AHC: Yiddish Pirates
- Thread starter Ravenclaw
- Start date
I just had this hilarious image of a Blackbeard type character with the sidelocks and using a Menorrah instead of the hook on his hand.
One of the big problems here is that there wasn't a large group of Jews with any tradition as fishermen or sailors; it'll be hard for people to turn pirate if they don't know how to use boats. So you might start by seeding the Baltic coast with alt-shtetls focused on fishing.
Well besides Portugeuse Jews. If you really want Jewish pirates it can be done, just not likely they'll speak Yiddish.
TFSmith121
Banned
Wins the thread...
Wins the thread...I think.
The Dread Pirate Rosenblatt?
Best,
\
Wins the thread...I think.
The Dread Pirate Rosenblatt?
Best,
The Cosmonaut Cat
Banned
Might have already occured OTL:
1) Cossacks engaged in piracy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Cossacks
1) Cossacks engaged in piracy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks
2) Jewish Cossacks existed by then:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Cossacks
I'm unfamiliar with the maritime traditions of Portuguese Jews; I figured that they were like the Spanish Jews, largely existing in Muslim (and then Christian) society as an educated middle class, like in most places.
TinyTartar
Banned
The Baltic makes a poor target for piracy; it is too icy for too much of the year to make piracy all that profitable, and it is hemmed in by a bunch of countries that hate Jews and have navies to fight them with depending on the timeframe. While it was certainly possible to do this, and the Hanseatic league learned this the hard way, Jews would likely not be taking part.
I suppose Baltic piracy in the Middle ages could have occurred even more than OTL, as there were Baltic pirates, but I am not sure how Jewish the pirates would have been, and once the region turns into a battleground for the Poles, Swedes, and Russians, its too late for piracy to have much chance at success.
I suppose Baltic piracy in the Middle ages could have occurred even more than OTL, as there were Baltic pirates, but I am not sure how Jewish the pirates would have been, and once the region turns into a battleground for the Poles, Swedes, and Russians, its too late for piracy to have much chance at success.
but Blackbeard didn't have a hook
more seriously, as mentioned earlier, Yiddish-speaking (e.g., Ashkenazi) Jewish pirates are probably less-likely just realistically speaking. it's far more probable that any notable groups of Jewish pirates would be Sephardi, formerly the largest group and the actual archetypal Jews for most of history (the "all Jews are Ashkenazi" trope is because most media featuring them are made in America and most American Jews are Ashkenazi, iirc). the largest Sephardi concentration was in Iberia (and they were the Jews persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition) and, being where it is geographically, it IS more likely that they are the ones who would have more maritime experience and, with an appropriate POD, lead to this scenario.
Come on, let's face it, pirates were the first equal opportunity employers. It was almost compulsory to have an odd number of limbs, or at the very least have something missing!
If this extends to religious freedom, I don't see any reason for a Yiddish majority crew, as long as they the required number of minorities and disabled!
If this extends to religious freedom, I don't see any reason for a Yiddish majority crew, as long as they the required number of minorities and disabled!
Pirate bragging contest.
-I'm missing a hand!
-I'm missing an arm
-I'm missing a leg
-You guys don't want to know what part of me got chopped off...
Some of the barbary pirates were jews exiled from spain alongside the morisicos.
Sinan Reis, the great jew, who fought alongside ottomans fleets in both the med and the indian ocean is probably the most famous.