Moor Pirates

[Fall of Granada (1492)] ──> [Mass Expulsion of Moors] ──> [North African Refuges] │ [Ottoman Proxy Fleet] <── [State-Sanctioned Privateering] <───────┘ Strategy, Technology, and Targets

Harboring deep resentment against the Spanish crown, these displaced populations weaponized their maritime skills. They launched retaliatory sea raids against Spanish shipping and coastal territories. moor pirates

Ward was a tactical genius. He figured out how to sail bulky European "round ships" (galleons) in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean, replacing the slow galleys. Suddenly, the Moors had better ships than the Europeans. King James I of England famously declared Ward an "arch-pirate," but Ward just laughed from his palace in Tunis, surrounded by European concubines and gold. He proved that for many, piracy was less a nationality and more a business model. [Fall of Granada (1492)] ──> [Mass Expulsion of