Sack of Baltimore
The sack of Baltimore took place on 20 June 1631, when the village of
The attack was led by an expatriate Dutch captain, Murad Reis the Younger (formerly Jan Janszoon van Haarlem), who had been enslaved by Algerians but released when he renounced his faith and converted to Islam. Murad's force was led to the village by a man called Hackett — the captain of a fishing boat that was captured earlier — in exchange for his freedom. Hackett was subsequently hanged from the clifftop outside the village for conspiracy.[3][4]
Attack
Murad's crew, made up of European
Aftermath
Some prisoners were destined to live out their days as
In the aftermath of the raid, the remaining villagers moved to Skibbereen, and Baltimore was virtually deserted for generations.[13]
Conspiracy speculation
In his book The Stolen Village, Des Ekin raises the possibility that
Coppinger before the time was over on the lease tried by an assortment of means to evict the settlers from Baltimore and gain the valuable fishing rights of the area early.[16] After a long period of legal wrangling and harassment, it was decided in 1630 by the courts that the settlers could not be evicted because of the large amount they had invested in the development of the town. Coppinger was required to rent the land to the settlers for perpetuity.[17] Ekin proposes that Coppinger, in order to guarantee that the land would revert to him on 20 June 1631, as originally agreed with the English settlers, hired Murad Reis to raid Baltimore. Ekin acknowledges that there is no concrete proof that Coppinger had any involvement with the raid, however, he does note the uncanny coincidence of the raid happening on 20 June 1631 the exact same date the lease was supposed to end.[14]
On the other hand, Murad may just as easily have planned the raid without any help. For example, it is well-documented that the authorities had advanced intelligence that Murad planned to make an attack against a port town along the County Cork coast, although Kinsale was incorrectly thought to be the target rather than Baltimore.[18]
In literature and the arts
- The fictionalized capture and enslavement of Sir Fineen O'Driscoll's daughter Máire during the raid inspired Thomas Davis's poem, "The Sack of Baltimore".[19] The poem has the line: "And when to die a death of fire that noble maid they bore, She only smiled, O'Driscoll's child; she thought of Baltimore."[20]
- A detailed account of the sack of Baltimore can be found in the book The Stolen Village: Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates by Des Ekin.[21]
- In 1999, the raid on Baltimore was portrayed in a screenplay titled Roaring Water, The Sack of Baltimore, by Irish screenwriter Sean Boyle.
- In 2014, Chris Bolister set the saga to music in "The Ballad (Sack) of Baltimore," written from the perspective of the captured James Rooney.[22]
- In 2015, the raid inspired the song "Roaring Waters" from the album Last of Our Kind by British hard rock band The Darkness. The band were inspired to write the song after hearing of the incident while on Valentia Island, approximately 50 miles from Baltimore.[23]
- In 2018, singer/songwriter Tim O'Riordan commemorated the raid in the song Sail Away To Barbary on the album Taibhse.[24]
- A historic drama in three acts about the events leading up to and following the infamous raid in June 1631 set in 'The Cove', Baltimore, and at Lismore Castle. We Who Are Blameless by Rupert Stutchbury.[25][26]
- A historical fiction novel regarding the Sack of Baltimore in three books: Baltimore, Baltimore Book 2, and Baltimore Book 3 by Tony Bryan.[27]
- A musical soundtrack demonstration of a working historical fiction musical inspired by 'The Sack of Baltimore 1631,' called The Sack 1631, Music, Book, and Lyrics by Donnie Chauncey. The Sack 1631 – New Musical – Donnie Chauncey
See also
- Sklavenkasse
- Slave raid of Suðuroy, raid on Faroe Islands in 1629
- Slavery in Africa
- Slavery in the Ottoman Empire
- Turkish Abductions, raid on Iceland in 1627
Notes
- ^ Individuals who renounced their Christian faith and converted to Islam were called "renegades".
References
- ISBN 978-1-78462-230-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-57027-158-8.
- ISBN 978-1784622305. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
The truth soon emerged and he was hanged from the cliff top outside the village for his conspiracy
- ^ Corporation, Kinsale, Ireland (1879). The Council Book of the Corporation of Kinsale, from 1652 to 1800. J. Billing and sons. pp. xxxiii–xxxv.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ ISBN 978-1-5267-3685-7.
- ISBN 978-1-5267-3685-7.
- ISBN 978-0-8482-4873-4.
- ISBN 978-1-5267-3685-7.
- ISBN 978-0333719664.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78462-230-5.
- ^ "The Sack of Baltimore – Heritage & History | Baltimore Holiday and Travel Information – Ireland".
- ISBN 978-1-5267-3685-7.
- ISBN 978-1-5267-3685-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ^ Duffy, Sir Charles Gavan (1845). The Ballad Poetry of Ireland. J. Duffy. p. 235.
- ISBN 978-1-4351-0500-3.
- ^ "The Ballad (Sack) of Baltimore". YouTube.
- ^ "The Darkness Roaring Waters". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Taibhse Tim O'Riordan". www.timoriordan.hearnow.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ Cassidy, Eddie (10 June 2013). "Play provides new theory on 1631 pirate invasion of village". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ English, Eoin (20 June 2013). "Play lifts lid on Pirates of the Carbery". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Ireland, TheCork ie (News)-Your Online News from Cork (8 November 2020). "NEW CORK RELATED BOOK: which uses 17th Century 'Sack of Baltimore' in West Cork, Ireland as historical backdrop". TheCork.ie (News & Entertainment). Retrieved 30 June 2023.
External links
- The Sack of Baltimore – short account from the Baltimore Web site
- The Sack of Baltimore – the text of Davis's poem
- Fineen the Rover, Hackett and the Algerian pirates