Kingdom of the lost pirates a documentary tells the story of the Golden Age of Piracy, but the real world of pirates was wider than the six – part show could cover. The documentary introduces historians to tell the true stories of mythical pirates such as Blackbeard, Black Sam Bellamy, and Anne Bonny. However, the series left out or showered over key figures from the Golden Age, a notorious nest of pirates, and the undeveloped use of the Navy that contributed to Nassau ‘s growing pirate republic.
The documentary begins after the Spanish War of Success, which lasted more than a decade and was pitted against major world powers. England were one-sided in the Grand Alliance, and France and Spain opposed them. In the conflict, the warring powers sent pirates who could act as privateers, who had marching letters from these countries to attack enemy ships by order of each Crown. When the war ended, these sailors often took to them as uncontrolled pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy.
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With so many sailors left without legal work, there was a huge surge of post-war piracy, and many legendary pirates made their name during this time. Benjamin Hornigold founded his Flying Gang, which operated out of the small town of Nassau. As the number of pirates grew, Hornigold Nassau became a pirate republic, subject to the same fair rules and democracy was used by pirates on their own ships, as if they had a vote to change dominance. These Caribbean pirates became a trade-off for trade that had to go through the route between Europe and America. Nassau drew new pirates whom Hornigold would include and sometimes mentor, such as his second boss Blackbeard, who would be one of the most famous pirates in history.
Eventually, the pirates became a problem that the European and American governments intended to solve. Pirate hunters were pursued, and the King of England forgave any pirate who plundered. As a result of the crackdown in the Caribbean many famous pirates were executed. The documentary means that the Golden Age came to an end there after the Caribbean pirates were banned, but the real story was more complicated and involved several additional players.
Mary and Female Pirates Reading
Kingdom of the lost pirates tells the story of Anne Bonny, a rare female pirate who went to sea as a criminal partner of Calico Jack. Bonny, like the other characters discussed, was a real pirate during the Golden Age. Their account of Bonny’s life, however, does not include their other companion, Mary Read. Read lived as a man for most of her life, serving as a British warrior and joining the Flemish Army. She was still dressed as a man when she sailed to America and her ship was taken by Calico Jack.
Volunteer read to join the pirates, and she finally revealed her secret to Calico Jack and Anne Bonny and they fought with them during their brief career before they were captured. Bonny and Read are often regarded as lovers, but that is hard to prove historically. When Calico Jack’s team was captured and sentenced to hanging, both Bonny and Read said they were pregnant to stay to death, but it appears that Read died in prison shortly thereafter.
Although uncommon among Caribbean pirates at this time, Bonny and Read were far from the only female pirates in history. Since women were often confined on pirate ships, it seems that other female pirates entered these ships and had no reason to reveal themselves. Several famous female pirates had worked even centuries before Bonny and Read began, such as Grace O’Malley, and even more women followed in the decades that followed.
The Pirate Haven in Madagascar
The documentary focuses specifically on the Caribbean, but it was not the only successful pirate stronghold at the time. Madagascar was home to several pirate places during the Golden Age, and many of the most famous and successful pirates at the time worked out of Madagascar to plunder ships in the Indian Ocean. Kingdom of the lost pirates noting that Paulsgrave Williams, a former Black Sam partner of Bellamy, was taken to Madagascar after the crackdown in the Caribbean, and this was common among Caribbean pirates. Many survivors of the then pirate and sea hunters moved their trade to Madagascar, which still welcomed pirates after working in the Caribbean.
Bartholomew “Black Bart” Roberts
With a particular focus on Nassau-based Caribbean pirates, the documentary also omits the most successful pirate of the Golden Age: Bartholomew “Black Bart” Roberts. Roberts began his pirate career when the ship he was serving was taken over by pirate Howell Davis, who began his career in the same way during an attack by a former member of Hornigold’s Flying Gang. , Edward England.
Roberts’ pirate course was a success, and he is credited with taking over 400 ships during his career and creating one of the few remaining Pirate Codes. Roberts was not a pirate until 1719, the year after Blackbeard ‘s death, which the documentary marks as the death knell of the Golden Age. Roberts prospered both America and Africa until his death in battle with the Royal Navy in 1722. He became a legendary example of the Golden Age, even inspiring. Princess Wife‘s Dread Pirate Roberts.
A view of the Royal Navy
The size of the Royal Navy increased dramatically during the war, which then led to the decline of many unemployed sailors in post-war America, contributing to the rise in piracy. Many sailors who turned into captains and crews of hated pirates had very good reasons for taking on the Royal Navy, as they may have had no choice but to join the Navy. The British often tried or removed unarmed sailors to serve on board the warships when more Navy men were needed, a practice known as ideology. Black Sam Bellamy may have been introduced to the Navy in this way, perhaps adding to his lack of respect for his native country. The British did not put an end to the idea until after the Napoleonic Wars of 1815.
Stede Bonnet’s life after Blackbeard
Stede Bonnet is mentioned in the documentary only in connection with Blackbeard, but he was a leading Golden Age man himself who took to piracy in obedience to Jack Sparrow. Named “The Gentleman Pirate” because he was already a wealthy man when he turned to piracy, he is best known for taking away his ship and crew with Blackbeard. However, after Blackbeard’s betrayal, Bonnet took his criminal life as a pirate with greater knowledge and a thirst for revenge against Blackbeard.
He found that his boat had been hijacked and abandoned and a portion of his crew went back to where Blackbeard had left them, and got the boat and crew back to resume his command. He had forgiven the pirate, and in the hope of preserving, he changed both the name and the name of his ship to pretend to be a different pirate, but he did not. long until he worked under his own name again with a fearful and ruthless reputation.
In 1718, he was captured and put through a long court in which he blamed Blackbeard for his actions. He soon escaped with a seizure but was captured and hanged. He never met Blackbeard, but he did.
Olivier Levasseur
Olivier Levasseur was another unnamed member of Hornigold’s Flying Gang Kingdom of the lost pirates, best remembered for its legendary hidden treasure. Levasseur was a French private during the war who joined Hornigold after he turned into piracy and later entered into a partnership with Black Sam Bellamy when he took control of Hornigold. After the Caribbean became unstable to pirates, he moved to Madagascar, where he worked with Paulsgrave Williams. He scored several key scores before settling down in the Seychelles.
He was finally captured and hanged in 1730, which is when the legend of the treasure begins. According to some accounts, Levasseur threw a cryptogram into the crowd at his hanging, saying, “Find my treasure, the one who understands it. Whether the cryptogram is linked to Levasseur or whether the treasure is real or not is a matter of debate, but treasure hunters have been heavy with tapping the code ever since. Kingdom of the lost pirates he made an unmistakable primer on Nassau-based Caribbean pirates, but it is only one fraction of a long and complex history of piracy.
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