author
Woodes Rogers
d. 1732
A privateer, globe-circling captain, and colonial governor, he helped bring an end to Nassau’s pirate stronghold. He is also remembered for rescuing the marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk, whose story is often linked to Robinson Crusoe.
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About the author
Born around 1679, Woodes Rogers was an English sea captain and privateer who built his reputation during the War of the Spanish Succession. He became widely known for leading a privateering voyage around the world and later published an account of it, A Cruising Voyage Round the World, which helped secure his place in maritime history.
One of the most famous moments of that voyage came in 1709, when he rescued the stranded Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk from a Pacific island. Selkirk’s ordeal is generally believed to have helped inspire Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, giving Rogers an unexpected connection to literary history as well as naval adventure.
Rogers later served as governor of the Bahamas, first from 1718 to 1721 and again from 1728 until his death in 1732. In Nassau he became known for working to restore order and suppress piracy, playing a major part in the decline of the so-called "Republic of Pirates."