Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers

Profiling some of history’s most prominent, yet widely unknown, female swashbucklers and sailors from across the world, author Laura Sook Duncombe offers up stories of these women from an historic and feminist perspective—taking as truth what can be verified while being mindful that the existence of some of these legendary figures is still up for debate. In doing so, she examines how historians and mythmakers may have influenced these stories through their own biases, suppression, and interpretation.

Among the luminaries covered are: Sayyida al Hurra, a pirate queen who sought revenge on Christians; Grace O'Mally, who terrorized the seas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; and Queen Tueta, who resisted Roman rule by expanding piracy into a way of life for her country.