July 3, 2025 • 22 mins
Have you ever wondered what happens when charisma, opportunity, and audacity collide? The result might look something like Gregor MacGregor's breathtaking 19th-century fraud that cost hundreds of lives yet went largely unpunished.
Step into the 1820s where a young Scottish adventurer transforms himself from military man to royalty through sheer imagination and chutzpah. After participating in Latin American revolutionary conflicts, MacGregor returned to London bearing an impressive title: "His Serene Highness Gregor I, Sovereign Prince of Poyais and Cacique of the Poyer Nation." The catch? Poyais didn't exist.
MacGregor's genius lay in his comprehensive approach to nation-building—on paper. He created currency, a constitution, a flag, detailed maps, guidebooks, and even a coat of arms for his fictional paradise. His descriptions of Poyais were masterfully crafted: rivers flowing with gold, hillsides scattered with gemstones, perfect weather, and a magnificent capital city complete with an opera house and cathedral. British citizens, entranced by the promise of new opportunities in the tropics, sold everything they owned to purchase land in this Eden.
The tragic reality revealed itself when approximately 270 settlers arrived at the uninhabited jungle of the Mosquito Coast in modern-day Nicaragua. Finding no development whatsoever, they faced deadly tropical diseases instead of prosperity. Before rescue arrived, about two-thirds perished from malaria, yellow fever, and dysentery—a devastating human cost of MacGregor's elaborate lie.
Perhaps the most astonishing part of this story isn't the fraud itself but its aftermath. Despite exposure in Parliament and newspapers, MacGregor was never successfully prosecuted in Britain. He simply moved to France, continued his scheme there, and eventually returned to London to sell even more Poyais bonds! He finally retired to Venezuela where, incredibly, he received military honors and a hero's funeral upon his death.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Oh, hey there, oh hey there, I'm Kate.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And I'm Bradley.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And this is the origin of weird.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
But history buffoons.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Which he said.
So I've had this story for acouple weeks, a couple weeks.
So Bear with us, yeah, bearwith her, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
bear with her.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and the cats are out.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
So let's do this quick Like okay.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
We're going to talk about his serene highness.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
His serene highness.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Gregor the first.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Gregor the.
Why does that sound familiar?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Sovereign Prince of Poyais.
Of where Poyais?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
And cacique of the poie nation, poyer nation.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Where is that?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
yeah, I will tell you .
I bet, you will that soundsfucking fancy as shit I mean it
does, oliver, don't be a dickhis serene highness gregor, the
first sovereign prince of poiesand cacique of the poyer nation.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Wow, that's a mouthful that is a huge mouthful
and I'm just nervous whatoliver is gonna do he slipped
into london with zero fanfareokay okay, so he sounds fancy
right yeah, I mean, that's quitethe title for someone who
rolled into london.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
He said fanfare yeah, so he came into london in about
the 1820s, okay, um, but withinmonths, um, he was kind of one
of those society people thatlike brought in a ton of drama,
if you will okay but let'srewind to about nine years
(02:05):
earlier.
So 1811 1811 he was 25 scottishfirecracker oh, so he's from
scotland gregor mcgregor gregormcgregor he set sail for
venezuela okay, latin americayeah his mission was to insert
himself into the revolutionaryfree-for-all that was happening
(02:28):
in Latin America.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Okay, he wanted to make a name for himself.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So Latin America between 1808 and 1826 was pretty
much on fire.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Latin America was inspired by American revolutions
and the French revolutions,sure, and they wanted to start
breaking up with Spain andPortugal.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
To become their own nation.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, to be independent.
Yes, exactly Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
So between 1810 and 1825, pretty much every Spanish
colony in the Americas eitherstarted or finished.
It's right for independence,okay, okay.
So latin america during thistime was a gold mine for bold
opportunists, sure, okay,mcgregor, yeah, gregor mcgregor
(03:19):
gregor mcgregor he wasn't justbold.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Oh, what did he do?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Oh, he was full-on delusional.
Oh really, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, so this is why this setup is perfect.
Okay, the region waspolitically unstable.
Yeah, everyone was trying tofigure out who was in charge.
If anyone was, sure, armieswere being formed left and right
.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Foreign military experience was high in demand
right, and everyone thought theland was bursting with riches
gold, silver, mahogany, magicalfruit, farting trees I don't
know you name it farting treesbut the revolutionary leaders
often welcomed outsiders, sure,who claimed to support their
(04:05):
cause.
Okay, okay, back in Europe,there was a huge interest in
Latin America, sure, especiallyin Britain, where investors were
practically throwing money atanything labeled a new world
opportunity.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well, I mean with Britain, the were they have been
throughout history.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
They, they conquered a lot they sure fucking did, I
mean, and lost a lot well, yeah,I mean especially towards the
end.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
There, I mean it's amazing how much land they had.
I mean look, that's where westarted from, in the states
south africa, latin america,austral, I mean all these things
, india, I mean a lot of fuckingthings from them.
So they were all aboutexpanding their footprint.
(04:53):
Yes, so, but 1819.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
With his military resume stuffed and his ego like
supercharged.
Okay, mcgregor found himself alittle bored.
So, because the tide wasturning in Latin America and the
Spanish were losing ground,revolutions, they were becoming
nations.
The peace was beginning to ruinall the fun, but for a man
(05:17):
addicted to adventure, this wasa golden opportunity.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
you see, you see, you see opportunity you see, yes,
she, yes, she, yeah, yes she.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
McGregor decided to start his own country.
Really, oh yeah, okay, and ofcourse he didn't wait for any
permission or anything.
He was the man, he had it all.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
He was going to do it all Honestly if, if you're
gonna just up and start your owncountry, you don't wait for
somebody like no, that's foramateurs hey, um, do you mind if
I do this?
Yeah, no, yeah, they're like no, so I'm not gonna ask, I'm just
gonna do it.
So, yeah, okay, makes sense in1820?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
yeah, mcgregor mcgregor sailed to mosquito
coast I've heard of that.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Where is that?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
It is in modern day Nicaragua and Honduras.
Oh duh, I shouldn't know that.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And that is Frankie rubbing up against the
microphone, frankie's like, I'mgoing to lay on your lap.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
So Humid AF, right.
Yeah, it had a messy colonialhistory.
Lots of trading posts from theBritish half-hearted settlements
.
Most of it was kind of longabandoned because it was kind of
swallowed up by jungle.
It was remote, it was forgotten, it was vague.
(06:36):
So McGregor managed to convincethe local Mosquito leader to
grant him a massive swath ofland.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Could you imagine just going like hey, man, you
want to do this.
Like you know what I do, I do,here you go.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I really do.
Okay, I'm not sure the kingfully understood what was
happening.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
I'm going to go with, probably not.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
But McGregor left the meeting with a signed document,
a newfound nation and anabsolutely crazy idea in his
head.
Okay, he went back to London,no longer Gregor McGregor.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
He was King Gregor.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
He was Gregor I, prince of Poyais.
Poyais, okay, a tropicalsovereign.
Wow, the ruler of a gloriousnew kingdom just waiting for
settlers, investors and suckers.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Or suckers.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
According to His Serene Highness Gregor I of
Poyais, poyais wasn't just somepatch of jungle, it was a
paradise in full technicolor, ala wizard of oz over the rainbow
.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
shit did they know about that back in 1820 okay.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
So mcgregor painted a picture of poies as a
sun-drenched paradise, sure,where the weather was always
perfect, the soil practicallywas begging you to grow crops
and you could basically retirethe moment you arrived well, who
wouldn't?
There were majestic mountainscloaked in redwood, and mahogany
(08:15):
spilled golden rivers into thesea, he claimed.
The riverbanks were literallymade of gold.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
That's a bold claim, but okay.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And quote gemstones sparkled the hillsides like
confetti.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
I really don't believe that.
I don't think Frankie playseither.
That's why he's getting up.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Sugar, coffee, cotton and indigo plantations lined
scenic roads.
Cattle run the meadows.
Exotic fruits dropped fromfreeze like snacks.
Birds were so pretty.
What were they?
Dropped from Trees like snacks.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Okay, because that's not the word you said at first.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Dropped from trees like snacks.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
You said freeze?
Okay, I have literally audioproof.
Sorry, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So poise wasn't just a good investment.
It was literally like atropical paradise, a utopia of
such okay, sold by mcgregor yes.
So his grand pitch, the capitalof poise, sat proudly at the
mouth of a broad bridge, crossedriver, okay, gazing out toward
the Atlantic like it knew betterthan anything else in Central
(09:34):
America.
Sure, okay, okay.
Tree-lined boulevards,tree-lined boulevards Framed the
skyline.
Oh my God, sparkling domes, duh, impressive buildings yeah, the
Royal Palace, parliament, anopera, opera house and a grand
cathedral how did it have allthis already?
(09:56):
exactly oh dear oh, we'retalking elegant mansions, big
banks, merchant halls that linethe streets, warehouses, busy
docks was there a mall?
We're gonna say there's a mall,oh that's great his serene
(10:20):
highness would parade throughthe city like a like, like a
napoleon, cheap napoleon I likethat and he was covered in
jewels.
No, the knights of the greencross what's that?
Basically, he created an orderof chivalry like his own, like
(10:43):
decor, essentially to wearknights of the round table.
Yes, yes, okay so basically,poise was in eden and people ate
the shit up?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
of course they did, because they don't know they're
from england they had no ideaand didn't know better no
they're being sold a bill ofgoods that they had no basis on.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yes, so he opened offices in London and Edinburgh,
edinburgh, edinburgh, thank youand he printed maps and
guidebooks.
He offered land employees atthe very reasonable price of
four shillings per acre, whichis $31 an acre.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
As of today.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
As of today.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Oh wow, that's actually not bad.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I'd do that.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
But a beachside fantasy fake government.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Fake government.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Just fake government, everything Right.
He even produced a constitutionoh wow.
Engraved currency, okay,diplomatic documents complete
with a made up coat of arms.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Man, he went all out oh yeah, jesus christ, yeah,
okay.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
So he had pamphlets and it was yeah, he basically
went all out it was crazy, nodoubt.
And by late 1822 mcgregor hadconvinced hundreds of people,
from poor families to retiredofficers, that police was their
shot at a new life A better life, if you will.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, I mean, that's the whole selling point,
honestly.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
And so they boarded ships bound for the Caribbean.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Wow, okay.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
And what they found wasn't quite the same thing as
what they were sold.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Yeah, how dare he?
Yeah, I assume he already hadthe money from them.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh, for sure yes.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
So so I mean, he's selling this fantasy is what it
is, how, when they, what happenswhen they get there and be like
what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
oh, I'll, I'll tell you, okay, okay.
So he left with um, left londonwith 70 immigrants and a second
vessel sailed a couple monthslater of 200 more scottish men
or english men okay, so 270between the two ships most had
(13:18):
sold all of their possessionsand invested their life savings
in poyes right.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I mean because it's not like they had a lot so they
put everything into it and theyconverted all of their sterling
into poiesian banknotes whichwas fake yes, what they found
was a jungle.
I was gonna say it was a jungle.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
That's exactly what I was gonna say with bugs, lots
of bugs and heat, oh dear andfucking.
No opera house.
Like what the fuck?
We don't even have an operahouse.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It would have been okay if there was an opera house
, but since there's no operahouse, this is shit.
Well, that's my point, though.
He's selling a palace, that'sthere an opera house.
And what was the other thing?
You said something else.
I thought Another building, itdoesn't matter, but it's like
why.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
How are you?
Oh, the cathedral, yeah, yeah,it's just like.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
No, I mean, that's just straight up fucking
swindling.
Oh yeah, Wow.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
So the Voyagers set up makeshift huts and attempted
to farm small plots of land, butthey were desperate.
Within weeks, malaria, yellowfever, dysentery, hey, dysentery
, oh, our favorite dysentery.
Yeah, we love dysentery on thispodcast Yep, they all swept
(14:44):
through the camps.
Of course they did so.
Okay, oliver.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Oliver, don't be a douche.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Help arrived in May of 1823 when a passing British
ship from nearby BritishHonduras rescued some of the
last survivors.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Okay, oh, so a lot of them were dead.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Oh, about two-thirds died.
Oh shit, Two-thirds died.
150 to 170 people died.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Out of 270.
Yes out of wow yes, not awful,that's fucking terrible.
Yes, okay, so did mcgregor gethis?
Speaker 1 (15:21):
no, so the survivors would return to britain.
Yeah, or they would settle inbelize and honduras, which were
operated by the britain, thebritish government.
Only a handful ever really madeit back to england, um and, but
they did in about october 1823and confirmed the horror that
was.
Quote-unquote poies so thepoies tale became a sensational
(15:48):
scandal.
Sure, newspaper accounts andparliamentary debates quickly
exposed the fraud.
Okay, by 1824, the story wasout.
The news that Poyce was not anindependent and flourishing
state had spread, and McGregorwas denounced as an audacious
fraud.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Clearly.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Who had duped respectable Britons into
investing in a land that neverwas.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I mean, he was literally just a fucking fraud.
He was, I mean, simple as that.
So yeah, that's fucking wild.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
However, the duped colonists refused to blame
McGregor himself why?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
He's the one who sold him this bullshit.
That's wild.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
So the victims instead attacked Poyace's local
agents and leaders, suggestingvarious excuses for the failure.
However, he's still considereda leader, leader of poise.
But whatever, they did notblame mcgregor that's so weird
but the newspapers andparliament.
Yes, we are blaming mcgregor.
(16:57):
He is the villain yes, 100.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
He's the one who convinced these people to go and
give up all their literally alltheir money for a better life.
That wasn't there.
Yes, holy shit, I mean, I justwanted to go to an opera so he
left england pretty quietly surein late 1823 okay he slipped
(17:21):
into france.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
No british court ever tried him that's so weird,
that's wild even though thehouse of commons debate in march
1824 concluded that place was abogus scheme yeah so even as
the place fiasco kind ofcollapsed in britain, gregor
mcgregor continued his charadein france, did he really?
oh yes, and he sold more plotsof land that weren't there he
(17:46):
again printed poies, propaganda,sold bonds and immigration
packages to french citizens.
He raised about 300 pounds inparis, which equals to 50
million dollars today.
Holy fuck, he raised that muchmoney in paris 300 pounds in
(18:10):
1824 is 50 million dollars today.
But authorities seized a shipbound for Colonnais des Poyers
and grew suspicious.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
McGregor was arrested by the French in December 1825
and tried in 1826 on fraudcharges okay in his trial he
insisted on his innocence well,of course he did, because he
didn't want to get killed thecourt needing proof of intent
(18:48):
ultimately acquitted mcgregorwow to london by 1827 and
resumed selling poyes stock.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
He issued an 800 pound bond, which is 125 million
dollars today, and continuedtrying to push poise in 1828
that's wild by this time, mostinvestors had heard the rumors
but, mcgruther still foundplenty of backers to buy his
(19:25):
bonds, because they didn't knowbecause they I mean news is a
lot different back then than itis today.
Wow, that's wild, that's soweird financial crisis in 1825
also bankrupt many, dampeningfurther interest.
So eventually mcgregor retiredthe scheme.
(19:46):
In the late 1830s oh, thank god.
And in 1838, late 1830s, so hekept it going for like 15
fucking years oh my god in 1838he sailed for venezuela, where
revolutionaries still rememberedhim as being a war hero once
upon a time that's wild.
He was given a pension, alieutenant general's rank and a
(20:08):
hero's funeral at his death in1845.
He was never successfullyprosecuted in France or Britain.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
That's just crazy that he could sell that bullshit
for so long and nothing everhappened and he got fucking
honors for his death and shit.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
He's like the Georgia tan of 1828.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Georgia.
Tan's a cunt, I know but shewas never prosecuted.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
No, because she died.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
But that is the story .
But he was alive and they tried.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I know the.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
French tried.
The British is like yeah,you're cool man.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
But I'm going to say this one more time because I
think it's a fantastic title.
That is the story of his serenehighness Gregor I, sovereign
prince of Poyais and cacique ofthe Poyair nation.
Such a fucking mouthful.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
That is a huge mouthful.
So, Poyais, is there anythingthere today?
Speaker 1 (21:04):
No, it's Mosquito Coast in Venezuela.
And there's just no likesettlements as far as you know.
No, there's nothing.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Okay, that's crazy, the fact that he could sell this
shit for years, for literallyfor years, and go back to the
place where he kind of got likeousted if you will, but nothing
happened to him.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
But like all these colonists or not colonists, but
all of these british were like Iwant to be in a part of the new
world I want to go there.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, that sounds like a great fucking idea.
We can make our millions there.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
I'll give you everything I have here to go do
that and then it's like, oh fuck, we're gonna die of yellow
fever.
No opera house dysentery.
Instead, what?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I traded an opera house for dysentery.
That sounds terrible.
At least you could sing me todeath.
Fuck, that's just crazy, andthat's so.
That's so weird, but well Isuppose all right, buffoons.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
That's it for today's episode buckle up, because
we've got another historicaladventure waiting for you.
Next time Feeling hungry formore buffoonery, or maybe you
have a burning question or awild historical theory for us to
explore.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Hit us up on social media.
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You can also email us athistorybuffoonspodcast at
gmailcom.
We are Bradley and Kate.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
music by cory acres follow us wherever you get your
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and review us remember, thebuffoonery never stops.
Love it, love it, love it.
Oh, hey there, oh hey there, I'm Kate.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And I'm Bradley.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And this is the origin of weird.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
But history buffoons.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Which he said.
So I've had this story for acouple weeks, a couple weeks.
So Bear with us, yeah, bearwith her, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
bear with her.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and the cats are out.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
So let's do this quick Like okay.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
We're going to talk about his serene highness.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
His serene highness.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Gregor the first.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Gregor the.
Why does that sound familiar?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Sovereign Prince of Poyais.
Of where Poyais?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
And cacique of the poie nation, poyer nation.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Where is that?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
yeah, I will tell you .
I bet, you will that soundsfucking fancy as shit I mean it
does, oliver, don't be a dickhis serene highness gregor, the
first sovereign prince of poiesand cacique of the poyer nation.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Wow, that's a mouthful that is a huge mouthful
and I'm just nervous whatoliver is gonna do he slipped
into london with zero fanfareokay okay, so he sounds fancy
right yeah, I mean, that's quitethe title for someone who
rolled into london.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
He said fanfare yeah, so he came into london in about
the 1820s, okay, um, but withinmonths, um, he was kind of one
of those society people thatlike brought in a ton of drama,
if you will okay but let'srewind to about nine years
(02:05):
earlier.
So 1811 1811 he was 25 scottishfirecracker oh, so he's from
scotland gregor mcgregor gregormcgregor he set sail for
venezuela okay, latin americayeah his mission was to insert
himself into the revolutionaryfree-for-all that was happening
(02:28):
in Latin America.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Okay, he wanted to make a name for himself.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So Latin America between 1808 and 1826 was pretty
much on fire.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Latin America was inspired by American revolutions
and the French revolutions,sure, and they wanted to start
breaking up with Spain andPortugal.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
To become their own nation.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, to be independent.
Yes, exactly Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
So between 1810 and 1825, pretty much every Spanish
colony in the Americas eitherstarted or finished.
It's right for independence,okay, okay.
So latin america during thistime was a gold mine for bold
opportunists, sure, okay,mcgregor, yeah, gregor mcgregor
(03:19):
gregor mcgregor he wasn't justbold.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Oh, what did he do?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Oh, he was full-on delusional.
Oh really, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, so this is why this setup is perfect.
Okay, the region waspolitically unstable.
Yeah, everyone was trying tofigure out who was in charge.
If anyone was, sure, armieswere being formed left and right
.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Foreign military experience was high in demand
right, and everyone thought theland was bursting with riches
gold, silver, mahogany, magicalfruit, farting trees I don't
know you name it farting treesbut the revolutionary leaders
often welcomed outsiders, sure,who claimed to support their
(04:05):
cause.
Okay, okay, back in Europe,there was a huge interest in
Latin America, sure, especiallyin Britain, where investors were
practically throwing money atanything labeled a new world
opportunity.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well, I mean with Britain, the were they have been
throughout history.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
They, they conquered a lot they sure fucking did, I
mean, and lost a lot well, yeah,I mean especially towards the
end.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
There, I mean it's amazing how much land they had.
I mean look, that's where westarted from, in the states
south africa, latin america,austral, I mean all these things
, india, I mean a lot of fuckingthings from them.
So they were all aboutexpanding their footprint.
(04:53):
Yes, so, but 1819.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
With his military resume stuffed and his ego like
supercharged.
Okay, mcgregor found himself alittle bored.
So, because the tide wasturning in Latin America and the
Spanish were losing ground,revolutions, they were becoming
nations.
The peace was beginning to ruinall the fun, but for a man
(05:17):
addicted to adventure, this wasa golden opportunity.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
you see, you see, you see opportunity you see, yes,
she, yes, she, yeah, yes she.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
McGregor decided to start his own country.
Really, oh yeah, okay, and ofcourse he didn't wait for any
permission or anything.
He was the man, he had it all.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
He was going to do it all Honestly if, if you're
gonna just up and start your owncountry, you don't wait for
somebody like no, that's foramateurs hey, um, do you mind if
I do this?
Yeah, no, yeah, they're like no, so I'm not gonna ask, I'm just
gonna do it.
So, yeah, okay, makes sense in1820?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
yeah, mcgregor mcgregor sailed to mosquito
coast I've heard of that.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Where is that?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
It is in modern day Nicaragua and Honduras.
Oh duh, I shouldn't know that.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And that is Frankie rubbing up against the
microphone, frankie's like, I'mgoing to lay on your lap.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
So Humid AF, right.
Yeah, it had a messy colonialhistory.
Lots of trading posts from theBritish half-hearted settlements
.
Most of it was kind of longabandoned because it was kind of
swallowed up by jungle.
It was remote, it was forgotten, it was vague.
(06:36):
So McGregor managed to convincethe local Mosquito leader to
grant him a massive swath ofland.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Could you imagine just going like hey, man, you
want to do this.
Like you know what I do, I do,here you go.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I really do.
Okay, I'm not sure the kingfully understood what was
happening.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
I'm going to go with, probably not.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
But McGregor left the meeting with a signed document,
a newfound nation and anabsolutely crazy idea in his
head.
Okay, he went back to London,no longer Gregor McGregor.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
He was King Gregor.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
He was Gregor I, prince of Poyais.
Poyais, okay, a tropicalsovereign.
Wow, the ruler of a gloriousnew kingdom just waiting for
settlers, investors and suckers.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Or suckers.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
According to His Serene Highness Gregor I of
Poyais, poyais wasn't just somepatch of jungle, it was a
paradise in full technicolor, ala wizard of oz over the rainbow
.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
shit did they know about that back in 1820 okay.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
So mcgregor painted a picture of poies as a
sun-drenched paradise, sure,where the weather was always
perfect, the soil practicallywas begging you to grow crops
and you could basically retirethe moment you arrived well, who
wouldn't?
There were majestic mountainscloaked in redwood, and mahogany
(08:15):
spilled golden rivers into thesea, he claimed.
The riverbanks were literallymade of gold.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
That's a bold claim, but okay.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And quote gemstones sparkled the hillsides like
confetti.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
I really don't believe that.
I don't think Frankie playseither.
That's why he's getting up.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Sugar, coffee, cotton and indigo plantations lined
scenic roads.
Cattle run the meadows.
Exotic fruits dropped fromfreeze like snacks.
Birds were so pretty.
What were they?
Dropped from Trees like snacks.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Okay, because that's not the word you said at first.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Dropped from trees like snacks.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
You said freeze?
Okay, I have literally audioproof.
Sorry, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So poise wasn't just a good investment.
It was literally like atropical paradise, a utopia of
such okay, sold by mcgregor yes.
So his grand pitch, the capitalof poise, sat proudly at the
mouth of a broad bridge, crossedriver, okay, gazing out toward
the Atlantic like it knew betterthan anything else in Central
(09:34):
America.
Sure, okay, okay.
Tree-lined boulevards,tree-lined boulevards Framed the
skyline.
Oh my God, sparkling domes, duh, impressive buildings yeah, the
Royal Palace, parliament, anopera, opera house and a grand
cathedral how did it have allthis already?
(09:56):
exactly oh dear oh, we'retalking elegant mansions, big
banks, merchant halls that linethe streets, warehouses, busy
docks was there a mall?
We're gonna say there's a mall,oh that's great his serene
(10:20):
highness would parade throughthe city like a like, like a
napoleon, cheap napoleon I likethat and he was covered in
jewels.
No, the knights of the greencross what's that?
Basically, he created an orderof chivalry like his own, like
(10:43):
decor, essentially to wearknights of the round table.
Yes, yes, okay so basically,poise was in eden and people ate
the shit up?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
of course they did, because they don't know they're
from england they had no ideaand didn't know better no
they're being sold a bill ofgoods that they had no basis on.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yes, so he opened offices in London and Edinburgh,
edinburgh, edinburgh, thank youand he printed maps and
guidebooks.
He offered land employees atthe very reasonable price of
four shillings per acre, whichis $31 an acre.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
As of today.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
As of today.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Oh wow, that's actually not bad.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I'd do that.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
But a beachside fantasy fake government.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Fake government.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Just fake government, everything Right.
He even produced a constitutionoh wow.
Engraved currency, okay,diplomatic documents complete
with a made up coat of arms.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Man, he went all out oh yeah, jesus christ, yeah,
okay.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
So he had pamphlets and it was yeah, he basically
went all out it was crazy, nodoubt.
And by late 1822 mcgregor hadconvinced hundreds of people,
from poor families to retiredofficers, that police was their
shot at a new life A better life, if you will.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, I mean, that's the whole selling point,
honestly.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
And so they boarded ships bound for the Caribbean.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Wow, okay.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
And what they found wasn't quite the same thing as
what they were sold.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Yeah, how dare he?
Yeah, I assume he already hadthe money from them.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh, for sure yes.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
So so I mean, he's selling this fantasy is what it
is, how, when they, what happenswhen they get there and be like
what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
oh, I'll, I'll tell you, okay, okay.
So he left with um, left londonwith 70 immigrants and a second
vessel sailed a couple monthslater of 200 more scottish men
or english men okay, so 270between the two ships most had
(13:18):
sold all of their possessionsand invested their life savings
in poyes right.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I mean because it's not like they had a lot so they
put everything into it and theyconverted all of their sterling
into poiesian banknotes whichwas fake yes, what they found
was a jungle.
I was gonna say it was a jungle.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
That's exactly what I was gonna say with bugs, lots
of bugs and heat, oh dear andfucking.
No opera house.
Like what the fuck?
We don't even have an operahouse.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It would have been okay if there was an opera house
, but since there's no operahouse, this is shit.
Well, that's my point, though.
He's selling a palace, that'sthere an opera house.
And what was the other thing?
You said something else.
I thought Another building, itdoesn't matter, but it's like
why.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
How are you?
Oh, the cathedral, yeah, yeah,it's just like.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
No, I mean, that's just straight up fucking
swindling.
Oh yeah, Wow.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
So the Voyagers set up makeshift huts and attempted
to farm small plots of land, butthey were desperate.
Within weeks, malaria, yellowfever, dysentery, hey, dysentery
, oh, our favorite dysentery.
Yeah, we love dysentery on thispodcast Yep, they all swept
(14:44):
through the camps.
Of course they did so.
Okay, oliver.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Oliver, don't be a douche.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Help arrived in May of 1823 when a passing British
ship from nearby BritishHonduras rescued some of the
last survivors.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Okay, oh, so a lot of them were dead.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Oh, about two-thirds died.
Oh shit, Two-thirds died.
150 to 170 people died.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Out of 270.
Yes out of wow yes, not awful,that's fucking terrible.
Yes, okay, so did mcgregor gethis?
Speaker 1 (15:21):
no, so the survivors would return to britain.
Yeah, or they would settle inbelize and honduras, which were
operated by the britain, thebritish government.
Only a handful ever really madeit back to england, um and, but
they did in about october 1823and confirmed the horror that
was.
Quote-unquote poies so thepoies tale became a sensational
(15:48):
scandal.
Sure, newspaper accounts andparliamentary debates quickly
exposed the fraud.
Okay, by 1824, the story wasout.
The news that Poyce was not anindependent and flourishing
state had spread, and McGregorwas denounced as an audacious
fraud.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Clearly.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Who had duped respectable Britons into
investing in a land that neverwas.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I mean, he was literally just a fucking fraud.
He was, I mean, simple as that.
So yeah, that's fucking wild.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
However, the duped colonists refused to blame
McGregor himself why?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
He's the one who sold him this bullshit.
That's wild.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
So the victims instead attacked Poyace's local
agents and leaders, suggestingvarious excuses for the failure.
However, he's still considereda leader, leader of poise.
But whatever, they did notblame mcgregor that's so weird
but the newspapers andparliament.
Yes, we are blaming mcgregor.
(16:57):
He is the villain yes, 100.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
He's the one who convinced these people to go and
give up all their literally alltheir money for a better life.
That wasn't there.
Yes, holy shit, I mean, I justwanted to go to an opera so he
left england pretty quietly surein late 1823 okay he slipped
(17:21):
into france.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
No british court ever tried him that's so weird,
that's wild even though thehouse of commons debate in march
1824 concluded that place was abogus scheme yeah so even as
the place fiasco kind ofcollapsed in britain, gregor
mcgregor continued his charadein france, did he really?
oh yes, and he sold more plotsof land that weren't there he
(17:46):
again printed poies, propaganda,sold bonds and immigration
packages to french citizens.
He raised about 300 pounds inparis, which equals to 50
million dollars today.
Holy fuck, he raised that muchmoney in paris 300 pounds in
(18:10):
1824 is 50 million dollars today.
But authorities seized a shipbound for Colonnais des Poyers
and grew suspicious.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
McGregor was arrested by the French in December 1825
and tried in 1826 on fraudcharges okay in his trial he
insisted on his innocence well,of course he did, because he
didn't want to get killed thecourt needing proof of intent
(18:48):
ultimately acquitted mcgregorwow to london by 1827 and
resumed selling poyes stock.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
He issued an 800 pound bond, which is 125 million
dollars today, and continuedtrying to push poise in 1828
that's wild by this time, mostinvestors had heard the rumors
but, mcgruther still foundplenty of backers to buy his
(19:25):
bonds, because they didn't knowbecause they I mean news is a
lot different back then than itis today.
Wow, that's wild, that's soweird financial crisis in 1825
also bankrupt many, dampeningfurther interest.
So eventually mcgregor retiredthe scheme.
(19:46):
In the late 1830s oh, thank god.
And in 1838, late 1830s, so hekept it going for like 15
fucking years oh my god in 1838he sailed for venezuela, where
revolutionaries still rememberedhim as being a war hero once
upon a time that's wild.
He was given a pension, alieutenant general's rank and a
(20:08):
hero's funeral at his death in1845.
He was never successfullyprosecuted in France or Britain.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
That's just crazy that he could sell that bullshit
for so long and nothing everhappened and he got fucking
honors for his death and shit.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
He's like the Georgia tan of 1828.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Georgia.
Tan's a cunt, I know but shewas never prosecuted.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
No, because she died.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
But that is the story .
But he was alive and they tried.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I know the.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
French tried.
The British is like yeah,you're cool man.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
But I'm going to say this one more time because I
think it's a fantastic title.
That is the story of his serenehighness Gregor I, sovereign
prince of Poyais and cacique ofthe Poyair nation.
Such a fucking mouthful.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
That is a huge mouthful.
So, Poyais, is there anythingthere today?
Speaker 1 (21:04):
No, it's Mosquito Coast in Venezuela.
And there's just no likesettlements as far as you know.
No, there's nothing.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Okay, that's crazy, the fact that he could sell this
shit for years, for literallyfor years, and go back to the
place where he kind of got likeousted if you will, but nothing
happened to him.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
But like all these colonists or not colonists, but
all of these british were like Iwant to be in a part of the new
world I want to go there.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, that sounds like a great fucking idea.
We can make our millions there.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
I'll give you everything I have here to go do
that and then it's like, oh fuck, we're gonna die of yellow
fever.
No opera house dysentery.
Instead, what?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I traded an opera house for dysentery.
That sounds terrible.
At least you could sing me todeath.
Fuck, that's just crazy, andthat's so.
That's so weird, but well Isuppose all right, buffoons.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
That's it for today's episode buckle up, because
we've got another historicaladventure waiting for you.
Next time Feeling hungry formore buffoonery, or maybe you
have a burning question or awild historical theory for us to
explore.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Hit us up on social media.
We're History Buffoons Podcaston YouTube X, instagram and
Facebook.
You can also email us athistorybuffoonspodcast at
gmailcom.
We are Bradley and Kate.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
music by cory acres follow us wherever you get your
podcasts and turn thosenotifications on to stay in the
loop until next time, staycurious and don't forget to rate
and review us remember, thebuffoonery never stops.
Love it, love it, love it.
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