Pirates: Barbary Corsairs & The Bombardment of Algiers

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 July 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For centuries, the Barbary Corsairs captured ships and enslaved European Christians, turning the Mediterranean into a sea of fear and ransom. Backed by the rulers of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, the corsairs built vast fortunes—and even empires. But in 1816, after failed diplomacy and mounting outrage, Britain struck back.

Dan tells the story of the fiery bombardment that shook Algiers to its core and marked the beginning of the end for Barbary piracy. For this episode in our Pirates series, he's joined by Aaron Jaffer, Curator of World History and Cultures at Royal Museums Greenwich.

Written by Dan Snow, produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

You can discover more and book tickets for the 'Pirates' exhibition at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich here.

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Transcript

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0:30.9	Hi folks, Dan here. I have some very, very exciting news for you. To celebrate our 10th anniversary with you, we are doing a live show
0:38.8	of Dan Snow's history hit the first for a very, very long time. So please join me on Friday
0:43.5	the 12th of September in London Town. By popular demand, I'll be retelling the story of the legend
0:49.7	Thomas Cochran, the goat, greatest of all time, the man who inspired the movie Master and
0:54.2	Commander.
0:55.1	And looking back, over 10 years of making this podcast, Prime Minister's Oscar winners, World War II
1:02.5	Veterans, Holocaust Survivors, and some of the greatest historians in the world.
1:08.3	It's a time for me to hang out with you guys and answer any burning questions
1:11.6	you may have. So don't miss it. It's going to be an epic party and there is no one I'd rather
1:15.9	spend it with. All of you, dedicated listeners. You can get tickets at the link in the show notes,
1:20.0	but hurry because they are selling fast. See you there. You could call it gunboat diplomacy, but these were not boats.
1:40.4	They were ships.
1:42.2	The leading vessel had triple bank decks mounting iron guns.
1:46.7	All of them now run out through open gun ports.
1:50.2	With a hundred cannons, she was one of the biggest and most potent battleships at that point in history.
1:55.7	HMS, Queen Charlotte, perhaps not the most terrifying name in the roster of the Royal Navy,
2:02.2	not quite up there with war spite, implacable, invincible, arc royal victory,
	...

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