That’s roughly the same number of Africans shipped to the United States during the same period. Perhaps the most colorful character in this history is an Englishman who "went native." Jack Ward was a failed privateer for Queen Elizabeth who fled to Tunis in the 1600s. He converted to Islam, changed his name to Yusuf Reis, and became the most feared corsair admiral in the Mediterranean. Here is the real story of the Sultans of the Sea

Using fast, oar-powered galleys, they would slip out of North African ports and ambush Italian, Spanish, French, and English merchant ships. But they didn't stop at the water. They famously raided coastal villages in Sicily, Spain, and even Ireland.

Their leaders were not ragged drunks; they were admirals. The most famous of them, the Barbarossa brothers (Aruj and Hayreddin), were actually Ottoman Turkish privateers who turned Algiers into a military powerhouse. They didn’t just steal treasure; they stole people . We often discuss the transatlantic slave trade, but the Barbary slave trade ran concurrently and is less discussed in Western curricula. The Moor pirates were masters of razzia (raid). They operated out of the major ports of

carrying away over 100 villagers into slavery. Entire towns on the English coast paid "protection money" to the Pasha of Algias to avoid being kidnapped.