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The Real History of Pirates
- Narrated by: Professor Manushag N. Powell
- Length: 11 hrs
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The Real History of Pirates
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Summary
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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What listeners say about The Real History of Pirates
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zz
- 18-06-23
Compelling and educational
Fascinating history, well told by a likeable Professor who makes these notorious figures from the past relatable in a modern context. 10/10.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- DippersNest
- 25-08-22
Well constructed with a dash of humour
the lectures set out a comprehensive theory of piracy while sticking to a timeline as a handrail. Themes like state sponsorship, indigence and economics after war, and local legal deviance come out well. I found much to agree with, and enough new to be interesting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Saralexis
- 17-05-23
Entertaining and fascinating
A very enjoyable history of pirates taking in not only the Golden Age but modern times and to social and cultural impact. A great listen, I’ll be seeking out more lectures by her:
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew UK
- 27-01-22
very enjoyable
lots of interesting snippets, sailing across a broad range of topics.
Covering pirates across the world and across time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- PJ
- 13-09-22
UTTERLY BRILLIANT
extraordinary breadth of research, told with flair by the author, and very nicely read too!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sean Reynolds
- 05-09-24
Fun and Interesting.
This was really well delivered, a great mix of interesting stories, global politics and socioeconomics.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
- jd72
- 20-09-21
Not much depth
I gave up halfway. Perhaps it improved but, the history part seemed never to get going; almost every fact seemed to have to be equally balanced by interminable detail on the popular myths that we're supposed to have believed because of exposure to Robert Louis Stevenson or Disney. It felt like a lesson for teenagers- quite young ones, at that- not a university-level lecture as normally delivered by the 'Great Courses' series.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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- Sebastian Jönsson
- 27-07-22
Good General information but irritantantly woke
When I get a university course about pirates, I expect the talking points to be pirates.
Theres is that in this of course however its viewed through a modern day political lens which brings the along the quips and talking points.
Among such there is of course 'manly imperialism', repeating such things as 'slavery was bad' again and again and again. Like such a thing needs repetition.
and my final favorite in the late hours of the course, 'Like a man need a proper reason to hurt a woman'.
Ive enjoyed every great course up until now. Tip to all involved: Keep modern politics whete it belongs.
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