For God and Liberty

Author says: what if the Navy led a very different kind of fightback after the Spanish Armada overthrew Queen Elizabeth I? Please note that the opinions expressed in this satirical post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).

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to comment on Reddit.on this day His Majesty King Philip V issued a "royal proclamation for suppressing english pyrates" at Hampton Court, declaring "that several Persons, Subjects of Spain, have, since the 24th Day of June, in the Year of our Lord, 1715, committed divers Pyracies and Robberies upon the High-Seas, in the West Indies, or adjoyning to our Plantations, which hath and may Occassion great Damage to the Merchants of Spain, and others trading nto those Parts".

The Golden Age of Piracy which was formally ushered in by the proclaimation was recorded seven years later in Danie Defoe's "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates".

Published in 1724 at Charles Rivington's shop in St Paul's Cathedral, the history records shocking accounts of murder, torture and rape being orchestrated from the pirate kingdom of Libertalia. Also mentioned was a development causing a great deal of concern in the Spanish Court, the emergence of a new regime upon the pirate ships. The future seed of English democracy.

Author says in reality in reality the pirate kingdom of Libertalia mentioned by Johnson was almost certainly an exaggerated reference to Madagascar. Captain Charles Johnson is the British author of the 1724 book "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates", though his identity remains a mystery. No record of a captain by this name exists. Some scholars have suggested that "Charles Johnson" was actually Daniel Defoe writing under a pen name, but this is disputed. His work was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates, and is the prime source for the biographies of many well known pirates. The pirate utopia's motto was "for God and liberty," and its flag was white. To view guest historian's comments on this post please visit the Today in Alternate History web site.

Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items explore that possibility. Possibilities such as America becoming a Marxist superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting fictional blog.