Ep. 28. Mughals, Merchants, Marauders & Henry Every's Heist of the Century

Everybody loves a good heist story – especially a successful one. Chuck in corrupt politicians, corporate gangsters and billionaire warlords and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. Set your story in the 17th century, make your protagonist a handsome, mutinous pirate on the run and you’re looking at a sure-fire Hollywood blockbuster. Except that in this case, there isn’t one.

Henry Every pulled off the heist of the century, when in 1694 he seized his ship in a mutiny, sailed half way around the globe and bailed up a treasure fleet owned by the mighty Mughal Emperor of India, Aurangzeb. The result was not only the richest treasure haul in history, but an abject humiliation for the sultan, and a collapse of the tenuous trade agreement with the fledgling East India Company that almost triggered a war. The scandal provoked the first ever global manhunt, with the absconding captain evading all attempts at capture, vanishing into thin air, and being one of the few significant pirates in history to ever get away with it. His exploits turned him into an English folk hero, with ballads, books and even theatre immortalising – and mythologising- his deeds. Every’s short but audacious career served as an inspiration to dozens of more well-known and notorious pirates that were to prowl the Oceans over the following century.  And yet, though his story supplied the archetype of the swashbuckling and evasive hero to dozens of films, his name has today been largely forgotten despite the fact that the resultant political and economic shockwaves of his robbery would eventually topple empires and go on to change the course of history. If you’re just a little bit curious about how one man, with a little luck and lots of ingenuity could create such pandemonium, then join us, me hearties, as we dive into the life and times of legendary pirate, Captain Henry Every. Arrgh

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