Abstract
In The Corsairs’ Longest Voyage, Þorsteinn Helgason presents the most thorough and analytically nuanced account to date of the corsair raids that struck Iceland during the summer of 1627. Undertaken by forces from Algiers and Salé – collectively referred to in Icelandic tradition as the Tyrkjaránið (‘Turkish abductions’) – these expeditions saw over 400 individuals captured and forcibly relocated, with a substantial impact on local populations and property.
A historian well versed in Icelandic archives and narratives, Helgason brings a considered mix of empirical rigour and interpretative breadth to his study. Originally composed in Icelandic and in this edition published in a careful and accessible English translation, the book integrates local testimonies with Mediterranean and Atlantic contexts, contributing to both regional historiography and wider scholarly conversations on early modern slavery, mobility and memory.
The book is structured around a clear tripartite framework: (1) a comprehensive reconstruction of the 1627 events; (2) an analysis of captivity, negotiation and ransom mechanisms; and (3) an exploration of the evolving cultural memory of the raids. Throughout, Helgason employs a wide array of primary sources, such as archival letters, religious texts, oral accounts and artefacts, remaining mindful of the interpretative complexities they entail.
The opening chapter places the raids within the geopolitical setting of seventeenth-century Mediterranean piracy, highlighting the hybrid nature of North African naval forces. Algiers and Salé, while associated with the Ottoman Empire, operated with notable autonomy. Helgason pays particular attention to Murat Reis (Jan Janszoon), a Dutch renegade who embraced Islam and rose to admiral in the Moroccan service. His career serves as a lens through which to explore the mobility and permeability of early modern maritime identities, a subject that has received increasing attention in historiography. Foundational studies such as Bartolomé Bennassar and Lucile Bennassar's Les chrétiens d’Allah and Wolfgang Kaiser's Le commerce des captifs have examined the structural and personal dimensions of renegade networks and captivity economies. 1 Other works have added important nuances to these discussions, particularly Eric R. Dursteler's Renegade Women, which foregrounds gender as a category of analysis in early modern captivity, and Natalie Zemon Davis's Trickster Travels, which explores conversion and cultural negotiation through a compelling biographical lens. 2
Later chapters document the three main attacks (Grindavík, the eastern fjords and the Westman Islands), using a mix of contemporary accounts and oral traditions. Notable attention is paid to the murder of Reverend Jón Þorsteinsson and the following story of his son, Jón Vestmann, who would later engage in corsair activity in the Mediterranean. Helgason approaches these episodes with sensitivity to the narratives’ framing and cultural import, rather than imposing present-day moral perspectives.
The core sections turn to Iceland's defensive capacities and the diplomatic efforts to obtain ransoms. Helgason illustrates how the Danish Crown, then financially burdened by the Thirty Years War, struggled to respond effectively. Figures like Reverend Ólafur Egilsson, who was sent to negotiate, emerge as key actors in a protracted and uncertain process. The role of ransom in diplomacy, along with the personal and communal experiences of captivity, echoes themes in Robert C. Davis's Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters, which situates North African slavery within broader early modern frameworks of forced mobility and religious exchange. 3
Helgason's portrayal of female captives is particularly measured. In the case of Anna Jasparsdóttir, who converted to Islam and stayed in Algiers, he avoids moralistic readings and instead explores the interplay of personal agency and collective memory. This gendered aspect is effectively contextualized alongside works like Natalie Zemon Davis's Women on the Margins and the biographical methodology in Mercedes García-Arenal and Gerard Albert Wiegers' A Man of Three Worlds, which address the multifaceted identities shaped by religion, gender and mobility. 4
What most clearly sets this book apart from other studies on corsair activity is its sustained focus on cultural memory. The concluding chapters trace the enduring presence of the 1627 raids in Icelandic historical consciousness, as reflected in oral tradition, toponyms, religious texts and educational narratives. Helgason shows how the episode was interpreted in various ways – as emblematic of communal resilience, a symbol of Danish indifference or a manifestation of foreign threat. These sections are among the work's most original contributions, aligning with the broader domain of memory studies initiated by Pierre Nora (Les lieux de mémoire) and offering a compelling account of how historical trauma is embedded in both landscape and discourse. 5
In conclusion, Helgason's work represents a major contribution to both Icelandic and Mediterranean historiography. Rather than isolating the 1627 raids as anomalous events, The Corsairs’ Longest Voyage situates them within the wider transregional currents of early modern slavery, religion and imperial politics. The book succeeds in marrying empirical richness with interpretative depth, connecting microhistorical investigation with broader political, cultural and religious themes.
Although initially published in 2018, the book remains highly relevant. In light of renewed scholarly interest in the transregional dimensions of early modern slavery and cultural memory, a reappraisal of this work is both timely and warranted. Published in Brill's History of Warfare series, this study will be of great interest to early modern historians. It uses a military encounter to explore the clash between distant worlds (Iceland and Algeria) in the seventeenth century and the processing of collective trauma by a peripheral community, captivity, forced migration and historical memory over the longue durée. It also offers valuable insights for those exploring the global peripheries of early modern Europe and the often neglected intersections of maritime violence, religious conversion and cultural identity.