Images

A 17th-century illustration of the buccaneer of the Spanish Main and Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica, Sir Henry Morgan (c. 1635-1688). (From an early edition of The Buccaneers of America by Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin)

This map illustrates the Roman Empire under Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138 CE), who succeeded Trajan (r. 98–117 CE) at the height of Rome’s territorial expansion. Unlike his predecessor, Hadrian chose consolidation over conquest, shaping the...

Garry Shaw, author of the Egyptian mythology travel guide Egyptian mythology: a Traveller's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria.

Egyptian Mythology: a Traveller's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria book cover. © Thames & Hudson

Christ Driving the Money-changers from the Temple, oil on canvas painting by Theodoor Rombouts (1597-1637) Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.

This map illustrates the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) at its pivotal moment in 1429, when Joan of Arc’s (French: Jeanne d'Arc) whirlwind campaign shifted momentum toward the Dauphin, Charles VII of France (reigned 1422–1461). It contrasts...

The fortress built by Jean Le Vasseur from 1642 on the island of Tortuga (Ile de la Tortue), located in northwest Hispaniola (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Tortuga became a major haven for the buccaneers like François L'Olonias...

A late-19th century cigarette card showing the French buccaneer and pirate François L'Olonais (1630-1668). L'Olonias was the cruellest of all buccaneers, torturing and executing almost all of his captives during a brutal career attacking...

A 17th century illustration of François L’Olonais (1630-1668), the infamous French buccaneer who terrorized the Spanish Main. (From an early edition of The Buccaneers of America by Alexander Exquemelin)

A number of cannons at the 16-17th-century fortress of Cartagena, Colombia. Cartagena was one of the principal treasure ports of the Spanish Main and its mighty fortress was sufficient to deter the buccaneers.