Pirates

Piracy in the Mediterranean

Piracy is often regarded as a something of an underground history, largely created by participants who operated outside the major thrust of geopolitical development. The criminal, disenfranchised or unaffiliated parties who have roved the sea taking advantage of vulnerable merchant ships or simply operating private trade, transport and smuggling activities are rarely thought of as prime movers of history. However, the 2010 text by Molly Greene, entitled Catholic pirates and Greek merchants. A maritime history of the Mediterranean, makes the case that the piracy that flourished throughout the Mediterranean in the 17th and 18th centuries would have a determinant effect on the distribution of sovereign, religious and economic power alike.

Thesis:

This assumption is underscored by the text's primary thesis. According to the review provided by Brummett (2011), "the book advances the thesis that the 'retreat of state', meaning the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires, from...
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