Real Pirates

George Lowther and his crew receive a taste of their own medicine when they anchor up in what seems to be an uninhabited stretch of Honduran coastline. But the nightmare that unfolds is just the first of many disasters that beset the beleaguered captain. As his fortunes continue to spiral, he eventually finds himself out of luck and all alone…  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our final tale from Piracy's Golden Age begins in West Africa, 1721. George Lowther is a fiery young merchant officer serving in the Royal African Company. When he instigates a mutiny aboard a slave ship it sets the stage for one of the most unpredictable pirate stories ever. Along with his somewhat reluctant ally Captain John Massey, he sails under the Black Flag initially as a means of survival. However, when tensions inevitably strain between the co-captains, something has to give. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In William Fly’s final week on Earth, he reflects on a life at sea and the course he’s charted to now face the hangman’s noose. But he’s not done fighting yet. In the bowels of a Boston prison, a battle is being fought. A battle between good and evil — right and wrong — Puritan preacher versus unrepentant pirate. It’s a battle to have the final word on Pirates of the Golden Age and how they’ll be remembered: moral tragedy or social revolution? It’s a battle which will be decided in an epic showdown on the gallows, in front of a roaring crowd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s 1726 and the end of the Golden Age of piracy may be at hand — but the terror that plagues the Atlantic is still a public obsession, and Boston is no exception. For two decades the firebrand cleric, Dr. Cotton Mather, has waged a desperate war to save these lost souls and to reclaim a city that is losing its religion — a one-man crusade to stem the flow of seafarers sailing under the black flag. But now he meets his match... With piracy in its death throes, one last villain is spewed out from the sea: the irredeemable, the impenitent, William Fly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’re turning our attention away from the cutlass-wielding pirates of the seas, and toward some of the greatest detective minds in history. On this episode of Scotland Yard Confidential, a strange box washes ashore the banks of the Thames in 1879. Stashed inside are the dismembered remains of a woman — kicking off a gruesome case that will come to be known as the Barnes Mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bridstock Weaver washes up on the shores of Britain, somehow having survived his ordeal. But as many before him have discovered, getting home is no guarantee of freedom. Does he return to his family and the life that he lost? Or lay low and live out his days in secret? The decision may be taken out of his hands by a ghost from his past. At least he has escaped the fate now awaiting Anstis, Fenn and the unfortunate pirate crew of the Good Fortune... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After more than a year surviving amongst the pirates, reluctant crewman Bridstock Weaver must now navigate a new course as captain of the Good Fortune. Faced with difficult decisions, rising tensions, and with every action scrutinised by commodore Anstis and his rebellious crew, how long can Weaver maintain his innocence? Should he throw in his lot with his fellows or make a bid for freedom? There are no easy choices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One can only imagine the horror of being forced to join a pirate crew at the point of a cutlass. Understandably, many unfortunate sailors are compliant — most just want to get out alive! Under the command of Captain Thomas Anstis, merchant sailor Bridstock Weaver provides perhaps the most dramatic tale of a life as a captive aboard a pirate ship. He must walk the tightrope of avoiding damnation whilst doing whatever it takes to survive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Philip Ashton struggles to survive on Roatán Island, Ned Low continues to cause bloody chaos across the Caribbean. In response to his increasing and shocking violence, the British Royal Navy finally despatches a squadron of ships to hunt down the infamous pirate — setting the stage for an epic battle. However, the Royal Navy will soon discover that locating Ned Low is the easy part. Killing him is another thing altogether. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Responsible for countless atrocities along the North American coast and all around the Caribbean, the name Ned Low becomes synonymous with cruelty and horror. His reputation will somehow reach greater, more disturbing heights, when he and his crew encounter a Portuguese ship on the way to Brazil. Meanwhile, Philip Ashton begins to understand his captor a little better - like it or not, he gets to know the man behind the monster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the pantheon of maritime monsters — Edward Low might be the worst. Born into a life of crime, he blossomed into the most ferocious, most sadistic, and arguably most deranged pirates to have ever sailed the high seas. And one honest fisherman from Marblehead, Massachusetts, will witness it all firsthand — enduring the ordeal of a lifetime when he becomes Low's captive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fighting the temptation to go on pirating, Walter Kennedy wisely decides not to tempt fate any longer. But now he must run the final gauntlet, and attempt to succeed where so many others have failed — get away Scott free! With their hold bursting with booty, Kennedy must steer the Eagle and her anxious crew back to Britain. It’ll take cunning and guile to slip back into law-abiding society — but pirates aren’t exactly known for their subtlety... The race is on! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the final gasps of Piracy’s Golden Age, it seems few captains are able to make a success of it. From Howell Davis’ sly subterfuge to Bart Robert’s show of brute force — both meet the same bloody end. Perhaps to thrive in this harsh landscape, a captain should be cut from a different cloth. Cue Walter Kennedy. The London beggar boy who dreamed of becoming a pirate now finds himself thrust into the spotlight, and in command of a crew of desperate men! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trade in the West Indies has been brought crashing to a halt — Bart Roberts' catastrophic attacks have seen to that. His prize tally is climbing into the hundreds and there is no sign of him slowing down! Roberts now sets his eyes on the Gold Coast of West Africa. But with an expanding crew he must fight to keep his men in line — especially as they head for the final showdown with the Royal Navy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roberts’ time as pirate captain is not panning out as he’d imagined. After taking a great haul of Portuguese gold he thought he was set for life, until a mutiny saw Walter Kennedy sail off with his fleet and his treasure! Now Roberts faces a fight to survive the swathe of pirate hunters and warships on his tail. He heads north, hoping for a change in fortune. But wherever he goes, he’s determined to leave devastation in his wake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of Howell Davis’ death on Príncipe, Bart Roberts takes command of the Royal Rover! It’s an impressive rise to power, after a serious change of heart. Just six weeks after being forced aboard, he had no desire to become a pirate. Now having dipped his hands in the muddy waters of piracy, Roberts decides to make the most of his situation. Little does anyone know, he will emerge as one of the most bloody and ruthless pirates of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Howell Davis—the first mate aboard an English trading vessel—would rather die than join the band of pirates captained by Edward England. Or so he claims... But before long, Davis has seized a ship of his own and is setting sail under the black flag! But pirating in the 1720s requires a new approach, and he’s got more than a few ideas of his own. Favoring subterfuge to subdue forts and using disguises to deceive royal governors; it’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The gentleman captain finds himself in the Indian Ocean, following in the footsteps of the legendary Red Sea men. But times have changed since those pirates had their heyday. Soon his dreams of Mughal Gold will turn to nightmares. The East India Company has been building its power for the past 25 years in preparation — and when Edward England comes face to face with the Bombay Fleet, he’ll discover they are ready for the fight. A devastating battle will either make England’s reputation, or lead to his ruin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1720s, pirates are at risk of becoming a dying breed. The British Empire has made sure of that. But it seems there are some who haven't got the message… One man in particular has stood witness to some of the greatest piratical feats of the Golden Age — and isn’t about to pass up his own chance at greatness. Captain Edward England will lead the charge across the Atlantic, far from Britain’s colonial navy, to Africa. But in this new arena, it’s not just external threats he must manage. He also faces dangers that reside aboard his own ship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Betrayed by his closest friend in Boston, the once celebrated privateer Captain William Kidd is arrested on a charge of piracy. With rumors of buried treasure swirling around him, Kidd is transported back to London for a decidedly one-sided trial. At the Old Bailey, Kidd fights for both his life and reputation. And yet, although the deck is stacked against him, the defiant captain has one final ace to play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Privateer William Kidd is back out on the open sea and ready to make his mark on the world. His commission has taken him beyond the Cape of Good Hope, where legalities mean little, if anyone cared to ask. Here a captain is only as good as the prizes he can deliver his crew. Weakness is punished and loyalties quickly forgotten. Here Kidd must make his stand. The fallout will shape the history of piracy forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last legend of the Red Sea men enters the stage: Captain William Kidd, war hero, privateer, murderer, thief. Added to this are rumors of buried treasure and a corrupt criminal trial. They broke the mold with Captain Kidd — and all who'd follow would be judged in his image. We delve into the backstory of this larger than life character to meet the man behind the myths. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry Avery has just made perhaps the biggest score in pirate history – they are rich beyond their wildest dreams! But, like many before them, they now face the challenge of keeping what they’ve gained. Although they’re not the first, their depredations in the Red Sea have set a new benchmark for horror. And it’s not gone unnoticed. Soon the forces of two empires and the fury of the terrifying East India company will be breathing down Avery’s neck. The race is on. Will he hang? Or can he slip the noose? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having wrested control of his future, Henry Avery’s fate now lies in his own hands. Aboard their stolen ship they head to Africa and the Red Sea! And they waste little time making their mark on the world. But it’s soon clear that the mythic hero of Henry Avery — the celebrated privateer that history has romantically painted — bears little resemblance to the reality. This is the story of brutal, cold blooded piracy — pure and simple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Of all the legends of Red Sea pirates, one name will have greater influence on the history of piracy than any other. A young Devonshire lad sets out to seek his fortune and finds himself flung by fate across the world and facing an uncertain future. He soon makes a decision that will change the course of history. The allure of riches and promise of adventure have tempted many before him, but he will rise to set the standard for generations to come. His name will be sung, poems will be written — Patriot? War Hero? Pirate! This is the story of the ‘Great Pirate’ Henry Avery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thomas Tew has exceeded even his own wildest dreams — capturing perhaps the biggest prize in history. But with the Amity’s hold weighing heavy with Arabian gold, they must now get their ill-gotten gains home. Will they be caught and face the hangman? The answer will shock the world. Before long, the Indian Ocean will be awash with pirates, hellbent on repeating Tew’s success. A success that may come back to haunt him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The year is 1691 and Europe is at war. Again. England’s colonies teeter on bankruptcy. Violent mariners come to the fore as Privateers become the last line of defense. But in dockside taverns, rumors of vast Asian riches and exotic Eastern treasures begin to circulate among the cash-strapped sailors. On Bermuda, one man spies the opportunity of a lifetime. A Rhode Islander called Thomas Tew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To understand where the Golden Age of Atlantic piracy will end, we must go back to its beginnings... In the 1680s, the line between national hero and public enemy often changed with the political tides. In this era, on the far side of the world, the greatest pirate legends would emerge — names that will inspire generations to follow. It all begins in the Indian Ocean, on the original pirate kingdom of Madagascar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rackham, Bonny, and Read are just getting started, wreaking havoc on local shipping. But they're not too busy to settle old scores — or seek revenge on those who have wronged them. Little do they know, it's they who are being hunted. We ask what life was really like for these two female pirates. Stripping back centuries of myth and legend, can we unearth who were the REAL Bonny and Read? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonny and Rackham are back on the account and ready to blaze a trail through the Caribbean. But hardly a week at sea and harmony aboard the Revenge is shattered... At the heart of it is a striking young sailor – Mark Read – and a closely guarded secret. A secret he has successfully kept hidden for years. That is, until he meets Anne Bonny. The truth will set him free and launch this unusual crew into the history books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the fall of Nassau, only the most desperate, or the most foolhardy, would go on pirating against mounting odds. Time will tell which camp Captain 'Calico Jack' Rackham belongs to… But out of this chaos will emerge an unconventional crew, as legendary as any who came before. It all comes down to a chance meeting in a tavern between 'Calico Jack' and Anne Bonny. A woman, and a pirate, like no other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Piracy is now a game of diminishing returns. Even a fearsome figure like Charles Vane knows he only serves at the pleasure of his crew. Should he slip up, one man in particular is waiting in the wings... 'Calico Jack' Rackham. On Nassau, Woodes Rogers lurches from crisis to crisis, straining to control a divided populace. However a new threat is on the rise that might yet unite them... War with Spain looms large once again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the threat of Charles Vane lurking in the shadows, Woodes Rogers struggles to assert his authority in Nassau. Little did he know taking control of the Bahamas would be the easy part; maintaining it may prove far harder. Pro-pardon pirates are now faced with the hardships of making an honest living... for many it's too much, quietly slipping back into their old ways. Vane too must now adjust to the changing landscape. With fewer friendly ports and easy scores, he must be bold to keep the loyalty of his crew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Woodes Rogers stands on the precipice, his fate hanging in the balance. As he enters the harbor at Nassau, he can hardly imagine the trials and tribulations that will soon be upon him. But then, no one said bringing civilization back to the Bahamas was going to be easy. First and foremost he will have to deal with one of the most hardened criminals ever to emerge from the Americas: a diehard and unrepentant pirate… Captain Charles Vane.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The final showdown is coming... A Royal Navy task force is on its way to finally take on the pirate base on Nassau in the Bahamas — the symbolic home of piracy in the Caribbean. It's not a mission for the faint-hearted. No wonder then, that the man in charge is as hard as they come. Captain Woodes Rogers: mariner, slaver, explorer, military hero. He's battle hardened and has the scars to prove it. We explore the backstory of the man who is tasked with bringing an end to the Republic of Pirates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Piracy in the Caribbean is at its height, but the tables are slowly turning. The colonies and the crown now work together to try and end the Golden Age of Piracy for good. Pirates are being tried and executed in greater numbers. But many remain at large. The truth is catching pirates isn't easy. Even for the Royal Navy. By 1718, only one man has truly earned the reputation as a pirate hunter. Aboard the HMS Scarborough, Captain Francis Hume is determined to succeed where so many have failed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We return to pick up the story of Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet – Blackbeard's partner in crime. In the months after Blackbeard's betrayal, Bonnet and his crew of loyalists will have a big decision to make – to take the pardon and return to polite society or to go on pirating, and, perhaps, pay the price. For most pirates, a comfortable retirement is not an option... but for Stede Bonnet, a return to his life of luxury on Barbados is now within his grasp. First, he has a score to settle. Come hell or high water, Bonnet will have his revenge! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In early 1718, the extent of Blackbeard's cold-hearted ruthlessness shocks many — including his closest allies. Always one step ahead, it seems Blackbeard will keep outsmarting his opponents and living on his own terms. But his outsized reputation is becoming a heavy burden. Before Blackbeard can disappear off the map, he catches the attention of the one man who will stop at nothing to bring him to justice: Governor Alexander Spottswood, the scourge of pirates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now at the height of their powers, Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet have the colonies at their mercy. But they receive news from Great Britain that will affect every pirate in the Americas. It's time to take stock and make a decision on the future. Some will rage against their new reality, whilst others will surrender to it. Blackbeard won't be easily cowed, he has a plan... but first he needs to make that one big score that will secure their futures. With the clock ticking, the hunt is on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The unlikely pairing of gentleman landlubber Stede Bonnet and the battle-hardened Blackbeard proves to be a great success… at least for one of them. It may not turn out to be the equal partnership Bonnet had envisaged. For Blackbeard though, it's everything he could dream of and more. His name is soon scorched across the Americas. A legend in his own lifetime. But is he really as fearsome as his reputation suggests? What's the real story behind his sudden rise? And what part did the colonies play in creating the monster that now stalks them? Meet the man behind that notorious beard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Piracy in the Americas is reaching a climax. The British Empire has decided that enough is enough. The war on Pirates is beginning. But in this increasingly hostile landscape, some of history’s greatest seafaring villains will emerge. Chief amongst them is Blackbeard. In 1717 Captain Edward Thatch is still a relative unknown... a minor brigand operating out of the Bahamas. But all that is about to change. Little does Thatch know, his legend will be launched thanks to a chance meeting with an unlikely figure — Major Stede Bonnet. The upstanding colonial nobleman turned outlaw. This is the story of The Gentleman Pirate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the autumn of 1717 the storm that sank the Whydah may have abated, but the winds of change still pummel the survivors. In fact, all across the Atlantic the British Empire and her colonies now start to turn the screw on pirates everywhere. The remaining Bellamy pirates face an uncertain future. Some will try and forge new careers against mounting resistance, but others must stand trial for their crimes against society, the crown and God. Boston hosts a landmark legal case. Some are guiltier than others – will any be spared? Or will they all end up at the end of a short drop and dancing the hangman's jig? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the concluding part of 'Black' Sam Bellamy we discover what, if anything, can check his astonishing rise to power. By the spring of 1717 he has gone from impoverished peasant to peerless pirate captain. And now his golden touch brings him closer to greatness as he targets a vessel that will elevate him even further. We finally get to the root of his fantastic legend, stripping back the mythology that has sprung up around him. But dark clouds are gathering... and he must make a perilous journey back to New England... to where it all began. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a matter of months, Bellamy pushes to expand his crew and his pirate fleet at breakneck pace. As he continues to lay waste to colonial shipping, he must navigate the first real test of his strength and overcome the doubts that plague him... as well as those of his followers. Bellamy knows better than most — a captain only serves at the pleasure of his crew. And pirates can be a fickle bunch...  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We return to the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean with the story of one of the most feared and notorious mariners of the 18th century: ‘Black’ Sam Bellamy. Seemingly from nowhere, a common seaman rises up to become the scourge of the Atlantic — a rags-to-riches story like no other. But it is a tale that has grown to fantastic proportions… Is it possible to peel back the centuries of myth to reveal the man beneath? Social revolutionary? Rogue agent of change? Or a jilted lover with a point to prove? Who is the REAL ‘Black’ Sam Bellamy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Christmas Eve nearly seventy years ago, Dorothy Martin and the Seekers stood outside in Chicago and sang carols. They were waiting for a spacecraft that would shepherd them away from Earth — and the impending apocalypse. This is a Christmas special from Cults, another Spotify Original from Parcast. If you like it, follow Cults for more chilling insights every week. Real Pirates will be back with a new episode next Monday. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a well-known fact that pirates like to party. It's all part of the job - commonly called the 'Merry Life.’ Rum, music and dancing were part of the allure of going 'upon the account' in the 18th century. But what did the Pirates of the Caribbean do at Christmas? There are mutinies, beach parties, and a big night out in the pirate port of Tortuga. Find out how pirates spend the festive season in this REAL PIRATES Holiday Special! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Pirate port of Nassau. The year is 1716, and all manner of criminals and ne'er-do-wells flock to the growing pirate haven in the Bahamas. We delve into their ramshackle life in the ruined remains of a British colony. Supported by black market traders, tavern keepers and sex workers, an illegal maritime economy sprang up and, for a time, flourished in the Caribbean. We meet the pirates and traumatised locals who coexisted there under the leadership of Captain Benjamin Hornigold. Find out what life was really like in the Pirate Republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Hurricane that scuppered the Spanish Treasure Fleet of 1715 was a seismic event — and a catalyst for piracy in the Caribbean. Now two rising powers face off: the self-styled pirate king Benjamin Hornigold and his nemesis, the self-righteous privateer Henry Jennings. In the shadows of these early skirmishes, names emerge that will become legends in their own right. Edward Thatch (alias Blackbeard), Charles Vane and ‘Black’ Sam Bellamy burst onto the scene.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 1700s the changing tides of geopolitics play havoc with trade and economics in the Americas. Tensions rise between the Royal houses of Europe and their overseas colonies in the Caribbean. The line between right and wrong is becoming blurred as many look to exploit the grey areas of international maritime law. Captain Henry Jennings is about to find out that the path into piracy is paved with Spanish Gold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The year is 1713 — it’s the eve of the Golden Age of Atlantic piracy. A period that would give birth to some of the most notorious outlaws in history. In the fallout of a ruinous global conflict, from the ashes of peace, one man would rise up and inspire thousands to follow his steps into piracy. Benjamin Hornigold and a desperate crew of sailors decide to go ‘upon the account’ — as Pirates.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take to the high seas for an epic adventure into the lives of legendary pirates. Who were these men and women who roamed the oceans? What was life really like under the black flag? Find out every Monday on Real Pirates, a Spotify Original from Parcast produced in partnership with Noiser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices