The Last Pirate Queen of Morocco | Sayyida al-Hurra

In this week's episode we explore the incredible life and career of Sayyida al-Hurra. From hot takes such as "imperialism is bad" to thirsting over the Barbarossa brothers and becoming Sayyida al-Hurra's #1 stans, we explore her life and career as she built an empire to rival that of Spain and Portugal.

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Bibliography:

Aomar Boum and Park, T.K. (2016). Historical Dictionary of Morocco. Rowman & Littlefield.

Azami, R.I., Touzani, H. and Sabil, A. (2023). Female Agency, History,and the Current Discourses of Representation: Sayyida al-Hurra (Ruler of Tétouan) as a Case Study. Journal of Applied Language and Culture Studies, [online] 6(3), pp.91–106. Available at: https://revues.imist.ma/index.php/JALCS/article/view/40237/20781.

Cem Nizamoglu (2018). Malika VI: Sayyida Al-Hurra - Muslim Heritage. [online] Muslim Heritage. Available at: https://muslimheritage.com/malika-vi-sayyida-al-hurra/.

Gregory, R. (2025). A History of Women in Piracy. Pen and Sword History.

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Laura Sook Duncombe (2019). Pirate women : the princesses, prostitutes, and privateers who ruled the seven seas. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Review Press.

Laura Sook Duncombe (2020). A pirate’s life for she : swashbuckling women through the ages. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press Incorporated.

Mernissi, F. and Mary Jo Lakeland (2012). The forgotten queens of Islam. Minneapolis: University Of Minnesota Press.Prieto, S.S. (2024).

The remarkable reign of Sayyida Mandri Al-Hurra. [online] Meer. Available at: https://www.meer.com/en/78883-the-remarkable-reign-of-sayyida-mandri-al-hurra [Accessed 1 Mar. 2026].Visitmorocco.com. (2019).

Tetouan, white dove of the Mediterranean Sea | Moroccan National Tourist Office. [online] Available at: https://www.visitmorocco.com/en/travel/tetouan [Accessed 1 Mar. 2026]