They introduced her as the author of a children's book and I was like "hm, does that really make her a 'pirate expert'?" And then the first thing she pointed out was how the nooses were wrong lol she's great
She's an expert in the historical legends about pirates, but definitely not a historian. A lot of the stuff she said as fact about Blackbeard is either speculation with zero evidence (like Blackbeard having a wife in each port), or repeated myths that are known to be false stories invented many decades after the pirates died (like him lighting fire to his beard... she just said in the same video they avoided open flames at all cost!). I'm not hating, just want you to know that you were correct to be skeptical that a non-historian is going to give you an accurate impression of history, even if the noose detail is correct. I'm not sure that it is, I know nothing about historical knots lol
No she’s not. She’s an idiot. I’m a classical Historian and I can say for a fact half of the stuff she said was flat out false. She’s a radical Left wing activist trying to promote revisionist history by infusing Woke extremism.
@@lolomcspanky "A wife in every port" is a metaphor/hyperbole, not a literal statement. And a slow-burning fuse isn't the same as the open flame of a torch; the fuse is enough to set off gunpowder, probably not going to ignite anything unless it's held there, but it will give off smoke and be spooky.
Love Iszi, because she understands that fictional movies are fictional and mostly just points out the areas where historical accuracy is possible rater than complaining about the magic
It's funny to me that Ponce De Leon believed he had found the fountain of youth because the natives looked so much healthier than his crew. When really it was just mineral water from the florida aquifers
And not being riddled with syphilis. OF course, had he come back two months later, it would be a very different story. As he and his crew had now killed about 90% of the population with the mass of horrible diseases they'd infected the Native Americans with - people who had zero natural immunity built up. And the ones who managed to survive would be in terrible shape.
"The hacking is great!" "The hitting of the back of the pistol is great" "Falling to the bottom of the sea...obviously...but a bit slow" Iszi is the perfect combination of charming and historically accurate!
Always reminds me of a History teacher who always used the mantra 'Meat is hung, People are hanged!' His pupils acted as the pedant police correcting anyone who said 'He was hung.'
I love the sarcasm when she's talking about the fantasy aspects of 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' I've seen so many of these with such uptight people that are just so dismissive of the fantasy elements of films. This is refreshing!
What's wrong with being dismissive of something? Even you demonstrated dismissiveness toward uptight people, so being dismissive can't be a bad thing in itself.
@@justjoe4390because sometimes you should read the room as in the case of movies it’s whether it’s a historical drama or a historical story with fantasy elements (like pirates of the Caribbean). It’s common sense to anyone that pirates didn’t have an octopus man as their captain or weren’t cured by the fountain of youth. So it’s best the magic parts aren’t obsessed over and rather the details of history are pointed out instead.
I’m 73. When I was a teen I spent many an afternoon ironing while watching old pirate movies. Fortunately, my father balanced them with some home truths about not just piracy but the brutality of the navies at that time. He did tell me how democratic pirates were. I have no idea how he knew all that. He and my mother were history buffs and he had been a TBM bomber pilot in the Pacific in WWII. He raised me to loathe the romanticizing of human history. And yes Flynn was absolutely stunning. My mother had a huge crush on him and I admit to the occasional teen heart flutter.
I don't know what he is referring to about naval brutality. If you were a sailor, your best bet was serving in the Royal Navy. They had the best and most effective logistical system. Tales of brutal captains are vastly over exaggerated. Most captains had the respect of their crews. I suggest you read feeding , Nelson's navy.
@@jacobwalsh1888 hell yeah, you wouldn't even have to sign up for the Royal Navy, either, you were more likely to be press-ganged into it, how convenient!
@@jacobwalsh1888 again the wikipedia wannabe dipsh.t knowing everything better. Yes, serving in the navy was brutal, inhuman and devastatiing. The average .lifespan of a sailor in the navy was less than that of a slave. fck of
A bit of context for Blackbeard in the movie, it is stated that this Blackbeard shouldn’t be alive, Jack himself mentions the story of Blackbeard’s death and in the movie we know most of his knew crew are new implying the reason why is because his old crew were either imprisoned or executed. So that seals up the age plot hole but it creates a new plot hole in that the Queen Anne’s Revenge was washed up on a sandbar and lost long before his death.
Right, the real Blackbeard died in 1718, and he was probably in his late 30s at the time, but based on the rulers, the fourth POTC movie probably takes place during the late 1740s, nearly 30 years after Blackbeard's death, so if he had survived he would be about the same age as Mcshane.
@@Blokewood3 yeah and as a man who lives in the same region I can tell you the sun here does MASSIVE DAMAGE to one’s complexion over the years if your constantly in the sun all day without sunscreen
@@ElysiaWhitemoonOmega That's the thing that annoyed me the most 😡.. She acts like voodooism isn't part of carribeans trope. Many cultures and religions have their own deities as well. It is also possible that some pirates(famous or not) had a wife or different woman in different parts Of the world.
The queen would never stoop so low as to take plunder from a pirated ship. She was so kind to pardon privateers protecting their country, and would accept.... GIFTS given as thanks for her graciousness
We need more videos with Iszi! There's so much material still! Black Sails, Our Flag Means Death, video games like Sea of Thieves and the Assassins Creed: Black Flag, older movies like Pirates of Penzance and stuff with Errol Flynn, and the infamous YellowBeard! There;s also Cutthroat Island (How did a movie with so much potential end up so terrible?) and movies that are not pirate-centric but have pirates like Hook or the Goonies.
@@Zoroasterisk Yes thank you, Sherlock. But there's more than just those two popular ones. There's also Skull and Bones, Another Sight, Masters of Mystery, the One Piece games, Wind Waker has pirates, Sid Meier's Pirates... I was just adding onto the comment about AC Black Flag. Not to mention the fact that there's several pirate anime besides One Piece, all of which probably get the history entirely wrong considering the fact that the Japanese think the Middle Ages included Victorian England and the Renaissance for some reason. Therefore every comment section on manga and anime also believe that those time periods were the middle ages. But I digress.
@@mjinba07 I know they wouldn't mention it in this video since it's not a movie. I was just saying that I would love to know their opinions on the historical aspects of the show, generally speaking. lol!
Another important fact (in my opinion) about Blackbeard that was missed was his height. It was reported that he was around 6’6”, which was incredibly taller than average at the time, adding to his frightening image. In the movie he seems so small
Ian McShane was fine in the part; Robert Newton (so far, the only actor to have played both Blackbeard and Long John Silver) was all right; but wouldn't Christopher Lee have been great?
Her insight and knowledge of pirate lore and history is amazing... along with her understanding that you need to tell a story for a movie like this and her enthusiasm is just heart-warming. Wonderful video!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE how she goes in depth! In my teens my friend and I were obsessed with the golden age of piracy, especially Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet (before the show, we freaked when it came out), Mary Read and Anne Bonny. This video just brought it all back
As to Blackbeard's age, they said in the movie that he had "had his head cut off and his body thrown to sea where it swam around the ship 3 times before coming back aboard," like the legend of his death in history, but the film Blackbeard had somehow reconnected his head to his body and started to live again.
I think it was spread as a rumor, or he may have switched with someone to make it seem like he was dead. They never explained that, but they did bring up the legend of his death, indicating this takes place afterward.
Yeah, in the movie he is a full on necromancer that has revived a few of his old crew as Zombies - and in this case like actual mythological jamaican zombies. So basicly every officer on board is a mindless husk he puppateers and has given orders to that they follow in complete obedience. I think its rather openly stated, that he indeed was killed like in actual history, but through his access to black magic managed to survive his death. So in the pirates of the carabean franchise, Blackbeard really did just come back to life. So at least the age is explained and I mean, he has a flamethrower built into his ship, so I doubt that any other open fires matter at this point... oh and I think those skulls would really fit in with blackbeard. He might nkt have done that in real life, but gaving the skulls of your enemies adorn every crevice of your ship, you certainly drive the point of "I'm not to be trifled with" home further than any guns or creepy attire ever could. So I think its at least in character - also, I mean, if you are already an undead necromancer, its kinda part of the deal to go with the whole skull motif.
About Blackbeard's age - If I remember it correctly, Jack once dropped a line about "I heard your body made few rounds around the ship and body was like new", therefore it could've happened after his real life death
Mistress Chang I think was the most feared asian pirate, I remember watching behind the scenes for this film and on the extras they actually told you about some of the historical pirates they added in this scene, and they mentioned her
Mistress Chang only embodies the Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao. Which had the command of over 400 Pirate ships and about 60.000 Pirates. Queen of Guangzhou. Mistress of the Silk Road, Mother of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Yes, she was the most feared Pirate in all 7 Oceans.
From experience fencing, it's very difficult to snap a sword, even relatively dainty-looking ones. Granted, we have modern steels, but in general, a steel blade (even an old one) is stronger than your grip! The real disadvantage of such a light sword is you struggle to parry with much authority, especially if something top-heavy like an axe, the butt of a gun or a polearm (eg spear) is being swung at you.
And also getting attacked form all sides and trying to swing your long blade around which is a stabby weapon, when everyone else has a swingy choppy weapon...
Mass hangings aren't a thing in-universe either, it's just that Lord Beckett just gained the ability to teleport to any pirate by taking control of Davy Jones.
@@andrewholdaway813 Actually, she wasn't the first to make that link. And it's only applicable in English. No other language has an equivalent, at least as far as I know. But, i'd be prepared to at least give it credence.
@@FelixstoweFoamForge Yeah she is wrong about Mcshane looking too old, pirates were really ragged and back then your average individual looked much older in your late 30s than you do today. You didnt have really have much medication at all back then and they lived very tough lives unless you were part of the aristocracy of course. In your early 30s you looked like what people in their middle 40s would look like today.
I've watched this video more than once since it came out. Iszi is wonderful. So knowledgeable and entertaining without being pedantic. She's so pleasant to listen to. Definitely would watch more content with her! ❤
I love people who are this straight up and confident about their knowledge without being arrogant or cocky. It’s a fantastic trait to have. She brilliant. 👏🏾👌🏾
What a great video and made better by Iszi's great presentation, i could listen to her talk for hours she is very knowledgeable and puts it across in a fun and brilliant way, thank you Iszi, more from you please.
I love how we go from very accurate detailed descriptions from nooses and pirate codes and open flames, to "yeah funnily enough he could not command the rigging by looking at it". Iszi is great lmao.
I'd love to hear her opinions on Our Flag Means Death. I have never enjoyed listening to someone discussing pirate history as much as I am listening to Iszi!
@@AnneliLMendozaArt They confimed in an interview thaht they consulted real historians and archaeologists so a lot of the things you see in the show is more or less historically accurate. Of course that tv show never dealt with mythical creatures and other fantasy elements so they could focus a bit more on realism.
Love this. My Mum did a DNA test and it came back that she was ‘related’ to Blackbeard. We all found this funny and amazing that these tests can get this information, her family did descend from the south west, so maybe possible. Pirate history is fascinating. Thank you
my favorite part of golden age history will always be the fact that there was a female pirate whom dressed as a man and when she bested someone in a duel she'd flash them to let them know they were bested by a woman. I can't remember if it was Anne Bonny or Mary Read.
07:31 - And there we have it. Women being mothers, were actually servants. Because staying at home with kids, was horribly worse than being slaughtered in wars and piracy...
I'm surprised in her talk about female pirates she didn't mention Zheng Yi Sao who commanded over 40,000 pirates and is considered one of the most successful pirates in history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_Yi_Sao
The most annoying anachronism, I reckon, is the fact that the the "glory days" of Spanish Main piracy (1690s to 1720s, the time such adventures ought to be set, you'd think) is shown in Jack Sparrow's costume & looks and one or two other character appearances from Pirates of the Caribbean movies; but so many other costumes, details and settings suggest a time from the 1750s or later, for the period of the movies - long after the great age of Caribbean piracy was finished.
Great review overall, but I came out of this with a couple pedantic nitpicks: 1. While Wapping/Execution Dock was a favorite spot for pirate hangings at this time, there are examples of pirates being hanged elsewhere in the early 18th century. Jack Rackham and Charles Vane were both executed at Port Royal, Jamaica, not to mention about a dozen pirates hanged at Nassau. 2. Anne Bonny was never a captain. A pirate, yes, a fighter, yes, but never a captain. (Source - Google... and a lot of actual books detailing her career). 3. The cutlasses used in a lot of old pirate movies, with their huge handguards and what not, are more similar to U.S. Navy cutlasses of the previous century than those carried in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Kinda surprised those got a pass... But whatever. 'Tis but a movie. Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Also, almost nothing she said about Blackbeard is backed by any historical evidence, and some of it is directly contradicted by her own claims (lighting his beard on fire is a story that originated looong after his death, and as she said herself, pirates would never want an open flame on a ship!) I love this content so much, but it'd be awesome if they'd consult an actual historian. Because I'm questioning all the info that I don't already know about, it may be apocryphal).
@@lolomcspanky Yeah, this kind of stuff likely fuels as many misconceptions as it dispels. someone like Benerson Little or Colin Woodard might be more worthwhile to hear from though.
I think people used to go to hangings for the same reason we watch True Crime/Serial Killer documentaries and death penalty cases these days... it's fascinating to us to see someone who has flouted the law and societal norms so deeply that their life is in jeopardy and the depth of their crimes is made public. Humans haven't really changed much, the same things that entertained us back then still do!
Got a good chuckle from the ones so offended in the comments. "How dare she talk about a movie based on a Disney ride"? Relax. Adding actual pirates to a movie is how Hollywood makes a children's story sound more authentic. Still to this day waiting for something to come out that will depict actual piracy and not a cutesy comedy.
Love this children's author, Izzie Lawrence, and how knowledgeable she is about pirate history, but not at all snobby or condescending about the inaccuracies of pirate films. She also has the same accent as David Baddiel lol
@@monkeytennis8861 yea I knew I'd spelt it wrong. Bugged me a bit. Irish slaves in Jamaica 🇯🇲. Google it. Why would I lie just because I can't spell.. one love.
@@monkeytennis8861 An indentured servant was still a slave bud. You can't say one people's struggle in literal bondage was worse than another's. Irish people were treated like dirt for most of history.
Aw, they didn't mention Ching Shi with the other female pirates, even when she was on screen 😔 - she has to be my favorite female pirate. At least I learned a lot of interesting tidbits about Black Beard... and pirate democracy 👍🏻
Anne Bonny did not captain a ship. She and Mary Read were both part of Jack Rackham's crew, which was very small, only 14 people or so. Too few to have more than one ship sailing together. Bonny's pirate career lasted two months, from late August 1720, when the crew seized a ship and sailed out of Nassau, to late October 1720, when they were captured.
I can't tell what the point of this random info, it's so random and not connected to the video. I couldn't come up with any explanation other a bizarre attempt to cast shade on women pirates as not successful. If that's the case, please consider the legendary pirate known as Zheng Yi Sao (among other things, like many pirates including Blackbeard, her exact name is unclear in the historical record), who was much, much, much more badass at warfare than any male pirate who ever lived. She was the only successful pirate, who was never defeated but retired with full amnesty and died of old age, because literally no navy, no government on earth could defeat her. They had to make a deal. And she pulled this off decades after the "classic age' of piracy ended, when no one else could manage to do piracy at all. Maybe they should have made Mary Read captain and they wouldn't have been captured so quickly :,D
@@lolomcspanky The expert referred to Bonny as a captain, which is wrong. If someone is going to act as an expert on something, it's important they get their facts right. There is a lot of misinformation regarding Bonny and Read already that keeps getting spread around. Way to completely miss the point.
@@lolomcspanky Also Anne and Mary were captured because they had been left to fight alone as the men were drunk and in the end surrendered. Not quite sure if you were meaning that as 'shade' but had the men helped, they wouldn't have faced execution.
The first time I saw Ms. Lawrence was when she helped with the descriptions in the Netflix series The Lost Pirate Kingdom. Her insight into this particular time in history proved to be very invaluable as well as a true treat. It would be an even better treat to meet her someday! :D
Me watching a legit pirate expert and reconsidering my life choices 😅... This was such a great video because it educated rather than picked holes, lovely stuff.
I really like Iszi Lawrence. Should have given her more to look at though - this video was 50% bad Pirates of the Carribean films (granted, only the first one was real gold).
I know this is supposed to cover movies and all But i wish we could see her thoughts about assassin's Creed 4 black flag Especially all the historical characters that appear in it
Awesome! I was surprised to learn that anything in these movies might even be remotely accurate. I always hope for continuity as a story progresses, but never expect historical accuracy from Hollywood. After all, these are the same people that take liberties with works of fiction, lol. Anyway, this was informative and fun. I hope there are more like it in the future. Thank you, History Hit & Iszi! 😄
I had a grade school geography teacher who would correct anyone who said "hung" when referring to rope based executions. Without missing a beat, she would say "Pictures are 'hung', people are 'hanged' ." She was super weird. Her car was always full to the brim with random stuff. She would also say, "close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades" whenever someone said anything like "I was so close" or "89 is close to an A." I'm writing a book on pirates.
The Queen Ann's Revenge Was a 200 ton Frigate with 40 guns She had no Castle for or aft She could carry 300 men was 103ft, 32ft wide with 2 decks So the way she is shown in movies is all wrong. She was a new type of ship in 1710 when built for the French Navy When Eddie got her she had less then 40 cannons> More then likely less then 20 as a slaver did not want the weight of so many guns. A 330 lb cannon was 2 or 3 more slaves. From what I can find her largest gun was but a 4lb and the smallest was a 1/2lb
Love that she mentions that @4:00. It's kinda funny how people now think modern media is desensitizing us to violence when its always been like that, but for real
I would like to thank her for telling me that the rigging wouldn't actually come to life and suspend the pirates. I have long dreamed of becoming a pirate but never pulled the trigger because I was scared of the rigging attacking me.
"He could've also been mad because of the syphilis"...can't argue with that one 😂
Wasn't the Mercury cause of his madness that he injected to his syphilis disease?
From personal experience 😂
Would probably make me pretty cranky too so I get it
Not mad like angry. Mad crazy. Syphillis makes you go nuts.
Yeah that one had me laughing because I didn't see it coming. lol
It's information like that, that makes you remember. : >
They introduced her as the author of a children's book and I was like "hm, does that really make her a 'pirate expert'?" And then the first thing she pointed out was how the nooses were wrong lol she's great
If you're going to write for children, it's nice to be right about what you write, so the kids get the right idea from the start.
She's an expert in the historical legends about pirates, but definitely not a historian. A lot of the stuff she said as fact about Blackbeard is either speculation with zero evidence (like Blackbeard having a wife in each port), or repeated myths that are known to be false stories invented many decades after the pirates died (like him lighting fire to his beard... she just said in the same video they avoided open flames at all cost!).
I'm not hating, just want you to know that you were correct to be skeptical that a non-historian is going to give you an accurate impression of history, even if the noose detail is correct. I'm not sure that it is, I know nothing about historical knots lol
@@lolomcspankyShe did preface it with it being legends and didn't state it as facts. She said it would make sense, not that it happened.
No she’s not. She’s an idiot.
I’m a classical Historian and I can say for a fact half of the stuff she said was flat out false.
She’s a radical Left wing activist trying to promote revisionist history by infusing Woke extremism.
@@lolomcspanky "A wife in every port" is a metaphor/hyperbole, not a literal statement. And a slow-burning fuse isn't the same as the open flame of a torch; the fuse is enough to set off gunpowder, probably not going to ignite anything unless it's held there, but it will give off smoke and be spooky.
Love Iszi, because she understands that fictional movies are fictional and mostly just points out the areas where historical accuracy is possible rater than complaining about the magic
Yessss
Yeah she is wrong about Mcshane looking too old, pirates were ragged and back then you looked much older in your late 30s than you do today.
Wait these movies were fiction😮😢😂
@@gustaf3811 Ian McShane is 80 now, he would have been 69-70 when they made that PotC movie
This vid is my introduction to her and that’s def something I noticed right away and truly enjoy about her.
It's funny to me that Ponce De Leon believed he had found the fountain of youth because the natives looked so much healthier than his crew. When really it was just mineral water from the florida aquifers
And the crew was probably in bad shape due to the lack of vitamin c
Being on a ship with minimal food and water for 6 months probably doesn't help.
And not being riddled with syphilis.
OF course, had he come back two months later, it would be a very different story. As he and his crew had now killed about 90% of the population with the mass of horrible diseases they'd infected the Native Americans with - people who had zero natural immunity built up. And the ones who managed to survive would be in terrible shape.
And how many diseases were Europeans inflicted with ???
Iszi has to be one of the most fun presenters in this sort of format. Bring her back!
She's got a podcast with Dr. David Hone about dinosaurs called Terrible Lizards which is also pretty awesome
Who said she wasn't coming back?
@@Ih8liarsandusers errr... nobody from what I can see. Why?
I missed the fun part.
She’s an idiot. The fact OP said she’s great immediately tells me they are a Leftist. 😂
"The hacking is great!" "The hitting of the back of the pistol is great" "Falling to the bottom of the sea...obviously...but a bit slow" Iszi is the perfect combination of charming and historically accurate!
Always reminds me of a History teacher who always used the mantra 'Meat is hung, People are hanged!' His pupils acted as the pedant police correcting anyone who said 'He was hung.'
It was 'pictures are hung, people are hanged' where I grew up.
7th grade English teacher: Horses are hung, men are hanged.
“They said you was hung!”
“And they was right.”😉
Meat is hung, men are hanged. That's the saying
@@monkeytennis8861 distinction without a difference, that's also a saying
Love that she acknowledges that certain things make great filmmaking while still teaching us the factual. Love her!
is she really teaching the the factual? this retired sailor would argue that her origin story for shake a leg is very very wrong.
She sounds a little grumpy or begrudging whenever she discusses the innacuracies. She doesn't sound accepting as much as begruding, wouldn't you say?
Iszi has David Tennant energy and I think that’s one of the reasons I love to watch her pirate breakdowns
you're so right
Yeah she is wrong about Mcshane looking too old, pirates were ragged and back then you looked much older in your late 30s than you do today.
Oh my god yes she does lmao
Are you American?
SOmetimes it goes a tad into emma thompson
I love the sarcasm when she's talking about the fantasy aspects of 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' I've seen so many of these with such uptight people that are just so dismissive of the fantasy elements of films. This is refreshing!
What's wrong with being dismissive of something? Even you demonstrated dismissiveness toward uptight people, so being dismissive can't be a bad thing in itself.
@@justjoe4390because sometimes you should read the room as in the case of movies it’s whether it’s a historical drama or a historical story with fantasy elements (like pirates of the Caribbean). It’s common sense to anyone that pirates didn’t have an octopus man as their captain or weren’t cured by the fountain of youth. So it’s best the magic parts aren’t obsessed over and rather the details of history are pointed out instead.
"It's really hard to sail a ship with your crew filled splinters, or dead" Well said mam, well said!
I’m 73. When I was a teen I spent many an afternoon ironing while watching old pirate movies. Fortunately, my father balanced them with some home truths about not just piracy but the brutality of the navies at that time. He did tell me how democratic pirates were. I have no idea how he knew all that. He and my mother were history buffs and he had been a TBM bomber pilot in the Pacific in WWII. He raised me to loathe the romanticizing of human history. And yes Flynn was absolutely stunning. My mother had a huge crush on him and I admit to the occasional teen heart flutter.
I don't know what he is referring to about naval brutality. If you were a sailor, your best bet was serving in the Royal Navy. They had the best and most effective logistical system. Tales of brutal captains are vastly over exaggerated. Most captains had the respect of their crews. I suggest you read feeding , Nelson's navy.
“Romanticizing of human history”?
@@RogueT-Rex8468Leaving out the icky parts
@@jacobwalsh1888 hell yeah, you wouldn't even have to sign up for the Royal Navy, either, you were more likely to be press-ganged into it, how convenient!
@@jacobwalsh1888 again the wikipedia wannabe dipsh.t knowing everything better. Yes, serving in the navy was brutal, inhuman and devastatiing. The average .lifespan of a sailor in the navy was less than that of a slave. fck of
A bit of context for Blackbeard in the movie, it is stated that this Blackbeard shouldn’t be alive, Jack himself mentions the story of Blackbeard’s death and in the movie we know most of his knew crew are new implying the reason why is because his old crew were either imprisoned or executed.
So that seals up the age plot hole but it creates a new plot hole in that the Queen Anne’s Revenge was washed up on a sandbar and lost long before his death.
Yeah she is wrong about Mcshane looking too old, pirates were ragged and back then you looked much older in your late 30s than you do today.
Right, the real Blackbeard died in 1718, and he was probably in his late 30s at the time, but based on the rulers, the fourth POTC movie probably takes place during the late 1740s, nearly 30 years after Blackbeard's death, so if he had survived he would be about the same age as Mcshane.
@@Blokewood3 yeah and as a man who lives in the same region I can tell you the sun here does MASSIVE DAMAGE to one’s complexion over the years if your constantly in the sun all day without sunscreen
he probably used the voodoo magic to stay alive, and with that Sword of Triton, he would probably be able to unbeach the ship
@@ElysiaWhitemoonOmega That's the thing that annoyed me the most 😡.. She acts like voodooism isn't part of carribeans trope. Many cultures and religions have their own deities as well. It is also possible that some pirates(famous or not) had a wife or different woman in different parts Of the world.
The queen would never stoop so low as to take plunder from a pirated ship. She was so kind to pardon privateers protecting their country, and would accept.... GIFTS given as thanks for her graciousness
The thought of anyone seeing Blackbeard's flag and saying, "Oh it's alright, it's only Blackbeard. We'll be fine!" made me laugh so hard! 😅😂🤣
We need more videos with Iszi! There's so much material still! Black Sails, Our Flag Means Death, video games like Sea of Thieves and the Assassins Creed: Black Flag, older movies like Pirates of Penzance and stuff with Errol Flynn, and the infamous YellowBeard! There;s also Cutthroat Island (How did a movie with so much potential end up so terrible?) and movies that are not pirate-centric but have pirates like Hook or the Goonies.
Dont forget all the pirate video games. AC Black Flag has A LOT of history stuff in it. I'd love to see her take on that.
@@Zoroasterisk Yes thank you, Sherlock. But there's more than just those two popular ones. There's also Skull and Bones, Another Sight, Masters of Mystery, the One Piece games, Wind Waker has pirates, Sid Meier's Pirates... I was just adding onto the comment about AC Black Flag. Not to mention the fact that there's several pirate anime besides One Piece, all of which probably get the history entirely wrong considering the fact that the Japanese think the Middle Ages included Victorian England and the Renaissance for some reason. Therefore every comment section on manga and anime also believe that those time periods were the middle ages. But I digress.
@@octogonSmuggler can’t forget about monkey island lol
Captain Blood perhaps? Oh Errol Flynn be still my heart.
Also could be interesting to see her reviewing Master and Commander
I would LOVE to hear Iszi's opinions on the series Black Sails, considering it is incorporating pirate history with the story of Treasure Island.
They never do Black Sails. Maybe because it was a series rather than a movie. But I'd love to see it in one of these expert reviews.
@@mjinba07 I know they wouldn't mention it in this video since it's not a movie. I was just saying that I would love to know their opinions on the historical aspects of the show, generally speaking. lol!
Another important fact (in my opinion) about Blackbeard that was missed was his height. It was reported that he was around 6’6”, which was incredibly taller than average at the time, adding to his frightening image. In the movie he seems so small
Ian McShane was fine in the part; Robert Newton (so far, the only actor to have played both Blackbeard and Long John Silver) was all right; but wouldn't Christopher Lee have been great?
@@willmfrankChristopher Lee as Blackbeard in POTC would have been amazing
Pirate history is undoubtedly fascinating in and of itself, but she is great at presenting and explaining!
I am once again hoping for an episode where Iszi is shown Our flag means death clips, would love to hear the same type of analysis of that show!
My favourite genre of video is academics/experts against movies. Really enjoy Iszi Lawrence, please bring her back for another one.
Her insight and knowledge of pirate lore and history is amazing... along with her understanding that you need to tell a story for a movie like this and her enthusiasm is just heart-warming. Wonderful video!
Loved every minute of Iszi Lawrence's commentary! Learned so much yet felt entertained at the same time. Wonderful!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE how she goes in depth! In my teens my friend and I were obsessed with the golden age of piracy, especially Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet (before the show, we freaked when it came out), Mary Read and Anne Bonny. This video just brought it all back
As to Blackbeard's age, they said in the movie that he had "had his head cut off and his body thrown to sea where it swam around the ship 3 times before coming back aboard," like the legend of his death in history, but the film Blackbeard had somehow reconnected his head to his body and started to live again.
I think it was spread as a rumor, or he may have switched with someone to make it seem like he was dead. They never explained that, but they did bring up the legend of his death, indicating this takes place afterward.
Yeah, in the movie he is a full on necromancer that has revived a few of his old crew as Zombies - and in this case like actual mythological jamaican zombies. So basicly every officer on board is a mindless husk he puppateers and has given orders to that they follow in complete obedience.
I think its rather openly stated, that he indeed was killed like in actual history, but through his access to black magic managed to survive his death. So in the pirates of the carabean franchise, Blackbeard really did just come back to life. So at least the age is explained and I mean, he has a flamethrower built into his ship, so I doubt that any other open fires matter at this point... oh and I think those skulls would really fit in with blackbeard. He might nkt have done that in real life, but gaving the skulls of your enemies adorn every crevice of your ship, you certainly drive the point of "I'm not to be trifled with" home further than any guns or creepy attire ever could. So I think its at least in character - also, I mean, if you are already an undead necromancer, its kinda part of the deal to go with the whole skull motif.
When they said pirate expert, I didn't expect it would be a real expert. She knows her stuff!
About Blackbeard's age - If I remember it correctly, Jack once dropped a line about "I heard your body made few rounds around the ship and body was like new", therefore it could've happened after his real life death
Mistress Chang I think was the most feared asian pirate, I remember watching behind the scenes for this film and on the extras they actually told you about some of the historical pirates they added in this scene, and they mentioned her
I love that they gave the part to an old actor, and not someone more traditionally Hollywood prostitute looking.
Mistress Chang only embodies the Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao. Which had the command of over 400 Pirate ships and about 60.000 Pirates.
Queen of Guangzhou. Mistress of the Silk Road, Mother of Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Yes, she was the most feared Pirate in all 7 Oceans.
From experience fencing, it's very difficult to snap a sword, even relatively dainty-looking ones. Granted, we have modern steels, but in general, a steel blade (even an old one) is stronger than your grip!
The real disadvantage of such a light sword is you struggle to parry with much authority, especially if something top-heavy like an axe, the butt of a gun or a polearm (eg spear) is being swung at you.
And also getting attacked form all sides and trying to swing your long blade around which is a stabby weapon, when everyone else has a swingy choppy weapon...
Mass hangings aren't a thing in-universe either, it's just that Lord Beckett just gained the ability to teleport to any pirate by taking control of Davy Jones.
Iszi Lawrence is great. Funny, witty, and very very knowledgeable in her field.
Maybe but her origin of pulling my leg is pretty dubious to say the least.
@@andrewholdaway813 Actually, she wasn't the first to make that link. And it's only applicable in English. No other language has an equivalent, at least as far as I know. But, i'd be prepared to at least give it credence.
@@FelixstoweFoamForge
Much more likely to be related to a distraction technique used by pickpockets
@@FelixstoweFoamForge Yeah she is wrong about Mcshane looking too old, pirates were really ragged and back then your average individual looked much older in your late 30s than you do today. You didnt have really have much medication at all back then and they lived very tough lives unless you were part of the aristocracy of course. In your early 30s you looked like what people in their middle 40s would look like today.
@@andrewholdaway813Yes, you would pull the leg of someone you're trying to pickpocket. What are you going on about?
Iszi is so awesome! I could listen to her all day talk about this stuff, so knowledgable and a great abillity to present information.
Proof that if you’re a pirate expert, you’re definitely cool and definitely don’t take things too seriously.
Yay, she's back! I loved her the first time and she was just as enjoyable to listen to the second time :D
One Piece, Black Sails and Our Flag Means Death need to have a review video too!
"Pirate Expert Reviews Famous Pirates in Hollywood TV Shows"
@HistoryHit Please give this lady a show! I would totally watch her tell interesting tales of piracy and privateering.
She thinks she knows a single thing a bout pirates
And she doesn’t
@@tshelby5212Let's see your credentials then, little buddy.
@@sjcommander91
Some of her stuff does seem a bit dubious and her 'origin of pulling your leg' particularly so.
Disappointment they don't have Black Sails or Assassin's Creed Black Flag for much better Blackbeards or some other famous pirate properties
But one is a tv show and one is a game, the theme is Hollywood films
This just came up on my feed out of the blue and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it, very educational. Iszi's descriptions are very captivating!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've watched this video more than once since it came out. Iszi is wonderful. So knowledgeable and entertaining without being pedantic. She's so pleasant to listen to. Definitely would watch more content with her! ❤
I will give y’all one of my kidneys if you have a show with Iszi and Dan Jones talking about pirates.
I was undecided at the start but her passion for the subject matter won me over. I like her.
I love people who are this straight up and confident about their knowledge without being arrogant or cocky. It’s a fantastic trait to have. She brilliant. 👏🏾👌🏾
What a great video and made better by Iszi's great presentation, i could listen to her talk for hours she is very knowledgeable and puts it across in a fun and brilliant way, thank you Iszi, more from you please.
Yeah she is wrong about Mcshane looking too old, pirates were ragged and back then you looked much older in your late 30s than you do today.
I'd love to hear what you have to say about the series "Black Sails".
I love how we go from very accurate detailed descriptions from nooses and pirate codes and open flames, to "yeah funnily enough he could not command the rigging by looking at it".
Iszi is great lmao.
I'd love to hear her opinions on Our Flag Means Death. I have never enjoyed listening to someone discussing pirate history as much as I am listening to Iszi!
I'd love to see her take on the show Black Sails!
I can’t believe they didn’t include it 😮
@@AnneliLMendozaArt Well, in video about Pirate Movies, Pirate TV Show is bit in wrong place... 😉
@@Morhgoz my bad, got carried away 🤣🤣🤣🙈🙈🙈🙈
@@AnneliLMendozaArt Happens to us all sometimes... 😅😁😁
@@AnneliLMendozaArt They confimed in an interview thaht they consulted real historians and archaeologists so a lot of the things you see in the show is more or less historically accurate. Of course that tv show never dealt with mythical creatures and other fantasy elements so they could focus a bit more on realism.
Love this. My Mum did a DNA test and it came back that she was ‘related’ to Blackbeard. We all found this funny and amazing that these tests can get this information, her family did descend from the south west, so maybe possible. Pirate history is fascinating. Thank you
my favorite part of golden age history will always be the fact that there was a female pirate whom dressed as a man and when she bested someone in a duel she'd flash them to let them know they were bested by a woman. I can't remember if it was Anne Bonny or Mary Read.
I like the fan theory that Pirates of the Caribbean was a bunch of stories that young Elizabeth had read
She's Don Quichote of the pirates
07:31 - And there we have it. Women being mothers, were actually servants.
Because staying at home with kids, was horribly worse than being slaughtered in wars and piracy...
I'm surprised she glossed over Zheng Shi, the pirate queen of China who was arguably the most successful pirate in history.
I loved this video so much. The port wife bit.. "'Oh hes lovely, he always comes home!"
I really like her and the way she tells stories she's awesome
She's got a podcast with Dr. David Hone, a paleontologist, about dinosaurs called Terrible Lizards
I need to see her take on Our Flag Is Death now. I love it’s take on Blackbeard despite it being comedic satire
This lady is so fun! I love the way she explained things, and the context! More of her for sure.
I love these kinds of videos. I'd happily sit and listen to their history lessons for hours.
In the movie, Black Beard was supposed to be older because it was long after he supposedly died. Jack even recounts his "death" back to him.
I'm surprised in her talk about female pirates she didn't mention Zheng Yi Sao who commanded over 40,000 pirates and is considered one of the most successful pirates in history.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_Yi_Sao
Isn't that who Misstres Ching supposed to be or based on?
@@chuchulainn9275 Yes
Absolutely brilliant presentation by Iszi Lawrence! I admit, the child in me wished she had also included the film Yellow Beard.
If I remember correctly, Elie Weisel's book mentions the hanging of a child, and it was a horrifyingly slow execution by strangulation.
The most annoying anachronism, I reckon, is the fact that the the "glory days" of Spanish Main piracy (1690s to 1720s, the time such adventures ought to be set, you'd think) is shown in Jack Sparrow's costume & looks and one or two other character appearances from Pirates of the Caribbean movies; but so many other costumes, details and settings suggest a time from the 1750s or later, for the period of the movies - long after the great age of Caribbean piracy was finished.
lol true and the Pirates films are set during the 1690s haha
This woman is amazing. Love her energy, her brain, her hair, everything.
Great review overall, but I came out of this with a couple pedantic nitpicks:
1. While Wapping/Execution Dock was a favorite spot for pirate hangings at this time, there are examples of pirates being hanged elsewhere in the early 18th century. Jack Rackham and Charles Vane were both executed at Port Royal, Jamaica, not to mention about a dozen pirates hanged at Nassau.
2. Anne Bonny was never a captain. A pirate, yes, a fighter, yes, but never a captain. (Source - Google... and a lot of actual books detailing her career).
3. The cutlasses used in a lot of old pirate movies, with their huge handguards and what not, are more similar to U.S. Navy cutlasses of the previous century than those carried in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Kinda surprised those got a pass...
But whatever. 'Tis but a movie.
Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Also, the crew of Bart Roberts were hanged in Madagascar if I recall correctly.
Also, almost nothing she said about Blackbeard is backed by any historical evidence, and some of it is directly contradicted by her own claims (lighting his beard on fire is a story that originated looong after his death, and as she said herself, pirates would never want an open flame on a ship!)
I love this content so much, but it'd be awesome if they'd consult an actual historian. Because I'm questioning all the info that I don't already know about, it may be apocryphal).
@@lolomcspanky Yeah, this kind of stuff likely fuels as many misconceptions as it dispels. someone like Benerson Little or Colin Woodard might be more worthwhile to hear from though.
Complaining about the length of the rope while: _The 9th of December 1783 saw the first executions on Newgate's "New Drop" gallows_
What a fun, interesting, knowledgable, witty, engaging expert! More, please!
I think people used to go to hangings for the same reason we watch True Crime/Serial Killer documentaries and death penalty cases these days... it's fascinating to us to see someone who has flouted the law and societal norms so deeply that their life is in jeopardy and the depth of their crimes is made public. Humans haven't really changed much, the same things that entertained us back then still do!
Absolutely love her approach and presentation. By far, one of my favorites.
Got a good chuckle from the ones so offended in the comments. "How dare she talk about a movie based on a Disney ride"? Relax. Adding actual pirates to a movie is how Hollywood makes a children's story sound more authentic. Still to this day waiting for something to come out that will depict actual piracy and not a cutesy comedy.
To be fair, On Stranger Tides takes place after Blackbeard's death, Jack mentions it when he is in his cabin
Love this children's author, Izzie Lawrence, and how knowledgeable she is about pirate history, but not at all snobby or condescending about the inaccuracies of pirate films. She also has the same accent as David Baddiel lol
I could listen to her talk about pirates all day. You can feel the passion
Just want to point out: Iszi didn’t say Keith Richards isn’t a real and true pirate…
Well done to whomever came up with the idea of the flint-lock cocking sound for the pause button.
Jamaican Patwa originated from Irish slaves teaching African slaves the English language. You can actually hear it. Fascinating.
Firstly, it's patois and secondly "Irish slaves"? Yeah no
@@monkeytennis8861 yea I knew I'd spelt it wrong. Bugged me a bit. Irish slaves in Jamaica 🇯🇲. Google it. Why would I lie just because I can't spell.. one love.
Fascinatingly wrong
@@monkeytennis8861Indentured servant would probably be more accurate, but there is some Irish influence in the Jamaican patois.
@@monkeytennis8861 An indentured servant was still a slave bud. You can't say one people's struggle in literal bondage was worse than another's. Irish people were treated like dirt for most of history.
"Pirate Expert" is the absolute pinnacle of titles. Ever!
Aw, they didn't mention Ching Shi with the other female pirates, even when she was on screen 😔 - she has to be my favorite female pirate. At least I learned a lot of interesting tidbits about Black Beard... and pirate democracy 👍🏻
This was amazing! Honestly, I couldn’t stop watching. Thank you so much.
Anne Bonny did not captain a ship. She and Mary Read were both part of Jack Rackham's crew, which was very small, only 14 people or so. Too few to have more than one ship sailing together. Bonny's pirate career lasted two months, from late August 1720, when the crew seized a ship and sailed out of Nassau, to late October 1720, when they were captured.
They were captured I believe because all the men were drunk and incapable of fighting.
I can't tell what the point of this random info, it's so random and not connected to the video. I couldn't come up with any explanation other a bizarre attempt to cast shade on women pirates as not successful. If that's the case, please consider the legendary pirate known as Zheng Yi Sao (among other things, like many pirates including Blackbeard, her exact name is unclear in the historical record), who was much, much, much more badass at warfare than any male pirate who ever lived. She was the only successful pirate, who was never defeated but retired with full amnesty and died of old age, because literally no navy, no government on earth could defeat her. They had to make a deal. And she pulled this off decades after the "classic age' of piracy ended, when no one else could manage to do piracy at all.
Maybe they should have made Mary Read captain and they wouldn't have been captured so quickly :,D
@@lolomcspanky The expert referred to Bonny as a captain, which is wrong. If someone is going to act as an expert on something, it's important they get their facts right. There is a lot of misinformation regarding Bonny and Read already that keeps getting spread around. Way to completely miss the point.
@@lolomcspanky Also Anne and Mary were captured because they had been left to fight alone as the men were drunk and in the end surrendered. Not quite sure if you were meaning that as 'shade' but had the men helped, they wouldn't have faced execution.
I thought I'd watch like 5 mins and watch something else but that was incredible. Finished it before I even realized. Great content!!
Any chance you could get Iszi's take on the series "Black Flag" for accurate portrayal? Feels like they would be a perfect fit.
YASSSSS THIS ^^^
The first time I saw Ms. Lawrence was when she helped with the descriptions in the Netflix series The Lost Pirate Kingdom. Her insight into this particular time in history proved to be very invaluable as well as a true treat. It would be an even better treat to meet her someday! :D
Ok the Sea Hawk commentary was great. I love her face at 23:14 🤣
Love how passionate she is about this! Makes it more fun to learn.
Me watching a legit pirate expert and reconsidering my life choices 😅... This was such a great video because it educated rather than picked holes, lovely stuff.
I appreciate this video so much and Isza’s passion/knowledge just started a new “rabbit hole” for me.
I really like Iszi Lawrence. Should have given her more to look at though - this video was 50% bad Pirates of the Carribean films (granted, only the first one was real gold).
how exactly DOES someone become a pirate expert? because that sounds like one hell of an awesome job
Can't believe she never mentioned Edward Kenway
Iszi is wonderful and VERY personable! We need more of this lady!!
I know this is supposed to cover movies and all
But i wish we could see her thoughts about assassin's Creed 4 black flag
Especially all the historical characters that appear in it
I love that the video starts with a warning and immediately cuts to a scene of people being hanged
Awesome! I was surprised to learn that anything in these movies might even be remotely accurate. I always hope for continuity as a story progresses, but never expect historical accuracy from Hollywood. After all, these are the same people that take liberties with works of fiction, lol. Anyway, this was informative and fun. I hope there are more like it in the future. Thank you, History Hit & Iszi! 😄
I had a grade school geography teacher who would correct anyone who said "hung" when referring to rope based executions. Without missing a beat, she would say "Pictures are 'hung', people are 'hanged' ." She was super weird. Her car was always full to the brim with random stuff. She would also say, "close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades" whenever someone said anything like "I was so close" or "89 is close to an A."
I'm writing a book on pirates.
Would love to see her react to AC Black Flag! There are so many actual pirates in that game and I would love to hear her opinion on their portrayal.
I would love to see Iszi do this with pirate tv shows next
The Queen Ann's Revenge Was a 200 ton Frigate with 40 guns She had no Castle for or aft She could carry 300 men was 103ft, 32ft wide with 2 decks
So the way she is shown in movies is all wrong. She was a new type of ship in 1710 when built for the French Navy
When Eddie got her she had less then 40 cannons> More then likely less then 20 as a slaver did not want the weight of so many guns. A 330 lb cannon was 2 or 3 more slaves.
From what I can find her largest gun was but a 4lb and the smallest was a 1/2lb
No, Frigates didn't come about until 1741. Prior to that were Corvettes.
Love that she mentions that @4:00. It's kinda funny how people now think modern media is desensitizing us to violence when its always been like that, but for real
Iszi Lawrence is phenomenal.
I just have to say that you impersonation of an Edward Teach wife is hilarious.😄😄
I would like to thank her for telling me that the rigging wouldn't actually come to life and suspend the pirates. I have long dreamed of becoming a pirate but never pulled the trigger because I was scared of the rigging attacking me.