Libertatia

Libertatia

Libertatia (also known as Libertalia) is said to have been a free colony forged by pirates under the leadership of Captain James Misson in the late 1600s. Whether or not Libertatia actually existed is disputed. It is described in the book "A General History of the Pyrates" by Captain Charles Johnson, an otherwise unknown individual who may have been a pseudonym of Daniel Defoe.Citation
last =
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Daniel Defoe
date =
year =
url = http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/amusement/golf/200/defoe.html
accessdate = 2008-01-08
] Much of the book is a mixture of fact and fiction, and it is possible the account of Libertatia is entirely fabricated.

Libertatia is said to have consisted of an enclave within north Madagascar and to have lasted for about twenty five years. The precise location is not known, however, most sources say it stretched from the Bay of Antongil to Mananjary, including Ile Sainte Marie and Foulpointe. Thomas Tew, the Provençal Misson and an Italian Dominican priest named Caraccioli were involved in founding it.

Description

The pirate utopia's motto was "for God and liberty," and its flag was white, in contrast to a Jolly Roger. They were anarchist, waging war against states and lawmakers, attacking their ships, sparing prisoners, and freeing slaves. They called themselves "Liberi", and lived under a communal city rule, a sort of worker owned corporation of piracy. They had pirate articles (shared codes of conduct), and used elected systems of re-callable delegates.

Misson was French, born in Provence, and it was while in Rome on leave from the French warship Victoire that he lost his faith, disgusted by the decadence of the Papal Court. In Rome he ran into Caraccioli - a "lewd Priest" who over the course of long voyages with little to do but talk, gradually converted Misson and a sizeable portion of the rest of the crew to his way of thinking:

:…he fell upon Government, and shew'd, that every Man was born free, and had as much Right to what would support him, as to the Air he respired... that the vast Difference betwixt Man and Man, the one wallowing in Luxury, and the other in the most pinching Necessity, was owing only to Avarice and Ambition on the one Hand, and a pusilanimous Subjection on the other.

Embarking on a career of piracy, the 200 strong crew of the Victoire called upon Misson to be their captain. They shared the wealth of the ship, deciding "all should be in common." All decisions were to be put to "the Vote of the whole Company." Thus they set out on their new "Life of Liberty." Off the west coast of Africa they captured a Dutch slave ship. The slaves were freed and brought aboard the Victoire, Misson declaring that "the Trading for those of our own Species, cou'd never be agreeable to the Eyes of divine Justice: That no Man had Power of Liberty of another" and that "he had not exempted his Neck from the galling Yoak of Slavery, and asserted his own Liberty, to enslave others." At every engagement they added to their numbers with new French, English and Dutch recruits, and freed African slaves.

While cruising round the coast of Madagascar, Misson found a perfect bay in an area with fertile soil, fresh water and friendly natives. Here the pirates built Libertalia, renouncing their titles of English, French, Dutch or African and calling themselves Liberi. They created their own language, a polyglot mixture of African languages, combined with French, English, Dutch, Portuguese and native Madagascan. Shortly after the beginning of building work on the colony of Libertalia, the Victoire ran into the pirate Thomas Tew, who decided to accompany them back to Libertalia. Such a colony was no new idea to Tew; he had lost his quartermaster and 23 of his crew when they had left to form a settlement further up the Madagascan coast. The Liberi - "Enemies to Slavery," aimed to boost their numbers by capturing another slave ship. Off the coast of Angola, Tew's crew took an English slave ship with 240 men, women and children below decks. The African members of the pirate crew discovered many friends and relatives among the enslaved and struck off their fetters and handcuffs, regaling them with the glories of their new life of liberty.

The pirates settled down to become farmers, holding the land in common - "no Hedge bounded any particular Man's Property." Prizes and money taken at sea were "carry'd into the common Treasury, Money being of no Use where every Thing was in common." [Citation
last =
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Pirate Utopias. Under the Banner of King Death
date =
year =
url = http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no8/pirate.html
accessdate = 2008-01-08
]

Captain William Kidd is said to have visited in 1697 to undertake repairs to his ship, and to have lost half his crew to Libertalia.

Inconsistency

The dates in Johnson's story do not add up. The association with Thomas Tew, who died in 1695, would appear to date Misson's own death to c. 1694: however, in his earlier career with the French Navy, he is supposed to have taken part in an action which occurred in 1708.

Johnson also never refers to Misson by the name "James", which appears to be a later addition to the story.

Literature

* Daniel Defoe, "A General History of the Pyrates" ISBN 0-486-40488-9 (Dover Publications, 1999)
* Daniel Defoe, "Libertalia, une utopie pirate" (French extract of "Histoire générale des plus fameux pirates", L'Esprit Frappeur, €1,5 - ISBN 2-84405-058-1)

*The book "Pirates: Terror on the High Seas from the Caribbean to the South China Sea" (consulting editor David Cordingly, Turner Publishing 1996 ISBN 1-57036-285-8), has a chapter on "Libertalia: The Pirate's Utopia". It suggests that Libertatia was fictitious, and discusses the reasons for the legend.

*"The True History of the Pyrate Captain Misson, His Crew & Their Colony of Libertatia", London: Spectacular Times, 1980. A condensed version of the story of Captain Misson and Libertatia

* Kevin Rushby, "Hunting Pirate Heaven". ISBN 1-84119-488-3. This documents the author's travels searching for evidence of pirate "utopias" in Mozambique, the Comoros, and Madagascar - notably that of Captain Misson. He gives its name as "Libertalia".

*"The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pirates", 1997, asserts that Libertatia is fictitious.

*William S. Burroughs: "Ghost of Chance", 1991. ISBN 1-85242-406-0. Burroughs uses Libertatia as the starting point of this short novel.

Asserting reality

*"Raiders and Rebels: The Golden Age of Piracy", by Frank Sherry, ISBN 0-688-04684-3 suggests it existed, although Captain Misson may have been fictitious.

*In fiction William S. Burroughs writes an alternate future based on the survival of Libertatia in the novel "Cities of the Red Night", 1981.

Film

*"Against All Flags" (1952), where the republic is set in the bay of Diego Suarez
*"The King's Pirate" (1967), a remake of "Against All Flags"

See also

*Pirate utopia

References

External links

* [http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no8/pirate.html Pirate Utopias (Do or Die) - Piracy and Anarchism]
* [http://thomastew.steventew.co.uk/ Of Captain Thomas Tew]
* [http://www.redflag.co.uk/thomtew.htm Paul Orton's Thomas Tew page]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Libertatia — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Zona en la que teóricamente se pudo encontrar Libertatia según las fuentes Libertatia[1] …   Wikipedia Español

  • Capitán Misson — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El Capitán Misson, de nombre desconocido (algunos autores lo nombran Bartolomé, Olivier o James), fue un pirata nacido en Provenza, famoso por llevar a cabo una piratería humanista y haber fundado una ciudad al norte …   Wikipedia Español

  • Geekfest — is the name of a series of free, all ages concerts organized by California indie label S.P.A.M. Records during the 1990s. The first Geekfest was held in June 1996 on the shoreline at Point Molate in Richmond, California. This site, a former Navy… …   Wikipedia

  • List of anarchist communities — This is a list of anarchist communities, past and present.Throughout history, anarchists have been involved in a wide variety of communities. While there are only a few instances of large scale anarchies that have come about from explicitly… …   Wikipedia

  • Libertalia — Zona en la que teóricamente se pudo encontrar Libertatia según las fuentes. Libertalia[1] [2] o Libertatia …   Wikipedia Español

  • Piracy — This article is about maritime piracy. For other uses, see Pirate (disambiguation). The traditional Jolly Roger of piracy …   Wikipedia

  • Pirate utopia — Pirate utopias were described by essayist Peter Lamborn Wilson (aka Hakim Bey) in his 1995 book Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs European Renegadoes , and in his earlier essay Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ), as secret islands once used for… …   Wikipedia

  • Thomas Tew — El Capitán Thomas Tew relata sus singladuras al gobernador Fletcher. Pintura por Howard Pyle. Thomas Tew (¿*1650? †1695) fue un pirata que se asoció con el Capitán Misson y que también llevó vida de corsario. Se le considera el fundador de la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Francis Drake — This article is about the Elizabethan naval commander. For other uses, see Francis Drake (disambiguation). Sir Francis Drake February–March 1540 – 27 January 1596 (aged 55) …   Wikipedia

  • Lundy — This article is about the island of Lundy, which is part of England. For other uses, see Lundy (disambiguation). Lundy Site of Special Scientific Interest Area of Search …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”