Creating the Caribbean -- The Colonial West Indies, pt. 1, 1496-1697

How did a chain of sparsely populated islands, stalked by earthquakes, hurricanes, and deadly tropical diseases, become the most powerful and prosperous colonies on earth? We trace how bands of adventurers, including pirates and Crusader knights, took advantage of Spain's fragile hold on the Caribbean islands, superior seafaring skills, and the growing slave trade, to build unlikely new societies, while the Irish and African laborers that they forced into service adapted or struck out for freedom. Image: 17th-century drawing of Tortuga, while it was ruled by the "Brethren of the Coast." To hear all patron-only lectures from this podcast as soon as they post, sign on as a patron at any level: www.patreon.com/c/u5530632 Alternatively, to hear the patron-only lectures on the early modern age, including on Martin Luther, the Reformation, and Spain & Portugal in the age of the Inquisition, you can purchase access to the “Becoming Modern” playlist: www.patreon.com/collection/2026824?view=condensed Inaugural episode of "God Save America," on religion in the United States: https://soundcloud.com/godsaveamerica/0-introduction