Hauptseminar: Pirates! Maritime Violence in the Early Modern Period

Leaving aside romantic legends, Blackbeard & Co. caused real problems to early modern shipping and international law. Historians have recently rediscovered piracy as a research topic and brought to light different aspects of life under the black flag. Pirates were often experts in navigation and geography, as well as protagonists in cultural encounters and cross-cultural exchange. Many became involved in global power politics. This class will explore sources, themes, and scholarly debates surrounding maritime violence in the Early Modern Period, including in the Baltic and the North Sea Region. 

Literature: C.R. Pennell (ed.), Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader, New York 2001; Jowitt, Claire (ed.), Pirates? The Politics of Plunder, 1550-1650, New York etc. 2007; Daniel Heller-Roazen, The Enemy of All: Piracy and the Law of Nations, New York 2009.