What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lionkeeper of Algiers: How an American Captive Rose to Power in Barbary and Saved His Homeland from War
In 1785, just a few years after U.S. Independence, a young American named James Leander Cathcart is kidnapped at sea and carried as prisoner to the maverick North African statelet of Algiers, where he is held as a political hostage along with hundreds of other seamen captured on the open seas. The piratical corsairs of Algiers have decided, without any warning, to exploit the vulnerability of the newborn United States by seizing its mariners and holding them for ransom while ruthlessly exploiting their free labor. Today, the name of James Leander Cathcart has been all but forgotten by history. And yet he was one of the most remarkable figures in the early story of the fledgling United States.
The Lionkeeper of Algiers reveals the extraordinary and unlikely story of Cathcart, who, thanks to his flair for languages and his formidable human intuition, rose steadily up the ranks from lionkeeper at the Dey’s private zoo to become Chief Clerk at the Palace, along the way amassing a chain of taverns in Algiers that functioned as safe houses and food banks for American prisoners.
Eleven years later, just one among more than one hundred US hostages in Algiers, Cathcart was paroled back to America and charged with delivering a vital letter to President George Washington, saving a tenuous peace deal and bringing the other captives home. Remarkably, his sense of honor compelled him to go back to Algiers – where he had never formally been made free – to see the peace project through. Cathcart would go on to become a U.S. diplomat in the lands where he was held captive for more than a decade.
Featuring some of the most prominent Americans of the era like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, as well as ordinary citizens like Hannah Stephens, the wife of a sea captain who tirelessly lobbied Congress until she was finally reunited with her husband after more than a decade, author Des Ekin’s captivating storytelling brings this adventure to life. This page-turning narrative follows the twists and turns of Cathcart’s own life upon the international stage of diplomacy, trade, and maritime statecraft at a time when America’s place in the world was hanging in the balance.
The Lionkeeper of Algiers reveals the extraordinary and unlikely story of Cathcart, who, thanks to his flair for languages and his formidable human intuition, rose steadily up the ranks from lionkeeper at the Dey’s private zoo to become Chief Clerk at the Palace, along the way amassing a chain of taverns in Algiers that functioned as safe houses and food banks for American prisoners.
Eleven years later, just one among more than one hundred US hostages in Algiers, Cathcart was paroled back to America and charged with delivering a vital letter to President George Washington, saving a tenuous peace deal and bringing the other captives home. Remarkably, his sense of honor compelled him to go back to Algiers – where he had never formally been made free – to see the peace project through. Cathcart would go on to become a U.S. diplomat in the lands where he was held captive for more than a decade.
Featuring some of the most prominent Americans of the era like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, as well as ordinary citizens like Hannah Stephens, the wife of a sea captain who tirelessly lobbied Congress until she was finally reunited with her husband after more than a decade, author Des Ekin’s captivating storytelling brings this adventure to life. This page-turning narrative follows the twists and turns of Cathcart’s own life upon the international stage of diplomacy, trade, and maritime statecraft at a time when America’s place in the world was hanging in the balance.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2023
About the author
Des Ekin
7 books26 followersDes Ekin is an Assistant Editor with The Sunday World. As well as researching investigative news articles, he writes a popular column that reaches more than a million readers every weekend. He was born in County Down, Northern Ireland and spent a decade reporting on Troubles in Northern Ireland before moving to Dublin, where he now lives with his wife and three children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 8, 2023
If you thought your day job was bad, wait until you read about poor James Leander Cathcart. The Lionkeeper of Algiers by Des Ekin tells the story of Cathcart and his ship which are captured by Algerian pirates in 1785. It turns out, being from a brand new country with no navy means you are a prime target for pirates. The piracy part is actually the most pleasant part of the experience.
Cathcart is an ideal person to follow in this story as he cleverly finds his way out of more and more dangerous situations. He even ends up owning multiple bars in Algiers somehow and rises to the highest post possible for a Christian in the country. Ekin also tells the story of all the American crews taken by pirates in this time period. It is probably evident not all of them fare as well as Cathcart.
This book is very good in a lot of ways. It is a look into a very neglected time period in U.S. history to say nothing of the fact that Mediterranean pirates are often only a footnote in history class. I learned a lot about the inner workings of these statelets and how they survived on the labor of prisoners. It was not a great place to be.
The narrative does wander a bit too much. I would have liked if the spotlight stayed on Cathcart more and dug in deeper. I understand there is only so much documentation, but the book both felt short but padded at times. It's still worth grabbing a copy as its an easy read and very informative.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 3/16/2023.)
Cathcart is an ideal person to follow in this story as he cleverly finds his way out of more and more dangerous situations. He even ends up owning multiple bars in Algiers somehow and rises to the highest post possible for a Christian in the country. Ekin also tells the story of all the American crews taken by pirates in this time period. It is probably evident not all of them fare as well as Cathcart.
This book is very good in a lot of ways. It is a look into a very neglected time period in U.S. history to say nothing of the fact that Mediterranean pirates are often only a footnote in history class. I learned a lot about the inner workings of these statelets and how they survived on the labor of prisoners. It was not a great place to be.
The narrative does wander a bit too much. I would have liked if the spotlight stayed on Cathcart more and dug in deeper. I understand there is only so much documentation, but the book both felt short but padded at times. It's still worth grabbing a copy as its an easy read and very informative.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 3/16/2023.)
October 20, 2023
When the American Revolution ended, the United States gained its liberty from Great Britain. It also lost its protection. As a new nation, America believed in free trade, but the Mediterranean Sea was a dangerous place for sailors and those vessels without protection were fair game for the Barbary corsairs. On 25 July 1785, the Maria was bound for Boston when a xebec captured the merchant ship off the Portuguese coast. The Algerine corsairs stripped the six men of all their possessions and forced them to board the xebec. The first American to do so was eighteen-year-old James Leander Cathcart. Taken to Algiers, he and the others became prisoners and slaves, forced to do their kidnappers’ bidding or face punishment and possible death while they waited for their ransoms to be paid. Cathcart was assigned to the palace gardens, where one of his responsibilities was tending to the lions who frequently managed to get out of their cage.
Today, Cathcart’s name is virtually unknown. He survived nearly eleven years in captivity, and during that time, he went from a lowly gardener and lionkeeper to chief clerk at the palace. He had an ear for languages and an insatiable curiosity. When combined with his ability to network with others and to work the system, he would achieve this most powerful position to help both his fellow countrymen survive horrendous conditions and to keep peace between Algiers and the United States.
This is not a biography of Cathcart, although Ekin does include information about what happens to the various participants in this story of human trafficking following the release of the American hostages. Nor is it simply a story of Cathcart’s time as a Barbary slave. It is also a story of Algiers and of the other captives who experienced this tragedy, as well as what happened to the folks at home and the political maneuverings on both sides to either gain the ransoms or the captives’ freedom. Within these pages, readers meet Isaac Stephens, captain of the Maria, and his wife, Hannah, who found herself evicted from their home and forced to put herself and their children to work to survive during his captivity. Or Scipio Jackson, an African American sailor who endured not only enslavement but also racism. Or Yusuf Rais (Captain Joseph), who started life in Algiers as a slave, converted to Islam, and kidnapped others. Or Charles Logie, the British counsel, who whispered in the dey’s ear that American ships were fair game for his corsairs, and who pretended to offer shelter to American officers only to treat them as no better than servants. Or Captain John Lamb, who somehow ended up being selected to parley for the American captives but was the most ill-suited man for the job. Or Sidi Ali Hassan, who some deemed insightful and savvy while others found him unpredictable and ambitious. He had one goal in life – to become dey, and he was ruthless enough to have members of his family killed to gain the throne. Or Consul Mathias Skjoldebrand of Sweden, who saved the life of an American captive by paying his ransom. This book is also a discussion of corsair tactics and what life was like in Algiers as a captive slave, including psychological torture and the culture of fear which these men endured.
In his introduction, the author assures readers that this book is pure nonfiction. All details and conversations are based on primary writings, but this is not a book intended for scholarly research. Instead, Ekin writes for the lay audience interested in learning more about little-known, but important, episodes in history. He includes a center section of black-and-white portraits, charts, and scenes of Algiers and Barbary slaves. If the book has any drawback, it is the lack of an index. Ekin does, however, include additional information and his resources in the Notes section at the end of the book. Although there is one brief recounting of a woman passenger taken from a ship, this is primarily about the men who were trafficked during this period in American history.
This is not the first time that I have read about Cathcart, but Ekin presents him in a totally different light from those other accounts. As a result, readers gain a new awareness and appreciation for this man and the experiences that influenced the rest of his life.
The Lionkeeper of Algiers is a thorough, well-rounded, and absorbing account of Cathcart and his fellow American captives and what they experienced. In the last sentence of the book, Ekin writes Cathcart’s “unique contribution to the early history of the United States has never been fully recognized and possibly never will be, but perhaps this book will help in some small way to remedy this oversight.” (221) Ekin admirably achieves this goal, providing readers with a provocative account that opens avenues of discussion and further exploration.
(This review originally appeared at Pirates & Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Ekin.html)
Today, Cathcart’s name is virtually unknown. He survived nearly eleven years in captivity, and during that time, he went from a lowly gardener and lionkeeper to chief clerk at the palace. He had an ear for languages and an insatiable curiosity. When combined with his ability to network with others and to work the system, he would achieve this most powerful position to help both his fellow countrymen survive horrendous conditions and to keep peace between Algiers and the United States.
This is not a biography of Cathcart, although Ekin does include information about what happens to the various participants in this story of human trafficking following the release of the American hostages. Nor is it simply a story of Cathcart’s time as a Barbary slave. It is also a story of Algiers and of the other captives who experienced this tragedy, as well as what happened to the folks at home and the political maneuverings on both sides to either gain the ransoms or the captives’ freedom. Within these pages, readers meet Isaac Stephens, captain of the Maria, and his wife, Hannah, who found herself evicted from their home and forced to put herself and their children to work to survive during his captivity. Or Scipio Jackson, an African American sailor who endured not only enslavement but also racism. Or Yusuf Rais (Captain Joseph), who started life in Algiers as a slave, converted to Islam, and kidnapped others. Or Charles Logie, the British counsel, who whispered in the dey’s ear that American ships were fair game for his corsairs, and who pretended to offer shelter to American officers only to treat them as no better than servants. Or Captain John Lamb, who somehow ended up being selected to parley for the American captives but was the most ill-suited man for the job. Or Sidi Ali Hassan, who some deemed insightful and savvy while others found him unpredictable and ambitious. He had one goal in life – to become dey, and he was ruthless enough to have members of his family killed to gain the throne. Or Consul Mathias Skjoldebrand of Sweden, who saved the life of an American captive by paying his ransom. This book is also a discussion of corsair tactics and what life was like in Algiers as a captive slave, including psychological torture and the culture of fear which these men endured.
In his introduction, the author assures readers that this book is pure nonfiction. All details and conversations are based on primary writings, but this is not a book intended for scholarly research. Instead, Ekin writes for the lay audience interested in learning more about little-known, but important, episodes in history. He includes a center section of black-and-white portraits, charts, and scenes of Algiers and Barbary slaves. If the book has any drawback, it is the lack of an index. Ekin does, however, include additional information and his resources in the Notes section at the end of the book. Although there is one brief recounting of a woman passenger taken from a ship, this is primarily about the men who were trafficked during this period in American history.
This is not the first time that I have read about Cathcart, but Ekin presents him in a totally different light from those other accounts. As a result, readers gain a new awareness and appreciation for this man and the experiences that influenced the rest of his life.
The Lionkeeper of Algiers is a thorough, well-rounded, and absorbing account of Cathcart and his fellow American captives and what they experienced. In the last sentence of the book, Ekin writes Cathcart’s “unique contribution to the early history of the United States has never been fully recognized and possibly never will be, but perhaps this book will help in some small way to remedy this oversight.” (221) Ekin admirably achieves this goal, providing readers with a provocative account that opens avenues of discussion and further exploration.
(This review originally appeared at Pirates & Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Ekin.html)
January 10, 2023
A centuries-old grudge had settled into “politics of plunder” between Europe and the Barbary States as their corsairs seized European ships for spoils and hostages and Europe retaliated in kind. By the late 1700s, powerful European nations were reduced to paying tribute to the dey of Algiers in what Ekin calls an established protection racket. With its independence, America lost the protection Britain purchased annually with its tribute to Algiers, and in July 1785 the Boston schooner Maria was captured with twenty-one American citizens on board. America, a nation without a navy, so young its leaders were busy organizing and holding it together, responded with wonder that pirates from a tinpot state had targeted their ships.
Although Congress had earlier allocated funds for peace treaties with the Barbary States, Jefferson, Franklin, and John Adams could not agree on a strategy. Franklin, for one, didn’t think the freedom to trade in the Mediterranean was worth paying for. Jefferson proposed war, but as time passed, he hoped for a sale on the going price of ransom. These men and the bureaucracy that surrounded them would bungle one attempt after the other, and petitions to Congress and letters to the Ambassador brought only disappointment and hopelessness. The imprisoned and enslaved men were sentenced to lives so wretched and miserable it was beyond their expression “and your conception,” they pleaded in their letters.
These men slept in vermin-infested prisons, suffered through waves of plague, worked under grueling conditions in the blistering sun, their bodies damaged, their minds near broken from daily psychological torture. The delays and bureaucratic incompetence that kept these men in a living hell for over ten years might be excused of a nation newly forming if it were not such a familiar tale two hundred years later.
But there is hope in this story and his name is John Cathcart, a man who is almost forgotten to history. He is a heroic figure who played a pivotal role in keeping his American shipmates alive during this interminably long period of suffering and in helping negotiate their release. His intelligence, curiosity, and personal charm aided him as he worked his way up the ladder of the enslaved where one misstep, one turn of the dey’s mood, would cost him his life. Some will resent his luck, though he had engineered it by being observant, studious, and wily, refusing to compromise his values and his commitment to his country. This book will introduce readers to this bold and daring young man who is a model of perseverance and hope.
Although Congress had earlier allocated funds for peace treaties with the Barbary States, Jefferson, Franklin, and John Adams could not agree on a strategy. Franklin, for one, didn’t think the freedom to trade in the Mediterranean was worth paying for. Jefferson proposed war, but as time passed, he hoped for a sale on the going price of ransom. These men and the bureaucracy that surrounded them would bungle one attempt after the other, and petitions to Congress and letters to the Ambassador brought only disappointment and hopelessness. The imprisoned and enslaved men were sentenced to lives so wretched and miserable it was beyond their expression “and your conception,” they pleaded in their letters.
These men slept in vermin-infested prisons, suffered through waves of plague, worked under grueling conditions in the blistering sun, their bodies damaged, their minds near broken from daily psychological torture. The delays and bureaucratic incompetence that kept these men in a living hell for over ten years might be excused of a nation newly forming if it were not such a familiar tale two hundred years later.
But there is hope in this story and his name is John Cathcart, a man who is almost forgotten to history. He is a heroic figure who played a pivotal role in keeping his American shipmates alive during this interminably long period of suffering and in helping negotiate their release. His intelligence, curiosity, and personal charm aided him as he worked his way up the ladder of the enslaved where one misstep, one turn of the dey’s mood, would cost him his life. Some will resent his luck, though he had engineered it by being observant, studious, and wily, refusing to compromise his values and his commitment to his country. This book will introduce readers to this bold and daring young man who is a model of perseverance and hope.
March 20, 2023
Long before Alexander Hamilton created the Coast Guard James Lender Cathcart was is a merchant seaman for America. We were trying to create a solid international trading of products an 18-year-old James was helping do that but unfortunately he was kidnapped by pirates and made a slave in Algiers. He lived there for many years and despite being a slave made a good life for himself and he was like to buy mini. That’s why when the Pirates broke a peace treaty and started kidnapping semen again they allowed James to go back to America with a missive for the president. He sailed back on his own boat but the most miraculous thing is he went back to Algiers because he wasn’t a “free“ man yet. This book was so good I enjoyed James story and the other stories the author added to the book I felt so sorry for the American slave who was freed in New York became a merchant marine and was kidnapped and made a slave again MLG is talk about bad luck. I knew about this story but didn’t know the actual details and I’m so glad I got to read it this was such a great book and it reads more like fiction then I stale nonfiction read. I loved it and give it five stars in it deserves everyone of them. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
January 9, 2023
It is amazing how remarkable people fall through the cracks of history. This story flushes out an important section of not only American History but World History. I find myself constantly in awe of what our ancestors went through. I will say that this is not a book to be read if you are interested in Lions or Lion keeping. There are no thrilling zoological events. The title is very misleading. Yes, he worked at the Palace Zoo, but briefly. In fact, if you take all the mentions of Lions in this book I doubt it will take up two whole pages. Cathcart working with Lions is a minor blip in the larger story and ultimately irrelevant beyond him having a cushier job than some of the other captives at first.
March 27, 2023
I just finished reading this wonderful book on James Cathcart and the Barbary pirates.
I'm always happy when I read about an heroic man that I've never heard of before.
The harsh treatment that Cathcart and his fellow slave captives had to endure was similar to American slavery. The difference is they could be ransomed.
He was a bricklayer, accountant, LIONKEEPER of of a zoo, dockworker, harbor administrator
and bar owner.Oh and he was Hassan dey's right hand man to boot!
Thanks to netgallery for the free book.
I'm always happy when I read about an heroic man that I've never heard of before.
The harsh treatment that Cathcart and his fellow slave captives had to endure was similar to American slavery. The difference is they could be ransomed.
He was a bricklayer, accountant, LIONKEEPER of of a zoo, dockworker, harbor administrator
and bar owner.Oh and he was Hassan dey's right hand man to boot!
Thanks to netgallery for the free book.
May 1, 2023
So many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this new work. This brilliant new piece of history should not be missed. This is the amazing story of James Cathcart. I had not previously heard of this story. This is an important tale. It is a wonderfully written and incredibly informative. There is so much history packed into this book. If this was fiction, it would hard to believe. Many thanks to the author for bringing this story to us now. This was my first by Mr. Ekin, surely will not be my last. This is recommended highly for any history and naval enthusiasts.
April 4, 2023
This was a very engaging and well written book. I knew nothing of the person at the center of this narrative and little of the period before the Tripoli War. The author did an excellent job addressing the mechanisms the negotiations and the intricacies of the Algiers government.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews