Libertalia

Everyone knows the world of pirates as an adventurous universe filled with wooden legs, sword fights, and skull flags. However, few are aware that many pirates shared their spoils, held democratic assemblies, and welcomed runaway slaves. The progressive communities of privateers are also reflected in Daniel Defoe's 1728 account of the pirate republic of Libertalia, which is published here for the first time in German. Defoe narrates the story of the adventurous nobleman Misson and the disillusioned priest Caraccioli, who establish a pirate brotherhood in Madagascar based on tolerance, equality of goods, and radical democracy to free slaves from captivity. While the republic is ultimately crushed in Defoe's tale, Libertalia continues to live on as a humanistic, stateless utopia to this day.