PIRATES OF THE BARBARY COAST

Barbary Corsairs

Sometimes called the Barbary Cosairs or the Ottoman Cosairs

Were Privateers and Muslim Pirates

Led attacks from the the 11th century to the 19th century

Operated from North Africa

What They Did…•Ports located in Tunis, Tripoli, Morocco, and Algiers•They went as far as Iceland when comandeering ships •They mainly attacked ships in western Europe•Pirates captured and sold Christian slaves at the slave markets in Africa•Engaged in Razzias, which were raids on Coastal towns in Europe

Life of a Pirate

Dangerous They held people for

ransom Once captured by a

pirate your chances of seeing home again are about 3%

Beautiful women and children were brought to the palace as gifts for the sultan

Captured from about 800,000 to 1,250,000 Europeans

In 1784 the first Barbary power captured an American vessel

Pirates and America (18th Century)

2 ships captured The Dauphin from

Philadelphia and the Maria from Boston were seized

The ships and cargoes were sold

The crew was sold on the slave market

When asked why the attacks were occuring the sultan said that it was written in the Koran that all nations who had not acknowledged the prophet were sinners

Famous Pirates (1700 – 1800)

Haitian pirate: Jean Lafitte

Operated out of: the port of New Orleans

Established the Kingdom of Barataria, which was an illegal slave smuggling business

During the War of 1812 he was offered a huge sum of money from the British for letting them use his port

Famous Pirates in Other Places…

The English pirate Blackbeard:

Ship: Queen Anne’s Revenge

Piracy started in 1713 and ended in 1718 (because he was killed)

Another English pirate: Calico Jack Rackham

Got his name from the clothes he wore with patterns of brown, white, and black

Patrolled the Caribbean from 1718 - 1720

What Were the Pirates Seizing?

Ships Cargoes Loot People Valubles Ship parts Wine

In Order to Sail Safely…

Americans had to pay fees

Avoid pirate waters

The End