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"I've never even heard of Ammand the Corsair. So he can't be too bad. My—I mean, I've heard, uh, Spanish noblemen complaining about the Barbary pirates for years, and his name never came up."
Carolina[src]

The Barbary Corsairs, also known as Turkish corsairs and Barbary pirates, were a group of pirates and privateers that operated from the Barbary Coast in North Africa. During the Age of Piracy, the most legendary of the corsairs was Ammand, known as the Scourge of the Barbary Coast as well as Pirate Lord of the Black Sea during the Fourth Brethren Court.

History[]

Islamic sailors, known as corsairs, sailed from the Barbary Coast in the southern Mediterranean and raided European trade vessels during the time of the Crusades. Then counter-corsairs subsidized by the Knights of Malta were sent forth to battle the Barbary pirates.[9]

Barbary

The Barbary Corsairs lead by Ammand.

By the 18th century, one of their most prominent and notorious leaders was Pirate Lord Ammand, who commanded a fleet of galleys.[1] The Barbary Corsairs were known to attack trade ships of the "Christian infidels", and preyed on all trade from the Gulf of Morocco to Turkey, due to Ammand serving as a privateer for the Ottoman Empire.[8] They frequently crossed blades with the Spanish Treasure Fleet of Eduardo Villanueva as they operated in the same waters.[citation needed]

Approximately a year after Jack Sparrow's escape from Port Royal, his continued freedom drew the attention of the East India Trading Company, and Turkish corsairs were hired to capture him. Knowing he was running out of time before his debt to Davy Jones needed to be paid, Sparrow purposely allowed himself to be captured by the corsairs off the Canary Islands. He was taken to the Turkish Prison on the Mediterranean Sea where he endeavored to obtain information that could help solve his impending dilemma.[6] Several months afterwards, Ammand and his corsairs were present during the fourth meeting of the Brethren Court and the battle that followed.[2][3]

Known ships[]

Behind the scenes[]

Overview[]

AWE Turkish pirates makeup

Barbary pirates on the set for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Although Ammand the Corsair was detailed as the Scourge of the Barbary Coast as well as the Pirate Lord of the Black Sea in the 2007 reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide,[1] the Barbary Corsairs first appeared in the junior novelization for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[2][3] The names "Barbary Corsairs" and "Barbary pirates" were used to accompany Ammand's appearance in media relating to the film, notably the official Disney website,[8] as well as the "Inside the Brethren Court" special feature on various home video releases.[4] By 2010, the name "Turkish corsairs" was used for an updated version of the official website.[6]

In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, a player can buy an outfit called the Barbary Corsair.[10]

Unused concepts[]

One of the ideas for Chris Schweizer's Pirates of the Caribbean comic book series was to have James Norrington and his crew surviving the hurricane off Tripoli and being captured by the Barbary Corsairs and eventually becoming slaves/rowers aboard a galley.[11]

Real-world influences[]

The name Hector Barbossa might have been derived from "Barbarossa" (Italian for "Redbeard"), the nickname of the legendary Turkish Barbary pirate Aruj, and his brother Hayreddin Barbarossa; the Barbarossa brothers were infamous across the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in the 16th century.[12] During the filming of the Brethren Court scene in At World's End, Keith Richards (as Captain Teague) once mistakenly called Geoffrey Rush (as Barbossa) "Barbarossa".[13]

Many of the stereotypical features associated with pirates in popular culture are partly derived from the Barbary pirates. The eyepatch, for example, dates back to the Arab pirate Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah, who wore it after losing an eye in battle in the 18th century.[14] The prosphetic limb, used by pirate characters like Peter Pan's Captain Hook, for example, is derived from the legendary Turkish pirate Barbarossa (Redbeard), who in the early 16th century lost his left arm, earning him the nickname Silver Arm, in reference to the silver prosthetic device which he used in place of his missing limb.[citation needed]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

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