Pirates: Behind The Legends

©National Geographic
Pirates: Behind The Legends

Synopsis

A swashbuckling adventure; the true and untold story of the history of pirates. From legendary John Ward, immortalized in fiction as Jack Sparrow, and English explorer Francis Drake; branded Pirates by their enemies but heroes by their comrades, to the notorious Pirates of the Caribbean, swashbuckling, brutal and shrouded in myth. Who were the real enemies of the sea?

Episodes

Season 1
  • Francis Drake

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    Circumnavigation is the pinnacle of Drake’s career, cementing him in history as the world’s most controversial pirate.

  • Grace O'Malley

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    Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland. Her rise from wanted pirate to Chieftain is won through a warrior’s sword and a woman’s grit.

  • John Ward

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    The Englishman turned Algerian pirate starts his remarkable ascent from petty pirate to a notorious menace, becoming ruler of the Tunisian empire.

  • Henry Morgan

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    A brilliant strategist, Morgan takes humans, treasure and Spanish colonial towns with no mercy later becoming Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.

  • William Kidd

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    Captain Kidd, the treasure hunter. When the legitimate prizes of the Red Sea are not to be found, Kidd turns from pirate hunter to pirate.

  • Blackbeard

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    Blackbeard is a terrifying figure with a diverse crew of pirates seeking equality and treasure, aboard the stolen flagship The Queen Anne’s Revenge.

  • Anne Bonny and Mary Read

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    Before they’re captured and face trial, Anne Bonny and Mary Read’s brief careers show them to be more ferocious than the male pirates they sail with.

  • Bartholomew Roberts

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    Bartholomew Roberts, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age, brings West Indies trade to a standstill until hunted down by the English crown.