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Libertalia (also known asLibertatia) was a purportedpirate colony founded in the late 17th century inMadagascar under the leadership of Captain James Misson (last name occasionally spelled "Mission", first name occasionally given as "Olivier"). The main source for Libertalia is Volume 2 ofA General History of the Pyrates, a 1724 book which describes Captain Misson and Libertalia. Little to no corroborating evidence for Libertalia beyond this account has been found, and Libertalia is widely regarded as fictional by contemporary scholars.
Libertalia was a legendary free colony founded bypirates led by Captain Misson,[1] although most historians have expressed doubts over its existence outside of literature. Libertalia got its name from theLatin wordliberi which means "free". Misson's idea was to have his society be one in which people of all colours, creeds, and beliefs were to be free of any scrutiny. He wanted to give the people of Libertalia their owndemonym, not one of a past country of origin.[2] Historian and activistMarcus Rediker describes the pirates as follows:
These pirates who settled in Libertalia would be "vigilant Guardians of the People's Rights and Liberties"; they would stand as "Barriers against the Rich and Powerful" of their day. By waging war on behalf of "the Oppressed" against the "Oppressors," they would see that "Justice was equally distributed."[3]
Like some historically documented pirates, they practiceddirect democracy, where the people as a whole held the authority to make laws and rules, and also used systems of councils composed of delegates who were supposed to think of themselves as "comrades" of the general population, not rulers. Theycreated a new language for their colony and operated a socialist economy.[4]
Thepirate utopia's motto was "for God and liberty," and its flag was white,[5] in contrast to aJolly Roger.
According to the account inA General History of the Pyrates,[2] Misson was French, born inProvence, and it was while he was inRome on leave from the French warshipVictoire 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 pusillanimous Subjection on the other.[2]
Embarking on a career of piracy, the 200 strong crew of theVictoire called upon Misson to be their captain. They shared the wealth of the ship, deciding "all should be in common."[5]
The consensus of modern scholarship is that Libertalia (or Libertatia) was not a real place, but a work of fiction.[6] Journalist Kevin Rushby toured the area seeking descendants of pirate inhabitants without success, claiming “others have tried and failed many times”,[7] although theBetsimisaraka have historically claimeddescent from pirates.[8][9] There were pirate settlements on and around Madagascar, on which Libertalia may have been based:Abraham Samuel atFort Dauphin,Adam Baldridge atIle Ste.-Marie, andJames Plaintain atRantabe were all ex-pirates who founded trading posts and towns. These locations appear frequently in official accounts and letters from the period, while Libertalia appears only inJohnson'sGeneral History, Volume 2.[10] Johnson writes about the overall set up of Libertalia. The settlement was purported to have an elevated fort on each side of the harbor with 40 guns in each fort, from thePortuguese. Below the fort, under the protection of the forts, was where the living quarters along with the rest of the town was located. Libertalia was located roughly 13 miles east-south-east of the nearest town.[2]
Johnson's "Libertalia" has been treated as completely fictional,[11] as apocryphal,[12] or as a utopian commentary.[13] The inclusion of fictional accounts such as Misson's inA General History has caused some modern scholars to discount the entire work as a reliable source, though other portions of it have been at least partially corroborated by various sources.[14] TheOxford Research Encyclopedia of African History describes Libertalia as "fictitious".[15]
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