A book by the same author under a different name with an original cover image done in pastels by my wife Mona.
As invading Germanic tribes cross the frozen Rhine frontier in the bitter winter of 406AD, Calidus, a low-ranking officer leading a patrol of Roman cavalrymen, is caught unprepared by the ferocious onslaught. Forced to lead his men on an arduous journey to perceived safety, his world is no longer one of the glorious legions of old, but a harsh reality in which Roman traditions are in decline, a world in which the influence of the so-called uncivilized barbarians is developing an ever increasing hold on the long-established, but crumbling Empire. The escalating crisis causes Calidus to question his once firmly held beliefs, as he unwillingly finds himself embroiled in the political intrigues in a struggling border town on the Rhine frontier. His loyalties are torn as a struggle to find a balance between duty, honour and self-preservation ensues.…
Pirates made use of many types of ships, in particular smaller versatile vessels which could navigate the shallow waters and shoals characteristic of the Caribbean. Bigger was not necessarily better as larger ships with their complex rigging and large area of canvas were more difficult to sail. Although the term ‘ship’ strictly applied to three-masted, fully rigged vessels, the word was often applied to sloops and brigantines at the time. The names applied to seafaring vessels have changed over time, but here the terms here are those used during the Golden Age of Piracy. During this period, ships were often defined by their type of rigging rather than the shape of their hull or number of masts. A lot of ships possessed at least some oars in the early 18th century, whether brigantines, sloops, or frigate-built ships, allowing for more versatility, especially when there was no wind. At the time, the term man-o’-war could be applied to any vessel of any size fitted for war.
The War of Spanish Succession was fought in Europe and the colonies between 1701 and 1714. The theatre of war in the Americas was known as Queen Anne’s War and involved a series of smaller wars fought by British colonists against the French and their native American allies.
What did pirates eat? Anything they could get their hands on. Although fresh produce was scarce on long sea voyages, pirates didn’t usually spend as long at sea as the average sailor on a naval ship or merchantman. They would normally sail out from their base to seize there pray and return with their booty, where they could purchase fresh provisions. When no friendly port was available, food could be obtained by foraging on one of the many islands or even from plundering. After the fall of the pirate nest Nassau in 1718 and with the increasing pressure on pirates from the Royal Navy, their bases no longer existed and the sea rovers probably had to go for longer periods without fresh food.