Famous pirates that everyone should know about (6 photos). The most famous pirates in history The names of the history of the most famous pirates

Piracy appeared as soon as people began to use ships to transport goods. IN different countries and in different eras, pirates were called filibusters, ushkuiniki, corsairs, privateers.

The most famous pirates They left a significant mark on history: during their lifetime they inspired fear; after death, their adventures continue to arouse unflagging interest. Piracy has had a great influence on culture: sea robbers have become central figures in many famous literary works, modern films and TV series.

10 Jack Rackham

One of the most famous pirates in history is Jack Rackham, who lived in the 18th century. He is interesting because there were two women on his team. His love for Indian calico shirts in bright colors earned him the nickname Calico Jack. In the navy he found himself in early age out of need. For a long time he served as senior helmsman under the command of the famous pirate Charles Vane. After the latter tried to refuse a fight with a French warship pursuing a pirate ship, Rackham rebelled and was elected as the new captain according to the order of the pirate code. Calico Jack differed from other sea robbers in his gentle treatment of his victims, which, however, did not save him from the gallows. The pirate was executed on November 17, 1720 in Port Royal, and his body was hung as a warning to other robbers at the entrance to the harbor.

9 William Kidd

The story of one of the most famous pirates in history, William Kidd, is still controversial among scholars of his life. Some historians are sure that he was not a pirate and acted strictly within the framework of the marque patent. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of attacking 5 ships and murder. Despite the fact that he tried to get his release in exchange for information about the location where the valuables were hidden, Kidd was sentenced to hang. After the execution, the body of the pirate and his accomplices was hung for public display over the Thames, where it hung for 3 years.

The legend of Kidd's hidden treasure has long intrigued people's minds. The belief that the treasure really exists was maintained literary works, which mentioned pirate treasure. Kidd's hidden wealth was searched on many islands, but to no avail. The fact that the treasure is not a myth is evidenced by the fact that in 2015, British divers found the wreckage of a pirate ship off the coast of Madagascar and underneath it a 50-kilogram ingot, which, according to experts, belonged to Captain Kidd.

8 Madame Shi

Madame Shi, or Madam Zheng, is one of the world's most famous female pirates. After the death of her husband, she inherited his pirate flotilla and put sea robbery on a grand scale. Under her command were two thousand ships and seventy thousand people. Command an entire army The strictest discipline helped her. For example, for unauthorized absence from a ship, the offender lost an ear. Not all of Madame Shi's subordinates were happy with this state of affairs, and one of the captains once rebelled and went over to the side of the authorities. After Madame Shi's power was weakened, she agreed to a truce with the emperor and subsequently lived to an old age in freedom, running a brothel.

7 Francis Drake

Francis Drake is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Actually, he was not a pirate, but a corsair who operated on the seas and oceans against enemy ships with the special permission of Queen Elizabeth. Devastating the coasts of Central and South America, he became immensely rich. Drake accomplished many great deeds: he opened a strait, which he named in his honor, and under his command the British fleet defeated the Great Armada. Since then, one of the English ships navy bears the name of the famous navigator and corsair Francis Drake.

6 Henry Morgan

The list of the most famous pirates would be incomplete without the name of Henry Morgan. Despite the fact that he was born into a wealthy family of an English landowner, from his youth Morgan connected his life with the sea. He was hired as a cabin boy on one of the ships and was soon sold into slavery in Barbados. He managed to move to Jamaica, where Morgan joined a gang of pirates. Several successful trips allowed him and his comrades to purchase a ship. Morgan was chosen as captain, and it was a good decision. A few years later there were 35 ships under his command. With such a fleet, he managed to capture Panama in a day and burn the entire city. Since Morgan acted mainly against Spanish ships and pursued an active English colonial policy, after his arrest the pirate was not executed. On the contrary, for the services rendered to Britain in the fight against Spain, Henry Morgan received the post of lieutenant governor of Jamaica. The famous corsair died at the age of 53 from cirrhosis of the liver.

5 Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart, is one of the most colorful pirates in history, although he is not as famous as Blackbeard or Henry Morgan. Black Bart became the most successful filibuster in the history of piracy. During his short pirate career (3 years), he captured 456 ships. Its production is estimated at 50 million pounds sterling. It is believed that he created the famous "Pirate Code". He was killed in action with a British warship. The pirate's body, according to his will, was thrown into the water, and the remains of one of the greatest pirates were never found.

4 Edward Teach

Edward Teach, or Blackbeard, is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Almost everyone has heard his name. Teach lived and was engaged in sea robbery at the very height of the golden age of piracy. Having enlisted at the age of 12, he gained valuable experience, which would then be useful to him in the future. According to historians, Teach took part in the War of the Spanish Succession, and after its end he deliberately decided to become a pirate. The fame of a ruthless filibuster helped Blackbeard seize ships without the use of weapons - upon seeing his flag, the victim surrendered without a fight. The cheerful life of a pirate did not last long - Teach died during a boarding battle with a British warship pursuing him.

3 Henry Avery

One of the most famous pirates in history is Henry Avery, nicknamed Long Ben. The father of the future famous buccaneer was a captain in the British fleet. Since childhood, Avery dreamed of sea voyages. He began his career in the navy as a cabin boy. Avery then received an appointment as first mate on a corsair frigate. The ship's crew soon rebelled, and the first mate was proclaimed captain of the pirate ship. So Avery took the path of piracy. He became famous for capturing the ships of Indian pilgrims heading to Mecca. The pirates' booty was unheard of at that time: 600 thousand pounds and the daughter of the Great Mogul, whom Avery later officially married. How the life of the famous filibuster ended is unknown.

2 Amaro Pargo

Amaro Pargo is one of the most famous freebooters of the golden age of piracy. Pargo transported slaves and made a fortune from it. Wealth allowed him to engage in charity work. He lived to a ripe old age.

1 Samuel Bellamy

Among the most famous sea robbers is Samuel Bellamy, known as Black Sam. He joined the pirates to marry Maria Hallett. Bellamy desperately lacked funds to provide for his future family, and he joined Benjamin Hornigold's crew of pirates. A year later, he became captain of the bandits, allowing Hornigold to leave peacefully. Thanks to a whole network of informants and spies, Bellamy was able to capture one of the fastest ships of the time, the frigate Whyda. Bellamy died while swimming to his beloved. The Whyda was caught in a storm, the ship was driven aground and the crew, including Black Sam, died. Bellamy's career as a pirate lasted only a year.

There isn't much documentary material on piracy. Many of the existing facts are only partly true. Information about who these people really were has undergone many different interpretations. As often happens in the absence of reliable first-hand data, quite a lot has been devoted to this topic. large number folklore Considering all of the above, we decided to present dossiers on several legendary sea robbers.

Active period: 1696-1701
Territories: East Coast North America, Caribbean Sea, Indian Ocean.

How he died: he was hanged in a specially designated area in the docks located in east London. His body was subsequently hung over the Thames, where it hung for three years as a warning to potential sea robbers.
What is famous for: the founder of the idea of buried treasure.
In fact, the exploits of this Scottish sailor and British privateer were not particularly extraordinary. Kidd took part in several minor battles with pirates and other ships as a privateer for the British authorities, but none of them significantly influenced the course of history.
The most interesting thing is that the legend about Captain Kidd appeared after his death. During his career, many colleagues and superiors suspected him of exceeding his privateering powers and dabbling in piracy. After irrefutable evidence of his actions emerged, military ships were sent for him, which were supposed to return Kidd to London. Suspecting what awaited him, Kidd allegedly buried untold riches on Gardines Island off the coast of New York. He wanted to use these treasures as insurance and a bargaining tool.
The British court was not impressed by the stories of buried treasure, and Kidd was sentenced to the gallows. This is how his story suddenly ended and a legend appeared. It was thanks to the efforts and skill of writers who became interested in the adventures of the terrible robber that Captain Kidd became one of the most famous pirates. His actual actions were significantly inferior to the glory of other sea robbers of that time.

Period of activity: 1719-1722
Territories: from the eastern coast of North America to the eastern coast of Africa.
How he died: He was killed by a cannon shot during a battle against the British fleet.
What is famous for: he can be considered the most successful pirate.
Although Bartholomew Roberts may not be the most famous pirate, he was the best at everything he did. During his career, he managed to capture more than 470 ships. He operated in the waters of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. In his youth, when he was a sailor aboard a merchant ship, his ship and its entire crew were captured by pirates.
Thanks to his navigation skills, Roberts stood out from the crowd of hostages. Therefore, he soon became a valuable resource for the pirates who captured their ship. In the future, an incredible career rise awaited him, leading to him becoming the captain of a team of sea robbers.
Over time, Roberts came to the conclusion that it was completely pointless to fight for the miserable life of an honest employee. From that moment on, his motto was the statement that it is better to live for a short time, but for your own pleasure. We can safely say that with the death of 39-year-old Roberts, the Golden Age of Piracy came to an end.

Period of activity: 1716-1718
Territories: Caribbean Sea and East Coast of North America.
How he died: in a battle against the British fleet.
What is famous for: successfully blockaded the port of Charleston. He had a bright appearance and a thick dark beard, into which during battles he wove ignition wicks, frightening the enemy with clouds of smoke emitted.
He was probably the most famous pirate, both in terms of his piratical prowess and his memorable appearance. He managed to mobilize quite an impressive fleet of pirate ships and lead it in many battles.
Thus, the flotilla under the command of Blackbeard managed to blockade the port of Charleston for several days. During this time, they captured several ships and took many hostages, who were later exchanged for various medicines for the crew. For many years, Teach kept the Atlantic coast and the islands of the West Indies at bay.
This continued until his ship was surrounded by the British fleet. This happened during a battle off the coast of North Carolina. Then Teach managed to kill many Englishmen. He himself died from multiple saber blows and gunshot wounds.

Active period: 1717-1720
Territories: Indian Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
How he died: died shortly after being removed from command of the ship and landing in Mauritius.
What is famous for: the first to use a flag with the image of the classic “Jolly Roger”.
Edward England became a pirate after being captured by a gang of thugs. He was simply forced to join the team. After a short stay in the waters Caribbean Sea A rapid rise up the pirate career ladder awaited him.
As a result, he began to command his own ship, used to attack slave ships in the Indian Ocean. It was he who came up with the flag with the image of a skull above two crossed femurs. This flag later became a classic symbol of piracy.

Active period: 1718-1720
Territories: waters of the Caribbean Sea.
How he died: hanged in Jamaica.
What is famous for: the first pirate to allow women on board.
Calico Jack cannot be classified as a successful pirate. His main occupation was the capture of small commercial and fishing vessels. In 1719, during a brief attempt at retirement, the pirate met and fell in love with Anne Bonny, who subsequently dressed as a man and joined his crew.
Some time later, Rackham's team captured a Dutch merchant ship, and without knowing it, they took another woman dressed as a man on board the pirate ship. Reed and Bonnie turned out to be brave and courageous pirates, which made Rackham famous. Jack himself cannot be called a good captain.
When his crew was captured by the ship of the governor of Jamaica, Rackham was so drunk that he did not even manage to get into a fight, and only Mary and Anne defended their ship to the last. Before his execution, Jack asked for a meeting with Anne Bonny, but she flatly refused and instead of dying consoling words, she told her former lover that his pitiful appearance caused her indignation.

Exactly 293 years ago, on November 17, 1720, one of the most famous pirates, Jack Rackham, died. The Admiralty Collegium sentenced the filibuster, along with his entire crew, to hanging. The English Themis of that time did not know the word “pardon” and was not in the mood to forgive sea robbers. At the very shore of the sea, in Port Royal, Jamaica, the sentence was carried out.

We decided to talk about seven great pirates, whose fame exceeded the notoriety of Rackham.

Without a husband at sea - not a foot. Alvilda of Gotha

She was the pirate queen. Alvilda plundered the waters of Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages. According to legend, this princess, the daughter of a Gothic king (or king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “sea Amazon” in order to avoid the marriage forced on her to Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king. Having gone on a pirate voyage with a crew of young women dressed in men's clothes, she turned into the number one “star” among sea robbers. Since the dashing raids of the “maiden with a sword” 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 object of his pursuit was his beloved. Having killed most of the sea robbers, he entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender. How surprised the Danish prince was when the pirate leader took off his helmet from his head 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 swing a sword. They married, and she vowed never to go to sea again... without her husband.

German "Robin Hood". Klaus Störtebecker

According to one legend, Klaus Störtebecker received his name for his remarkable ability to drink (“Stürz den Becher” - “drink to the bottom”). But this is not what made him famous. The famous pirate knight was a brave warrior and navigator who entered German folklore, becoming something like the Baltic Robin Hood. Klaus was born in 1360 in Wismar or Rothenburg. He joined the community of Vitaliers - that was the name of the corporation of robbers operating in the North and Baltic Seas, where the most important ways trade union Hansa. It was with the Hansa that Klaus quarreled. His intensive activity in the pirate field almost became the reason for the curtailment of all trade communications between cities, including, by the way, ancient Novgorod.

On April 22, 1401, the Hamburg fleet defeated the Vitalier squadron. And six months later, Störtebecker, who was captured, was executed along with his team on Hamburg Square. It is unclear why, but in German folklore he forever remained in the image of a “noble robber.”

A strait in honor of yourself, your beloved. Francis Drake

The name of this man at one time thundered on the seas and coasts of Europe and the New World. The strait was even named after him, which, to give the pirate his due, he discovered, passing between Antarctica and the southern tip Latin America. Drake was not actually a pirate, but rather a corsair - a man operating on the communications of hostile powers under special permission. Drake received this permission from Queen Elizabeth herself.

Needless to say, having equipped his ship “Golden Hind”, Drake thoroughly gutted the coasts of Central and South America, returning to his foggy homeland, as they would say now - an oligarch...

The following expeditions only increased his wealth. The apotheosis of Drake's service was the Battle of Gravelines - the British fleet under his command completely defeated the Spanish Great Armada, battered by the storm. Since then, one of the ships in the English navy has always been named after Francis Drake.

Henry Morgan, nicknamed "The Cruel"

Henry Morgan was born in Wales into the family of Robert Morgan, a landowner. Even in his youth, Henry hired himself as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to the island of Barbados. Upon the ship's arrival at its destination, the boy, as often happened then, was sold into slavery. Undeterred, Morgan got out of the situation and moved to Jamaica, where he joined a pirate gang. Over the course of three or four campaigns, he accumulated a small capital and, together with several comrades, bought a ship.

Morgan was chosen as captain, and his first independent trip to the shores of Spanish America brought him the glory of a successful leader, after which other pirate ships began to join him. On January 18, 1671, Morgan set out for Panama. He had thirty-five ships and thirty-two canoes, containing twelve hundred men. The garrison of Panama numbered about 2,500 people, including cavalry and artillery units, but by evening the pirates captured the city and destroyed all resisters. By order of Morgan, the pirates set fire to the sacked city, and since most of the two thousand houses were wooden, Panama turned into a heap of ash.

Soon after returning to Jamaica, Morgan was arrested (during his campaign, England and Spain concluded a peace treaty) and, together with the recalled governor Thomas Modyford, who actively contributed to his predatory campaigns, was sent to England.

Everyone thought that the royal court would hang the pirate on the gallows for all his sins, but the court could not forget the services rendered to him. After the reenactment trial the decision was made: “Guilty has not been proven.” Morgan was sent back to Jamaica to serve as Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of its navy.

Henry Morgan died on August 25, 1688 and was solemnly buried with ceremonies befitting his rank in Port Royal in the Church of St. Catherine. A few years later, on June 7, 1692, a strong earthquake occurred, and the grave of Sir Henry Morgan disappeared into the depths of the sea.

Eaten by savages. Francois Ohlone

The most brutal of the pirates, Francois Olone, was born in France, presumably in 1630. At the age of twenty, the guy hired himself as a soldier in the West India Company, to see the world and show himself. Soon he decided to change his occupation - in Tortuga, in this pirate nest, Olone was able to enlist the support of the governor and get a ship.

The brave pirate's most famous operation is the capture of the Spanish colony of Maracaibo. At the end of April 1666, Ohlone and his flotilla of five ships and 400 crew left Tortuga. Maracaibo is located on the shores of the lake of the same name, connected to the sea by a narrow strait, at the entrance to which there were two islands - forts. Being well-armed, the pirates, after a three-hour assault, took possession of the fortress, after which the ships calmly entered the lake and captured the city. A lot of booty was taken - minted silver worth 80 thousand piastres, linen worth 32 thousand livres.

Here Francois became famous for his cruelty. Even among his sailors he was considered the most terrible of the pirates - a monster of the human race. Ohlone tortured and killed his victims sadistically, for example, by inserting wicks between their toes. Fate took revenge on the brave but bloodthirsty Frenchman. Soon followed unsuccessful trip in Nicaragua. Not far from Cartagena, the pirates were shipwrecked.

But trouble does not come alone - the filibusters who landed on the shore were attacked by the Indians. The few survivors were able to say that those whom the Indians did not kill in battle (including the captain) were torn to pieces and eaten by savages.

A reluctant pirate. Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd is known as the Terror of the Seven Seas. But is he a pirate? The results of the trial of the sailor are disputed to this day - many historians agree that he acted strictly within the framework of the marque patent issued to him by the New England government...

As a young sailor, Kidd ends up in Haiti after a shipwreck, where he joins a gang of French pirates. During one of the raids, the filibusters were smart enough to leave the ship under the guard of 12 British and 8 French. The first cut out the last and slowly weighed anchor. Kidd was elected captain.

Soon the sailor settles in New York. Funds for equipping a new expedition against pirates and the French (there was a war with them) were allocated to Kidd by the most senior statesmen New England. Soon, Kidd's frigate "Brave" reached the Cape of Good Hope. The enterprise turned out to be unprofitable, the team rebelled, and it was necessary to gut any merchants encountered along the way.

Soon, Kidd's luck ran out - he met at sea the ship of another pirate captain - Culliford, his old acquaintance, former first mate. The crew again started a mutiny and betrayed the captain, who had to flee with several trusted people on a newly captured merchant ship. In the nearest port, Kidd learned that England now considered him a pirate. William Kidd voluntarily surrendered to the hands of justice, hoping for the protection of the lords-employers and a marque patent, which no one had revoked. It's all in vain. The "Reluctant Pirate" was hanged in London in 1701.

It is interesting that his posthumous fame surpassed his lifetime one. He is still revered in the United States as one of the first North American naval sailors...

70 thousand pirates of Madame Shi

This pirate is the most formidable and successful in history. In her youth, she worked in a brothel, where she met her future husband, one of the pirate leaders. After the death of her beloved husband in 1807, the lady inherited his business and his flotilla. The robbery was carried out on a grand scale, and there was no shortage of victims.

Judge for yourself - Madame Shi's pirate squadron consisted of two thousand ships, she had seventy thousand fighters on her payroll, but the sea traffic in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam was such that there was enough work for all of them. Madame Shi imposed draconian discipline on her ships. For example, for leaving a ship, an ear was cut off, and for robbery in fishing villages allied with pirates, death was as painful as it could be for the sophisticated and inventive Chinese.

According to legend, the Chinese Bogdykhan, having heard about the sea robber, sent an entire fleet against her. However, on the first day the battle did not take place - the imperial and pirate ships maneuvered for so long to choose best position attacks that by the evening they were completely calm. The two armadas froze opposite each other at a distance of no more than a kilometer. When Madame Shi ordered an attack, discipline did not allow the pirates to disobey her. Tens of thousands of corsairs, holding long knives in their teeth, rushed into the sea and swam to the enemy ships. The brutal boarding battle ended in victory. The losses were great, but so were the trophies - two and a half thousand magnificent warships.

The peak of maritime robberies occurred in the 17th century, when the World Ocean was the scene of struggle between Spain, England and some other emerging European colonial powers. Most often, pirates made their living from independent criminal robberies, but some of them ended up on public service and deliberately harmed foreign fleets. Below is a list of the ten most famous pirates in history.

William Kidd (22 January 1645 – 23 May 1701) was a Scottish sailor who was convicted and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean to hunt pirates. Considered one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty sea robbers of the seventeenth century. The hero of many mysterious stories. Some modern historians, for example, Sir Cornelius Neil Dalton, consider his pirate reputation to be unfair.

Bartholomew Roberts (May 17, 1682 - February 17, 1722) was a Welsh pirate who robbed about 200 ships (according to another version 400 ships) in the vicinity of Barbados and Martinique over two and a half years. Known primarily as the opposite of the traditional image of a pirate. He was always well dressed, had refined manners, hated drunkenness and gambling, and treated the crew of the ships he captured well. He was killed by cannon shot during a battle with a British warship.

Blackbeard or Edward Teach (1680 - November 22, 1718) was an English pirate who traded in the Caribbean in 1716–1718. He liked to strike terror into his enemies. During the battle, Teach wove incendiary wicks into his beard and, in clouds of smoke, like Satan from hell, burst into the ranks of the enemy. Due to his unusual appearance and eccentric behavior, history has made him one of the most famous pirates, despite the fact that his “career” was quite short, and his success and scale of activity were much smaller compared to his other colleagues on this list.

Jack Rackham (December 21, 1682 - November 17, 1720) was an English pirate, famous primarily for the fact that his crew included two more equally famous corsairs, female pirates Anne Bonny, nicknamed “Mistress of the Seas” and Mary Read.

Charles Vane (1680 – March 29, 1721) was an English pirate who plundered ships between 1716 and 1721 in North American waters. He became famous for his extreme cruelty. As history says, Vane was not attached to such feelings as compassion, pity and empathy; he easily broke his own promises, did not respect other pirates and did not take anyone’s opinion into account. The meaning of his life was only production.

Edward England (1685 - 1721) was a pirate active off the coast of Africa and in the waters of the Indian Ocean from 1717 to 1720. He differed from other pirates of that time in that he did not kill prisoners unless absolutely necessary. Ultimately, this led to his crew mutinying when he refused to kill sailors from yet another captured English merchant ship. England was subsequently landed in Madagascar where he survived for some time by begging and eventually died.

Samuel Bellamy, nicknamed Black Sam (February 23, 1689 - April 26, 1717) - a great English sailor and pirate who traded in early XVIII century. Although his career lasted just over a year, he and his crew captured at least 53 ships, making Black Sam the richest pirate in history. Bellamy was also known for his mercy and generosity towards those he captured in his raids.

Saida al-Hurra (1485 – c. 14 July 1561) - last queen of Tetouan (Morocco), reigning between 1512–1542, pirate. In alliance with the Ottoman corsair Arouj Barbarossa of Algeria, al-Hura controlled the Mediterranean Sea. She became famous for her fight against the Portuguese. She is rightfully considered one of the most outstanding women of the Islamic West of the modern era. The date and exact circumstances of her death are unknown.

Thomas Tew (1649 - September 1695) was an English privateer and pirate who made only two major piracy voyages, a voyage later known as the "Pirate Circle". He was killed in 1695 while attempting to rob the Mughal ship Fateh Muhammad.

Steed Bonnet (1688 - December 10, 1718) was a prominent English pirate, nicknamed the "pirate gentleman." Interestingly, before Bonnet turned to piracy, he was a fairly wealthy, educated and respected man, owning a plantation in Barbados.

The peak of maritime robberies occurred in the 17th century, when the World Ocean was the scene of struggle between Spain, England and some other emerging European colonial powers. Most often, pirates made their living through independent criminal robberies, but some of them ended up in government service and deliberately harmed foreign fleets. Below is a list of the ten most famous pirates in history.

1. William Kidd

William Kidd (22 January 1645 – 23 May 1701) was a Scottish sailor who was convicted and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean to hunt pirates. Considered one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty sea robbers of the seventeenth century. The hero of many mysterious stories. Some modern historians, such as Sir Cornelius Neale Dalton, consider his pirate reputation to be unfair.

2. Bartholomew Roberts

3. Blackbeard

4. Jack Rackham

5. Charles Vane

6. Edward England

7. Samuel Bellamy

Samuel Bellamy, nicknamed Black Sam (February 23, 1689 - April 26, 1717) was a great English sailor and pirate who traded at the beginning of the 18th century. Although his career lasted just over a year, he and his crew captured at least 53 ships, making Black Sam the richest pirate in history. Bellamy was also known for his mercy and generosity towards those he captured in his raids.

8. Saida al-Hurra

9. Thomas Tew

10. Steed Bonnet

11. Madame Shi

Madame Shi, or Madam Zheng, is one of the world's most famous female pirates. After the death of her husband, she inherited his pirate flotilla and put sea robbery on a grand scale. Under her command were two thousand ships and seventy thousand people. The strictest discipline helped her command an entire army. For example, for unauthorized absence from a ship, the offender lost an ear. Not all of Madame Shi's subordinates were happy with this state of affairs, and one of the captains once rebelled and went over to the side of the authorities. After Madame Shi's power was weakened, she agreed to a truce with the emperor and subsequently lived to an old age in freedom, running a brothel.

12. Francis Drake

Francis Drake is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Actually, he was not a pirate, but a corsair who acted on the seas and oceans against enemy ships with the special permission of Queen Elizabeth. Devastating the coasts of Central and South America, he became immensely rich. Drake accomplished many great deeds: he opened a strait, which he named in his honor, and under his command the British fleet defeated the Great Armada. Since then, one of the ships of the English navy has been named after the famous navigator and corsair Francis Drake.

13. Henry Morgan

14. Edward Teach

15. Henry Avery

16. Amaro Pargo

17. Arouge Barbarossa

Famous powerful pirate from Turkey. He was characterized by cruelty, ruthlessness, and a love of mockery and execution. He was involved in the pirate business together with his brother Khair. The Barbarossa Pirates were a threat to the entire Mediterranean. So, in 1515, the entire Azir coast was under the rule of Arouj Barbarossa. The battles under his command were sophisticated, bloody and victorious. Arouj Barbarossa died during the battle, surrounded by enemy troops in Tlemcen.

18. William Dampier

A sailor from England. By vocation he was a researcher and discoverer. Made 3 trips around the world. Became a pirate in order to have the means to pursue his research activities- studying the direction of winds and currents in the ocean. William Dampier is the author of such books as “Travels and Descriptions”, “A New Journey Around the World”, “The Direction of the Winds”. An archipelago in the North-West coast of Australia, as well as a strait between the western coast of New Guinea and the island of Waigeo, are named after him.

19. Grace O'Mail

Female pirate, legendary captain, lady of fortune. Her life was full of colorful adventures. Grace had heroic courage, unprecedented determination and high talent as a pirate. For her enemies she was a nightmare, for her followers an object of admiration. Despite the fact that she had three children from her first marriage and 1 child from her second, Grace O'Mail continued her favorite business. Her work was so successful that Queen Elizabeth I herself invited Grace to serve her, to which she received a decisive refusal.

20. Anne Bonney

Anne Bonny, one of the few women who succeeded in piracy, grew up in a wealthy mansion and received good education. However, when her father decided to marry her off, she ran away from home with a simple sailor. Some time later, Anne Bonny met the pirate Jack Rackham and he took her on his ship. According to eyewitnesses, Bonnie was not inferior to male pirates in courage and ability to fight.

Incredible facts about pirates

1. In the 18th century, the Bahamas were a paradise for pirates

The Bahamas, today's respectable resort, and its capital, Nassau, were once the capital of maritime lawlessness. In the 17th century, the Bahamas, which formally belonged to the British crown, did not have a governor, and pirates took the reins of government into their own hands. At that time, more than a thousand sea robbers lived in the Bahamas, and squadrons of the most famous pirate captains moored in the island’s harbors. The pirates preferred to call the city of Nassau Charlestown in their own way. Peace returned to the Bahamas only in 1718, when British troops landed in the Bahamas and regained control of Nassau.

2. “Jolly Roger” is not a single pirate flag at all

The Jolly Roger, a black flag with a skull and crossbones, is often called the main pirate symbol. But this is not entirely true. He is rather the most famous and spectacular. However, it was not used as often as is commonly believed. It appeared as a pirate flag only in the 17th century, that is, already at the end of the golden era of piracy. And not all pirates used it, since each captain himself decided under which flag to carry out raids. So, along with the Jolly Roger, there were dozens of pirate flags, and the skull and crossbones was not particularly popular among them.

3. Why did pirates wear earrings?

Books and films don’t lie: almost all pirates wore earrings. They were even part of the pirate initiation ritual: young pirates received an earring upon their first crossing of the equator or Cape Horn. The fact is that among pirates there was a belief that an earring in the ear helps preserve vision and even helps cure blindness. It was this pirate superstition that led to the mass fashion for earrings among sea robbers. Some even tried to use them for dual purposes, casting a spell against drowning on the earring. Also, an earring taken from the ear of a killed pirate could guarantee a decent funeral for the deceased.

4. There were a lot of female pirates

Oddly enough, women in pirate crews were not so a rare occurrence. There weren't even that few female captains. The most famous of them are the Chinese Cheng Yi Sao, Mary Read and, of course, the famous Anne Bonny. Anne was born into the family of a wealthy Irish lawyer. Parents with early years They dressed her like a boy so that she could help her father in the office as a clerk. The boring life of a lawyer's assistant did not appeal to Anne, and she ran away from home, joining the pirates and quickly becoming a captain thanks to her determination. According to rumors, Anne Bonny had a hot temper and often beat her assistants if they tried to challenge her opinion.

5. Why are there so many one-eyed pirates?

Anyone who has watched a movie about pirates has probably thought at least once: why are there so many one-eyed people among them? The eye patch has long remained an indispensable part of the pirate image. However, the pirates did not wear it because they all lacked an eye. It was simply convenient for quick and more accurate aiming in battle, but putting it on for battle took too long - it was more comfortable to wear it without taking it off.

6. There was strict discipline on pirate ships

Pirates could do any obscenity on the shore, but strict discipline reigned on board pirate ships, because the lives of sea robbers depended on it. Each pirate, upon boarding a ship, signed a contract with the captain, stipulating his rights and obligations. The main duties were unquestioning obedience to the captain. A simple pirate did not even have the right to contact the commander directly. This could be done at the insistence of the sailors only by an appointed representative of the team - usually the boatswain. In addition, the contract strictly determined the part of the booty that the pirate would receive, and an attempt to conceal the captured property was subject to immediate execution - this was done to avoid bloody showdowns on board.

7. The pirates included people from all walks of life

Among the sea robbers there were not only poor people who went to sea for lack of other means of subsistence, or fugitive criminals who did not know the possibility of legal earnings. There were also people from rich and even noble families among them. For example, the famous pirate William Kidd - Captain Kidd - was the son of a Scottish nobleman. He was originally a British naval officer and pirate hunter. But his innate cruelty and passion for adventure pushed him onto a different path. In 1698, under the cover of the French flag, Kidd captured a British merchant ship loaded with gold and silver. When the first prize turned out to be so impressive, could Kidd refuse to continue his career?

8. Buried pirate treasure is the stuff of legends.

There are many legends about buried pirate treasures - much more than there are treasures themselves. Of the famous pirates, only one is reliably known to have actually buried treasure - William Kidd did this, hoping to use it as ransom if he was caught. This did not help him - after his capture he was immediately executed as a pirate. Typically, pirates did not leave behind large fortunes. The pirates' expenses were high, the crews were numerous, and each member of the crew, including the captain, was succeeded by one of his friends and colleagues. At the same time, realizing that their life was short, the pirates preferred to waste money rather than hide it in the prospect of a very unreliable future.

9. A walk along the yard was a rare punishment

Judging by the films, the most common method of execution among pirates was the “yardwalk,” where a man with his hands tied was forced to walk along a thin yard until he fell overboard and drowned. In fact, such punishment was rare and was applied only to sworn personal enemies - to see their fear or panic. The traditional punishment was “dragging under the keel,” when a pirate or obstinate prisoner punished for disobedience was lowered overboard with the help of ropes and dragged under the bottom of the ship, pulled out from reverse side. A good swimmer could easily not choke during the punishment, but the body of the punished person ended up being so cut up by shells. stuck to the bottom, which took many weeks to recover. The punished could easily die, and, again, more likely from wounds than from drowning.

10. Pirates roamed all seas

After the film "Pirates of the Caribbean", many believe that the seas of Central America were the nest of world piracy. In fact, piracy was equally common in all regions - from Britain, whose privateers, pirates in the royal service, terrorized European ships, to Southeast Asia, where piracy remained real power up to the twentieth century. And the raids of northern peoples on cities Ancient Rus' there were real pirate raids along the rivers!

11. Piracy as a way to make a living

IN difficult times many hunters, shepherds and lumberjacks became pirates not for adventure, but for a banal piece of bread. This was especially true for residents of Central America, where in the 17th-18th centuries there was an endless battle between European powers for colonies. Constant armed clashes deprived people not only of work, but also of home, and residents of coastal settlements knew maritime affairs from childhood. So they went to where they had a chance to be well-fed and not think too much about tomorrow.

12. Not all pirates were outlaws

Government piracy is a phenomenon that has existed since ancient times. Berber corsairs served Ottoman Empire, Dunker privateers were in the service of Spain, and Britain, during the era of dominion over the ocean, kept a fleet of privateers - warships that captured enemy merchant ships - and corsairs - private individuals engaged in the same trade. Despite the fact that state pirates were engaged in the same craft as their free brothers, the difference in their position was enormous. Captured pirates were subject to immediate execution, while a corsair with an appropriate patent could count on the status of a prisoner of war, a quick ransom and state award- like Henry Morgan, who received the post of governor of Jamaica for his corsair service.

13. Pirates still exist today

Today's pirates are armed with modern machine guns instead of cutlass, and prefer modern high-speed boats to sailing ships. However, they act just as decisively and ruthlessly as their ancient predecessors. The Gulf of Aden, the Strait of Malacca and the coastal waters of Madagascar are considered the most dangerous places in terms of pirate attacks, and civilian ships are advised not to enter there without an armed escort.

7 Most Scary Pirates in History

With the advent of the famous Jack Sparrow, pirates turned into cartoon characters of modern pop culture. And therefore it is easy to forget that real sea robbers were more formidable than their Hollywood parody. They were brutal mass murderers and slave owners. In a word, they were pirates. Real pirates, not pathetic caricatures. As evidenced by the following...

1. Francois Ohlone

The French pirate François Ohlone hated Spain with all his heart. Early in his pirate career, Ohlone nearly died at the hands of Spanish marauders, but instead of reconsidering his life and becoming, say, a farmer, he decided to dedicate himself to hunting the Spanish. He clearly expressed his attitude towards this people after he beheaded the entire crew of a Spanish ship that came his way, with the exception of one single man, whom he sent to his fellows to convey the following words: “From this day forward, not a single Spaniard will receive from me not a cent."

But these were only flowers. Considering what happened next, we can say that the beheaded Spaniards got off lightly.

Having earned a reputation as a cutthroat, Ohlone gathered eight pirate ships and several hundred men under his command and set out to terrorize the coast of South America, destroying Spanish cities, capturing ships bound for Spain, and generally causing severe headaches for that state.

Nevertheless, Olone's luck suddenly turned away when he, returning from another raid on the coast of Venezuela, was ambushed by Spanish soldiers who outnumbered him. Explosions thundered here and there, pirates flew into pieces, and Olona barely managed to escape from this meat grinder, simultaneously capturing several hostages. But this was not the end of his difficulties, because Olona and his team still needed to escape alive from enemy territory and not run into another ambush, which they simply could not repulse.

What did Ohlone do? He took out a saber, slashed the chest of one of the Spanish hostages, pulled out his heart and “sank his teeth into it like a greedy wolf, telling the others: “The same thing awaits you if you don’t show me the way out.”

The intimidation worked, and soon the pirates were out of danger. If you're wondering what happened to the heads of the beheaded Spaniards we mentioned earlier... well, let's just say that for a week the pirates ate like kings.

2. Jean Lafitte

Despite his effeminate name and French origin, Jean Lafitte was a true pirate king. He owned his own island in Louisiana, robbed ships and smuggled stolen goods into New Orleans. Lafitte was so successful that when the governor of Louisiana offered $300 for his capture (at that time, 300 bucks was half the country's budget), the pirate responded by offering $1,000 for the capture of the governor himself.

Newspapers and authorities portrayed Lafitte as a dangerous and violent criminal and mass murderer, a sort of 1800s Osama bin Laden, if you will. Apparently his fame has crossed Atlantic Ocean, since in 1814 Lafitte was given a letter signed personally by King George III, who offered the pirate British citizenship and lands if he sided with them. He also promised that he would not destroy his small island and sell it piece by piece. Lafitte asked to be given a few days to think... and in the meantime he hurried straight to New Orleans to warn the Americans about the British advance.

So, maybe the United States did not like Jean Lafitte, but for Lafitte the United States was like family.

Even if he was not an American, Lafitte was one of the new country respectfully and even ordered his fleet not to attack American ships. Lafitte personally killed one pirate who disobeyed his order. In addition, the privateer treated hostages well and sometimes returned their ships if they were not suitable for the pirate business. New Orleans residents considered Lafitte almost a hero, as the contraband he brought in allowed people to buy things they otherwise could not afford.

So, how did the American authorities react to the report of a future British attack? They attacked the island of Lafitte and captured his people, because they thought that he was simply lying. Only after he intervened in the matter future president Andrew Jackson, noting that New Orleans was not prepared to withstand a British attack, the authorities agreed to release Lafitte's men on the condition that they agree to help their navy.

It can be said that it was only thanks to the pirates that the Americans managed to defend New Orleans, which otherwise could have been a significant strategic victory for the British. In this city the latter could gather their forces before attacking the rest of the country. Just think: if it weren’t for that unwashed French “terrorist,” the United States might not exist today.

3. Stephen Decatur

Stephen Decatur does not fit the typical pirate mold in that he was a fairly respected US Navy officer. Decatur became the youngest captain in the history of the Navy, which would be a ridiculous fiction if it were not true. He was recognized as a national hero, and for a time his portrait even appeared on the twenty-dollar bill.

How did he manage to achieve such popularity? Organizing some of the most epic and bloody raids in history.

For example, when Tripolitan pirates captured the frigate Philadelphia in 1803, 25-year-old Decatur gathered a group of men disguised as Maltese sailors and armed only with swords and pikes and entered the enemy harbor. There, without losing a single person, he captured the enemies and set fire to the frigate so that the pirates could not use it. Admiral Horatio Nelson called the raid "the boldest and most daring adventure of the century."

But that's not all. Later, returning from the capture of another ship whose crew was twice the size of Decatur's, the man learned that his brother had been mortally wounded in a battle with pirates. Although his crew was exhausted from a recent raid, Decatur turned the ship around and pursued the enemy ship, which he and ten others later boarded.

Ignoring the others, Decatur ran straight towards the man who had shot his brother and killed him. The rest of the team eventually gave up. Thus, in one day, the young man captured 27 hostages and killed 33 pirates.

He was only 25 years old.

4. Ben Hornigold

Benjamin Hornigold was Blackbeard's Emperor Palpatine. While his protégé became the most famous pirate in history, Hornigold forever became a footnote in the books about Edward Titch.

Hornigold began his pirate career in the Bahamas; at that time he had only a couple of small boats at his disposal. However, a few years later Hornigold sailed on a huge 30-gun warship, thanks to which it became much easier for him to engage in sea robbery. So much easier that, apparently, the privateer began to rob solely for fun.

Once, for example, in Honduras, Hornigold boarded a merchant ship, but all he demanded from the crew was their hats. He explained his demand by saying that last night his team got very drunk and lost their hats. Having received what he wanted, Hornigold boarded his ship and sailed away, leaving the merchants with their goods.

And this was not the only case. On another occasion, a crew of sailors captured by Hornigold said that the pirate released them with only “a little rum, sugar, gunpowder and ammunition.”

Alas, his crew did not seem to share their captain's views. Hornigold always considered himself a “privateer” rather than a pirate, and to prove this, he refused to attack British ships. This position did not find support from the sailors, and ultimately Hornigold was removed, and a good part of his crew and ships went to Blackbeard. Before he lost his head.

Hornigold left the pirate life, accepted a royal pardon and took the other side, starting to hunt for those with whom he once hung out.

5. William Dampier

The Englishman William Dampier was used to achieving a lot. Not wanting to be satisfied with the status of the first person to commit three trip around the world, as well as a recognized author and scientific researcher, he had a small business on the side - he plundered Spanish settlements and plundered other people's ships. All this in the name of science, of course.

Pop culture tries hard to convince us that all pirates were toothless, illiterate bums, but Dampier was clearly the opposite of that: he not only respected English language, but also filled it with new words. Oxford English dictionary refers to Dampier more than a thousand times in his articles, since it was he who wrote examples of the spelling of such words as “barbecue”, “avocado”, “chopsticks” and hundreds of others.

Dampier was recognized as Australia's first naturalist, and his contribution to Western culture is simply invaluable. It was his observations that Darwin based on when working on the theory of evolution, and he is also mentioned in a laudatory tone in Gulliver’s Travels.

However, his most striking achievement did not concern literature or science. In 1688, when his first trip around the world was almost over, Dampier sent his crew away and landed somewhere on the coast of Thailand. There he boarded a canoe and swam home. Dampier landed on the English coast only three years later; he had nothing on him except a diary... and a tattooed slave.

6. Black Bart

In the 17th-18th centuries, sailing on military or merchant ships was an extremely thankless task. The working conditions were disgusting, and if you suddenly angered a senior, the punishment that followed was extremely cruel and often led to death. As a result, no one wanted to become a sailor, so the military and merchants had to literally kidnap people from the ports and force them to work on their ships. It is clear that this method of hiring did not awaken in the sailors any particular loyalty to the cause and to their superiors.

Bartholomew Roberts (or simply “Black Bart”) himself became a pirate by force, which, however, does not make him worse than others. Roberts worked on a slave trading ship that was captured by pirates. When they invited the sailors to join them, he agreed without hesitation. Although there is a possibility that the robbers also threatened to kill him if he did not go with them. Thanks to his high intelligence and talent for navigation, Roberts quickly gained the captain's trust. When the latter was killed, he (by that time having lived with the pirates for only six months) was elected in his place.

Roberts became an outstanding pirate, but apparently never forgot where he came from. Having boarded a ship, he, before making money, asked the captured sailors whether the captain and officers had treated them well. If a complaint was made against anyone from the commanding staff, Roberts dealt mercilessly with the offenders. By the way, other pirates also practiced this. although their punishments were more sophisticated.

Roberts, being a civilized man, eventually forced his crew (the one who had previously captured him) to follow a strict 11-point code of conduct, which included: a ban on gambling, a ban on women on board, and an eight-hour blackout. evenings and mandatory washing of dirty bed linen.

7. Barbarossa

In movies and TV shows, a pirate can be considered lucky if they have at least one ship and a crew of a couple dozen people. But as it turned out, some real pirates were much luckier in life. Thus, the Turkish pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa had not only his own fleet, but also his own state.

Barbarossa started out as an ordinary merchant, but after an unsuccessful political decision (he supported the wrong candidate for sultan) he was forced to leave the Eastern Mediterranean. Becoming a pirate, Barbarossa began attacking Christian ships in the area of what is now Tunisia until his enemies captured his base, leaving him homeless. Tired of being constantly kicked out from everywhere, Barbarossa founded his own state, known as the Algerian Regency (the territory of modern Algeria, Tunisia and part of Morocco). He succeeded in this thanks to his alliance with Turkish Sultan, who, in exchange for support, supplied him with ships and weapons.