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Shedding Light on a Forgotten Piece of History — White People As the Enslaved
The Point Of The Gun Decides.
Have you ever stumbled upon a book that completely shifts your perspective? That’s what happened to me when I found Giles Milton’s “White Gold” at Gatwick Airport years ago during a business trip. This book isn’t your usual historical tale; it’s like a hidden gem revealing a side of history we rarely hear about — the enslavement of Europeans by North Africans.
The book accounts for a million white Europeans forcibly captured and traded as enslaved people in North Africa’s bustling markets. Unlike many African enslaved people, one crazy thing I remember was the main character writing to his government for help! Through the captivating firsthand narrative of Thomas Pellow, a Cornish cabin boy, Giles Milton resurrects this history. Pellow’s journey as the personal slave to Morocco’s sultan unveils the opulent cruelty of an imperial court constructed by Christian slaves. Sounds familiar?
