Those who know me, also know I have a fascination with pirates. I study them, I observe International Pirates Day each September 19th, and I’ve had pirate parties at my home. So, it should be no surprise when Netflix made available a 6 episode series titled, “The Lost Pirate Kingdom,” it got my attention.
My library of several books about pirates has taught me much. And, knowledge has also been bolstered by touring the Pirate Museum in Charleston, South Carolina! However, this Netflix series was really valuable in connecting pirate lives together, and offering a different perspective about who they were, and why they came into existence.
Prior to viewing, I hadn’t realized what huge disrupters of the slave trade these pirates had been. In addition to merchant ships, pirates sometimes commandeered slave ships, and freed slaves who preferred being pirates instead. They plundered slave trade treasure, destined for wealthy “entrepreneurs” of human flesh in England. The Pirate Republic came about under Captain Hornigold, who instituted a certain creed among pirates, where work and plunder were shared equally, including with former slaves who were now pirates.
There is an element to the series that I questioned quite a bit. It was the occasional tossing about of that ugly ole “F” word. I originally suspected the film makers were throwing in a little gratuitous profanity to spice things up, by implying it part of the pirate lexicon. I learned after a little research this morning, that indeed, in 1717, the “F” bomb was possibly used. And, I actually learned what those four letters meant, “Fornicate Under Command of the King!”
I recommend those who have Netflix and have interest in pirates or history, watch this series. It provides a prospective of privateering and piracy in early American history, you likely hadn’t considered before.
Here’s a link to the series trailer: “The Lost Pirate Kingdom”
AND, for those also interested, there’s: “A F*cking Short History of the ‘F” Word.”
"The Lost Pirate Kingdom" on Netflix Now!
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