Date
4-15-2024
Article Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Willem Klooster
Abstract
The Barbary Pirates are a fascinating historical phenomenon, but they were also a part of the larger system of early modern Mediterranean captivity. This system, which thrived from the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century, saw Christians and Muslims enslaving and ransoming one another on both sides of the Mediterranean. These ransoms made up the base of the North African ransom economy at the heart of the entire system, and this economic motivator was joined by religious conviction in driving the actors within the captivity complex. This thesis argues for an updated historiography of this system, which has often separated the two captivities and overlooked Muslim slaves in Europe, especially in the captivity narratives written by former European captives. This thesis also shows the similarities between the two captivities, and how economics and religion were the driving forces of capture and redemption in the early modern Mediterranean.
Recommended Citation
Brainin, Philly and Brainin, Philip Edward, "Raiders, Ransoms, and Religion: Captivity and the Road to Freedom for Christians and Muslims in the Early Modern Mediterranean" (2024). History Honors Papers. 4.
https://commons.clarku.edu/history_honors_papers/4