Famous Pirates in History

, , Leave a comment

Unauthorized violence or robbery at sea or on main bodies of water like rivers by the crew of one ship upon another is termed ‘piracy’ which is different from a warlike activity authorized by a government, in which case it is termed as ‘privateering.’ Any violence by some of the people against others on the same ship does not constitute piracy.  The roots of piracy are traceable to the Sea People who offended the Aegean and Mediterranean in the 14th century BC.  In spite of different preventive measures taken from time to time, the practice continues currently in the form of the Somalian piracy. In 2010, Somali pirates seized 1,181 hostages and were paid multi-million dollars in ransom as reported by the BBC. There is a small Somali town which exclusively caters to the needs of pirates, and its restaurants are intended to feed the crews of hijacked ships and the people kept in their custody with the intent to demand ransom. Unlike the old pirates, the Somali pirates do not hoist the symbolic Jolly Roger flag with the skull and two crossed long bones. Neither do they bear the cutlass in hand or wear the eye patch. They are very well equipped with modern arms like RPGs, rocket-propelled grenades, and small, high-speed boats.

1. Benjamin Hornigold

Benjamin Hornigold
Benjamin Hornigold

Benjamin Hornigold was probably born in Norfolk, England, and the only thing also known is that he died in 1719. He started his first documented piracy in 1713 when he acquired a few canoes and a single-masted pilot boat to capture merchant vessels near the coast of New Providence and Nissau. In 1717 he was in possession of a 30-gun boat, which was the best armed ship in the region, and he named it Ranger. He seized three ships in 1717, one carrying 120 barrels of flour, and the other two were carrying spirits and wine. Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was his next in command. Hornigold adopted a strategy of not attacking any ships bearing the British flag to show himself as a British ally and to give the impression of being a privateer rather than a pirate. It was to the entire displeasure of his crew who ultimately removed him from the captaincy. In 1718 he requested a pardon which was granted. He thereafter acted as a pirate hunter for Woodes Rogers, the governor of the Bahamas.

2. Francois l’Olonnais

Francois l'Olonnais
Francois l’Olonnais

Better known as Francois l’Olonnais, John David Nau was a French pirate who was born in Les Sables-d’Olonne in 1635 and died in 1668. He started his career as a servant for a fixed period of time in exchange for food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. Such a contract was termed as ‘indenture.’ Having completed his indenture servitude in 1650, he became a pirate in Saint Dominque and wandered around many islands. He was shipwrecked near Campeche, Mexico. Spanish soldiers attacked and killed most of the survivors while he lay smeared with the  blood of others among the dead bodies and survived. Helped by some slaves he left for Tortuga and reorganized and then held the town hostage. A ship was sent to kill him, but he seized the ship and killed all of the crew except one through whom he delivered a message to the Spanish, reading ‘I shall never henceforth give quarter to any Spaniard whatsoever.’

3. Jean Lafitte

Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte (death)

Jean Lafitte was born in 1776 in Saint Dominque and died in 1823 in the Gulf of Mexico. He had a store in Mexico where he sold the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre Lafitte. In 1814 he was captured by the Americans and, in exchange for pardon, Lafitte helped General Andrew Jackson to defend New Orleans against the British attack in 1815. He continued pirating Spanish vessels until his death in 1823.

4. William ‘Captain’ Kid

William 'Captain' Kid
William ‘Captain’ Kid

William Kid was born in Dundee, Scotland in 1645 and died in Wapping, England on May 23, 1701. He was a Scottish pirate, considered a privateer by some and simply a sailor by a few. He is best remembered for his trial. His questioning before the English Parliament brought him to prominence. It is said that he was less destructive than the contemporary pirates.

5. Edward England

Edward England
Edward England

Edward Seegar, better known as Edward England, was born in Ireland and is best known for his being an African coast and Indian Ocean pirate captain from 1717 to 1720. The ships he sailed include the Pear and Fancy. His flag was the iconic pirate flag, the Jolly Rogers, with the skull and crossed bones. Pirate Captain Christopher Winter captured and sent him to the pirate base on Nassau, Bahamas. His next reported position was as a quartermaster with Charles Vane. Vane’s Sloop, the Lark, was captured by the Royal Navy, but England was released to inculcate other pirates to accept the king’s pardon. Edward England died at the end of 1720.

6.  Oliver Levasseur

Oliver Levasseur
Oliver Levasseur

Oliver Levasseur, nicknamed La Bouche, was born at Calais in 1690 and died on July 7, 1730. He was called ‘LaBouche the Hawk’ on account of his contentious personality and swiftness of his attacks. He became a naval officer during the War of Spanish Succession after receiving a Letter of Marque from King Louis XIV, he became a privateer for the French. In 1716 he joined an organized gang of Benjamin Hornigold. He had a scar under one eye which limited his eyesight. But after his shipwreck, he lost his total vision for this eye and started wearing the eye patch. Levasseur and Taylor then ventured into the greatest piracy campaign by seizing Nossa Senhora do Cabo which, being damaged, had off-loaded all its 72 canons to prevent capsizing. The ship was full of treasures belonging to the Bishop of Goa estimated at $100,000,000 in 1968 belonging to the Bishop of Goa. The event was used by Robert Louis Stevenson in his novel Treasure Island. Each pirate received $50,000 and 42 diamonds while Levasseur and Taylor got the lions’ share. Levasseur was captured from Fort Dauphin, Madagascar and sent to Saint Denis Reunion and hanged on July 7, 1730.

7. Thomas Tew

Thomas Tew
Thomas Tew

Thomas Tew was a 17th century privateer who later became a famous pirate. He moved to Bermuda in 1690 while he was privateering against French and Spanish ships. He received a Letter of Marquee, a government license, authorizing him to attack and seize enemy vessels. He was also provided with a 72-ton sloop with 46 crewmen and equipped with 8 guns. Tew hoisted his flag showing a white arm holding a sword. In 1693 he captured the sailing sloop Amity. He captured a big ship en route from India to the Ottoman Empire. He plundered $100,000 worth of gold excluding much more from silk, ivory, spices, and diamonds. Each pirate received more than $1200 while Tew received $8000. Tew paid off the owners of the Amity 14 times its original price. The Amity took over the Mugal ship Fateh Muhammad in September, 1695, but Tew was killed in the battle by a gunshot.

8. Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts, better known as John Roberts, was born in Little Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, England on May 17, 1682 and died on February 10, 1722. Having captured more than 470 prizes in his career, he was the most successful pirate of his time. On an occasion of being elected as captain, Roberts said that since he had dipped his hands in muddy water and must be a pirate, it was better being a commander than a common man.

9. Charles Vane

Charles Vane
Charles Vane

Charles Vane was born in 1680 and died on March 29, 1721. He was an English pirate who operated from the notorious base at New Providence, Bahamas from 1716 to 1719. His flagship was Ranger. Vane was known for his cruelty to the crew of captured ships. He was captured in 1721 and was hanged at Gallows Points, Port Royal, Jamaica.

10. Roberto Cofresi

Roberto Cofresi
Roberto Cofresi

Roberto Cofresi Ramirez de Arellano, later known as Roberto Cofresi, was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He was the most famous pirate of legendary Robin Hood repute in Latin America. It is said that he attacked U.S. ships exclusively, and the story narrated behind the grudge was that he was caught eating sugar while on an American ship and was beaten badly by the captain. Being captured, he was executed by firing squad on March 29, 1825.

Conclusion:

Captured pirates were hanged ‘dancing the hempen jig’ or at the end of a rope. Renowned pirates like, William Kid, Charles Vane, William Fly, and Jack Rackham were punished beyond death by hoisting their bodies up in iron cages and allowed to rot. The process sometimes extended over two years. Modern Somali pirates are far ahead of them in terms of the violence, atrocities to hostages, and the ransom they demand. But they are not punished like the pirates of the 17th or 18th century. It is said that stable Somalia is the only solution to check the menace of Somalian piracy.

 

Tea Time Quiz

[forminator_poll id="23176"]
 

Leave a Reply