Denarius coin of Sextus Pompeius, Roman pirate and general from the Roman Republic era of 44–43 BC. AR Denarius (3.85 g, 3h). Massilia (Gaul) mint. Q. Nasidius, moneyer. Bare head of Pompey the Great right; trident before, dolphin below / Ship sailing right; star above.Gan Ning was a notorious pirate and marauder in the late 190s CE, who became a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Deserted Cananefate soldier. Leading pirate raids of the Chauci into province Gallia Belgica (Belgium) between AD 41–47, when he was captured by the Romans.
Greek inscriptions of the Athenian navy raiding his base on Kynthnos Island and capturing him and his men read "making the sea safe for those that sailed thereon."
Aruj, or Oruç, Reis was a Barbary privateer and later Admiral in Ottoman service who became known as Barbarossa – or Redbeard – amongst Christians.Awilda was a 5th-century pirate who, along with friends, dressed up as sailors and commandeered a ship.Klaus Störtebeker was a 14th–15th century German pirate and one of the leaders of the Likedeelers, a combination of former Victual Brothers (Vitalienbrüder) who roamed Northern European seas.Yermak Timofeyevich, a 16th-century Cossack river pirate who started the Russianconquest of Siberia in the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible
Flemish pirate known for his successful use of a ship-mounted catapult. Once won the favor of Robert the Bruce and acted as a naval officer for England during the Hundred Years' War (after being captured by King Edward III.)
From Arum, Friesland. Known as Grutte Pier 'big Pier' because of his length. Another nickname was 'Cross of the Dutchmen'. A Frisian warrior, pirate, freedom fighter, folk hero and rebel. Mainly active with his band De Arumer Zwarte Hoop 'Arum's Black Heap' at the Zuyderzee, the Netherlands.
The first king of the Nordic Kalmar Union, he spent his last years living on the island of Gotland and "sent forth piratical expeditions against friend and foe alike".[3]
A leader of a gang of river pirates, along the Don River region, of Russia and later, led an expedition, in the Russian conquest of Siberia, in the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
A Norwegian nobleman-turned pirate and privateer. Operated in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Gave up piracy in 1542 and eventually, became admiral of the Danish-Norwegian Fleet.
He was a bishop who became a seafaring warlord adventurer.
Rise of the English Sea Dogs and Dutch Corsairs: 1560–1650
The first man to intentionally circumnavigate the globe, Thomas Cavendish also raided numerous Spanish towns and ships in the New World.Known as "el Draque" (the Dragon) in Spain, Sir Francis Drake raided Spanish merchant shipping in the Atlantic.After serving as a Spanish galley slave for four years, Piet Hein later captured 11,509,524 guilders of cargo from the Spanish treasure fleet.Gráinne O'Malley (left of frame) was an important figure in Irish legend who is still recognised in popular culture today.Sir John Hawkins. An Elizabethan corsair active off the coasts of West Africa and VenezuelaSir Francis Verney was one of the most feared Barbary corsairs during the early 17th century.Sir James Lancaster VI commanded the first East India Company voyage in 1601Sir Walter Raleigh who commanded two expedition to search the golden city of El Dorado in Spanish colony of Guayana (actual Venezuela)Sir George Somers. In 1595 co-led with Amyas Preston the raid on Caracas and Coro
Pirate born in the town of Groningen, long residence of Dutch colony of Brasil. Active in the Caribbean and captain of pirates of Jamaica. Known for his fury and great cruelty and sadism, especially against Spaniards.[4]
A Flemish admiral who served as privateer and one of the Dunkirkers in Spanish Habsburg service during the Dutch Revolt, responsible for the destruction of at least 150 fishing boats.
Former Dutch corsair and privateer, he later became a pirate and was successful in capturing hundreds of ships in Europe, the Barbary coast and West Africa.
Dutch corsair and privateer who later became a Barbary corsair based in Algiers and Tunis during the early 17th century. He and John Ward dominated the Western Mediterranean during the early 17th century.
An Elizabethan corsair active off the coasts of West Africa and Venezuela. His work in ship design was important during the threat of invasion from the Spanish Armada.[14][15]
Maryland privateer and pirate. In an extension of the English Civil War in the Catholic colony of Maryland he and the Puritan settlers raided ships belonging to Catholics and the colonial governor Lord Baltimore. Ingle seized control of the Maryland capital briefly and was later hanged for piracy.
Known also as Murad Reis, originally Dutch, he was a fighter captured by the Algerian corsairs who converted to Islam in 1618. He began serving as a Navy fighter in Algiers, then after gaining experience there, he was invited to join the 17th-century "Salé Rovers".
Chinese pirate and warlord. The eldest son of Koxinga and grandson of Zheng Zhilong, he succeeded his father as ruler of Tainan and briefly occupied Fujian.
Lawrence Keymis was a seaman and companion of Sir Walter Raleigh in his expeditions to Spanish colony of Guayana in 1595 and 1617 to search for England El Dorado (actual Venezuela).[16] In another expedition in 1596 led a force inland Guayana along the banks of the Essequibo River, reaching what he wrongly believed to be Lake Parime.[17]
An English pirate who set up base in the Outer Hebrides and was active around Ireland and Scotland. He was betrayed by the outlaw Neil MacLeod and executed in 1610.
Active in the Narrow Sea (the modern day Adriatic Sea). He was the squadron admiral and the supreme commander of all Islamic vessels in North Africa and Pasha Algiers, known as the most formidable corsair of that period.
Roger North was a seaman and companion of Sir Walter Raleigh in his expeditions to Spanish colony of Guayana in 1617 to search for England El Dorado (actual Venezuela).[16] North in 1619 petitioned for letters patent authorising him to establish the king's right to the coast and country adjoining the River Amazon; to found a plantation or settlement there, and to open a direct trade with the natives.
Elizabethan Sea Dog and associate of Sir Frances Drake during the early years of the Anglo-Spanish War. First English privateer to enter the Pacific though Panama. [citation needed]
Elizabethan Sea Dog active in the West Indies. Successfully captured Porto Bello in 1602 without firing a shot.[citation needed]
Ali Pegelin
c. 1605–1645
Netherlands
Also known as Pisselingh, from Vlissingen (hence his name Pisselingh). Was for 40 years one of the most prominent pirates of Algiers. Settled in 1645 in Algiers with great fortune.[4]
Elizabethan corsair who commanded two expeditions to search for England the fabled "El Dorado" in the Spanish colony of Guayana (modern-day Venezuela).
Assan Reis
fl. 1626
1620s
Netherlands
Former Dutch privateer turned Barbary corsair. He attacked the Dutch ship St. Jan Babtista under Jacob Jacobsen of Ilpendam on March 7, 1626. [citation needed]
A lieutenant on the ship Warwick, then part of a fleet under the command of Nathaniel Butler, he later took part in a privateering expedition between May–September 1639.
French nobleman and adventurer who, through his friendship with King Francis, became the first Lieutenant General of New France. As a corsair he attacked towns and shipping throughout the Spanish Main, from Cuba to Colombia. He died in Paris as one of the first Huguenot martyrs.
A Dutch corsair active against the English during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch War. His capture of The Falcon, an East India Company merchantman, was one of the most valuable prizes captured during the late-17th century.
Dutch corsair and privateer based on Providence Island. He was involved in privateering expeditions for the Providence Island Company and later commander of Fort Henry.
Dutch corsair active in the West Indies. Reportedly killed with a number of colonists attempting to establish one of the first colonies on the Wiapoco in Dutch Guiana.
De Veenboer meaning the Peat Bog Farmer. Former Dutch corsair and privateer. Later became a Barbary corsair under Simon the Dancer and eventually commanded the Algiers corsair fleet.[4]
Dutch admiral who led Dutch corsairs on the first major privateering expedition to the West Indies.
Cornelis Wittebol
fl. 1622
1620s
Netherlands
Dutch corsair in Spanish service. In February 1622, attacked a fishing fleet from the Veere and Maasmond sinking several ships and bringing back the survivors to ransom in Duinkerken. [citation needed]
Dutch corsair active against the Portuguese in West Africa.
Age of the Buccaneers: 1650–1690
Although Jean Bart was born the son of a fisherman, he was able to retire as an admiral in French service on the strength of his captures during his time as a privateer.William Dampier was the first Englishman to explore or map parts of New Holland (Australia) and New Guinea, and was also the first person to circumnavigate the world three times.Known only for a single attack against a Spanish galleon (pictured), Pierre le Grand's existence is disputed.François l'Ollonais was nicknamed "Flail of the Spaniards" and had a reputation for brutality – offering no quarter to Spanish prisoners.Roche Braziliano had a reputation for violence, and once roasted two Spanish farmers when they refused to hand over their pigs.
A flibustier (French buccaneer) in the latter half of the mid-17th century. He is best known for capturing a Spanish ship after being shipwrecked, though his story is possibly apocryphal.
Scottish pirate and privateer active in the Caribbean. He is best known for his hasty execution and the effects it had on colonial Jamaican government.
Active in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. He is best remembered for leaving behind a well-documented Pirate Code, his "Articles of Agreement".
Merchant captain, buccaneer, and pirate. He is best known for sailing against the Spanish alongside Bartholomew Sharp, John Coxon, Basil Ringrose, Lionel Wafer, and other famous buccaneers. Cooke's flag was red-and-yellow striped and featured a hand holding a sword.
Irish pirate supposedly active in the Red Sea and off the west coast of Africa. He succeeded William Lewis, who was killed after announcing he'd made a pact with the Devil. Lewis and Cornelius are likely the fictional creations of Captain Charles Johnson, who presented their stories among those of real historical pirates.
Mid-17th-century flibustier, or French buccaneer, active in the Caribbean. He is best known for a single attack on a Spanish pearl-diving fleet. His story appears only in Alexandre Exquemelin's History of the Buccaneers and the truth of his account is uncertain.
Known from his Memoirs; supposedly a real buccaneer active against the Spanish, Golif's Memoirs were a forgery and he is now assumed to be entirely fictional.
Also known as Lorencillo and active in the Caribbean. Characterised as "a great and mischievous pirate" by Henry Morgan, de Graaf was a Dutch pirate, mercenary, and naval officer in the service of the French colony of Saint-Domingue. Sacked Veracruz. His companion was pirate Nicholas van Hoorn.[4]
Greaves's nickname was based on a commonly used term for reddened legs often seen among the Scottish and Irish who took to wearing kilts in almost any weather. Noted for his raid of Margarita Island. He may have been fictional; his story first appeared in 1924.
A Spanish renegade pirate who raided Spanish settlements in New Spain during the late 17th century with his most notable raid being against Chepo in 1679.
Merchant, privateer and later pirate, van Hoorn was hugely successful before dying of wound infection. Active in the Caribbean and based at the island Hispaniola. Sacked in 1683 Veracruz. Worked together with Laurens de Graaf aka Lorencillo.[4]
Dutch corsair active against the Portuguese. He attacked a small merchant fleet at Fernando de Noronha, capturing one merchant ship and driving off the other. [citation needed]
French pirate active on the Pacific coast of Central America. He sailed and fought alongside a number of prominent buccaneers such as Edward Davis, Francois Grogniet, William Dampier, and others.
Nicknamed "The Bane of Spaniards" (French: Fléau des Espagnols). l'Ollonais had a reputation for brutality, offering no quarter to Spanish prisoners. Famous by his raids against Maracaibo and Gibraltar, Venezuela.
Pirate supposedly active in the Caribbean, off the American east coast, and the west coast of Africa. He was known for sparing his victims, and for being killed after announcing he had made a pact with the Devil. He is likely the fictional creation of Captain Charles Johnson, who presented his story among those of real historical pirates.
A French nobleman who became a buccaneer in the Caribbean, selling his castle and title to Madame de Maintenon. Remarkable for his raid of Margarita Island.
Dutch buccaneer in English service. Known as the Admiral of the "Brethren of the Coast", Mansvelt was a mentor to Sir Henry Morgan who succeeded him following his death.
A former French naval officer and gentleman adventurer, he engaged in a violent and destructive war against Spain in the Caribbean and the Spanish Main. His hatred of the Spanish earned him the name "Montbars the Exterminator".
Described as "unhinged and out of tune" by the governor of Jamaica, Myngs nevertheless became a Vice-Admiral of the Blue in the Royal Navy. In 1658, raided the coast of South-America; failing to capture a Spanish treasure fleet, he destroyed Tolú and Santa Marta in present-day Colombia instead. In 1659, he plundered Cumaná, Puerto Cabello and Coro in present-day Venezuela.
Portuguese privateer in the service of Spain. One of the few successful privateers active against the buccaneers of the Caribbean during the late 17th century.
An officer under l'Ollonais and Henry Morgan, he and Moise Vauquelin left to pursue a career on their own. He later served in King William's War. He may have been one of the first buccaneers to raid shipping on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
An officer under l'Ollonais, he also had a partnership with Pierre le Picard. In his later years, he wrote a book detailing the coastline of Honduras and the Yucatan along with fellow buccaneer Philippe Bequel.
Despite being English, Wright was active as a privateer under a French commission. He later became a buccaneer.
Golden Age of Piracy: 1690–1730
The most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy, Black Bart was estimated to have captured more than 470 vessels.With his fearsome appearance, Blackbeard is often credited with the creation of the stereotypical image of a pirate.Miguel Enríquez was the most longeve and the wealthiest of the privateers born in the Caribbean colonies.[27]Amaro Pargo. He was one of the most famous pirates of the golden age of piracy, and one of the most important personalities of the 18th century of Spain.Despite never commanding a ship herself, Anne Bonny is remembered as one of few known female pirates.Henry Every (or Avery) is famous as one of the few pirates of the era who was able to retire with his takings without being either arrested or killed in battle.Although modern historians dispute the legitimacy of his trial and execution, the rumour of Captain Kidd's buried treasure has served only to build a legend around the man as a great pirate.
Active near Cape Verde and the Bay of Campeche. Almost the entire record of Allison's piracy comes from trial records of a single incident, the seizure of the merchantman Good Hope.
English pirate who raided colonial American shipping in New England and later off the coast of Canada. He is often confused with the more well-known Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, as they operated in the same areas at the same time.
Despite having a career of only 16 months, Bellamy was extraordinarily successful, capturing more than 50 ships before his death at age 28.[28] His acquired wealth of five tons of treasure from his short career is speculated at US$120 million in 2008 dollars.[29] Bellamy began his pirate career under the command of Henry Jennings, a Buccaneer that turned pirate; but double-crossing Jennings, Bellamy fled to the Bahamas and joined Jennings' nemesis, Benjamin Hornigold of the Mary Anne. But quickly growing wearisome of Hornigold's refusal to attack English ships, Bellamy called for a vote of no confidence, and the crew ousted Hornigold and Blackbeard by a majority vote, electing Bellamy as captain. Bellamy's prize flagship, Whydah Galley, discovered by underwater explorer Barry Clifford in 1984, is currently the world's only fully authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever found.
With his fearsome appearance, Blackbeard is often credited with the creation of the stereotypical image of a pirate. Although his real name remains unknown, he began his pirate career as the first officer of Buccaneer-turned-pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold of the Mary Anne. When a young crewman, Samuel Bellamy, called for a vote of no confidence in Hornigold for his refusal to attack English ships, the crew by a vote ousted Hornigold and Blackbeard, leaving the Mary Anne to Bellamy whom the crew elected their new captain.[25][28] His legend solidified after he took command of the Queen Anne's Revenge.[30]
A captured slave turned pirate, legend held that Black Caesar had been a well-known pirate active off the Florida Keys during the early 18th century. Historically, he was part of Blackbeard's crew and was one of five Africans serving on his flagship.[28]
Pirate and salvager active in the Caribbean, the Carolinas, and the Azores. He is best known for organizing several attempts to get the pirates of Madagascar to accept a pardon and bring their wealth home to England.
After entering into piracy in 1718, Condent later took a prize of £150,000 with his ship Fiery Dragon and retired to France, becoming a wealthy merchant.[25] Known by many names, including Condent, Congdon, Connor or Condell; and by given names including William, Christopher, Edmond or John.
A minor pirate active off the coast of Massachusetts. He is known for a single incident involving the seizure of one small vessel, largely thanks to events surrounding his trial.
French privateer active in the Caribbean and off the American east coast during the War of Spanish Succession. He was highly successful, capturing a large number of English vessels which he sent back to his home ports in Martinique and Port Royal.
The former first mate of William Kidd, Culliford led a first mutiny against Kidd, stealing his ship Blessed William. One of the few pirates documented as participating in matelotage, with John Swann.[25][28]
French privateer active off New England during Queen Anne's War. He is best known for repeatedly evading capture by rival English and Dutch privateers such as Adrian Claver and Thomas Penniston.
Pirate and privateer active off the American East Coast. He is known for being one cause of increasing tensions between the Governors of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
French flibustier (buccaneer), privateer, and pirate active in the Caribbean and off the west African coast. Frequently referred to as Sieur de Montauban (last name occasionally Montauband), he wrote an account of his later voyages, including surviving a shipwreck.
Known as "Jack of the Baltic." Danish pirate active in the 1700s. His story, if true, makes him one of the few pirates known to force his victims walk the plank.
In 1725, Mary Harvey and her husband Thomas were transported to the Province of Carolina as felons. In 1726, Mary and three men were tried for piracy. Two of the men were hanged (their leader John Vidal was convicted and later pardoned), but Mary was released. Her husband Thomas was never caught.[32]
A Jacobite pirate and privateer active in the waters near England and France. His trial was important in establishing Admiralty law, differentiating between privateers and pirates, and ending the naval ambitions of the deposed James II.
Active in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, Halsey is remembered by Defoe as "brave in his Person, courteous to all his Prisoners, lived beloved, and died regretted by his own People."[25]
Also known as Basilica Hands.[33] He is best known for being second in command to Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. Hands' first historical mention was in 1718, when Blackbeard gave him command of David Herriot's ship Adventure after Herriot was captured by Teach in March 1718.[30]
Although born a shoemaker, Enríquez was later awarded a letter of marque by Spain, going on to become knighted and gathering a fortune of over 500,000 pieces of eight.[27] Considered the "most accomplished" of the Hispanic privateers.[34]
Captain of the Jamaican sloop Adventure, captured by Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, in 1718. He joined Blackbeard's crew, and later when Stede Bonnet separated from Blackbeard, Herriot became his sailing master. During the Battle of Cape Fear River Herriott was taken by Col. Rhet, of the sloop Royal James, on September 27, 1718.[35] Herriot and boatswain, Ignatius Pell, turned King's evidence at their trial but escaped their Charleston prison on October 25. Herriot was shot and killed on Sullivan Island a few days later.[30]
Jennings was a later governor of the pirate haven of New Providence.[25] Although the Governor of Jamaica personally commissioned Jennings' privateering in 1715,[36] after Jennings' began attacking salvage camps and Spanish, English and French vessels,[37] Jennings was declared a pirate in April 1716.[38] Jennings and his fleet of pirates and privateers subsequently moved to Nassau.[38] Jennings was one of 400 pirates who took advantage of the British amnesty in 1718, and afterwards retired to Bermuda to live the rest of his life "as a wealthy, respected member of society."[39]
Irish pirate active in the Caribbean. He shared captaincy with a Spaniard, Pedro Poleas. Johnson was best known thanks to an autobiography written by a sailor he captured and marooned.
Welsh-born pirate from New York active in the Indian Ocean, best known for his indirect connection to Robert Culliford and for capturing a future Mayor of New York.
Although modern historians dispute the legitimacy of his trial and execution, the rumor of Captain Kidd's buried treasure has served only to build a legend around the man as a great pirate. His property was claimed by the crown and given to the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, by Queen Anne.[25][28][40][41][42][43]
Although not ever a captain, King joined the crew of Samuel Bellamy when they boarded the ship he was on, and is one of the youngest known pirates on record. His age is disputed at anywhere from 8–11 years.
Active in the Caribbean and off the eastern seaboard of the American colonies. After helping suppress Bacon's Rebellion and serving as a militia leader he turned to piracy, operating alongside John Quelch.
A pirate and slave trader active off the west coast of Africa. Often called "Captain Crackers" or "Old Captain Cracker," he is best known for his actions against the English Royal African Company and for his brief involvement with Bartholomew Roberts.
Nicknamed "la Buse" (the Buzzard) for the speed with which he attacked his targets, Levasseur left behind a cryptic message that has yet to be deciphered fully today.[25][28]
A pirate known for his vicious torture, his methods were described as having "done credit to the ingenuity of the Spanish Inquisition in its darkest days".[25][28]
Active off North and South Carolina, Moody offered no quarter to captured crews, signified by his flying of a red standard.[28] Often conflated with William Moody.
He is best known for his association with Olivier Levasseur and Thomas Cocklyn, crewmembers who succeeded him as captains in their own right. Often conflated with Christopher Moody.
A pirate active in the Caribbean and off the American east coast. He is best known as a leader among the "Flying Gang" of pirates operating out of New Providence.
Active in the Red Sea. Before he was briefly a pirate captain, he was a sailor on the Batchelor's Delight which circumnavigated the globe with William Dampier.
Along with Anne Bonny, one of few known female pirates. When captured, Read escaped hanging by claiming she was pregnant, but died soon after of a fever while still in prison.[25][28]
Pirate active from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean to the African coast. He is best known for his association with Edward Low and Francis Spriggs, and for his involvement with two well-known and well-documented maroonings.
Last name also Churcher, he was a pirate trader and slave trader active off Madagascar. He is best known for his role in introducing rice to America as a staple crop and export commodity.
A prolific privateer who operated out of New England. He captured a large number of ships over a short career, sending most back to New York, and was known for attacking the largest ships he could find.
Welsh sailor who turned pirate after being abandoned on Madagascar. He was only briefly a Captain, and is best known for sailing under a number of more prominent pirate captains.
Breton who commanded a number of privateers, most notably Blonde, and Duc de Dantzig. In them he captured numerous prizes. He and Duc de Dantzig disappeared without at trace around the end of 1812. Their disappearance gave rise to an unsubstantiated gruesome ghost ship legend.
A leader of a gang of pirates, smugglers, and outlaws in southern Mississippi and southern Alabama, around Mobile, known as the Wages and Copeland Clan.
A civic leader and business owner in western Kentucky and southern Illinois, secretly, was the leader of a gang of river pirates and highwaymen, along the Ohio River, known as the "Ford's Ferry Gang."
British ship owner and smuggler known as Bermuda's "gentleman privateer". Alleged to have used his business as a cover to withhold cargo sized in privateering expeditions and amass a small fortune.
Spanish naval officer who turned to piracy and operated from a base in southwest Florida. Although Gaspar is a popular figure in local folklore and was the inspiration for Tampa'sGasparilla Pirate Festival, there is no evidence of his existence.[48]
Prado a Peruvian mariner with Cuban revolutionaries seized the Spanish ship Moctezuma in the Caribbean sea at North of La Hispaniola. Renamed as Cespedes failed to liberate Cuba under Spanish rule. Realizing how the ship remained in the hands of the royalist navy, Prado ordered his men to leave and lit a barrel of gunpowder inside of the ammunition storage facilities.
Australian convicts. Among a group of convicts taken on board a shorthanded ship as crew. The convicts commandeered the ship and sailed for New Zealand. Hagerty was put ashore and died, Badger was never seen again.[49]
English-born American burglar, river pirate and underworld figure in New York City during the mid-to late 19th century. An old time thief from the old Seventh Ward, he was also a well-known waterfront thug whose criminal career lasted over two decades. He especially gained notoriety as a member of the Patsy Conroy Gang.
The most famous pirate in the Persian Gulf, he ruled over Qatar and Dammam for short periods and fought alongside the Wahhabis against the Al-Khalifa tribe of Bahrain.[50]
French pirate (or privateer) active in the Gulf of Mexico during the early 1800s. A wanted fugitive by the United States, he later participated, during the War of 1812, in the Battle of New Orleans on the side of Andrew Jackson and the Americans. In 1822, Lafitte approached the navy of Gran Colombia and Simon Bolivar granted a commission and given a new ship, a 40-ton schooner named General Santander.
Venezuelan adventurer, enlisted in United States about six hundred filibusters and successfully reached Cuba in May 1850 to liberate the island from Spanish Crown rule. His troops took the town of Cárdenas, carrying a flag that López had designed, which later became the banner of modern Cuba. After another failed attempt to free Cuba he was executed in Havana by the royalists in 1851.
The Polish Pirates of the Caribbean. After fighting against a slave rebellion in Haiti, Lux started a career of piracy – shooting and boarding an American brig was one of his more spectacular successes; the vessel was later sold for 20,000 francs in Havana.[clarification needed]
A Scottish adventurer, soldier and land speculator who fought in the Venezuelan and New Granadan struggle for independence. In 1817, led an army of only 150 men in an assault on Amelia Island, Florida. After his return to Britain in 1820, he claimed to be cacique of Poyais a fictional Central American country that MacGregor had invented which, with his promotional efforts, drew investors and eventually colonists.
Venezuelan militar and adventurer, who organized in 1806 two private filibustering expeditions from New York and Trinidad with the intention of liberate Venezuela under Spanish rule since XVI siecle. On April 28 of 1806 the small fleet was overtaken by Spanish warships off the coast of Venezuela. Only the Leander escaped. The Backus and Bee were captured with all the revolutionaries. Sixty men were put on trial for piracy and Ten were sentenced to death in Puerto Cabello. The Leander and the expeditionary force regrouped on the British islands of Barbados and Trinidad, assisted by HMS Lilly. The new expedition landed at La Vela de Coro on August 3, captured the fort and raised the tricolor flag for the first time on Venezuelan soil. Before dawn the next morning the expeditionaries occupied Coro, but found no support from the city residents and Miranda returned to England.
French privateer and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean between 1789 and 1801, and again from 1807 to 1808, capturing over 40 prizes, while amassing a large fortune as a ship-owner, both from privateering and from commerce.
Rachel and her husband George Wall were active off the New Hampshire coast until George and the crew were washed out to sea. She was hanged in Boston on 8 October 1789.
American lawyer, journalist and adventurer, who organized several private military expeditions into Latin America, with the intention of establishing English-speaking colonies under his personal control. Walker became president of the Republic of Nicaragua in 1856 and ruled until 1857, when he was defeated by a coalition of Central American armies. He was executed in Trujillo by the government of Honduras in 1860.
Considered the "last of the [successful] West India pirates", Cofresí avoided capture by the navies of six nations for years and became the final target of the West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations.[53] After being captured by the Puerto Rican militia, he claimed to have a stash of 4,000 pieces of eight hidden, which he tried to use as a bribe.[54]
Cuban-born pirate active in the Caribbean during the early 19th century. He was one of the first pirates to be hunted down by Commodore David Porter and the Mosquito Fleet during the early 1820s.
Ching Shih, from China, the most successful female pirate and one of the world's most powerful pirates in history.Chui A-poo, a powerful 19th-century QingChinese pirate
A prominent female pirate in late Qing China. She was a prostitute who married a pirate and rose to prominence after his death. Regarded as one of the most powerful pirates in human history, she commanded her husband's fleet after his death. While the fleet she inherited was already large, she further increased the number of ships and crew. At its height, her fleet was composed of more than 1,500 ships and 80,000 sailors. She controlled much of the waters of the South China Sea. After years of piracy during which she defeated several attempts to capture her, the Qing government offered her peace in 1810 and she was able to retire. She married her second-in-command.[58]
The first and only American slave trader to be tried, convicted, and executed "for being engaged in the Slave Trade" in accordance with the Piracy Law of 1820.[61]
New York waterfront thug who killed the 3-man crew of an oyster sloop after being shanghaied. He was the last man hung for piracy in the United States.
A legendary figure in San Francisco history who owned several boarding houses and saloons, Kelly was renowned for his ability to supply men to understaffed ships. He was reported to have shanghaied 100 men for three ships in a single evening, by hosting a free booze cruise to celebrate his "birthday", then serving opium-laced whiskey to knock out his guests.[62]
The "King of the Crimps" in Portland, Oregon, he shanghaiied over 2,000 men in all. In 1893, he delivered 20+ men who had mistakenly consumed embalming fluid from the open cellar of a mortuary. The ship sailed off before the captain realized most of the men were dead.[63]
A Pilgerodendron lumberjack turned pirate who was active in Guaitecas Archipelago and other archipelagoes of Patagonia in the 1870s and 1880s. Ñancupel was captured in Melinka in 1886 and bought into justice in Ancud the same year. After escaping from detainment in Ancud he was captured once again and executed by firing squad on November 11, 1888. He was said at the time to have killed 99 persons.
A New England sea captain who kidnapped Pacific Islanders aboard the Pioneer, providing labor for the plantations of Fiji. When Bully Hayes was arrested for piracy in Samoa, Pease helped him to escape. When next the Pioneer returned to port, Hayes was at the helm, and was rumored to have killed Pease during a fight.
On 11 August 1929 Delgado Chalbaud led the steamship Falke, (renamed General Anzoátegui for the occasion) into Cumaná in a failed attempt to overthrow Venezuelan dictator Juan Vicente Gomez. After landing in Cumana the expeditionary force of 250–300 men soon ran into problems by government troops. Delgado was killed on the first day, and on 24 August, the leaders of the expedition surrendered.[65][66] Venezuela's roving diplomat in Europe, José Ignacio Cárdenas, had reported on the planned expedition, which helped defeat it.[67]
With the support of president Zelaya of Nicaragua, Nogales participated in a failed attempt to overthrow Venezuelan dictator Cipriano Castro involving an expedition aboard of schooner La Libertad. The forces landed in La Guajira peninsula but were defeated by general Antonio Davila in Carazua.
On 13 February 1963, Paul del Rio at the age of 19 was the leader of a Venezuelan revolutionary group, the Armed Forces of National Liberation, that seized the Venezuelan cargo ship Anzoategui in the Caribbean, in a failed attempt to overthrow President Romulo Betancourt. Involving 25 men, the ship was hauled off to the Brazilian coast, evading both the Venezuelan Navy and the U.S. Navy.
On January 22, 1961, Henrique Galvão led the Santa Maria hijacking, also known as Operation Dulcinea. The Portuguese revolutionaries isolated the vessel by cutting off all communication, and killed one officer and wounded several others. Galvão used the hijacking to send radio broadcasts from the ship calling attention to his concerns and views on what he characterized as President Salazar's regime of fascism. The liner evaded both the U.S. Navy and British Royal Navy for eleven days before docking safely at Recife, Brazil.
Somali pirate nicknamed "the one who never sleeps". Leader of the 350-men strong group "Central Regional Coast Guard", active in capturing ships for ransoms.[68][69]
German navy officer nobleman privateer known by the epithet Der Seeteufel (the Sea-Devil) – and his crew that of Die Piraten des Kaisers (the Emperor's Pirates) – for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raiderSMS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) in 1916–17, during World War I.
With the support of the New York & Bermudez Company and Orinoco Steamship Company, in 1901 Matos participated in a failed revolution to overthrow Venezuelan dictator Cipriano Castro, involving an expedition from Trinidad aboard the steamship Ban Righ with men, weapons, ammunition for the revolutionary army. The forces landed in Coro, Paraguana peninsula, but were defeated in La Victoria by government forces on November 2, 1902.
Participated in Rafael Simón Urbina's June 1929 taking of Fort Amsterdam in Curaçao, in another failed attempt to overthrow dictator Juan Vicente Gómez, involving 250 men.[65] This attempt involved the kidnapping of the governor of Curaçao, Leonardus Albert Fruytier,[65] who was hauled off to invade Venezuela on the stolen American ship Maracaibo.[65] After this raid was defeated by Gómez forces, he went into exile in Colombia with Urbina and other revolutionaries.
Joseph Mortelmans, a 25-year-old seaman on the Nueva Tigre, a 50-ton sailing ship registered and sailed under the Peruvian flag, forced the captain and mate into the water on 18 November 1907 after departing Callao.[70] He forced the other seaman, a youth named Skerritt, to help sail the ship to the west. The ship's name was changed to be the White Rose. The ship struck the reef of Abemama in the Gilbert Islands on 24 January 1908.[70] Skerritt disclosed the events as to the seizing of the ship and Mortelmans was charged with piracy and convicted in the Supreme Court of Suva in Fiji. He served his sentence in a prison in New South Wales, Australia, and was released in 1931.[70]
Active in the waters between Venezuela and Trinidad. Singh commonly attacked fishing boats, killing the crew and stealing the boat engine, before sinking the boat and selling the engine.[73]
Participated in Gustavo Machado Morales's June 1929 taking of Fort Amsterdam in Curaçao, involving 250 men.[65] This attempt involved the kidnapping of the governor of Curaçao, Leonardus Albert Fruytier, who was hauled off to invade Venezuela on the stolen American steamship Maracaibo to overthrow the dictatorship of General Gomez.[65] After this raid was defeated by troops conducted by Leon Jurado, he went into exile in Colombia with Machado and other revolutionaries.[65] In October 1931, aboard the stolen American tanker Progresso with 137 Mexican braceros and 8 Venezuelans, it landed at Puerto Gutiérrez and took Capatárida being defeated once more by General Leon Jurado's troops, after which he fled the country again.
^Library of Universal Knowledge: A Reprint of the Last (1880) Edinburgh and London Edition of Chambers's Encyclopedia. New York: American Book Exchange, 1880. (p. 510)
^ abcdeLunsford, Virginia West (2005). Piracy and Privereering in the Golden Age Netherlands. US: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 56–64. ISBN1-4039-6692-3.
^Edwards, Peter. editor (1988). Last Voyages: Cavendish, Judson, Ralegh: The Original Narratives. Oxford. ISBN0-19-812894-0
^Hakluyt, Richard. Chapter: "The prosperous voyage of the worshipful Thomas Candish..", in Voyages and Discoveries: Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation. Found in volume 8 of the 1907 Everyman's Library edition. Also found in Penguin edition ISBN0-14-043073-3
^Judkins, David (2003), "Cavendish, Thomas (1560–1592)" in Literature of Travel and Exploration: An Encyclopedia, volume 1.
^Walling, R.A.J. A Sea-Dog of Devon: a Life of Sir John Hawkins. 1907.
^Williamson, James. Hawkins of Plymouth: a new History of Sir John Hawkins. 1969.
^Bawlf, R. Samuel. The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 1577–1580.(Douglas & McIntyre, 2003)
^Merideth, Mrs. Charles, Notes and Sketches of New South Wales, during a residence in that colony from 1839 to 1844; BOUND WITH: "Life of Drake" by John Barrow (1st ed, 1844) [xi, 164; and xii, 187 pp. respectfully]
^Davis, Bertram. Proof of Eminence: The Life of Sir John Hawkins. Indiana University Press. 1973.
^Hazlewood, Nick. The Queen's Slave Trader: John Hawkyns, Elizabeth I, and the Trafficking in Human Souls. HarperCollins Books, New York, 2004. ISBN0-06-621089-5
^Wilkinson, Clennell William Dampier, John Lane at the Bodley Head, 1929.
^Pope, Dudley. The Buccaneer King: the Biography of Sir Henry Morgan, 1635–1688. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1978.
^Cruikshank, E. A., The Life of Sir Henry Morgan: with an account of the English settlement of the island of Jamaica. The Macmillan Company of Canada, 1935.
^Woolsey, Matt (19 September 2008). "Top-Earning Pirates". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
^ abcD. Moore. (1997) "A General History of Blackbeard the Pirate, the Queen Anne's Revenge and the Adventure". In Tributaries, Volume VII, 1997. pp. 31–35. (North Carolina Maritime History Council)
^Navarro García, Luis (1983). Historia general de España y América: los primeros Borbones. América en el siglo XVIII. Tomo XI-1, Volumen 11. Ediciones Rialp. p. 536. ISBN978-8432121074.
^Baker, Joseph. The Confession of Joseph Baker. Philadelphia: Richard Folwell, 1800.
^Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales de la Armada Argentina (1987), Historia marítima Argentina: Tomo V, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ISBN950-9257-05-2
^Fernández Valledor, Roberto (2006). Cofresí: El pirata Cofresí mitificado por la tradición oral puertorriqueña. Casa Paoli. p. 117. ISBN0847705560.
^Gibbs, Joseph (2007), "Dead Men Tell No Tales: The Lives and Legends of the Pirate Charles Gibbs." University of South Carolina Press.
^Gilbert, Pedro. A Report of the Trial of Pedro Gilbert. Boston: Russell, Oridorne and Metcalf, 1834.
^Gilbert, Pedro. Trial of the Twelve Spanish Pirates of the Schooner Panda, A Guinea Slaver... For Robbery and Piracy, Committed on Boards the Brig Mexican, 20th Sept. 1832. Boston: Lemuel Gulliver, 1834.
^Edwards, Bernard Death in the Doldrums: U Cruisers Off West Africa, 2005. ISBN978-1-84415-261-2
^Daily Express, London, 10 February 1943, London – The Man From Timbuctoo
^Bickerton, Derek. The Murders of Boysie Singh: Robber, Arsonist, Pirate, Mass-Murderer, Vice and Gambling King of Trinidad. Arthur Barker Limited, London. 1962.
Further reading
Ancient World
Abulafia, D., The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans (2019)
Bulwer, Edward Lytton. Athens, Its Rise and Fall: With Views of the Literature, Philosophy, and Social Life of the Athenian People. New York: Harper & brothers Publishers, 1852.
Emanuel, J.P., Black Ships and Sea Raiders: The Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Context of Odysseus' Second Cretan Lie (2017)
Fleming, R., Britain after Rome. The Fall and Rise 400 to 1070 (2010)
Fouracre, P (ed)., The New Cambridge Medieval History. Volume I c. 500–c. 700; Hamerow, H., The earliest Anglo-Saxon kingdoms; Lebecq, S., The northern Seas (fifth to eighth centuries) (2005)
Haywood, J., Dark Age Naval Power. A Reassessment of Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Seafaring Activity (1999)
Livy, History of Rome, Rev. Canon Roberts (translator), Ernest Rhys (Ed.); (1905) London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd.
Pearson, A.F., Barbarian Piracy and the Saxon Shore; A reappraisal (2005)
Pritchett, William Kendrick. The Greek State at War. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1974. ISBN0-520-02565-2
Rawlinson, George; Benjamin Jowett, Henry Graham Dakyns and Edward James Chinnock. Greek Historians: The Complete and Unabridged Historical Works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon and Arrian. New York: Random House Incorporated, 1942.
Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN0-306-80722-X
Shaw, Philip. The Sublime. New York: Routledge, 2006. ISBN0-415-26847-8
Strabo, Geography, translated by Horace Leonard Jones; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. (1924). Books 8–9: ISBN0-674-99216-4, Books 13–14: ISBN0-674-99246-6.
Thirlwall, Connop. A History of Greece. London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1846.
Walbank, F. W., Philip V of Macedon, The University Press (1940).
Waltari, Mika; The Etruscan (Turms kuolematon, 1955).
Wilkes, John, The Illyrians (Peoples of Europe), Blackwell Publishers, (1995) ISBN0-631-19807-5.
Middle Ages
Bono, Salvatore, Corsari nel Mediterraneo (Corsairs in the Mediterranean), Oscar Storia Mondadori. Perugia, 1993.
Bottling, Douglas. The Pirates. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books Inc., 1978.
Bracker, Jörgen : Klaus Störtebeker – only one of them. The history of the Vitalienbrüder. In: Wilfried honour-break (Hrsg.): Störtebeker. 600 years after its death (Hansi studies; Bd. 15). Porta Alba publishing house, Luebeck 2001, ISBN3-933701-14-7
Bradford, Ernle, The Sultan's Admiral: the Life of Barbarossa, London, 1968.
Currey, E. Hamilton, Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean,, London, 1910
Maxwell, Kenneth. Naked Tropics: Essays on Empire and Other Rogues. London: Routledge, 2003. ISBN0-415-94576-3
Mcgrath, John Terrence. The French in Early Florida: In the Eye of the Hurricane. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2000. ISBN0-8130-1784-X
Michael, Franz. The Origin of Manchu Rule in China. Baltimore, 1942. Journal of World History, 2004 Dec.; 15(4):415–44.
Miguel de Cervantes, in chapter XXXIX of his classic El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, mentions Uluç Ali under the name of "Uchali", describing briefly his rise to the regency of Algiers.
Rodger, N.A.M.The Safeguard of the Sea; A Naval History of Britain 660–1649. (London, 1997).
Roding, Juliette and Lex Heerma van Voss, ed. The North Sea and Culture (1550–1800). Larenseweg, Netherlands: Uitgeverij VerLoren, 1996. ISBN90-6550-527-X
Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN0-306-80722-X
Schmidt, Benjamin. Innocence Abroad: The Dutch Imagination and the New World, 1570–1670. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN0-521-80408-6
Lunsford, V.W., Piracy and Privateering in the Golden Age Netherlands (2005)
Marley, David F. Pirates and Privateers of the Americas. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1994.
Morris, Mowbray. Tales of the Spanish Main. Kessinger Publishing, 2005. ISBN1-4179-5373-X
Riccardo Capoferro, Frontiere del racconto. Letteratura di viaggio e romanzo in Inghilterra, 1690–1750, Meltemi, 2007.
Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN0-306-80722-X
Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates: an A–Z Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996.
The Voyages and Adventures of Capt. Barth. Sharp and Others in the South Sea, Being a Journal of the Same; Also Capt. Van Horn with His Buccanieres Surprising of La Veracruz; to Which Is Added the True Relation of Sir Henry Morgan His Expedition Against the Spaniards in the West-Indies and His Taking Panama; Together with the President of Panama's [i.e., Juan Perez de Guzman] Account of the Same Expedition, Translated Out of the Spanish; and Col. Beeston's Adjustment of the Peace Between the Spaniards and English in the West Indies. London: Printed by B.W. for R.H. and S.T. and are to be sold by Walter Davis..., 1684.
Andrews, Thomas F. (editor) (1979) English Privateers at Cabo San Lucas: the Descriptive Accounts of Puerto Seguro by Edward Cooke (1712) and Woodes Rogers (1712), with Added Comments by George Shelvocke (1726) and William Betagh (1728). Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles.
Bolster, W. Jeffrey. Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail.
Cooke, Edward (1712) A Voyage to the South Sea and Round the World. 3 vols. Lintot, London
Ellms, Charles (1837) The Pirate's Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers. Portland ME: Sanborn & Carter (reissued: New York: Dover Publications 1993 ISBN0-486-27607-4)
Gilbert, H. (1986) The Book of Pirates. London: Bracken Books.
Johnson, Charles (1724) A General History of the Pyrates. 2 vols. London: Charles Rivington
Johnson, Charles (1724) A General History of the Pyrates, from their First Rise and Settlement in the Island of Providence, to the Present Time... 2nd ed. London: Printed for, and sold by, T. Warner
Johnson, Charles (1724) A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates (1998 ed.). Conway Maritime Press. ISBN978-0-85177-732-0.
Johnson, Charles (1728) The History of the Pirates: containing the lives of Captain Mission.... London: Printed for, and sold by, T. Woodward, 1728.
Little, Bryan (1960) Crusoe's Captain: Being the Life of Woodes Rogers, seaman, trader, colonial governor. London: Odhams Press
Lunsford, V.W., Piracy and Privateering in the Golden Age Netherlands (2005)
Menefee, S. P. "Vane, Charles," in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 56 (2004): pp. 94–95.
Pennell, C. R. (2001) Bandits at Sea: a Pirates Reader. New York: NYU Press ISBN0-8147-6678-1
Pickering, David (2006) Pirates. CollinsGem. New York: HarperCollins Publishers; pp. 80–82
Rediker, Marcus (2004) Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Boston: Beacon Press ISBN0-8070-5024-5
Rogers, Woodes (1712) A Cruising Voyage Round the World. London: Andrew Bell
Rogozinski, Jan (1996) Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press ISBN0-306-80722-X
Rogozinski, Jan (2000) Honor Among Thieves: Captain Kidd, Henry Every, and the Pirate Democracy in the Indian Ocean. Stackpole Books ISBN0-8117-1529-9
Seitz, Don Carlos, Gospel, Howard F. & Wood, Stephen (2002) Under the Black Flag: Exploits of the Most Notorious Pirates. Mineola, New York: Courier Dover Publications ISBN0-486-42131-7
Smith, Captain Alexander (1926) History of the Highwaymen. London: George Routledge & Sons ISBN0-415-28678-6
Steele, Philip (2004) The World of Pirates. Boston: Kingfisher Publications ISBN0-7534-5786-5
The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet, and Other Pirates. London: Printed for Benj. Cowse at the Rose and Crown in St Paul's Church-Yard, 1719.
Decline of Piracy: 1730–1900
Cordingly, David (1997). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Harvest Books.
Gregory, Kristiana. The Stowaway: A Tale of California Pirates. Scholastic Trade, 1995. ISBN0-590-48822-8
Pickering, David. "Pirates". CollinsGem. HarperCollins Publishers, New York. pp. 96–97. 2006
Rothert, Otto A. The Outlaws of Cave-In-Rock, Otto A. Rothert, Cleveland 1924; rpt. 1996 ISBN0-8093-2034-7
