Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "barbary-pirates"

Once a Scoundrel by Mary Jo Putney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Being dishonorably discharged from the Royal Navy is a stain on the family’s honor, but Gabriel Hawkins Vance doesn’t regret his actions. In the intervening years since his banishment, he’s done well for himself and is able to pick and choose what he does, but he’s uncertain what future path to select until the British spymaster visits his ship. A delicate situation has arisen and Gabriel has the necessary expertise to carry out the mission if anyone can. He’s spent time in Algiers, is fluent in the Arabic dialect, has had prior dealings with a particular Barbary pirate, and is willing to do whatever may be necessary to successfully conclude his assignment.

Lady Aurora Octavia Lawrence may be the delight of her father’s life, but her penchant for independence and globe-trotting adventure has landed her in a predicament from which he cannot and will not extricate her. The outrageous ransom demanded by the Barbary pirates who kidnapped her is beyond his means – a fact Rory suspects, but still she hopes. In the meantime, she and her cousin must endure captivity in their comfortable “cage,” and she must humiliate herself time and again in front of prospective buyers seeking a beautiful, virginal westerner to grace their harems. If she and her cousin cannot escape and no one rescues them, she will be forced to give up her dreams of being an author and forever resign herself to a life of sexual slavery.

Malek had thought his days of piracy over until his greedy and nasty cousin gives him no other choice. When Gabriel offers him the use of his ship as part payment for the ransom, he accepts the offer that will transport him and his exotic menagerie, including the two English ladies, to Constantinople. Despite their past association, Malek makes it clear that he’s willing to sell them into a harem and see Gabriel and his crew dead to regain what his cousin has stolen from him.

Once a Scoundrel takes place in England, Algiers, and Constantinople between 1814 and 1815. Putney deftly transports readers to the Ottoman Empire and her melding of historical facts with fiction is flawless. In her author’s note she writes, “I do not find pirates romantic. They were greedy and sometimes murderous criminals who preyed on the vulnerable. Barbary pirates were the scourge of the Mediterranean from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries . . . .” (230) This historical romance ably demonstrates this, while spinning a dramatic tale of intrigue, corruption, greed, determination, and love. Perfect reading for a cold winter’s day or as an escape from the stress of everyday life, Once a Scoundrel offers an exotic portrayal of undying hope and love everlasting no matter the odds one must face.




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The Barbary Pirates 15th–17th Centuries by Angus Konstam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


They are often called “pirates,” but for almost three hundred years, the marauders hailing from the northern coast of Africa were privateers and the Italians, French, and Spanish referred to them as “corsairs.” Their havens were situated on the Barbary Coast, and their plunder, the most prized of which were slaves, was sold in the markets of Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco. Their raids took them from Greece and other Mediterranean shores to West Africa and the British Isles, and as far as Iceland. The majority of these city-states owed their allegiance to the Ottoman Empire, but Morocco remained independent. In the pages of this entry in Osprey’s Elite series, Konstam focuses on these marauders from the fifteenth century through the middle of the seventeenth when European nations implemented naval and diplomatic strategies to curb the most egregious of their corsairing raids.

The 1500s saw the zenith of the Barbary corsairs, and when the century began, Christians and Muslims have been fighting a “Holy War” for nigh on eight centuries. But the rulers of Africa’s northern shores aren’t the only marauders. Christian privateers, such as the Knights of Malta, also prowled the seas and, therefore, Konstam uses “Barbary corsair” to denote pirates from both sides, although the majority of the text and pictures focus on those of the Barbary Coast. He also explains why he chooses to call them “pirates,” rather than “privateers” or “corsairs.”

After a brief introduction and explanation of nomenclature, the book presents an overview of the history of the region and the Hafsid and Marinid dynasties that ruled prior to the upswing in privateering. From there Konstam discusses the first corsairs, including Kemal Reis and the Barbarossa brothers. Other sections examine the region’s geography, individual Barbary states, corsairing vessels, the pirates’ chains of command, the division of plunder, the crews, their tactics, and where they hunted. Throughout the narrative we meet specific Barbary pirates; in addition to the three already mentioned, we are introduced to Turgut Reis; Murad Reis (also known as Jan Janszoon) who raided Baltimore, Ireland in 1630 and founded the Republic of Salé (pirate haven); and John Ward.

The entire sixty-four-page book is illustrated with contemporary illustrations and maps, as well as full-color artwork by Gerry Embleton, who adeptly brings to life the pirates and their vessels (galley, galiot, polacca, tartan, xebec, and barca longas). Not only are these renderings illustrative of fine detail but they also vividly depict moments in corsair history, such as the c. 1480 raid on Corsica, a battle against a Venetian galley (c. 1540), and Turgut Reis at the 1538 Battle of Preveza. Also included in the book are a chronology for events occurring between 1450 and 1660, a reading list, and an index.

Anyone familiar with Osprey’s series books know that they provide a succinct and detail-oriented summary of the history and people involved in the military subjects being discussed. The Barbary Pirates continues this tradition, introducing readers to a topic that often doesn’t get the same level of attention in pirate history as other periods do. Equally important is that while Konstam concentrates on the marauders of the Barbary States, he also incorporates information about the Christian privateers, including the differences between how the two sides treated their galley slaves – the men forced to row their ships into battle. This volume provides anyone seeking information on the Barbary corsairs with a good introduction.




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City of Liars by Michelle Fogle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The home to which Joachim Déulocresca returns is not the same one that he left. Fear and hate, tinged with greed – all under the guise of devout Catholicism – permeate Barcelona. No one is safe, especially if you are a Jew. After his contact is burned at the stake, Joachim removes the badge marking his religion to become a Christian pilot in search of a new ship.

The first Act of Faith is a powerful draw for devout Aularia Bautista. What better way is there to publicly demonstrate her Catholic faith? Her parents forbid her to attend, but willful naivete compels her to go. The auto-da-fé and anger she witnesses horrify her, and she confides this to her tutor who offers her a “better” way to demonstrate her piety.

Joachim and Aularia initially meet at the execution; their next encounter is at her home. Her father, a wealthy spice merchant, hires Joachim as his new navigator and agent. A shared attraction brings them together, while a confession nudges them to cooperate in helping Jews elude the Inquisition. But Barcelona is a city of liars, a place where everyone wears a mask. When the masks are lifted, Joachim and Aularia find themselves enmeshed in situations more portentous than expected and from which neither may escape.

The depth of Fogle’s research is evident and seamlessly interwoven into a story that incorporates graphic depictions of prejudice, murder, betrayal, deception, Barbary pirates, and rape. Absent is an author’s note to explain why she uses “Señyorita” instead of “Señorita.” While two first person viewpoints are initially disconcerting, Fogle deftly weaves a labyrinthine tale in which sectarianism is as relevant in 1487 Spain as it is today.




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(This review originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Historical Novels Review: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...)