Barbary Pirate: The Life and Crimes of John Ward, the Most Infamous Privateer of His Time

The first 50 years of John Ward's life were those of an ordinary seaman. But in 1603 he celebrated his half-century by leading a mass desertion from the Navy of James I of England, stealing a vessel, and defecting to the Ottoman Empire's outpost at Tunis. There he set himself up as a privateer under the protection of the Pasha of Tunis, rejuvenated the Muslim Barbary Corsairs, and lead them in a series of successful attacks against Christian shipping. Wealthy as a lord, Ward purchased a palatial mansion and set up a mock court in which he presided over a scruffy band of English and European renegades, issuing decrees and receiving obeisance like a king. Ward was infamous in Europe--he was regarded as a Judas to his country--and his conversion to Islam towards the end of his life was the ultimate scandal. This compelling story reveals a man whose rejection of conventional morality led to power, wealth, and a happy if unusual retirement.