Barbary Pirate

A very interesting read. The author, Greg Bak, has written a well researched book on the now obscure life and times (crimes) of pirate/corsair John Ward, infamous enemy of the Christian trading states of the early 17th Century.

Bak has put together a fairly sympathetic portrait of Ward and his fellow English pirates/corsairs with the premise being that due to lack of employment after the cessation of the Spanish English Wars of the Elizabethan times and with the peace that followed in the reign of James I that the mostly illiterate seafaring class had little else to do other than plunder if they were to make a reasonable living. Ward, among others, took to this life with gusto. He became incredibly rich and with that wealth was even able to bribe the admiralty, much to the chagrin of the Venetians, to the point that a pardon was being discussed. In the end, though, he made the even more infamous decision to convert to Islam.

Recommended to those that like true pirate stories.