HWS Women Pirates - Canavar of Mediterranean Sea

HWS Women Pirates is a spin-off of the current Historically Wrong Sketch Project: Blood and Steel, with the aim to portray the different types of Women Pirates in the 17th century era, albeit perhaps with lots of stylization and anachronism . Nevertheless, hopefully this will increase the awareness of people about the many pirates that ruled the sea during their golden age, from America, Erope to Asia.

Her Theme Song: http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1L9Mg… - It's kinda like Greek Music though....

The first drawing of the series, is dedicated to one of the most infamous of them all, the Barbary Corsairs, who pretty much terrorized the Mediterranean sea from the 16th century till the late 18th century. Initially, the piracy activity along the Mediterranean had been active since the 11th century, both by the Muslims who lived along the northern coast of Africa, as well as Christians pirates who settled along the Mediterranean coastline. It was not until the 16th century, where migration of the moors who were expelled from the 'reconquista', that the northern coast of Africa saw increased activity in piracy. With their influence under the Ottomans in the 17th centuries, as well as the ongoing conflicts between the Europeans during the 30 years war, the Barbary pirates activity flourished, partly to the support they receive from major European powers to disturb the enemies shipping activity in the Mediterranean. The arrival of European shipbuilding techniques, brought by the exiles of the 30 year war, also helped the Corsairs to be able to extend their activities in the Atlantic, even going as far as the coast of Cork in Ireland.

It was said that they had estimated enslaved up to 1 million people in the course of 16th - 19th centuries, whom they captured during their raid, and managed to loot and captured thousands of ships. This caused many of the coastal settlement along the Mediterranean being abandoned in fear of the pirates, and it was not until the early 19th century that people began to resettle along the coastline. With the french conquest of algiers in 1830, the piracy finally ceased and the dreaded legacy of the legend of Barbary Pirates was put to an end by the European powers.

Now, for most of you who were not aware of, Women Pirates did exists in the history, although details of them are more or less very sketchy. You can find more details here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in….


This drawing, is a conceptual sketch of a Female Barbary pirate, known in the Historically Wrong Sketch Series as Lalla Taljat binti Adherbal, or simply "The Canavar of Mediterranean Sea". She is dressed in the typical loose oriental clothing, a mixed of maghrebi and ottoman style, and equipped with a pistol, some darts and a scimitar, which were commonly used by the Barbary pirates (except the darts). She descended from the family of the Maghreb Woman Warrior from the previous series, Lalla Zuhayra bint Muzzamadin , whose dynasty ruled the Grenada region before being expelled by the Iberian in an attempt to establish the Iberian Empire free from any African influence. Eventually, the family settled down along the coast of Tunisia and began their life of piracy, supported by the Orhan Empire to disturb the shipping line of their rivals.

Given the volatile situation of the era, Lalla Taljat chose to follow the radical path of becoming a corsair, despite her gender and any danger that comes along with such profession. With the personal support from another warrior of the series , Ikhal Effendi Apek of the Orhan Empire , Lady Taljat was able to afford her own ship and crew, who then embark on numerous raids as instructed by the Orhans to severely weakens the enemies of the Empire. After gaining much trust from the Ottoman Admirals and Generals, she and her ships were asked to vanguard the Ottoman Navy in the Black sea, opening the way for their Invasion of Eastern Europe. The success of the naval escort and further piracy raids earned her the nicknamed "Canavar of Mediterranean Sea", or simply 'Sea Monster' by the Turkish Orhans who fought alongside her.

Her tale of glory was was short lived though, at one point in the course of the history, the Iberian Empire and the Italian League sent their armada to hunt her down in retaliation for raiding their merchant ships continously. Outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered, her entire fleet of ships along with her corsairs were obliterated and her personal ship was destroyed in the battle. Although the Iberians and the Italians claimed their victory and called it a day, Lalla managed to escape and seek refuge to her homeland, whereby she retired the life of Piracy and eventually establishing her own independent rule of a small wilayah along the coast of Tunisia.

Nevertheless, Lady Taljat was known throughout the Mediterranean for her bravery and confidence in her leadership, which earned her the heart of her corsairs. Her legend was immortalized throughout the Orhans dominion, where children were told of a gallant and brave female corsair, who fought many battles, and would come to visit any naughty children who didn't obey their parents.

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It's good to take break from the grim and dark nature of HWS: Project Blood and Steel by drawing the free-spirited and carefree women pirates . Even if life on the sea is harsh and living as a pirate is more of a curse than a blessing, at least these female pirates do not have to worry about royal issues,  political rivalries and full scale destructive wars that plagued the rest of the women warriors in the series


For more on the Historically Wrong Sketch Series Project Blood and Steel