Why did Peter the Great want to befriend Madagascar pirates?
He imagined the distant island as a wondrous El Dorado. The reality, however, was quite different.
Peter the Great learned of Madagascar's existence in 1721 from Swedish Vice-Admiral Daniel Wilster. Wilster described the island to him as a wondrous place, full of all sorts of riches, where a free pirate republic was flourishing.
Wilster himself had never been to Madagascar, but merely relayed these exaggerated rumors circulating among his fellow sailors to the tsar. Immediately, Peter the Great was fired up by the idea of sending an expedition there. The island was also considered a staging post en route to India, with its valuable spices.
Wilster led the expedition. He was tasked with establishing diplomatic and trade relations with the elite of the pirate state.
At the end of 1723, two frigates left the port of Reval (now Tallinn) and set out on a long voyage. However, they soon had to return, due to damage.
Peter didn't despair and ordered preparations for a new expedition. However, he died in 1725 and the distant island was soon forgotten.
In reality, Madagascar wasn't worth the tsar's efforts or dreams. A British fleet soon explored the island and found nothing of value there, only small, scattered settlements of impoverished pirate gangs.
