Gold and Gunpowder
Gold and Gunpowder
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Were pirates gay? On Sodomy in the Age of Pirates
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Gay pirates have pretty much become a trope at this point - homosexual relationships often play a minor or even major part in pirate media. Jack Sparrow is often seen as exhibiting stereotypical homosexual behavior, Our Flag Means Death is a romantic comedy about two homosexual pirates, and most interesting is perhaps Black Sails, which is really about a naval officer scorned from English society for his sexual preferences, and seeking revenge for it. And no doubt you’ve heard the phrase “butt pirate”.
This portrayal is relatively recent, and stands in stark contrast to the traditional presentation of the pirate as a hypermasculine womanizer. It all dates back to the book Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition, written in 1984 by Barry Richard Burg - it seeks to answer the rhetorical question posed in the title of this video, and whilst you might expect to be provided some sort of simple answer, this is simply not possible. Burg even admits this in his book, saying there's not enough documentation from pirate society to do anything but theorize. So instead, this video will more so provide an insight into this period so radically different from our own, and perhaps provide a better understanding of how they might have viewed this very contemporary topic.
Modern sources:
1700: Scenes from London Life - Maureen Waller
Against Nature: Sodomy and Homosexuality in Colonial Latin America - Zeb Tortorici
Escaping court martial for sodomy: Prosecution and its alternatives in the Royal Navy, 1690-1840 - Seth Stein LeJacq
Gotham: A History of New York to 1898 - Edwin G. Burrows & Mike Wallace
Homosexuality and rape of males in Old Norse law and literature - Kari Ellen Gade
Men and Matelotage - Nicole Keegan
Pirates in their own words - E.T Fox
Redefining Sex in Eighteenth-Century England - Tim Hitchcock
Sailors: English merchant seamen, 1650-1755 - Peter Earle
Sodomy and the pirate tradition - B.R Burg
Sodomitical Inclinations in Early Eighteenth-Century Paris - Jeffrey Merrick
Songs of Sodom: Singing About the Unmentionable Vice in the Early Modern Low Countries - Jonas Roelens
"Things Fearful to Name": Sodomy and Buggery in Seventeenth-Century New England - Robert F. Oaks
The Sea-Rover's Practice - Benerson Little
The Transformation of Sodomy from the Renaissance to the Modern World and Its General Sexual Consequences - Randolph Trumbach
Period sources:
Germania - Tacitus
Les us, et coutumes de la mer - Chez Jean Lucas
Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery - John Wilmot
Music by Jon Sayles at jsayles.com
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
6:27 Defining sodomy
14:16 Sodomy in Law and Religion
23:36 Sodomy in the Old World
31:50 Sodomy in the New World
41:51 Sodomy at sea
48:10 Pirates and sodomy
58:15 Pirate gay marriage?
61:52 Conclusion
#pirates #history #lgbtq #pridemonth
Переглядів: 7 694

Відео

How Olivier Levasseur Won and Lost History's Greatest Treasure
Переглядів 17 тис.Місяць тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard Olivier Levasseur is definitely the luckiest, unlucky pirate, or the unluckiest, lucky pirate. He did well as a privateer, and then the war ended. He lost his fleet in the biggest hurricane of the century, but got out alive. He managed to acquir...
Did pirates use armor?
Переглядів 15 тис.Місяць тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard Channel merch: my-store-ed237e.creator-spring.com/ The existance of armor during the pirate age does of course warrant the question: did pirates ever use armor? It is a question I receive on occasion, also regarding helmets and shields. Modern s...
Madagascar: The Lost Pirate Paradise
Переглядів 90 тис.2 місяці тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard Channel merch: my-store-ed237e.creator-spring.com/ Madagascar, baby! Period sources: A Compendius History of the Indian Wars - Clement Downing A relation of three years suffering - Robert Everard Jacob De Bucquoy: Pirates of Madagascar at Rio De...
The Fancy: Henry Every's DEADLY 46-gun Flagship
Переглядів 28 тис.2 місяці тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard Few pirate ships could match the 5th-rate flagship of Henry Every: The Fancy. Sailing at the head of a 5-ship armada, she dwarfed the lesser sloops and brigantines so common with pirates. Few opponents dared to resist her, and those who did soon...
Takvor: The Armenian Gold Pirate
Переглядів 11 тис.2 місяці тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard A historical analysis of Takvor the Gold Armenian from Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge. Sources: Me, I was alive during the 17th century. #history #pirates #armenia
How Henry Every stole $200M, got away and became a superstar
Переглядів 57 тис.3 місяці тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard Channel merch: my-store-ed237e.creator-spring.com/ "I am a man of Fortune, and must seek my fortune." - Henry Every, 1694 Modern sources: King of the Pirates: The Swashbuckling Life of Henry Every - E.T. Fox Piracy in the Early Modern Era: An An...
Pirates of the Indian Ocean: The Red Sea Men
Переглядів 30 тис.3 місяці тому
Join our discord: discord.gg/qpbfT6NZM5 Hand over them doubloons: www.patreon.com/GoldandGunpowder Fork it over: www.paypal.com/paypalme/WillemRedbeard Far beyond the Caribbean, lies an entirely different ocean. It is said that pools of algae gather on the surface to bloom and redden into blood. Ancient tribes have treaded its barren shoreline - Prophets - and strange, gigantic animals wet thei...
New York in the Age of Piracy
Переглядів 72 тис.3 місяці тому
New York in the Age of Piracy
The Golden Age of Piracy: A Complete History
Переглядів 89 тис.4 місяці тому
The Golden Age of Piracy: A Complete History
A Historical Analysis of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Переглядів 15 тис.4 місяці тому
A Historical Analysis of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
The 5 Worst Jobs on a Pirate Ship...
Переглядів 20 тис.4 місяці тому
The 5 Worst Jobs on a Pirate Ship...
Armed for Mutiny: Improvised Pirate Melee Weaponry
Переглядів 9 тис.5 місяців тому
Armed for Mutiny: Improvised Pirate Melee Weaponry
Boarding Axes, Pikes, and Everything Knives | Arms at Sea(1630-1730)
Переглядів 13 тис.5 місяців тому
Boarding Axes, Pikes, and Everything Knives | Arms at Sea(1630-1730)
An Overview of Pirate Swords | Arms at Sea(1630-1730)
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An Overview of Pirate Swords | Arms at Sea(1630-1730)
Pray or Part-ay? Christmas with 18th Century Pirates
Переглядів 8 тис.6 місяців тому
Pray or Part-ay? Christmas with 18th Century Pirates
A Historically Accurate Jack Sparrow? Fan Art analysis
Переглядів 6 тис.6 місяців тому
A Historically Accurate Jack Sparrow? Fan Art analysis
Pirate Potheads? On Drugs and Tobacco in the Golden Age of Piracy
Переглядів 274 тис.6 місяців тому
Pirate Potheads? On Drugs and Tobacco in the Golden Age of Piracy
How did pirates make their flags?
Переглядів 16 тис.6 місяців тому
How did pirates make their flags?
The Lies and Legend of Ann Bonny
Переглядів 12 тис.7 місяців тому
The Lies and Legend of Ann Bonny
Mary Read - The Most Underrated Female Pirate?
Переглядів 11 тис.7 місяців тому
Mary Read - The Most Underrated Female Pirate?
John Rackham - The Worst Pirate I've Ever Heard Of
Переглядів 84 тис.7 місяців тому
John Rackham - The Worst Pirate I've Ever Heard Of
The Horrifying Torture Methods Used By Pirates...
Переглядів 25 тис.8 місяців тому
The Horrifying Torture Methods Used By Pirates...
The Pirate Code: Law and Order Beneath the Black
Переглядів 25 тис.8 місяців тому
The Pirate Code: Law and Order Beneath the Black
What media gets RIGHT about pirates
Переглядів 57 тис.8 місяців тому
What media gets RIGHT about pirates
How piracy was defeated
Переглядів 23 тис.9 місяців тому
How piracy was defeated
What life was like as a Pirate Captain | Pirate Jobs
Переглядів 66 тис.9 місяців тому
What life was like as a Pirate Captain | Pirate Jobs
The Truth about Pirates and Eyepatches
Переглядів 18 тис.9 місяців тому
The Truth about Pirates and Eyepatches
What media gets WRONG about pirates
Переглядів 30 тис.9 місяців тому
What media gets WRONG about pirates
Captain Jack Sparrow: A Historical Analysis
Переглядів 52 тис.10 місяців тому
Captain Jack Sparrow: A Historical Analysis

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @playmoypunto
    @playmoypunto Годину тому

    Es muy interesante la historia y el origen de estos piratas afro y afroamericanos. 🏴‍☠️💙 Buen informe, gracias por compartirlo!

  • @chissstardestroyer
    @chissstardestroyer Годину тому

    Well, mind you: pirates *were* basically aquatic mobsters, in the very *literal* sense; and that also means, when you factor in the personality of the being that is *actually* the founder of organized crime (their lifestyle description to a T); the first thing taken away and destroyed is the *morals* of those who fall into its custody; the reason for this is reflected in the approach vectors of the dictators of the Eastern Bloc in the mid-twentieth-century AD: they'd remove anything at all that could possibly enable resistance to them. Well, what enables resistance to Hell's Red Tsar *besides* virtues? NOTHING! So of course they'd very rapidly lose all their morals; you cannot persist in virtue if say you're living as a career robber and a member of organized crime, your "owner" as they'd know from commonly available literature of the day, quite well at that, won't allow *that* to be persisted in! If they *weren't* lewd initially, it did NOT last long; and ironically the loot that Ed Teach/Blackbeard extorted from Charleston SC actually backs that up, he didn't demand *any* money, what he *did* demand is a very *precise medicine* for very *specific* health problems: namely STDs, meaning that a surprisingly high number of his men had gone to brothels to visit their crooked "girlfriends" and had contracted *sexually* transmitted diseases. Now in the psychology predominant in the worldview of those days that he himself and his fellow gangsters were running away from: *STDs* are a very shameful trait to contract, it is pretty much proof that you fooled around somehow in regard to marriage, which's a VERY shameful act, and rightly so!

  • @KrusherMike
    @KrusherMike 4 години тому

    "Where we searched one another for fire arms, finding none, we drew and had two or three clean turns, at last he put up his hand and took a pistol from the cock of his hat, he cocked it against his shoulder, and presented it to me, upon which I asked quarters, *but he refused, calling me an English Bouger, and fired at me and run*" This unnamed Frenchman is literally why the stereotype exists. Cheeky bastard.

  • @KrusherMike
    @KrusherMike 4 години тому

    I never thought I'd hear "Butt pirate" used outside of primary school. I'm admittedly a bit shocked to see it holding relevance in an earnest conversation. Is this the full circle we've come to? I feel like we accomplished something here.

  • @TheARAMBOMB
    @TheARAMBOMB 8 годин тому

    After looking up who B.R Burg is... I wouldn't trust anything that degenerate propagandist has to say.

  • @raymondfink9580
    @raymondfink9580 17 годин тому

    The “tri-corn” normally was worn backwards

  • @raymondfink9580
    @raymondfink9580 17 годин тому

    Vikings used Kohl

  • @Peanutcat
    @Peanutcat 17 годин тому

    Indiamen and Trans-Oceanic Merchant vessels would be neat. Like what did they use in the Americas to trade with Europe, what did they use in Europe to trade with the colonies, what did Europe use to trade with Africa, and so on.

  • @gothamzknight0219
    @gothamzknight0219 21 годину тому

    Yes, i love sid meyers pirates

  • @colindols4112
    @colindols4112 21 годину тому

    hah, seamen

  • @gencreeper6476
    @gencreeper6476 21 годину тому

    Wasnt heterosexual vaginal intercourse without the purpose of children (ie wearing protection) technically considered a minor sin as well?

  • @TachibanaSumitomo
    @TachibanaSumitomo День тому

    Some Chinese pirates were also gay, it is said that they love boys because they rarely see women all year round. The famous Chinese pirate Cheng I kidnapped 15-year-old Cheung Po Tsai in 1798, it is said that Cheng I fell in love with Cheung Po Tsai because of his good looks, and later adopted him as his adopted son. (This is a rumor. I don’t know if Cheng I really fell in love with him.)

  • @dean5389
    @dean5389 День тому

    Hey Willem. I just want you to know this video caused me to go down a rabbithole of research that i have still not emerged from. thanks!

  • @merikatools568
    @merikatools568 День тому

    When i sail i lay on top of my fellow sailors out of tespect for how they raise the mast

  • @satyajeetnundloll1476
    @satyajeetnundloll1476 День тому

    Keep searching and keep on searching. He got you all. What a man.

  • @howardp.lovecraft4499
    @howardp.lovecraft4499 День тому

    In one video you've explained the pirates' sexual life and the origin of the word "Arrr!". 10 out of 10 video.

  • @AntonioPeralesdelHierro
    @AntonioPeralesdelHierro День тому

    Sea Chantys❗

  • @Stephen75450
    @Stephen75450 День тому

    Liking The Sopranos clip. Furio would be happy.

  • @neko_cocoo
    @neko_cocoo День тому

    as a young girl severely obsessed with pirates, thats about to do a 100 mark essay on said pirates, this video helped so much. you also have a new sub and all i can say is that you're definitely my favorite yt channel 🏴‍☠️

  • @VictorCruz-sp3ro
    @VictorCruz-sp3ro 2 дні тому

    Being that they were British, it wouldn't surprise me.

  • @Inquisitor_Lelouch
    @Inquisitor_Lelouch 2 дні тому

    This is all fair and done, but for whatever reason, the EITC in the films always comes off as its own separate nation than it did to serve the English crown. At least that's the impression I got since they had their own flag, uniforms, and navy.

  • @GutterJon
    @GutterJon 2 дні тому

    Happy pride month

  • @mentallychallenging
    @mentallychallenging 2 дні тому

    all i can think is the people that want to try to use the past to identify with them now sexually probably wouldnt if they did even a little research

  • @HandyMan657
    @HandyMan657 2 дні тому

    Good ole religion as an excuse. If it's not good for anything else it certainly is good for that.

  • @abraxas4261
    @abraxas4261 2 дні тому

    I'm reminded of seeing this one tweet by some fatherless minor snarkily expressing disbelief that historians didn't conclude two male skeletons found in the same bed on a sunken ship were homosexual lovers. People nowadays seem so hopelessly porn-addicted that some can't even fathom that people slept communally for most of human history. It wasn't uncommon to sleep in the same bed as virtual strangers.

  • @fransuke12
    @fransuke12 3 дні тому

    The Real Gol D. Roger

  • @carmaela2689
    @carmaela2689 3 дні тому

    I could see Jack wearing Calico. The British banned its import. I could see him smuggling it and wearing it, in protest. Much like Blackbeard, he protested the English king and tried to ruin the English economy.

  • @PekkaErareika
    @PekkaErareika 3 дні тому

    I'd be "gay" if I had such jolly adventures 😉

  • @GAIVSCALIGVLA
    @GAIVSCALIGVLA 3 дні тому

    I heard that book the General History of the Pirates is a great source! And if you guys are into ancient history at all there’s another one I would recommend called Historia Augusta. That’s also a very accurate source.

  • @Alex-cw3rz
    @Alex-cw3rz 3 дні тому

    Although Privateer and not a pirate, Woodes Rogers A cruising Voyage Around the World is a fascinating read and apart from many other adventures, it explains how they captured a Manila Galleon and failed to capture a larger Galleon.

  • @disfuncionexe
    @disfuncionexe 3 дні тому

    0:39 the average viewer doesn't know the term golden age of piracy. I had never heard that term before UA-cam recommended me this channel. The average viewer sees the movies and thinks 'mmm funny pirates going on adventures'.

  • @scotty430
    @scotty430 3 дні тому

    "Hello Pirate... Why are you gay?"

  • @tonywade7473
    @tonywade7473 3 дні тому

    SEAMAN!!!!!

  • @solitarelee6200
    @solitarelee6200 3 дні тому

    Fantastic! I found your channel while researching for a story, so this is an ideal series for me

  • @LisaAnn777
    @LisaAnn777 3 дні тому

    Ahh but you have heard of him.

  • @raymond5194
    @raymond5194 3 дні тому

    Loud n clear. Nice

  • @julzy3
    @julzy3 3 дні тому

    "Before getting into the thick, juicy meat of the video..."😂

  • @frogman-ns7yb
    @frogman-ns7yb 3 дні тому

    I personally prefer the old sound system

  • @user-lo3yn2mp3x
    @user-lo3yn2mp3x 3 дні тому

    Great to see these. Hope it is a long running series as there are a lot of strong references, both common and obscure.

  • @miaramck6746
    @miaramck6746 3 дні тому

    For those wondering, the author's name is spelled, Alexandre O Exquemelin.

  • @Private-Potato
    @Private-Potato 3 дні тому

    I’m definitely down for more book reviews Also the new sound system is good and clear.

  • @RabidPancakeDisorder
    @RabidPancakeDisorder 4 дні тому

    The sound system is great. No background noise, seems fairly constant, though a tad quieter than usual. As for the book, Buccaneers of America is a few books down on the list for my bookshelf additions.

  • @TheHaughtyOsprey
    @TheHaughtyOsprey 4 дні тому

    Just couldnt resist, could you?

  • @amtmannb.4627
    @amtmannb.4627 4 дні тому

    Excellent. I always love contemporary sources.

  • @RachDarastric2
    @RachDarastric2 4 дні тому

    The guy at the bottom looks like Albert Einstein.

  • @AntonEugeneLanthier
    @AntonEugeneLanthier 4 дні тому

    "Why are butt pirates, butt pirates? They just arrrrgh."

  • @michaelsmyth3935
    @michaelsmyth3935 4 дні тому

    Albert Hicks

  • @alexrexaros9837
    @alexrexaros9837 4 дні тому

    I just wanted to say that "Borgnefesse" is two words. "Borge" indeed means "One-eyedness", but "Fesse" means... Well, buttcheek.

  • @erikm8372
    @erikm8372 4 дні тому

    I play Irish music (fiddle, tin whistle), and there’s actually an older song called "I Am A Maid That Sleeps In Love"-which you can find on YT recorded by the band Solas-and its lyrics provide a small glimpse into a homoerotic captain… in a way. Long story short, a boy-crazy girl (or young woman?) follows her "love" aboard a ship he's leaving on, by simply dressing as a sailor boy, and being recruited by the captain! I’m assuming it’s a pirate ship, or something "non-sanctioned", because she is so easily is recruited, while disguised as a male. I don’t know that the navy would be that easy to infiltrate. They’d probably have fully nude strip searches and physicals. Not saying a pirate ship would be any easier to infiltrate, but just comparatively speaking. That’s how obsessive she was. She says she’ll cut off her "yellow locks" and "men’s clothing I’ll wear-on". She ends up being recruited on the same vessel as her boy, dressed as a boy. Then somehow, apparently, 'his' (her) bed is in the captain’s quarters? Or very close… or the captain snuck in to whisper this to 'him': _The very first night that the Captain laid down on his bed to sleep, these very words he said to me: "I wish you were a maid…your cherry cheeks and ruby lips, they’ve often enticed me… I wish to the gods, unto my heart, a maid you were to me."_ So… sexual tension at sea (already on the first night?!) apparently caused this captain to begin noticing the "Ruby lips" and "cherry cheeks" of his fellow shipmates… and this one just so happened to be a female, in disguise. Wonder what else he was noticing and wishing for…