In 1674, it is three years since Henry Morgan’s pirates sacked Panama. England is now at peace with Spain, and soon France, Holland, and Spain will briefly be at peace among themselves. But soon buccaneers and their French counterparts, the filibusters, will seize the opportunity of material gain presented by the far-flung and failing Spanish Empire. And Spain will produce its own notorious pirates, whose depredations against the English and French will become legend. These men of opportunistic calculation and desperate courage live in a wilder, larger, and richer time and place than any other frontier in modern history—the Spanish Main. Unflinchingly, unhesitatingly, unabashedly, they will take to the peaceful seas for riches by force of arms. The world will witness piracy on a grand scale.
While Benerson Little’s previous work showed brilliantly how pirates actually plied their trade, The Buccaneer’s Realm focuses on their cultural and physical environments. It describes not merely their deeds but their world—the New World of the Spanish Main and its many peoples, freedoms, dangers, and exploits that are the foundation of the Americas. A detailed and lively description of pirate life, it will especially appeal to readers with an interest in maritime, naval, military, and colonial history, as well as sociologists, anthropologists, and armchair adventurers.
Author(s): Benerson Little
Publisher: Potomac Books
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 360
City: Washington, D.C.
Cover
Contents
Maps
Preface
1 Yo Ho, Yo Ho: A Life on the Margins for Me
2 Water, Water Everywhere: The Means of Freedom on the Main
3 Biscayers, Indians, Africans, and Greeks: Spain in the New World
4 Boucaniers, Flibustiers, and Buccaneers: Hunters Along the Main
5 Petit Goave and Port Royal: Pirate Asylums and Sanctuaries
6 Muscovado, Indigo, and Urcas, Not to Mention Sweet Virginia
7 Slaves, Monopolies, and Maroons: Africa on the Main
8 Contraband Cargaroon: The Sloop Trade
9 Pirates and Puritans: The New England Connection
10 Gods, Devils, and Castaways: Faith, Religion, and Superstition on the Main
11 Lost Ships and Souls: Wrecks, Wrecking, and Wreckers
12 To the Slaughter, Gentle Beasts: The Sea Turtle, Manatee, and Seal
13 The Beginning of the End: Native America Enslaved and Enraged
14 Tarpaulin Cant and Spanish Lingua: The Language of the Buccaneer
15 Armadillas, Galleons, and Canoes: Sea Battles in the Great South Sea
16 Battle Wounds and Belly Timber: Chirurgery, Physic, Diet, and Health
17 The Torrid Zone: Sex and Romance on the Main
18 Ladrones! Ladrones! Towns Plundered, Lives Violated
19 Honor With An Edge: Dueling and Swordplay on the Main
20 Clean Bottoms and Lost Souls: Keys, Cays, Isles, and Inlets
21 Cannon, Sword, and Garrote: Spain Strikes Back
22 Yo Ho, Yo Ho: A Pirate’s Life for Me
Appendix A: The Chasse-Partie
Appendix B: Buccaneer Organization
Appendix C: Captains and Their Vessels
Appendix D: Roving Books and Authors, 1674–1699
Appendix E: A Boucanier Barbecue
Appendix F: “Pieces-of-Eight! Pieces-of-Eight!”
Appendix G: Places Plundered, 1674–1688
Appendix H: New World Exports and Plunder
Appendix I: Weights, Measures, and Containers
Appendix J: A Brief Glossary of Sea Terms
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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About the Author
