He ruled with lace cuffs, four pistols, and a code of iron.
They called him Black Bart, the gentleman pirate He was a ruthless tactician, and the most successful sea raider of the Golden Age. But Bartholomew Roberts didn't set out to be a legend. He wanted order. Structure. Rules in a lawless world.
When fate drags him from the decks of a slave ship into the captain's chair of a pirate vessel, Roberts builds something astonishing: a democratic empire afloat, complete with written articles, strict curfews, and Sunday sermons under stolen bishops' robes. He captures over four hundred ships in just three years, and makes powerful enemies in the process, including the Royal Navy.
But glory has a cost. As disease rips through his crew and his grip tightens into tyranny, the line between captain and despot begins to blur. And when the warship Swallow finally arrives to end his reign, Black Bart must choose: escape, or face death standing.
Sharp as cutlass steel and twice as uncompromising, Black Bart: Gentleman Pirate of the High Seas is a riveting portrait of power, control, and the man behind the myth.
Trigger warning
This novel contains depictions of naval warfare, authoritarian leadership, historical execution methods (e.g., hanging, flogging), references to slavery and disease aboard 18th-century ships, and the abandonment of enslaved people during a yellow fever outbreak. All elements are grounded in historical fact and presented with sensitivity, but reader discretion is advised.