I was minding my own business, bored out of my mind, and began watching Black Sails. Like everyone else, it drew me in like a current, dragging me farther and farther into the ocean.
It wasn’t the pirates, the fighting, or the romance of the high seas that caught me. It was the society they formed – a republic with more equality than the British empire.
I’ve always been anti-colonialism (because it’s bad and also because I’m Indian) and have wanted to write a historical fiction novel about the fight against colonialism.
It wasn’t intentional, but the piracy of the West Indies was an impediment to British colonialism. So I decided to merge my two interests.
And who doesn’t love reading about pirates!
I don’t know much about the actual history of pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy. Not many people know. While tracking down primary sources and accurate accounts has proved challenging, I love history. And I love challenges.
I’ve been learning a lot of things while researching. I’m mostly fascinated by the society the pirates created, along with economic implications of their actions. I wanted to create a story Wiki for my world building, but then I figured I should make most of it public – at least the research part.
Because it is VERY fun to learn about pirates. There’s a lot of information to sift through and hopefully figure out what’s real and what isn’t, but I welcome all of you on this journey with me!
This site is divided into two parts – one is the “Wiki” part, where I update information I find on pirates, privateers, politicians, weapons, ships, etc. This is based on primary and secondary resources I read and will be annotated. The second part is just a blog, where I trace my plan, what I’m learning and challenges I face.
I hope you all enjoy!
Under the Black 