Henry Avery, the Pirate King
An interview with Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan
Treasure, a pirate's treasure.
A pirate's treasure that many have been looking for for more than 300 years—we're not going to find it, but we're going to establish that treasure and the incredible story that is attached to it in the history of England and Scotland and Great Britain and the Americas and the Indian Ocean.
I welcome Sean Kingsley and the historian Rex Cowan, the authors of a new book, The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy.
Our guide: a former lawyer and a man who seeks out adventure. But in this instance, the adventure happened at the end of the 17th century. This is a time when the American colonies are new, when the British Empire is putting itself together and it's found a gem called India.
But India has the richest man on earth. He is a Mughul. That is to say, he's made of nothing but wealth paid to him by his people. And in that instance, we begin with the adventure itself.
It is September 28th, 1695. There is a pirate ship named Fancy. It's commanded by a man who's known as Long Ben to his men, but whose name is Henry Avery.
Who is Henry Avery at this moment, and where did he come from?
Watch the full interview below:
Avary sells his Jewels: Pyle, Howard (June–November 1887). "Buccaneers and Marooners of the Spanish Main — Second Paper". Harper's Magazine 75 (448): p. 502. New York, United States: Harper and Brothers. {{PD-US}