Pirates of the Slave Trade: The Battle of Cape Lopez and the Birth of an American Institution

The Battle of Cape Lopez in 1722 was a significant naval battle off the coast of West Africa that had a profound impact on British colonies and the future of slavery in America. Gentlemen of Fortune explores the figures and events surrounding this battle, focusing on Jan Conny, Black Bart, and Chaloner Ogle, and how their fates converged to shape the Atlantic slave trade and the birth of chattel slavery. The book offers a new perspective on how a single battle played a pivotal role in reshaping the slave trade, and is an essential addition to every history reader's shelves.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 17 October 2023
Publisher: Prometheus Books

No one present at the Battle of Cape Lopez in 1722 could have known that they were on the edge of history. There was no way to predict just how monumental an impact this obscure but fierce naval battle off the coast of West Africa would have on British colonies and the future of slavery in America. Gentlemen of Fortune is a groundbreaking exploration of the figures and events surrounding this lesser-known naval battle, the outcome of which signaled a major turning point in the Atlantic slave trade and triggered a deep and lasting legacy. Gentlemen of Fortune focuses on three fascinating figures whose fates would violently converge: Jan Conny, a charismatic leader of the Akan people who made lucrative deals with pirates and smugglers while making enemies out of the British and Dutch; the infamous pirate Black Bart, who worked his way from an anonymous navigator to a pirate king and one of the British Empires most notorious enemies in the region; and British naval captain Chaloner Ogle, tasked by the Crown with hunting down and killing Black Bart at all costs. At the Battle of Cape Lopez, these three men and the massive historical forces at their backs would finally find each other—and the world would be transformed forever. By defeating Black Bart at the Battle of Cape Lopez, the British Empire was able to achieve supremacy in the West African slave trade. Chattel slavery—in which an enslaved person is considered fully the private property of an owner—was born, and it was soon brought to America. In this landmark narrative history, historian Angela Sutton outlines the complex network of trade routes spanning the Atlantic Ocean trafficked by agents of empire, private merchants, and brutal pirates alike. Drawing from a wide range of primary historical sources, most notably the journals of Black Bart himself, Sutton paints a vivid and detailed portrait of the men and women caught up in the brutal world of the slave trade. Gentlemen of Fortune is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Atlantic slave trade, the rise of piracy, and the complex web of power and politics that shaped the early modern world. No one present at the Battle of Cape Lopez in 1722 could have known that they were on the edge of history. There was no way to predict just how monumental an impact this obscure but fierce naval battle off the coast of West Africa would have on British colonies and the future of slavery in America. Gentlemen of Fortune is a groundbreaking exploration of the figures and events surrounding this lesser-known naval battle, the outcome of which signaled a major turning point in the Atlantic slave trade and triggered a deep and lasting legacy. Gentlemen of Fortune focuses on three fascinating figures whose fates would violently converge: Jan Conny, a charismatic leader of the Akan people who made lucrative deals with pirates and smugglers while making enemies out of the British and Dutch; the infamous pirate Black Bart, who worked his way from an anonymous navigator to a pirate king and one of the British Empires most notorious enemies in the region; and British naval captain Chaloner Ogle, tasked by the Crown with hunting down and killing Black Bart at all costs. At the Battle of Cape Lopez, these three men and the massive historical forces at their backs would finally find each other—and the world would be transformed forever. By defeating Black Bart at the Battle of Cape Lopez, the British Empire was able to achieve supremacy in the West African slave trade. Chattel slavery—in which an enslaved person is considered fully the private property of an owner—was born, and it was soon brought to America. In this landmark narrative history, historian Angela Sutton outlines the complex network of trade routes spanning the Atlantic Ocean trafficked by agents of empire, private merchants, and brutal pirates alike. Drawing from a wide range of primary historical sources, most notably the journals of Black Bart himself, Sutton paints a vivid and detailed portrait of the men and women caught up in the brutal world of the slave trade. Gentlemen of Fortune is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Atlantic slave trade, the rise of piracy, and the complex web of power and politics that shaped the early modern world.

Weight: 570g
Dimension: 163 x 238 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781633888449