Geohistoria del corso. Las posibilidades de una historia global

The present paper explains and employs a new method for creating a graph that sets up a time frame for the corsair raids of the North African powers on the Spanish coasts in the 17th and 18th centuries and especially between 1650 and 1768. This method is based on the analysis of the information found in the record books kept by the redemptionist orders—the Trinitarians and the Mercedarians. Nearly 10,000 cases have been examined and it can be hypothesized that the assumption of a decrease in the corsair raids during the 18th century does not seem to hold water, as far as this precise geographical area is concerned. Furthermore, and using the same sources, it is claimed that a geo-history of these corsair raids makes it possible to find out the areas that were most affected by these attacks as well as their evolution over time.

This study sheds new light on the question of captivity, which is not only the fallout of privateering but also of the border wars between the Spanish Empire and the North African powers.