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Libertatia (also known as Libertalia) was a purported pirate colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar under the leadership of Captain James Misson (last name occasionally spelled "Mission", first name occasionally "Olivier"). The main source for Libertatia is Volume 2 of '' A General History of the Pyrates'', a 1728 book which describes Captain Misson and Libertatia. Little to no corroborating evidence for Libertatia beyond this account has been found, however. Whether Libertatia was real but somehow "lost" to history, a pirate legend that the author recorded based on interviews with sailors, or a concocted work of
utopian fiction Utopian and dystopian fiction are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal t ...
by the author from the start is contested.


Background

Libertalia was a legendary free colony founded by pirates led by Captain Misson, although most historians have expressed doubts over its existence outside of literature. Libertalia got its name from the Latin word ''liberi'' 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 own
demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
, not one of a past country of origin. Historian and activist
Marcus Rediker Marcus Rediker (born 1951 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an American professor, historian, writer, and activist for a variety of peace and social justice causes. He graduated with a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1976 and attended the U ...
describes the pirates as follows: The pirates were against the authoritarian institutions of their day, including
monarchies A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), ...
, slavery,
institutional religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established. Organized religion is typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), ...
, and the abuses associated with wealth. Like some historically documented pirates, they practiced direct 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. They created a new language for their colony and operated a socialist economy. The
pirate utopia Pirate utopias were defined by anarchist writer Peter Lamborn Wilson, who coined the term in his 1995 book ''Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes'' as secret islands once used for supply purposes by pirates. Wilson's concept is ...
's motto was "for God and liberty," and its flag was white, in contrast to a
Jolly Roger Jolly Roger is the traditional English name for the naval ensign, flags flown to identify a piracy, pirate ship preceding or during an attack, during the early 18th century (the later part of the Golden Age of Piracy). The flag most commonly i ...
.


Captain James Misson

According to the account in '' A General History of the Pyrates'', Misson was French, born in Provence, and it was while he was 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: 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."


Location

The consensus of modern scholarship is that Libertalia (or Libertatia) was not a real place, but a work of fiction. Journalist Kevin Rushby toured the area seeking descendants of pirate inhabitants without success, noting “others have tried and failed many times”. There were pirate settlements on and around Madagascar, on which Libertalia may have been based:
Abraham Samuel Abraham Samuel, also known as "Tolinar Rex," born in Martinique (or possibly in Anosy, Madagascar), was a mulatto pirate of the Indian Ocean in the days of the Pirate Round in the late-1690s. Being shipwrecked on his way back to New York, he br ...
at Port Dauphin,
Adam Baldridge Adam Baldridge (fl. 1690 – 1697) was an English pirate and one of the early founders of the pirate settlements in Madagascar. History After fleeing from Jamaica to escape murder charges, Baldridge sailed to Madagascar and, by 1690, had establi ...
at Ile Ste.-Marie, and
James Plaintain James Plaintain (fl. 1720–1728, John or James, last name also Plantain) was a pirate active in the Indian Ocean. He is best known for using his pirate wealth to found a short-lived kingdom on Madagascar. History Plantain was English, born in J ...
at Ranter Bay 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 in Johnson's ''General History, Volume 2''. Johnson writes about the overall set up of Libertalia. The settlement was proposed to have an elevated fort on each side of the harbor with 40 guns in each fort, from the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
. 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.


Criticism

Johnson's "Libertalia" has been treated as completely fictional, as apocryphal, or as a utopian commentary. The inclusion of fictional accounts such as Misson's in ''A 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.


Libertalia in popular culture


Literature

*
William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...
**''
Cities of the Red Night ''Cities of the Red Night'' is a 1981 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. His first full-length novel since '' The Wild Boys'' (1971), it is part of his final trilogy of novels, known as The Red Night Trilogy, followed by '' The Place o ...
'', 1981 **''
Ghost of Chance ''Ghost of Chance'' is a novella by William S. Burroughs. The story was first published in 1991 in a special limited edition by the Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art; this was followed by a mass market hardcover edition in 199 ...
'', 1991 *Daniel Vaxelaire. ''Les mutins de la liberté'', 1986 *Johnson, Charles. '' A General History of the Pyrates'', 1724 (in Volume 2) * ''Libertalia, une utopie pirate'' (French extract of "Histoire générale des plus fameux pirates"), L'Esprit Frappeur *
Marcus Rediker Marcus Rediker (born 1951 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an American professor, historian, writer, and activist for a variety of peace and social justice causes. He graduated with a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1976 and attended the U ...
. "Libertalia: The Pirate's Utopia," in ''Pirates: Terror on the High Seas from the Caribbean to the South China Sea''. * Peter Lamborn Wilson. '' Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes, 1995 *'' Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters'', 2009 *Rushby, Kevin. ''Hunting Pirate Heaven,'' 2001 *
W. E. Johns William Earl Johns (5 February 189321 June 1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns: best known for creating the fictional air-adventurer ''Biggles''. Ear ...
. ''Biggles and the Pirate Treasure'', 1954 *Langrehr, Rick.
Libertalia: Stealing Equality
'' 2022


Film

*''
Against All Flags ''Against All Flags'' is a 1952 American pirate film directed by George Sherman and Douglas Sirk and starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano. The film's plot is set i ...
'' (1952) *''
The King's Pirate ''The King's Pirate'' is a 1967 American pirate film directed by Don Weis and starring Doug McClure, Jill St. John and Guy Stockwell. It is a remake of the 1952 film ''Against All Flags''. Plot A British naval officer volunteers for a dangerous ...
'' (1967) *'' The Grand Tour'' (2020)


Video games

*'' Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' (2013) (mentioned only) *'' Europa Universalis IV'' (2013) *'' Fallout 4'' (2015) (has a Raider-controlled dockyard location named "Libertalia") *'' Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' (2016) (altered interpretation in which the colony is referred to as "Libertalia," and was founded by
Henry Avery Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659after 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used several alias ...
and
Thomas Tew Thomas Tew (died September 1695), also known as the Rhode Island Pirate, was a 17th-century English privateer-turned-pirate. He embarked on two major pirate voyages and met a bloody death on the second, and he pioneered the route which became kn ...
among other famous pirates.)


Music

*'' Ye Banished Privateers: The Legend of Libertalia'' (album, 2014) *''Jake and the Infernal Machine: Libertalia'' (album, 2014) *'' Ja, Panik: Libertatia'' (album, 2014) *FreibeuterAG Libertalia (song)


See also

* Republic of Pirates


References


External links


Of Captain Thomas Tew



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Project Gutenberg version {{Authority control History of Madagascar Piracy in the Indian Ocean Pirate dens and locations Utopian fiction Fictional African countries Maritime folklore Nautical fiction