Nothing sounds as good as a firm, stern, and easy-to-remember pirate's name. Having succumbed to the sea robbers, people often changed their names in order to complicate the authorities' ability to identify them. For others, the change of name was purely symbolic: the newly minted pirates mastered not only new activity, but also absolutely new life, which some preferred to enter with a new name.

In addition to many pirate names, there are also many recognizable pirate nicknames. Aliases have always been an integral part of gangster culture, and pirates were no exception in this regard. We will talk about the most common pirate nicknames, analyze their origin and provide a list of the most popular ones.

  • Blackbeard. The origin of the nickname is very trivial. had a thick black beard, and, according to legend, before the battle he wove burning wicks into it, the smoke of which made him look like the devil himself from the underworld.
  • Calico Jack. The nickname of the pirate, so he was christened for his love for various calico decorations.
  • Spaniard killer. That is what they called the cruel and ruthless towards the Spaniards famous.
  • Redhead, Bloody Henry. Two nicknames that belonged to the famous pirate. The first nickname is directly related to the color of his hair, and the second - to his far from merciful deeds.
  • Pirate Gentleman. A nickname given to him due to his aristocratic origin.
  • Vulture. Nickname for a French pirate. It is not entirely clear why this nickname stuck to him, apparently, after all, it better reflected his character and temper.
  • Lanky John. Pirate nickname for a fictional pirate. In addition to this nickname, he had one more - Ham.
  • Black Corsair. The nickname of the protagonist in the novel of the same name by Emilio Salgari.

These were the nicknames of the most famous real and fictional pirates. If you need unique thematic names, then in the game Corsairs Online, when creating a character, you have at your disposal a pirate nickname generator, you can try to pick up something interesting for yourself.

Pirate nicknames for the party

If you're hosting a pirate-themed party and need to name everyone in attendance, the list below should help you with that.

Although the history of piracy is largely dominated by male names, yet there were female pirates who led pirate ships. Some of them, contrary to everything that forbade the stay of women on board the ship, acted openly, others covered themselves with men's outfits and behaved like men. Below are the most famous female pirates in the history of piracy.

Æthelflæd of Mercia (869-918)

The Lady of the Mercians or the Iron Lady of Mercia is possibly one of the first female pirates in the history of piracy. Daughter of King Alfred the Great and sister of Edward the Elder ruled Mercia from 911 until her death.

This was a time of frequent Viking attacks on Britain. In the 890s, Æthelflæd, along with her husband Æthelred II of Mercia, led a flotilla that played a huge role in repelling Viking raids.

After the deterioration of her husband's health, the Lady of the Mercians took over the government of the country. She took up the fortification of cities and the construction defensive structures. Her victory over the Vikings at Derby has been called by historians Lady Mercia's "greatest triumph". The ruler herself has earned the reputation of a competent military leader.

Jeanne de Clisson (1300-1359)

This female pirate named Jeanne de Belleville is also known as the "Lioness of Brittany". 13 years of her life were devoted to piracy. Jeanne de Clisson led pirate ships that plied the English Channel and attacked French ships. Her flotilla consisted of only three ships, but was well known as the "Black Fleet of Death".

Pirates of the Lioness of Brittany slaughtered all opponents, leaving only a few survivors who could spread rumors about Jeanne de Clisson's fleet. One of the most cruel female pirates in the history of piracy, the main meaning of her life was revenge on the French king who killed her husband.

Eliza Eskilsdotter

This famous female pirate was a Norwegian aristocrat, the daughter of the knight Eskild Agesen and the wife of the nobleman Olav Nilsson, who was part of the Norwegian government. But after the country concluded a truce with the Germans in 1452, her husband continued to attack German ships in defiance of the Norwegian king's ban. In 1455 Olaf was killed along with his son.

It was this family drama that led to the fact that Eliza took up piracy, and her team attacked the ships of German and Danish merchants. With the Danes, she also had personal scores, because it was the Danish king who in 1468 took away from her feudal lands. Eliza became famous for her violent piracy against German and Danish ships. Her life ended in 1483.

Grace O'Malley (1530-1603)

Also known as Granual, this woman in the history of piracy won the title of "Pirate Queen". Even as a child, she shaved her head and dressed up as a boy to get on the ship of her father, the leader of the O'Malley clan, Owen Dubdara.

Later, after the death of her father, she led the pirate fleet. She was the undisputed leader both on the sea and on land. Although Grace married twice, she was still revered as the "Pirate Queen", with her own castles and fleet, as well as personal enemies.

Saida al-Hurra (1485-1561)

This well-known female pirate at birth was named Lalla Aisha bint Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami. Between 1515 and 1542 she was the ruler of Tetouan, but from 1485 she led the pirate fleet and became the pirate queen.

Most historians regard Saida al-Hurra as one of the most famous and revered women in Islamic history. She was active in piracy in the Mediterranean, where her fleet teamed up with the Ottoman corsair Hayreddin Barbarossa.

Jacotte Delahey (1630-1633)

This famous female pirate traded in piracy in the vast caribbean. Her personality in history is important, since Jacotte is one of the few female pirates of the 17th century.

However, many historians still do not agree on whether this corsair actually existed. The only information about her activities is found in the stories of the French science fiction writer Leon Treich.

Ann Bonnie

This female pirate of Irish origin was nicknamed the "mistress of the seas", which terrified the inhabitants of the Caribbean. Although Anne Bonnie is one of the most famous corsairs in the history of piracy, the dates of her birth and death are not known for certain.

According to historians, she lived between 1697 and 1782. The least known information about Anne Bonny is contained in the book " General history Pirates" by Captain Charles Johnson.

It notes that Bonnie was born in Old Head of Kinsale in Ireland. She married the pirate Jack Rackham, also known as Kalika Jack, and became a member of his crew. Anne later met and befriended Mary Reid.

Interesting fact! It was the image of Captain Jack Rackham that served as one of the prototypes for the creation, and the story of Kaliko and Ann himself was reflected in.

In October 1720, Anne Bonny was taken prisoner and sentenced to death penalty, but the execution of the sentence was delayed due to the pregnancy of the corsair. After giving birth, she was released.

Mary Read (1685-1721)

This female pirate is also known as Mark Reed. Along with Anne Bonnie, she is the most famous woman in the history of piracy. Reid spent her childhood under the guise of a boy who worked as a cabin boy on ships. She married a Flemish sailor, but after his death, she again disguised herself as a man and went to the West Indies.

When pirates attacked the ship along the way, Mary Reed quickly went over to their side. Later, she met Ann Bonnie and her husband Jack Calico, and the whole trio teamed up for a joint pirate activity. Mary is known to have died in prison in 1721.

Lady Zheng (1775-1844)

Also known as, this sea robber operated in the expanses of the China Sea during the reign of the Qing Dynasty in the 19th century. AT historical literature it is alleged that she commanded a fleet of 300 Chinese ships with a huge number of pirates (from 20 to 40 thousand people).

Her pirate fleet included not only men, but even women and children. Ms. Zheng lived a long life and earned a reputation as one of the most successful female pirates. Her fleet successfully smashed the powerful Portuguese and British ships.

Charlotte Badger (1778-1816)

This notorious female pirate was born into a poor family who turned to crime to make ends meet. Charlotte was caught and sentenced to seven years as a slave in Australia. But along the way, together with another woman, she staged a mutiny on the ship and captured it.

Charlotte subsequently settled in Maori villages in New Zealand with her daughter. She entered the history of piracy as the first Australian female pirate and one of the first white women to settle in New Zealand.

Once upon a time, there was a belief among pirates that a woman on a ship was bad luck, but this did not stop several ladies from joining the pirates and taking control of the ship and its crew in their own hands. Read on for the criminal careers of the five most ferocious female sailors in history.

1. Cheng Ai Xiao

One of the most famous pirates in history began her career in a Chinese brothel. Cheng Ai Xiao, or "Cheng's wife", was a former representative ancient profession who married a famous privateer named Cheng in 1801. The couple soon commanded one of the most formidable pirate armies in China. It numbered about 50 thousand people, several hundred ships and preyed on fishing boats and coastal villages in southern China, feeling complete impunity.

After her husband's death in 1807, Lady Cheng cleared her way to power and partnered with her trusted lieutenant and lover, Chang Pao. Over the next few years, she worked her way to Southeast Asia and assembled a fleet that could compete with many countries. She also wrote a strict code of conduct for her pirates. For the rape of captured women, the pirates were beheaded, and the ears of deserters were cut off. Lady Cheng's bloody rule made her the number one enemy of the Chinese government, and in 1810 even the British and Portuguese navies were brought in to bring her to justice. Lady Cheng agreed to leave her fleet in exchange for all the riches she had looted. Thus, she "retired" and became one of the most successful pirates in history, and ran a gambling house for the rest of her life. Cheng died in 1844 at the age of 69.

2. Ann Bonnie

The notorious pirate Anne Bonnie was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Irish lawyer. In an attempt to hide the girl's dubious origins, her father dressed her in boys' clothes and introduced her to everyone as a clerk in his office. Anne later moved to America, where she married a sailor in 1718. Together with her husband, Ann went to the island of New Providence, which at that time was teeming with pirates. It was there that she fell "under the spell" of the famous pirate Jack Rackham, who cruised between the countries of the Caribbean. For him, she left her husband.

Bonnie has always been known for her fierce manly nature. According to one legend, she almost beat a man to death who tried to show himself in charge. She also very quickly brought to everyone that she could drink rum on a par with men and own pistols no worse than her lover. A little later, she befriended another female pirate, Mary Read, and together they played a leading role in a whole boom of raids against small fishing boats and merchant schooners that took place in the summer and autumn of 1720. However, Bonnie's stay on the high seas was very short. Already in October of the same year, Jack Rackham's ship was captured by a gang of pirate hunters. Rackham and several other men were executed, but Bonnie and Reid managed to escape the noose as it was revealed they were both pregnant.

3. Mary Read

Born in England in the late 17th century, Mary Read spent much of her youth under the guise of her late half-brother. In this way, her impoverished mother could swindle money from the boy's grandmother. Hoping to quench her thirst for adventure, the girl took the name of Mark Reid, and began to perform a typical male job: first she served as a soldier, and later she was hired as a sailor on a merchant ship. Reed became a pirate at the end of 1710. The ship where Mary served was attacked by pirates, and she decided to join their ranks. She later moved to the Rackham team, where she befriended Ann Bonnie.

As part of Jack's team, she sailed for only a few months, but managed to earn herself a formidable reputation. One of the most famous episodes occurred in October 1720, when Mary fought like a banshee during an attack by hunters on pirates. She is said to have yelled at the men who cowered below deck, "If there are men among you that you should be, then come out and fight." Despite Reed's heroism, she and the rest of the team were captured and charged with piracy. Reed escaped the gallows as she was pregnant, but she later came down with a fever and died in prison.

4. Grace O'Malley

At a time when most women were denied education and forced to stay at home, the pirate Grace O "Malley ran a fleet of 20 ships that opposed the power of the British Monarchy. For her habit of wearing short hair, Grace was also nicknamed "bald." O "Malley was daughter of a powerful clan that ruled the west coast of Ireland. Taking over the reins in the 1560s, she continued the family tradition of piracy, plundering Spanish and English ships and attacking rival chieftains. Her escapades were legendary. According to one of the legends, she led the naval battle the day after she gave birth to a child. But these same escapades became the reason for the wrath of the authorities. In 1574, she had to repel the siege of Rockfleet Castle, and later she spent 18 months behind bars after she was captured during one of the raids.
Immediately after the release of O "Malley resumed her looting, but in the early 1590s new problems appeared, as the British authorities detained her fleet. In the absence of support from O" Malley, who was already 63 years old, turned directly to Queen Elizabeth I for help During a famous audience in London, Grace appeared before the queen in the form of a tired and broken old woman and asked to return the ships and release one of her sons, and also allow her to retire in peace. This idea worked, but only O "Malley did not fulfill her part of the deal. Records show that she continued to engage in piracy with her sons until her death in 1603.

5. Rachel Wall

The biography of Rachel Wall is replete with myths and legends. But if any of these stories are true, then she was the first American woman to try her hand at piracy. The story goes that Wall was originally from Pennsylvania. As a teenager, she ran away from home and married a fisherman named George Wall. The couple settled in Boston and tried to make a living, but a constant lack of money forced them to turn to a life of crime. In 1781, the Wall family bought a small boat and, teaming up with several impoverished sailors, began their "hunt" off the coast of New England. Their strategy was as ingenious as it was brutal. Whenever there was a storm in the region, the pirates outfitted their boat as if it had been hit by the elements. Pretty Rachel stood on the deck and begged the ships passing by for help. When the unsuspecting rescuers got close enough, they were robbed and killed.
Wall's "siren song" lured dozens of ships to certain death, but her luck turned against her in 1782, when her husband died during a storm, and the boat was indeed destroyed. She continued to engage in theft already on land, but in 1789 she was arrested for assaulting a woman from Boston. While in prison, she wrote a confession of "stealing, lying, disobedience to parents, and almost every sin that a person can commit except murder." Unfortunately for Wall, her "confession" was not enough to convince the authorities. Wall was the last woman to be executed in Massachusetts. On October 8, she was hanged in Boston.

Basically, in history, male pirates were most often known, although in fact women were also quite successful corsairs. They were distinguished not only by intelligence, but by excessive cruelty towards enemies. They instilled fear in the most powerful empires. We offer 10 of the most famous and fearless female pirates.



Sadie Farrell was a famous river pirate in the 19th century. She spent her childhood on the streets of New York, roaming and stealing, and she got her nickname for the habit of hitting her enemies with her head. After she lost her ear in a fight with her enemy Gallus Meg, Sadie ran away from New York and organized a gang of robbers, which soon began to trade in piracy. The gang traveled along the Hudson and robbed farms, houses, and was engaged in theft of people, followed by a ransom demand. Sadie returned to New York later and made a truce with Meg.

9. Queen Teuta of Illyria



One of the earliest known pirates is Teuta, queen of Illyria, who lived in the 3rd century BC. e. The ruler of the Ardiaea tribe extended her power to the entire Adriatic Sea, attacking Roman and Greek ships. The Romans tried to negotiate with the militant queen, but all negotiations were in vain. During one of the negotiations, the queen killed the ambassadors, as a result, a war broke out that lasted from 229 to 227 BC. Teuta was defeated in the war, although she was allowed to continue to rule Illyria, but was forbidden to go by sea.

8. Grace O'Malley



Also known as Granual, Grace O'Malley was a pirate by birth. In the 1560s, she became the leader of the Irish pirates and turned into a real "headache" for British and Spanish merchant ships. In 1574, she was captured by British troops. Grace spent 18 months in prison, after her release she again took up piracy. She was captured again, but on the orders of Elizabeth I, she Grace received her fleet back. Grace died in 1603.

7. Jacotte Delae



Jacotte Delae was born in the 17th century and was a famous pirate. She chose this job because she had to raise her brother herself after the death of her mother, who died in childbirth. In order to disappear from the sight of the authorities, Jacotte Delae staged her death and changed her appearance, became like a man. After a while, she again became involved in piracy and turned into a thunderstorm of merchant ships in the Caribbean, paired with another female pirate, Anna, nicknamed "God's Will". Jacotte Delae was killed while defending the island she captured.

6. Rachel Wall



Rachel Wall, one of the first American pirates, was born in the 1760s as Rachel Schmidt. She married George Wall and began pirating with a few of his friends. Their base was an island in the Gulf of Maine. Pirates hijacked ships and killed sailors. After the death of her husband and his friends in a shipwreck, Rachel returned to Boston and worked as a maid, occasionally stealing. During one of the robberies, she was caught and hanged in 1789. She became the last woman to be hanged for crimes in Massachusetts.

5. Saida al-Hurra



A pirate queen and ally of the Turkish pirate Barbarossa, Saida al-Hurra was the ruler of the Moroccan city of Tetouan. By the way, Saida al-Hurra is a title, and the real name of this woman is not known. From 1515 to 1542 she controlled the western Mediterranean. She became a pirate to take revenge on the Christian rulers. She later married a Moroccan king, who was soon dethroned by his son-in-law. Nothing further is known about her fate.

4. Jeanne de Clisson



Known as the Lioness of Brittany, Jeanne was the wife of the nobleman Oliver III Clisson and the mother of five children. She became a pirate to take revenge on Philip VI, King of France, for the death of her husband. Jeanne de Clisson sold all her property and acquired three warships. Her pirate crew terrorized the English Channel, seizing French ships and killing sailors. She retired in 1356 and later married Lieutenant Sir Walter Bentley.

3. Mary Read



The female captain, Mary Read, was Ann Bonnie's companion. She was known for her art of dressing up as men and posed as her brother Mark for years. Reed joined the British Army and fell in love with a soldier. After his death, she went to the Caribbean and became a sailor. There she fell into the hands of pirates and joined their ranks. This is how she met Ann Bonnie and became a member of Calico Jack's gang. Only a few people knew that she was a woman. In 1720 Reid and Jack were arrested by the English army. Although she managed to escape execution, she died in prison a few years later of a fever.

2. Ann Bonnie



Anne Bonny was the daughter of an Irish lawyer. After she married a pirate, James Bonny, she moved to the Bahamas in 1718. Here she fell in love with Calico Jack and separated from her husband. Having remarried, she became a member of the team of her new husband. Paired with Mary Read, they kept the Caribbean at bay. In 1720, Calico Jack and his crew were arrested by English troops and executed. Anne and Mary escaped execution because they were pregnant. Anne's fate is not fully known.



Often called the most feared female pirate in history, Jing Shi was a Chinese pirate who dominated the waters of the China Sea in the early 19th century. In the past, she was a prostitute. She was kidnapped by pirates in 1801 and married Captain Zheng Yi. Jing Shi leads a fleet called "Red Flag" after her husband's death and attacks British and Chinese shipping. Her fleet grew rapidly. The Chinese government was forced to negotiate and make peace with her in 1810. Until her death in 1844, she ran a brothel.

Notable female pirates

It is hard to imagine female fingers clutching a boarding ax instead of a fan or a ladle, but the history of piracy has preserved many names of charming women who, no worse than men, robbed the seas under the black banner of the Jolly Roger.

Alvilda - The Pirate Queen


One of the most famous female pirates is Alvilda, who robbed the waters of Scandinavia in the early Middle Ages. Her name is often found in popular books on the history of piracy. According to legend, this beautiful princess Alvilda, who lived around 800, the daughter of the Gothic king (or the king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “marine Amazon” in order to avoid a marriage imposed on her with Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.

The princess took with her all her servants, bought a ship and took up sea robbery. It was a real ship with Amazons, because there were no men on board at all, and only women went to board other people's ships. She has become the number one "star" among sea ​​robbers. For a long period, pirates successfully robbed off the coast of Denmark, capturing merchant ships.

Since the dashing raids of Alvilda posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the desired Alvilda was the object of his persecution. Deciding to destroy the pirates, he found Alvilda's ship and attacked it. The Danes outnumbered the pirates and easily captured the ship. Having killed most of the sea robbers, Alf entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender.

How surprised the prince of Denmark was when the pirate leader took off his helmet and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty, whom he dreamed of marrying. Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to brandish a sword. The wedding was played right there, on board a pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never again to go to sea without him.

Is the story told true?

The researchers found that for the first time the legend of Alvilda was told to readers by the monk Saxo Grammatik (1140 - c. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes”. He drew it either from the ancient Scandinavian sagas, or from the myths about the Amazons.

Alvilde's successor was the French Countess Jeanne de Belleville-Cpassin

The following story is more like the truth, it is confirmed by historical chronicles. We will talk about a charming aristocrat from Brittany, perhaps it was she who was one of the first among women to take up a pirate craft. Jeanne de Belleville, who was famous for her beauty and intelligence, was forced to become a pirate by a thirst for revenge.

During Hundred Years War her husband, the noble lord Maurice de Bellevoul, was slandered, accused of treason, and in 1430. executed, Jeanne was then 29 years old. When Jeanne de Belleville was returned to the body of her husband, she, along with her sons (the youngest was seven, and the eldest - 14) vowed to take revenge on the treacherous French king.

Having sold all the estates, Jeanne acquired three brigantines, staffed a team, put detachments of her vassals on ships and set off for the English Channel and Pas de Calais. Jeanne, received from English king letter of marque - permission to attack the ships of France and her allies, called her ships the "Vengeance Fleet" and began her war at sea.

For four years, the countess' squadron cruised the straits, mercilessly sinking and burning all ships of the French flag. In addition to sea robbery, her flying detachments landed on the shore and attacked the castles and estates of those whom the countess considered guilty of her husband's death. Jeanne shipped all her booty to England. In France, she was nicknamed the Clisson Lioness, and Philip VI ordered: “Catch the witch alive or dead!

Several times her ships managed to elude the French fleet, but such luck could not last forever. One day, the Clisson Lioness flotilla was surrounded. When Jeanne had already lost two ships, she left the flagship with her sons and escaped with several sailors in a small boat.

It is known that Jeanne was distinguished by fearlessness, perhaps she was persuaded to flee by her comrades in arms, who remained on the surrounded ship, and their main argument was that Jeanne, captured or dead, would give great pleasure to the French king, but she did not want to.

Leaving the ship in a hurry, the fugitives did not take with them either water or provisions, six days later Jeanne's youngest son died, then several sailors died. The survivors were carried away by the current to the French coast in the region of Brittany. Jeanne de Belleville was lucky, she managed to find shelter in the possessions of Jean de Montfort, a friend of her executed husband.

The death of her son, the death of her fleet and friends forced the thirst for revenge to subside, and soon the corsair woman accepted the courtship of the nobleman Gauthier de Bentley and married him. Time passed and she again began to appear in public, the fate of her eldest son also turned out well - he became constable, the highest dignitary of France.


A hundred years after Jeanne, another aristocratic flotilla appeared in the area of ​​​​her pirate activities, the mother of the British Lord John Killigru, who led the pirates until her death in 1550. Her exploits were continued by Lady Elizabeth Killigow, the wife of her son.

The leader of the pirates had a wide network of informants on the shore who supplied her with information about the nature of the cargo on the ships and their weapons. So she would have been pirating, but one day, when her thugs attacked the Spanish galleon, its captain managed to hide in a secret room on the ship and reveal her secret. The amazed Spaniard saw through a hole in the panel that a charming woman was in command of the pirates destroying his crew.

At dusk, he managed to quietly leave the ship and swim to the shore. In the morning he hurried to the governor of Falmouth, and in his house he saw a lovely young woman, whom, of course, he recognized. The prudent Spaniard did not reveal himself in any way, having greeted the governor, he quickly bowed and went straight to London. There, his message caused a real shock to the king, who ordered an immediate investigation.

During the investigation, it turned out that Elizabeth Killigrew was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolverston. From her father, she not only learned to master weapons perfectly, but also went through a real school of robbery raids. Her husband, the governor of Falmouth, was aware of his wife's hobby and did not oppose it, but on the contrary, supported her activities. The wife's hobby brought an excellent income.

When it smelled of fried, the Killigrews decided to flee with the loot on one of the pirate ships, but some “well-wisher” gave out a couple, and they were captured. Lord Killigrew was sentenced to death and his wife to life imprisonment.

Mary Blood, girlfriend of the famous filibuster Edward Teach, nicknamed "Blackbeard", is a beautiful, very tall (more than 1 m 90 cm) Irish woman. When she was heading to America, the ship on which she sailed was captured by Edward Teach. He was so struck by the beauty and growth of the girl that he immediately decided to marry her. Mary had no choice but to agree, because the pirates killed all the other passengers.

As a wedding present, Mary received a pirate ship along with its crew. She quickly got used to the sea robbers and began to take part in attacks on ships herself. Mary was madly in love with jewelry and especially diamonds, so she was nicknamed Diamond Mary. Pirate craft helped regularly replenish her collection of jewelry. However, passion for soulless stones won love.

In 1729 Mary's pirates captured a Spanish ship. When the prisoners were lined up on deck, she made eye contact with one of the tall Spaniards and disappeared. Mary fell in love with the handsome prisoner and soon fled with him to Peru. Tich made a lot of efforts to find and punish the traitor, but he never managed to find the couple that eluded him.

True or myth?

And at the end of this thread

I bring to your attention an article by historian Andrey Volkov about female pirates "Truth or Fiction".
“It should be noted that a number of researchers are very wary of the descriptions of the “exploits” of ladies under the black flag. Some believe that women have never been outstanding pirates and entered the history of sea robbery only because of the “egregious” fact of their intrusion into a purely male occupation, others speak of numerous exaggerations and distortions of facts in their biographies.

There are even pirates who are considered fictional ... For example, about the English pirate Maria Lindsay, as well as about her lover, the pirate Eric Cobham, no mention was found in the documents of the early 18th century, when, according to various publications, they did their atrocities. And this couple is described very colorfully. Maria Lindsay looks like a real pathological sadist: she chopped off the hands of the captives, and then shoved them overboard ... She also liked to use living people as a target for shooting exercises, and once poisoned the entire crew of a captured ship.

Together with their lover, they successfully completed their pirate "career", and bought a huge estate in France with the money they stole. And here, mind you, is a very curious ending to this whole story: unable to withstand the betrayals of her lover, exhausted from remorse for the crimes committed, Maria committed suicide by taking poison, and to be sure, she also threw herself off a cliff ... Well, just a ready-made script for the box office movie.

However, there is absolutely no reason to doubt the reality of female pirates, they really were. And the very possibility of a woman's active participation in the pirate craft is at least the story of the legendary Madame Wong, whose pirates rampaged in the eastern seas in the twentieth century. She organized a whole pirate empire, according to different estimates numbering from three to eight thousand people. Its fleet, according to the Japanese police, in the early 60s was 150 ships and boats.

Despite all attempts to catch Madame, neither Interpol nor the police of several countries managed to do this. According to some sources, Madame Wong blew herself up in the cave where her treasures were hidden, according to others, having faked her death, she simply retired.