The
Barbary Corsairs, also known as Barbary Pirates, were sanguinary
privateers who operated from North Africa, from the time of the Crusades
until the early 19th century.
Based
in North African ports such as Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, Sal and other
ports in Morocco, they primarily commandeered western European ships in
the western Mediterranean Sea.
Their
stronghold was the stretch of northern Africa known as the Barbary Coast
but their territory was the whole of the Mediterranean, and south along
West Africa’s Atlantic seaboard, and north into the North Atlantic as
far north as Iceland.
They
often made raids, called Razzias, on European coastal towns to capture
Christian slaves to sell at slave markets in places such as Algeria and
Morocco.
From
the 16th to 19th century, Barbary Pirates captured 1 million to 1.25
million Europeans as slaves.
These
slaves were mainly captured from coastal villages in Italy, Spain and
Portugal, and from more distant places like France, England, the
Netherlands, Ireland, even Iceland and North America...
The
most appreciated booty was beautiful young women. White female
captives fetched the highest prices on the auction blocks all along the
Barbary Coast
, specially the blondes...
The
unfortunate captives were treated with great contempt.
They were infidels and the women of the hated enemy, the
Christian kingdoms...
This
is the story of one of the most bloodthirsty pirates, the much-feared
Captain Dragut and his ship, the 'Infidel Hell', which was rowed by
young female Christian slaves.
Galleys
with oars had a clear advantage over merchant sail boats in calm
conditions, but the life and death of the slaves chained to the oars was
pure hell...
Life
below decks was endless hell for the naked girls.
Shifts were 12 hours long, the place stank of urine and excrement
and the overseers' cruelty knew no bounds...
They
were treated worse than cattle.
The
fate of newly-captured women was no better.
After the usual rough welcome on deck, the unfortunate captives were
caged in the galley in inhuman conditions and taken to slave markets...
In
the harbor the precious naked cargo was handed over to a cruel team of slave
dealers, keepers and trainers...
The
girls were infamously checked and tested.
Virgins were locked in humiliating chastity
belts...
The
auction was the most degrading and humiliating part of the whole
process. The slaves were
made to parade naked on the auction block in front of a lust-crazed
crowd of cheering and jeering men...
But
the real hell for the young Christians started right after being
auctioned and sold in the hands of their owners....
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