July 2026 – Corsairs & Captives

THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

July 26, 2026 Adam Nichols Background

Barbary corsairs weren’t just pirates. They were part of a larger enterprise. There was a religious element to that enterprise:[…]

ICELANDIC CAPTIVES RANSOMED IN ALGIERS

July 19, 2026 Adam Nichols Captives

Last week, we looked at how complicated the financial process could be when Europeans tried to pay ransoms for their[…]

SEVENTURY CENTURY CURRENCY – PART 2: RANSOMS

July 12, 2026 Adam Nichols Background

Last week, we looked at the complications of seventeenth century currency. This week, we look at how those complications played[…]

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY CURRENCY – PART 1

July 6, 2026 Adam Nichols Background

Seventeenth century currency was fiendishly complicated by modern standards. Today, there are, of course, multiple currencies—the American/Canadian/Australian/New Zealand dollar, the[…]