The phenomenon of piracy has given human history many names of legendary adventurers. The peak of sea robberies occurred in the XVII century, when the World Ocean was the scene of the struggle between Spain, England and some other growing European colonial powers. Most often, pirates earned their living by independent criminal robberies, but some of them found themselves in the public service and deliberately damaged the foreign fleet.
Francis Drake
Born in 1540, Francis Drake came from an ordinary farming family, and there were no signs that he would become a great pirate and navigator. A sharp turn in his fate happened at age 12, when his parents moved to Kent. There, a teenager became a young man on a trading barge. The owner of the ship was his distant relative. Dying, he handed over the ship to Drake. So, by an amazing coincidence, already at the age of 18, the young man turned out to be a captain.
Like all other contemporary sailors, Francis dreamed of the distant western seas, where the Spaniards continued to host since the time of their discovery. The most famous pirates of the time, as one, hunted for royal galleons loaded with American gold. The Spaniards really controlled the West Indies and were not going to give its resources to the British. Skirmishes constantly occurred between the ships of these two countries. In one of them, in 1567, Francis Drake nearly lost his life. Of the entire English flotilla, only two ships survived. After this episode, the Spaniards became Drake's sworn enemies.
Francis received from his authorities a privateer patent and the right to free robbery of enemy bases. Taking this opportunity, a pirate captured Spanish fortresses and outposts in the Caribbean. In 1572, his detachment intercepted a huge load of silver. A robber sailed to England with 30 tons of precious metal.
Drake became famous not only as a thunderstorm of the Spaniards, but also as a brave navigator. In 1577, Queen Elizabeth I sent him on a world expedition. It was this pirate who became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. During his journey, he found out that Tierra del Fuego is an island, not a southern mainland, as was previously believed in Europe. After his triumphant return, Francis Drake received a knighthood title and became sir. High rank did not change the habits of the sea wolf. On the contrary, he again and again rushed to the next adventurous voyage.
In 1588, Francis Drake participated in the defeat of the Spanish Invincible Armada. The victory of the English fleet became the forerunner of British naval rule for several centuries. After this success, Drake went on expeditions several times to the West Indies. In the Caribbean, he destroyed enemy pirate bases that interfered with lucrative English trade. Sir Drake died in 1596 while traveling in Panama. His lead coffin was buried in the ocean. Without a doubt, this adventurer and adventurer is the most famous pirate of the 16th century.
Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan was born in 1635 in a Welsh outback in a landowner family. The boy could become the heir to his father, but since childhood his passion was not agriculture, but the sea. As time has shown, love for distant horizons was justified. The most famous pirates envied the successes of Henry Morgan, who became a living legend of his time.
As a young man, an Englishman hired on a ship sailing to the harbor of the island of Barbados. Once in the Caribbean, Morgan began to build an amazing pirate career. Joining the sea robbers, he moved to Jamaica. Junga quickly became a party to raids, the main purpose of which was the robbery of ships that came to hand. In a short time, the boy knew all the laws and customs of marine life. Already in his youth, he became the owner of considerable capital, made up of pirate proceeds and winnings in dice. With this money, Henry bought his first ship.
Very soon, even the most famous pirates heard about Morgan's daring and luck. Around the pirate formed a group of like-minded people. New ships began to join his ship. The growth of influence could not but lead to an increase in ambition. In 1665, Morgan decided to abandon the robbery of ships and proceeded to plan the operation to capture the whole city. His first goal was Trujillo. Then the robber captured several Spanish bases in Cuba. And simple privateers, and the most famous pirates could not boast of such successes.
Morgan's most famous military venture was his campaign in Panama in 1670. By this time, the robber had at his disposal a fleet of 35 ships and a team of 2 thousand people. This gang landed in Panama and moved to the Spanish fortress of the same name. Although the garrison numbered 2.5 thousand soldiers, he could not defend the city. Having taken Panama, the pirates exterminated all those who resisted and plundered everything they could reach. The city was set on fire and destroyed. After this raid, the names of the most famous pirates faded against the background of the name of Henry Morgan.
When an English citizen returned to Jamaica, which belonged to the crown, authorities unexpectedly arrested him. The fact was that on the eve of London and Madrid made peace. The pirates did not act on behalf of the state, but enjoyed its benevolent connivance. Having made peace with Spain, the British government promised to restrain its pirates. Henry Morgan was deported to his homeland. A court was waiting for him at home, but the process turned out to be only a fake demonstration. The authorities did not intend to punish the pirate who provided them with so many services in the fight against Spanish rule at sea.
Soon Henry Morgan returned to Jamaica. He became the vice-governor of the island and the commander of his fleet and army. Subsequently, the pirate continued to faithfully serve the crown. He died in 1688 and was buried with honors in the church of Port Royal. A few years later, Jamaica was shocked by a catastrophic earthquake, and Morgan’s grave was washed away into the ocean.
Anne Bonnie
Although sea robbery has always been traditionally considered exclusively a male affair, the most famous female pirates are of no less interest. One of them was Anne Bonnie (born in 1700). The girl came from a wealthy Irish family. When she was a child, her father acquired an estate in faraway America. So Ann moved to the New World.
At 18, her daughter fled from home and embarked on an adventurous adventure. She met the pirate Jack Rackham and decided to join his sea adventures. The girl had to get used to men's clothing and master the skills of combat and shooting. Wreckham's team was captured by the authorities in 1720. The captain was executed, but the punishment for Ann was always postponed due to her pregnancy. Her further fate remained unknown.
According to one version, Bonnie was released and died during another raid, according to another, her influential father rescued her, after which the former robber spent her whole life in South Carolina and died in 1782 in old age. Be that as it may, the most famous female pirates ( Mary Reed was another famous robber at the time ) generated even more rumors than their male partners.
Black beard
The legendary Blackbeard figure remains one of the most recognizable in the pirate pantheon. Edward Teach was hiding under this nickname. Almost nothing is known about his childhood. The sailor declared himself in 1713 when, at the age of 33, he joined the robbers of Benjamin Hornigold. Like all world famous pirates, this team traded in the attractively valuable cargo of the Caribbean. Teach was a true pirate ideal. He knew nothing but regular raids and robberies. His ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, terrified both sailors and civilians on earth.
In 1717, thanks to the efforts of the Governor of the Bahamas, the authorities launched an uncompromising fight against pirates. In the new unusual conditions, many robbers (including the same Hornigold) decided to lay down their arms and receive a royal pardon. However, Teach refused to change his lifestyle. From that moment, he became enemy No. 1 for the British military and naval forces.
Many famous pirates who did not want to integrate into the new order joined Blackbeard. The most famous adventure of this captain was the blockade of Charleston in South Carolina. Raiders captured many high-ranking citizens and in exchange for their return received a huge ransom.
The treachery of the owner of Queen Anne’s Revenge did not go unpunished. The authorities promised 100 pounds for the pirate’s head, which was then a fortune. A real hunt has begun on Blackbeard. Very soon on November 22, 1718, Edward Teach died in a boarding battle against the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Often the most famous pirates and their ships excited the sea for an extremely short, but eventful period. So was the inheritance of Blackbeard.
Bartholomew Roberts
The fame used by the most famous pirates in history generated a lot of rumors and myths around them. Bartholomew Roberts was no exception to this rule. It is he who is credited with authorship of the Pirates Code - a set of rules according to which many generations of sea robbers lived.
Roberts was born in 1682 in the small Welsh city of Haverfordwest. His voyages began on the ship of the slave traders, where Bartholomew was assistant captain. He got to the pirates at the age of 37 when he was hired by the Princess of London ship. Within a month and a half, the novice robber was elected captain of his own ship.
Further independent enterprises of Roberts made him famous in many seas and countries. At that time it was believed that he was the most famous pirate in the world. The Bartholomew team operated not only in the Caribbean, but also in the coastal waters of West Africa, Brazil, and even Canada. The thugs robbed everything that could be profitably sold: ships with precious metals, galleons with northern furs, barges with rare American goods. Roberts made his flagship the stolen French brig, which he called the “Royal Pirate”.
Bartholomew was killed in 1722 during his next trip to Africa, where he intended to engage in a profitable slave trade. The legendary pirate was ruined by the addiction of his companions to drink. When a British ship suddenly attacked the Roberts ship, his entire crew was dead drunk. The most famous pirates of the Caribbean and the admirals of the Royal Navy were amazed by what happened: everyone thought that Bartholomew was invincible. Roberts was noticeably distinguished from his comrades not only by his own successes, but also by the habit of dressing well, as well as an aversion to gambling and foul language. There is no doubt that he was one of the most extravagant pirates of his time.
Henry Avery
During his short life, Henry Avery managed to get a lot of nicknames. Some contemporaries called him Longbond Ben, others called the Archipirate. Avery's love of the sea was predetermined by his own roots. Henry's father served as captain in the English fleet. In 1659, a son appeared in the family of the officer, who was destined to become one of the most striking and legendary pirates of his era.
First, the future criminal sailed on merchant ships, and only then changed them to robber ships. In 1694, the 25-year-old Emery hired on a privateer ship. The main difference between such a ship and a classic pirate ship was that it robbed and attacked foreign merchants with the permission of its government. Sometimes contracts were violated: when the ship stopped paying salaries, the crew rebelled. The sailors decided to become pirates and instead of the old captain chose a new one. It turned out to be Henry Emery.
The new leader of the robbers left the Caribbean and went to the Indian Ocean, where he also had something to profit from. The first long stop was Madagascar. Emery’s team then attacked ships belonging to the Mughal Indian Empire. The robbers managed to capture a huge amount of rare oriental goods and all kinds of jewelry. All pirates of America dreamed of such a profitable enterprise. After that expedition, Avery disappeared from sight. Rumor had it that he had moved to England and tried to start an honest business and eventually went broke.
Thomas Tew
The path that Henry Emery followed during his famous expedition is called the Pirate Circle. The first to travel this route (Atlantic - South Africa - Madagascar - India) was Thomas Tew. Like Emery, he started as a privateer, and ended up as a pirate. In 1693, he robbed several ships in the Red Sea. Before his attack, European thugs never hunted in this area. Perhaps this is precisely the reason Tue's success is connected - no one expected the appearance of the Caribbean gentlemen of fortune.
During his second voyage to Madagascar, Thomas accidentally met Henry Emery. Due to widespread rumors of easy money in eastern countries, the most famous sea robbers now sought to repeat the success of Tew. In the memory of the pirates, this captain remained precisely as the discoverer of the "Circle". He did not have time to do more. In 1695, Thomas Tew died during an attack on the Mughal flotilla.
Thomas Cavendish
The list, which includes the most famous pirates in world history, cannot do without mentioning Thomas Cavendish (1560-1592). He was a contemporary of Francis Drake. The biographies of these two pirates, acting in the interests of the English crown, have many common features. Cavendish followed Drake and decided to take a trip around the world. The expedition, completed in 1586-1588, was not at all peaceful. Going around America, the English pirates robbed a lot of gold-filled Spanish ships. In a sense, Thomas Cavendish’s journey was insolence. The Spaniards considered the Pacific Ocean to be their “internal lake” and became furious when foreign robbers penetrated these still plain waters.
The most profitable attack team Cavendish made off the coast of Mexico. The subjects of Elizabeth I attacked the galleon, which transported an annual supply of Peruvian gold (120 thousand pesos). Another profitable pirate venture was parking in Java. This island was famous for its pepper and cloves. Spices at that time were valued at the weight of precious metals. Cavendish managed to get a large load of this expensive product. Pirates returned to their native Plymouth in 1588. Having traveled around the world in 2 years and 50 days, they set a speed record that lasted for two centuries.
Cavendish quickly spent his earned fortune. A few years after his amazing success, he put together a second expedition, intending to repeat his last triumph exactly. However, this time the pirate was haunted by failure. In 1592, he died in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Presumably, Cavendish's ship sank near Ascension Island.
Francois Olone
Although the most famous pirates and their ships, as a rule, were associated with England, other countries also found their nuggets. For example, the Frenchman Francois Olone (1630-1671) left a significant mark in history. In his youth, he became famous in the main Caribbean pirate port of Tortuga. In 1662, the young robber received a privateer patent and began to hunt for Spanish ships. Once the ship Olone wrecked. The pirate was thrown to the Mexican coast, where he, along with his team, was attacked by the Spaniards who arrived in time. All the Frenchmen died, and only on time pretended to be dead Olona managed to survive.
The most ambitious venture of Francois was his capture of the Spanish city of Maracaibo in modern Venezuela. The daredevil attacking the colony fit in only five ships. On the way, the pirates sacked a Spanish ship and got a valuable load of jewelry and cocoa. Arriving on the mainland, Olone led the assault on the fort, whose garrison was 800 people. Pirates captured the fortress and got 80 thousand silver piastres. In honor of the fall of Maracaibo, the captain was nicknamed the "scourge of the Spaniards."
The last expedition for the famous French robber was his expedition to Nicaragua. After three months of searching for profit, the pirates hijacked a ship loaded with cheap paper. Due to failure, part of the team returned to Tortuga. Olone continued the raid, but unfortunately for the captain near Cartagena, his ship ran aground. Reaching the coast, a French squad of 40 people was attacked by a crowd of Indians. Local cannibals tore and ate Olone and his team.
Amaro Pargo
Amaro Pargo is one of the most famous Spanish pirates. He was born in 1678 in the Canary Islands and already in his youth began to trade by transporting slaves from Africa to America. Free workers on plantations were valued extremely highly, thanks to which Pargo quickly became rich. He was the sworn enemy of Blackbeard and, in general, of all English pirates.
Before his death in 1747, Pargo made a will, in which he indicated that he had buried a chest with fabulous treasures: silver, gold, pearls, jewelry, precious stones and expensive fabrics. For several decades, many treasure hunters have tried to find this treasure, including the most famous pirates. There are still a large number of white spots in the story of Pargo's legacy. Despite a long search, the treasure of the Spanish pirate was never found.