The Florida History Podcast

After a century of success and prosperity, Spanish Florida is wiped out in Queen Anne's War. This coincides with the start Golden Age of Piracy.

In late 1600s and early 1700s Nassau, not far from the Florida coast emerges as the center of international piracy. This presents a mortal threat to Florida

Pirate raids and English intrigue leads to the Spanish authorities building a fort to protect the colony.

English privateer/pirate Robert Searle raided St Augustine in 1668 killing 60 and taking 75 as prisoners. With the English closing in on Florida, this pirate raid was the last straw for the Spanish authorities who looked to protect the colony more robustly afterward.

A Spanish Treasure ship of 1622 destroyed in a Hurricane.

The Straits of Florida provide the ultimate chokepoint causing shipwrecks and encouraging piracy.

The most fearsome pirate for intents and purposes of his age was Sir Frances Drake. His 1586 raid on St Augustine destroyed the town and was a big moment in the Anglo-Spanish War which was based around religion.

Dominique de Gourgues leads a French attack on Spanish Florida in 1568- the start of an era of piracy against Spanish Florida.

The French settlement of La Caroline posses a threat to Spanish hegemony.

We introduce new series on piracy and treasure fleets covering the time from 1513 through about 1750.