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Pirate utopias were defined byanarchist writerPeter Lamborn Wilson, who coined the term in his 1995 bookPirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes, as secret islands once used for supply purposes bypirates. Wilson's concept is largely based on speculation, although he admits to adding a bit of fantasy to the idea.[1] In Wilson's view, these pirate enclaves were early forms of autonomousproto-anarchist societies in that they operated beyond the reach ofgovernments and embraced unrestrictedfreedom.
Located on theBarbary Coast (Salé,Algiers, andTunis), these bases were havens for renegadeMuslim pirates from the 16th to the 18th century. The pirates, dubbed "Barbary Corsairs", ravaged European shipping operations and enslaved many thousands of captives. Wilson focuses on the PirateRepublic of Salé, in 17th-century Morocco, which may have had its own lingua franca. Like some other pirate states, it even used to pass treaties from time to time with some European countries, agreeing not to attack their fleets. Wilson/Bey's idea ofTemporary Autonomous Zones developed from his historical review of pirate utopias. In describing them, Wilson has said:[citation needed]
We've certainly had to use our imagination more than a "real" historian would allow, erecting a lot of suppositions on a shaky framework of generalizations, and adding a touch of fantasy (and whatpiratologist has ever been able to resist fantasy?). I can only say that I've satisfied my own curiosity at least to this extent: That something like aRenegado culture could have existed; that all the ingredients for it were present, andcontiguous, andsynchronic.
Wilson writes about the large influx of Europeans converting to Islam, forming the "Renegados" and joining the pirateholy war. He then takes an interesting approach regarding 17th century Europeans and their opposition to Islam. He asks if Europeans were opposed to Islam or if Islam had a "positive shadow" that made it so attractive for pirates? Was there something that was intriguing to a pirate about Islam, or was there a change in belief that many Europeans experienced? Wilson goes on to write that these men and women were not onlyapostates andtraitors, as they were considered in their homelands, but their voluntary betrayal ofChristendom can also be thought of as apraxis of social resistance.[citation needed]
Libertatia, also known as Libertalia, was a possibly fictional anarchist colony founded in the late 17th century inMadagascar bypirates under the leadership of CaptainJames Misson.[2] Whether or not Libertatia actually existed is disputed.Captain Charles Johnson describes Libertatia in his bookA General History of the Pyrates. Much of the book is a mixture of fact and fiction, and it is possible the account of Libertatia is entirely fabricated. According to Johnson's description, Libertatia lasted for about 25 years. The precise location is not known; however, most sources say it stretched from theBay of Antongil toMananjary, includingÎle Sainte Marie andFoulpointe.Thomas Tew, Misson, and an Italian Dominican priest named Caraccioli were involved in founding it.[citation needed]
Cities of the Red Night, a novel by American authorWilliam S. Burroughs, revolves around a group of radical pirates who seek the freedom to live under the articles set out byCaptain James Misson. The attempted establishment of aRepublic of Pirates is a significant plot element in theUbisoft video gameAssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. In the moviePirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End the main characters gather at "Shipwreck Cove", a city built out of wrecked ships and constructed platforms.[3]
The TV seriesBlack Sails is largely based on the historical pirate inhabitants ofNassau, as well as characters based onRobert Louis Stevenson's novelTreasure Island.[citation needed] Libertalia is also a central plot element and setting in the video gameUncharted 4: A Thief's End; however, in this interpretation, Libertalia was founded by the pirateHenry Avery and others including Tew,Anne Bonny, andEdward England.[citation needed]
The 2015 video gameFallout 4 features an area in the game called "Libertalia". The area is a series of off-shore platforms (made of various debris) that has become home to a large gang of raiders. British Author Warren Ellis writes inBruce Sterling's bookPirate Utopia about Libertalia and negatively appraising its existence.[citation needed]
