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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....