The Barbary Coast: Morocco's Pirate Republics of Salé and Rabat

In the 17th century, the Moroccan ports of Salé and Rabat became the capitals of a unique pirate republic—the Republic of Bou Regreg. Run by Moriscos expelled from Spain and European renegades, this independent city-state launched fleets of corsairs who terrorized the Atlantic and Mediterranean. We explore the Republic's golden age under captains like the Dutchman Jan Janszoon (Murad Reis the Younger), its complex relationship with the Saadian and Alaouite sultans, and how the pirate economy shaped Morocco's coastal society. We also look at the great siege of Salé by the English admiral Robert Blake in 1655, the ultimate absorption of the republic by Moulay al-Rashid, and the legacy of the corsairs as both brutal pirates and savvy geopolitical players. #Salé #Rabat #BouRegreg #BarbaryCorsairs #Moriscos #JanJanszoon #MuradReis #RepublicOfBouRegreg #Corsairs #Piracy #Alaouite #MoulayalRashid #RobertBlake #Morocco #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #17thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo