Discover the truth about the 17th-century Welsh naval officer who became a hero for the British Empire—and not a bloodthirsty pirate. This is the swashbuckling biography of the naval officer known as the Sword of England, the Welshman Henry Morgan. Over the years, Morgan came to be portrayed as a black-hearted, fierce pirate. This error in terms and in the assessment of Morgan’s character led to the filing of the first libel lawsuit, brought in protest to a book published in 1684 claiming he had been an indentured servant, was a pirate, and was responsible for atrocities. In fact, Morgan was commissioned to aid the British navy in fighting enemies of the crown and was a superb military tactician who led a dozen victorious campaigns against massive odds. In 1655, Spain was the greatest naval and military power on earth, and controlled the sea lanes of Central America and the Caribbean. Henry Morgan’s career as a buccaneer officially began when, at age twenty, he landed in Barbados as part of a force deployed to capture Cuba or Hispaniola (Puerto Rico) for the British. The deployment failed, but the forces did capture Jamaica, which would become Morgan’s adopted home base for the rest of his life. From there, Morgan planned the attacks that would enrich the British throne and usher in the era of British supremacy on the high seas. For his leadership in battle and as lieutenant governor of Jamaica, Admiral Sir Henry Morgan deserves to take his place alongside Sir Francis Drake and the Duke of Wellington in the panoply of history’s greatest heroes.

An entertaining and well-researched volume which aims to debunk the myth that Henry Morgan was an over-zealous cruel criminal; he is depicted here as a superb military tactician and strategist who led a dozen successful campaigns against the greatest military power in the world, and was rewarded for his leadership in battle with the governorship of Jamaica.

This is the story of a Welshman who became one of the most ruthless and brutal buccaneers of the golden age of piracy. His name was Captain Sir Henry Morgan and, unlike his contemporaries, he was not hunted down and killed or captured by the authorities. Instead he was considered a hero in England and given a knighthood as well as being made governor of Jamaica. As Graham Thomas reveals in this fresh biography of this complex and intriguing character, Morgan was an exceptional military leader whose prime motivation was to amass as much wealth as he could by sacking and plundering settlements, towns and cities up and down the Spanish Main.??As featured on BBC Radio Wiltshire and in Cardiff Times.

'Morgan the Pirate' is associated with the trappings of pirate living - skull and crossbones, pieces of eight, almost 'with a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum'. Yet if this was true, why did Charles II knight him and why was he given the governorship of Jamaica? In this authoritative biography, Dudley Pope lays to rest the popularised image.

This work presents the history of Sir Henry Morgan, the Welsh buccaneer who was one of the most famous adventurers and looted Spain's Caribbean colonies during the late 17th century. Working with the unofficial support of the English government, he sabotaged Spanish authority in the West Indies. It's believed that he was a member of the expedition that captured Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655 and converted it into an English colony.