Forget Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp (no seriously, forget them) - there’s only one pirate lord you should be dreaming about and that’s Sayyida al Hurra, Muslim pirate queen and all round force to be reckoned with.

Exiled at a young age with her family, Sayyida al Hurra gently fanned the flames of vengeance throughout her childhood before using her fearsome intellect, charm and passion to cause some serious headaches for the Spanish. Oh, and she was friends with one of the most famous pirates ever: Barbarossa.

Like we said, badass.

In this episode, you’ll hear about the forces that shaped Sayyida al Hurra’s story, the Spanish Reconquista and the role of naval warfare in maintaining and obtaining power in the 1500s and how Sayyida al Hurra used these to her advantage.

So whatever you’re doing, avast! This needs listening to, right now.

About this podcast: 

Fierce Females of History is a dive into the stories of awesome women through history you should know about. 

A quick disclaimer: we’re journalists, not historians, but we do love our history. Tune in every week as one of our three hosts shares the story of one woman. 

Hosts: 

Talissa Bazaz (@talissabazaz)

Erin Ramsay (@erin_ramsay)

Lucy Dean (@lucyintheskywithcarbon)

Follow us: 

Fierce Females of History is on Instagram: @fiercefemalespodcast

Get in touch:

Want to discuss history, wine, the Hulk’s penis or geese? 

Drop us a line here: [email protected]

Theme music: Get Lo - LynneMusic

https://www.neosounds.com/songs/15504

Where did Lucy do her research? 

https://ballandalus.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/15-important-muslim-women-in-history/

https://theattic.jezebel.com/sayyida-al-hurra-the-beloved-avenging-islamic-pirate-1685524517

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayyida_al_Hurra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatema_Mernissi

https://diazdez.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/fatima-mernessi_the-forgotten-queens-of-islam-en.pdf

https://www.aramcoworld.com/Articles/January-2017/Malika-VI-Sayyida-Al-Hurra

Non-Arab Women in the Arab World - https://inhouse.lau.edu.lb/iwsaw/raida101-102/EN/p010-043.pdf

https://culturacolectiva.com/history/sayyida-al-hurra-muslim-pirate-queen

Fatema Mernissi - The Forgotten Queens of Islam

https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconquista

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/reconquest-of-spain

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