The Forgotten Slave Trade: The White European Slaves of Islam

Another excellent book from Simon Webb. Refreshing to find a history writer who deals with facts, not prescribed fiction.

Thoroughly enjoyable short narrative on the universal impact of slavery. Webb successfully attempts to show that slavery impacted Europe historically and challenges much of today's views on the slave trade being initiated by white colonial powers which only had an effect on black Africans. He explains how early Moslem religious teaching meant that it was not acceptable to enslave fellow Moslems so for the best part of 1000 years Europe including the British Isles and Africa provided the millions of slaves required. A well balanced and refreshingly frank history without political interference. Should be impartially read and digested by all.

I enjoyed the book. It resurrected important facts, long since ignored or marginalised because they don't fit the current woke narrative and thus gave them context and meaning. If I have one minor negative observation it's the use of the Falklands War (p.168) to justify a disingenuous point: Margaret Thatcher didn't launch the Falklands War to win an election or distract the British voter; she merely responded with military force to a war forced upon her by Argentina and its need to distract their masses due to the Juntas' mishandling of the Argentine economy. That aside, this book joins others on my bookshelf which defends the British story in taking on the slavers and puts to the metaphorical sword the notion that slavery was a uniquely white and western undertaking. Those less discerning don't like that fact - but fact it is.

A must read for every American, European, British, and African person. I'm a scientist, but not a historian, indeed I hated history at school. This book is written in that perfect niche of being authoritative, having suitable (but not too many) references, and being a good and easy read. I loved the way the author linked some of the events to modern attitudes and took a clear and non partisan view of history, whilst still showing how current education in British schools and indeed in the public arena is so lacking in many aspects of British history. Seems such important events have been sidelined for left wing poltical reasons. As a Brit working in Africa, it's all too true that Europeans are simply viewed as colonisers and slavers and putting this in the context of a much larger history fits so much together and shows just how damaging the current antiwest rhetoric is in the media. I definitely wish I had read this 20 years ago, but it is a modern book so I guess now is the time to get back to the real events and understand better the relationship between Europe, the Middle East, Americas, Russia and Africa. I learned far more than just about the sizeable trade in white slaves, and was actually impressed and want to read more about the development of the navy in the USA. Superb. I recommend to anyone who wants a gripping history of European slavery.

This should be taught in schools, so that they can see what happened in the past. It also explained from the beginning of written history the roles slaves had, but more importantly how close Christian Europe was to being lost on not than one occasion.

Easy to read, obviously researched well. Lundy Island certainly has a bit of history - wouldn't have wanted to be a fisherman sailor or live in a coastal village in any southern areas of Ireland, Wales or England as possibly would have ended up as a slave in North Africa

Mr Webb brings this aspect of history back to life in a narrative that is illuminating and easy to follow. Showing the nature of this widespread ghastly trade and its awful consequences which have endured to the present day is to be applauded. I would recommend inclusion on the schools syllabus.

This is a highly laudable and informative book, one which throws up inconvenient truths for the politically correct, who would rather its contents be glossed over and the idea of 'the slave trade' (i.e. only one, the Transatlantic trade) be perpetuated at the expense of all other slave trades. Historically, slavery has been ubiquitous, featuring in cultures as varied as the North African and the Viking , and, as The Forgotten Slave Trade reveals, Caucasians have at times been its victims and not, as some would have us believe, exclusively its perpetrators. Another reviewer here, by the name of Molnul, states rather insidiously that he (or she) knows 'what type of audience this book is catering for'. It appears he does not, unless (and this is unlikely) Molnul is aware that to highlight a deliberately overlooked slave trade is not to detract from the injustice endemic to the one whose evils are most often aired and condemned.

Terrible book. Who uses the Daily Mail as a source for academic content on slavery…? The author’s language makes it clear there is agenda - it’s not even a hidden one. In essence, this book is neither academic in content or language. If you’ve read the work of true historians who write unbiased, well researched content, don’t waste your time or money on this one. You’ll be truly disappointed.

The 'slave trade' is NOT just the American experience. This book delves into the history and extent of slavery and puts the 'triangular'trade' in context. Remember, Saint Patrick was an English slave of the Irish who escaped.

This book is full of things that are bound to make a reader of any race uncomfortable. To be reminded that all races were enslaved (and all races the enslavers) flies in the face of the dominant narrative. The treatment of white slaves by their North African masters is particularly appalling and not something you probably learned about in school. You will also be reminded that the Western word for "slave" is related to "Slav" (slave, esclave, etc.). You will also be reminded why the people of the Balkans hate one another. No, history didn't begin in 1991. Devshirme is the part of the story your history teacher "forgot" to mention. Webb also mentions the scholarship of Robert Davies who calculated that between 1 million and 1.25 million Europeans were enslaved by North Africans. For those quick to claim "whitewashing" this book has particular value for you. This may be your first and possibly only chance to develop sympathy for people that are different than you. If you really want to learn about slavery, why not study diversity in slavery? Webb is a true scholar who pulls no punches. The book is not written from a political perspective, but rather from the perspective of exposing rarely mentioned and inconvenient truths. If you need a narrative where all of the heroes wear the same color hat (and all the villains wear a different color hat), you may initially be confused by Webb's scholarship, but I have faith that you too, can understand the rich and diverse tapestry of human history.

Simon Webb is not an academic, but a history enthusiast, however his tone is often boffin-like. The copy editing, or perhaps the writing itself, is riddled with syntactical and grammatical errors. However, sources are often mentioned and the bibliography is extensive. Concerned that the modern conception of slavery (in the Western world at least) centres almost exclusively on the trade in black Africans to the US, Webb aims to redress the balance by pointing out that for centuries, Europeans enslaved each other and were trafficked to Muslim countries. Indeed, slave warriors formed elite, powerful groups that essentially ruled in Ottoman times: the Mamelukes and the Janissaries. More usually, European slaves had far more wretched lives - as galley slaves for instance. Webb also points out the numerous and varied political and social results of this trade, whose effects tentacle into recent times, particularly as regards the wars resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia. In fact “Slav” is where the word “slave” comes from. He also points out that slavery has always been a common institution right around the world, as those who know the Bible will realise. (Think of the Jews in Egypt or Babylon.) It was surprising to learn that even Alaskans raided for slaves as far south as current day California. The involvement of the newly independent US with the Barbary Coast trade was interesting, though perhaps too much weight is given as to how much this shaped American political and military behaviour down to the present day. In the final chapter Webb sets out the survival dates of slavery in the Muslim world well into the 20thC. Of course, slavery still does exist, as we can see documented by various organisations. Now as then, it’s done for commercial reasons, or should we say, greed. Despite its problems, this is an interesting book. Perhaps a trained historian who’s good at writing popular history as impartially as possible could write a better one.

Simon webb is well known for digging into unusual parts of history and this is exactly what you would expect. Well researched and well written