The Pirates of Porto Santo
“They have the cache to fill movie theatres. On the island of Porto Santo, they decimated the island!”
Porto Santo’s beach is a picture of tranquillity. It wasn’t always so!
You’ve no doubt heard of the Barbary Coast and its infamous pirates. They evoked a cinematic image; brazen buccaneers bedecked in turbans and gold earrings armed to the teeth with daggers, brandishing deadly scimitars. Add in Johnny Depp and you've got a box office smash.
"A Barbary Pirate" by Giovanni Guida (1837-1895)
On the island of Porto Santo, they cleared the place!
THE BARBARY COAST
Barbary Pirates were Muslim or Berber privateers who operated between the North African cities of Algiers and Tunis. For almost 300 years they routinely attacked coastal communities from Italy to France, Spain and Portugal as far north as Iceland and even up the Thames to London. Their primary stock-in-trade was Christian slaves to be sold throughout the extensive and ever-expanding Ottoman empire.
The Barbary Coast in 1590
“Barbary pirates were renowned for their ferocity and ruthlessness. ”
It’s a little-known fact that some of the most nefarious corsair captains were Englishmen who took to the pirate’s life for fortune and adventure, some even converting to Islam and adopting a Muslim name.
The Barbary pirates targeted cargo ships but their primary goal was to capture non-Muslim people to sell as slaves or to be held for ransom. Captives who converted to Islam were generally freed since the enslavement of Muslims was prohibited… but in doing so, they could never return to their native land!
“Between 1 million and 1.25 million Europeans were captured by Barbary buccaneers”
According to American historian, Robert Davis, between 1 million and 1.25 million Europeans were captured by the Barbary buccaneers and sold as galley slaves, labourers and concubines for their Muslim masters.
The ancient volcanic string that makes up Porto Santo. The locals could see the pirates coming but could do nothing about it.
DISCOVERING PORTO SANTO
The small island of Porto Santo lies 68 km from the main island of Madeira and was the first of the islands to be discovered. In 1418, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira set foot on Porto Santo's golden beach a year before landing on the larger island of Madeira.
“The two mid-Atlantic islands were to prove ideal as provisioning stations for the rapidly expanding trans-oceanic trade routes. ”
At the same time, the Barbary pirates were extending their base of operations to the present-day Moroccan capital of Rabat which was well-placed to catch the Trade Winds across to Madeira.
Looking north from Porto Santo… no pirates in sight!
PLUNDERING PORTO SANTO
“It was a ferocious attack that went entirely unchallenged. ”
In 1617, Porto Santo was raided by 8 or 9 Algerian pirate ships. The pirates spent several days looting and rounding up the locals before setting fire to their homes and farms leaving the island devastated and devoid of population. It is estimated that 1,200 people were captured leaving only 25 survivors who had escaped by hiding in caves and underground grain stores.
“There had been aggressive incursions on Madeira from European powers throughout its early history... but nothing like this!”
Portugal was under the rule of Spain at the time, a state of affairs that existed between 1580 and 1640. It was felt that the Spanish crown had done little to protect its Portuguese citizens and this, in part led to the Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 where Spain, with the mediation of England recognised the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza!
FATE OF THE PIRATES
The Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 by a joint force from Holland and England.
It’s hard to believe that the pirate problem continued well into the early 19th century before the ruling powers of the day decided to put a stop to it - once and for all!
A fledgling US Government undertook its very first foreign military action against Tripoli in 1805. This was followed by a joint attack by the Netherlands and Britain on the city of Algiers in 1816 called the ‘Bombardment of Algiers’. The French finally ended the issue in 1830 with the conquest of Algiers.
RECOVERING PORTO SANTO
What became of the island’s populace, we’ll never know but peaceful Porto Santo recovered and eventually became quite prosperous. The island had useful natural resources such as the sap from the Dragon Tree used in dyeing and tanneries. Lime, clay and salt were also abundant.
All that’s left of Porto Santo’s once thriving wheat industry are a handful of handsome windmills
WHEAT DREAMS
Once things settled again, the island’s main trade became the supply of ships on their way to the Americas. A thriving wheat trade sprung up largely based on the demand for dried grains.
Nowadays, the main invading force on the island of Porto Santo is the annual influx of holidaymakers during the long summer months when the island’s scimitar-shaped beach is packed with mainly Portuguese party people. And thankfully not a pirate ship in sight!
