Challenging the common perception of the Portuguese Inquisition as a mere tyrannical force, this book presents it as a pivotal institution in colonial society. Through extensive archival research, it illustrates how the Inquisition played a crucial role in reinforcing European social and religious values, particularly in the context of colonial Brazil, thereby reshaping societal structures rather than merely imposing control.
Many people in the western world maintain the contradictory notions that the pirates of old were romantic social bandits while their modern brethren are brutal thugs, thieves, and villains. In Global Piracy, James E. Wadsworth compiles and contextualizes a wealth of primary source documents which illustrate the global phenomenon of piracy through the eyes and voices of those who experienced it: both the pirates or privateers themselves and their victims. The book allows us to confront our stereotypes by giving us access to “real” pirates in a wide range of historical periods and global regions, from ancient Greece to modern day Nigeria, unfiltered as much as possible by authorial voice or interpretation. Global Piracy seeks neither to romanticize nor vilify pirates, but simply to understand them in the context of their times and the broader world they inhabited. Departing from run-of-the-mill narratives, it selects documents which provide new and fascinating insights into piracy around the globe. With documents introduced by contextual information, and supplemented by study questions, suggested reading lists, illustrations and maps, this book is an essential companion for anyone studying the history of piracy.
The Portuguese Inquisition is often portrayed as a tyrannical institution that
imposed itself on an impotent society. Drawing on extensive archival research,
the book challenges this myth by arguing that the Inquisition was integral to
colonial society, reinforcing European social and religious values that were
recreated in colonial Brazil.
