
The Real History of Pirates
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Narrated by:
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Professor Manushag N. Powell
About this listen
There’s an apocryphal story that Alexander the Great once captured a notorious pirate named Diomedes. The great conqueror decided to interview the doomed pirate, asking him what he thought gave him the right to seize the property of other people. The pirate responded by asking the emperor what he thought gave him the right to take property that doesn’t belong to him, including entire countries. The story goes that Alexander thought the pirate very clever, granting him freedom instead of execution.
Other than scale, what is the difference between a pirate and the vast armies of an emperor? Or between a pirate and the great navy of a queen? Were the men who famously traversed the Atlantic actually the heroic explorers we imagined them to be - or were they...pirates? During the early years of what would be known as the Age of Sail, these explorers included Sirs Francis Drake, John Hawkins, and Walter Ralegh.
In The Real History of Pirates, you’ll find yourself looking at world history from a new point of view, realizing that much of what you’ve learned before could - and possibly should - be viewed through a more appropriate post-imperialistic filter. Your course professor, Manushag N. Powell, an award-winning Professor of English at Purdue University, will expose you to new ways of thinking about global interactions from the West Indies to the Red Sea, from the North Atlantic to Indonesia. You’ll learn what causes piracy, why it still flourishes today, why some pirates even had the backing of a well-established government, and why women sometimes wielded the real power behind the scenes in an enterprise conducted almost exclusively by men.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Featured Article: Go on a Swashbuckling Adventure with These Pirate Audiobooks and Podcasts
From classic sagas of buccaneers commanding the seas to fantasy novels featuring high-tech spacefarers, there's something about pirates that gets our hearts pumping and imaginations soaring! If you love a good adventure story, then you'll want to be sure to check out this list of the best audiobooks and podcasts with pirates, featuring both fiction and nonfiction. Whether you're a seadog or scallywag, a kid or grown up, find your next great pirate listen here.
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The Middle Ages was a time of major historical shifts and transformations. This amazing era reverberates with discoveries, innovations, events, and historical processes that are integral to the world we know now. In these 24 enthralling lectures, Professor Salisbury leads you on a sumptuous tour of this incredible historical epoch, making clear that the remarkable historical currents and advances of the Middle Ages unfolded not only in the West, but across the globe, from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to Asia, the Americas, and beyond.
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A Rare Disappointment from The Great Courses
- By Curtis on 08-21-22
By: Joyce E. Salisbury, and others
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The Pirates Laffite
- The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf
- By: William C. Davis
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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At large during the most colorful period in New Orleans' history, from just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812, privateers Jean and Pierre Laffite made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Pirates to the US Navy officers who chased them, heroes to the private citizens who shopped for contraband at their well-publicized auctions, the brothers became important members of a filibustering syndicate that included lawyers, bankers, merchants, and corrupt US officials.
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Incredibly Detailed
- By David on 03-21-25
By: William C. Davis
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Norse Mythology
- By: Jackson Crawford, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Crawford
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Thor, Odin, Loki, Freyja, the Valkyries, Valhalla, Ragnarok — many of the places we encounter these and other names, places, and events from Norse mythology in daily life and pop culture are connected to the medieval sources in name only.
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Brilliant Course
- By Frederik on 12-05-21
By: Jackson Crawford, and others
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The Celtic World
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Paxton PhD
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
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Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
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I wish this had a different title
- By Kindle Customer on 06-20-18
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Black Flags, Blue Waters
- The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates
- By: Eric Jay Dolin
- Narrated by: Paul Brion
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the backdrop of the Age of Exploration, Black Flags, Blue Waters reveals the dramatic and surprising history of American piracy's "Golden Age" when lawless pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond. Best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin illustrates how American colonists at first supported these outrageous pirates in an early display of solidarity against the Crown, and then violently opposed them. Upending popular misconceptions and cartoonish stereotypes, Dolin provides this wholly original account of these seafaring outlaws.
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Solid read, BUT...
- By K ODell on 07-17-19
By: Eric Jay Dolin
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The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean
- By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kenneth R. Bartlett
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
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Take a riveting tour of the Italian peninsula, from the glittering canals of Venice to the lavish papal apartments and ancient ruins of Rome. In these 24 lectures, Professor Bartlett traces the development of the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, showing how the modern nation of Italy was forged out of the rivalries, allegiances, and traditions of a vibrant and diverse people.
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A useful survey, just what I wanted
- By Adeliese Baumann on 11-07-16
By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
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A Day's Read
- By: The Great Courses, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth, and others
- Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
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Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
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Stories not included, only discussed
- By Julie Newman on 01-15-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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Unsung Heroes of the Ancient World
- By: Gregory S. Aldrete, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
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The 24 revealing lectures of Unsung Heroes of the Ancient World reconstruct over a dozen biographies from the classical world—most of them little-known, some of them quite unlikely heroes. With Professor Emeritus Gregory Aldrete as your expert guide, you will meet the ambitious travel writers, dedicated engineers, careful cartographers, diligent farmers, woman philosophers, devoted wives, skilled military generals, African rebels, Persian kings, and impressive athletes who stood out among their peers centuries ago.
By: Gregory S. Aldrete, and others
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The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis
- By: Louis Markos, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Louis Markos
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
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What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
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Basically a collection of sermons
- By Richard on 11-20-13
By: Louis Markos, and others
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Pirate Women
- The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas
- By: Laura Sook Duncombe
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In the first-ever history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women: the Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside - and sometimes in command of - their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom.
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Don’t waste your time or credit
- By CJ on 08-06-18
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Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World
- By: Scott McCormick
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Samantha Turret, Khristine Hvam, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Did you know that most of our dinosaur fossils were discovered because two grown men absolutely hated each other? It’s true! Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World is a riotous audio exclusive, like if Monty Python taught your history class. Each volume of four 30-minute histories will dig into the petty name-calling and grumbling grudges that led to many of the world’s greatest advancements, all delivered with a cheeky sense of humor. Choose sides: Cope or Marsh, the jerks who discovered so many dinosaurs; Hamilton or Burr, whose rivalry fueled American politics; and many more....
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Warning for parents...
- By Jetjaguar15 on 07-08-19
By: Scott McCormick
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Blackbeard
- America's Most Notorious Pirate
- By: Angus Konstam
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Of all the colorful cutthroats who scoured the seas in search of plunder during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early 18th century, none was more ferocious or notorious than Blackbeard. As unforgettable as his savage career was, much of Blackbeard's life has been shrouded in mystery - until now. Drawing on vivid descriptions of Blackbeard's attacks from his rare surviving victims, pirate expert Angus Konstam traces Blackbeard's career from its beginnings to his final defeat in a tremendous sea battle near his base at Ocracoke Island
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It’s alright
- By B. Williams on 02-26-21
By: Angus Konstam
I am very happy with this, learned so much from a writers perspective and it accomplished exactly what I needed.
A lot of poorer rating reviews of this are addressing the professor emphasizing misogyny, white supremacy and other social issues as a bad thing, but those were super welcome to me so that it tells us that she understands her subject and the forces at play. Piracy was rampant with misogyny, racism and white supremacy (as the real world is today and people getting mad over this feels like it’s uncomfortable for them to listen to that but this is really what happens in the real world so) and I am so glad she did not overlook this, particularly as someone writing a pirate fantasy primarily driven by people of color. She did a very good job not overlooking how colonialism (again, rife with racism, misogyny and white supremacy in general) played a part in real world piracy. I’m so glad she emphasized this and it made me feel like me like “yes, this is someone who isn’t talking from the singular perspective of an old white dude who doesn’t think those social issues are paramount to history.”
They should always be talked about so I’m glad she doubled down on How Big they were in this subject. Great job. The poorer reviews complaining about this are honestly silly and not very credible in my opinion.
I also liked her tone of voice. Didn’t feel boring to listen to. That’s subjective though. I Highly recommend this for people who want to get a thorough run down of how to write pirates.
I ironically PRECISELY What I Wanted and Was Looking For: A Lecture About piracy, what causes it and NOT a Historical Timeline.
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really Interesting
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quite good and a learning experience
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that said, the historical research is interesting and seems well-researched. topics of daily life, economic concerns, and geo-politics are insightful.
Good info, presentation needs work
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I thought this could be a more enjoyable theme to hear, and I do blame it on my childhood, specially with the Muppets movie. Sadly, this lecturer has a poor sense of humour and makes light talk on the worst possible sombre momments.
PS: I’m portuguese. “Ladrones” is not a portuguese word, at least nowadays, it only exists in spanish. This and other small things make me guess that the facts about portuguese and spanish people are sometimes mixed in this course. I’m guessing the old british sources and translations can have mistakes about it, and it’s not the lecturer’s fault, But what about checking with a portuguese/spanish historian before lecturing about it?
A very cynic perspective
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I really wanted to like this…
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Inaudible but a great subject well written
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A+
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Hopefully some of it stuck so I can answer Jeopardy questions correctly.
3 out of 5 Arrrghs.
Lots of info to process
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The previous reviews that were negative all seemed to give a negative review because the author read too fast (learn how to use audible speed controls) or were snowflakez that took offense to anything offending white males. Any comments made that are mentioned could be considered innocuous. From the reviews you’d think this was all commentary, but in fact there is hardly any direct opinion.
Unexpectedly, some of the most enjoyable chapters for me were on modern day pirates and the final chapter on pirates in pop culture and beyond, where the lecturer offered the most of her personal intellectual input. Very interesting stuff.
Good stuff. A lecture series (of course) not a history timeline.
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