Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"The Coast of High Barbary" (or "High Barbaree") originates from a much older English ballad, "The George Aloe and the Sweepstake," dating back to the 1590s, which told of merchant ships attacked by French pirates; the more familiar pirate version emerged in the 18th century adapting the tune to describe battles with North African Barbary pirates, becoming popular as both a ballad and a sea shanty.
Performed by Brian Gulland.
Images:
English Royal Yachts at Sea, in a Strong Wind in Company with a Ship Flying the Royal Standard by Willem van de Velde the Younger, c1689.
An engraving depicting the Barbarossa brothers, Oruç Reis (left) and Hayreddin (Khizr) Reis (right). They were famous 16th-century Ottoman corsairs (pirates) and admirals who operated from North Africa.
An English Ship in Action with Barbary Vessels by Willem Van De Velde The Younger.
"The Coast of High Barbary" (or "High Barbaree") originates from a much older English ballad, "The George Aloe and the Sweepstake," dating back to the 1590s, which told of merchant ships attacked by French pirates; the more familiar pirate version emerged in the 18th century adapting the tune to describe battles with North African Barbary pirates, becoming popular as both a ballad and a sea shanty.
Performed by Brian Gulland.
Images:
English Royal Yachts at Sea, in a Strong Wind in Company with a Ship Flying the Royal Standard by Willem van de Velde the Younger, c1689.
An engraving depicting the Barbarossa brothers, Oruç Reis (left) and Hayreddin (Khizr) Reis (right). They were famous 16th-century Ottoman corsairs (pirates) and admirals who operated from North Africa.
An English Ship in Action with Barbary Vessels by Willem Van De Velde The Younger.
