Pirates, "gentlemen of fortune" at all times terrified the population of coastal cities. They were feared, raided, executed, but interest in their adventures never weakened.

Madame Jin is the wife of her son

Madame Jing, or Zheng Shi, was the most famous "sea robber" of her time. An army of pirates under her command terrified the coastal cities of East and Southeast China in the early 19th century. Under its command there were about 2,000 ships and 70,000 people, who could not even be defeated by the large fleet of the Qing emperor Jia-qing (1760-1820), sent in 1807 to defeat the masterful pirates and capture the powerful Jin.

Zheng Shi's youth was unenviable - she had to engage in prostitution: she was ready to sell her body for hard cash. At the age of fifteen, she was kidnapped by a pirate named Zheng Yi, who, like a real gentleman, took her as his wife (after marriage, she received the name Zheng Shi, which means "Zheng's wife"). After the wedding, they went to the shores of Vietnam, where the newly-made couple and their pirates, having attacked one of the coastal villages, kidnapped a boy (the same age as Zheng Shi) - Zhang Baozai, whom Zheng Yi and Zheng Shi adopted, since the latter could not have children. Zhang Baozai became Zheng Yi's lover, which, apparently, did not bother the young wife at all. When her husband died in a storm in 1807, Madame Jin inherited a fleet of 400 ships. Under her rule, there was iron discipline in the flotilla, nobility was not alien to her, if this quality can even be correlated with piracy. Madame Jin put the guilty to death for plundering fishing villages and raping captive women. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the guilty person was cut off his left ear, which was then presented to the entire team for intimidation.

Zheng Shi married her stepson, placing her in command of her fleet. But not everyone in Madame Jin's team was satisfied with the woman's power (especially after the unsuccessful attempt of two captains to woo her, one of whom Zheng Shi shot dead). The dissatisfied revolted and surrendered to the mercy of the authorities. This undermined the authority of Madame Jin, which forced her to negotiate with the representatives of the emperor. As a result, under the agreement of 1810, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received a sinecure (a position that did not give any real powers) in the Chinese government. Retiring from piracy, Madame Zheng settled in Guangzhou, where she maintained a brothel and gambling den until her death at the age of 60.

Aruj Barbarossa - Sultan of Algeria

This pirate, who terrified the cities and villages of the Mediterranean, was a cunning and dodgy warrior. He was born in 1473 in the family of a Greek potter who converted to Islam, and from a young age, together with his brother Atzor, began to engage in piracy. Aruj passed through captivity and slavery on galleys belonging to the Ionite knights, from which his brother ransomed him. The time spent in slavery embittered Aruj, the ships belonging to the Christian kings, he plundered with particular cruelty. So in 1504, Aruj attacked galleys loaded with valuable cargo, which belonged to Pope Julius II. He managed to capture one of the two galleys, the second tried to flee. Arunj went to the trick: he ordered some of his sailors to put on the uniform of soldiers from the captured galley. Then the pirates went to the galley and took their own ship in tow, thus simulating the complete victory of the papal soldiers. Soon a lagging galley appeared. The sight of a pirate ship in tow caused a surge of enthusiasm among the Christians, and the ship approached the side of the "trophy" without any fear. At this moment, Aruj gave a sign, after which the pirate team began to kill the fugitives with cruelty. This event greatly increased Uruj's prestige among the Muslim Arabs of North Africa.

In 1516, in the wake of the Arab uprising against the Spanish troops settled in Algeria, Aruj proclaimed himself a sultan under the name of Barbarossa (Red-bearded), after which he began to rob the cities of southern Spain, France, Italy with even greater zeal and cruelty, accumulating enormous wealth. Against him, the Spaniards sent a large expeditionary force (about 10,000 people), led by the Marquis de Comares. He managed to defeat the army of Aruj, and the latter began to retreat, taking with him the accumulated wealth over the years. And, as the legend says, along the entire retreat, Aruj, in order to delay the pursuers, scattered silver and gold. But this did not help, and Aruj died, he was cut off his head along with the pirates loyal to him.

Forced to be a man

One of the famous pirates who lived at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, Mary Reed, was forced to hide her gender all her life. Even in childhood, her parents prepared her fate - to "take the place" of her brother, who died shortly before Mary was born. She was an illegitimate child. To hide the shame, the mother, having given birth to a girl, gave her to her rich mother-in-law, dressing her daughter in advance in the clothes of her dead son. Mary was a "grandchild" in the eyes of her unsuspecting grandmother, and all the while the girl was growing up, her mother dressed and raised her like a boy. At the age of 15, Mary left for Flanders and entered the infantry regiment as a cadet (still disguised as a man, under the name Mark). According to the memoirs of contemporaries, she was a brave fighter, but still could not advance in the service and joined the cavalry. There, the floor took its toll - Mary met a man with whom she fell passionately in love. Only she revealed to him that she was a woman, and soon they got married. After the wedding, they rented a house near the castle in Breda (Holland) and equipped the Three Horseshoes tavern there.

But fate was not favorable, soon Mary's husband died, and she, again disguised as a man, went to the West Indies. The ship on which she sailed was captured by English pirates. Here a fateful meeting took place: she met the famous pirate Ann Bonnie (the same as she, a woman dressed as a man) and her lover John Rackham. Mary joined them. Moreover, she, along with Ann, began to cohabit with Rackham, forming a bizarre "love triangle". The personal courage and courage of this trio made them famous throughout Europe.

Learned Pirate

William Dampier, who was born into an ordinary peasant family and lost his parents early, had to make his own way in life. He began by becoming a cabin boy on a ship, then he took up fishing. A special place in his work was occupied by a passion for research: he studied new lands, to which fate threw him, their flora, fauna, climatic features, participated in an expedition to explore the coast of New Holland (Australia), discovered a group of islands - the Dampira archipelago. In 1703 he went to the Pacific Ocean on a pirate hunt. On the island of Juan Fernandez, Dampier (according to another version, Stradling, the captain of another ship) landed the sailing master (according to another version of the boatswain) Alexander Selkirk. The story of Selkirk's stay on a desert island formed the basis of the famous book by Daniel Defoe "Robinson Crusoe".

Bald Greine

Grace O'Malle or, as she was also called, Bald Greine, is one of the controversial figures in English history. She was always ready to defend her rights, no matter what. She got acquainted with navigation thanks to her father, who took his little daughter on long-distance trading voyages. Her first husband was a match for Grace. About the clan O "Flagerty, to which he belonged, they said:" Cruel people who most arrogantly rob and kill their fellow citizens. slain, Grace returned to her family and took charge of her father's fleet, thus wielding a truly formidable force with which to keep the entire West Coast of Ireland in check.

Grace allowed herself to lead so freely, even in the presence of the queen. After all, she was also called the "queen", only the pirate one. When Elizabeth I handed her lace handkerchief to Grace for her to wipe her nose after sniffing tobacco, Grace, using it, said: “Do you need it? In my area they are not used more than once!” - and threw a handkerchief to the retinue. According to historical sources, two longtime opponents - and Grace managed to send a dozen English ships - were able to agree. The queen granted the pirate, who at that time was already about 60 years old, forgiveness and immunity.

black beard

Thanks to his courage and cruelty, Edward Teach became one of the most feared pirates operating in the Jamaica area. By 1718, more than 300 men were fighting under him. The enemies were horrified by Tich's face, almost completely covered with a black beard, in which the wicks woven into it smoked. In November 1718, Teach was overtaken by the English lieutenant Maynardt and, after a short trial, was hung up on a yardarm. It was he who became the prototype of the legendary Jetrow Flint, from Treasure Island.

Pirate President

Murat Reis Jr., whose real name is Jan Janson (Dutch), converted to Islam in order to avoid captivity and slavery in Algeria. After that, he began to cooperate and actively participate in the pirate raids of such pirates as Suleiman Reis and Simon the Dancer, also, like him, the Dutch who converted to Islam. Jan Janson in 1619 moved to the Moroccan city of Sale, which lived off piracy. Shortly after Janson's arrival there, he declared his independence. A pirate republic was created there, the first head of which was Janson. He married in Sale, his children followed in the footsteps of their father, becoming pirates, but then joined the Dutch colonists who founded the city of New Amsterdam (now New York).

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

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

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

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

Pirate nicknames for the party

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

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Pirates

Surnames and names of famous pirates

Pirates- these are sea and river robbers of any nationality, who at all times robbed the ships of all countries and peoples.

The word "pirate" (Latin pirata) comes from the Greek. "try, test" The meaning of the word "pirate" is to try one's luck, a gentleman of fortune.

The word "pirate" came into use around the 4th-3rd centuries BC. e., and before that the concept of "leistes" was used, known since the time of Homer and closely related to such concepts as robbery, murder, booty. Piracy in its original form sea ​​raids appeared simultaneously with navigation and maritime trade. All the coastal tribes, who mastered the basics of navigation, were engaged in such raids. Piracy, as a phenomenon, is reflected in ancient poetry - in Ovid's Metamorphoses and Homer's poems.

With the development of trade and legal ties between countries and peoples, attempts began to be made to combat this phenomenon.

The pirates had own flag. The idea to sail under a pirate flag appeared in order to psychologically influence the crew of the attacked ship. For the purpose of intimidation, the blood-red flag was originally used, which often depicted symbols of death: skeleton, skull, crossbones, crossed sabers, death with a scythe, skeleton with a goblet.

The most common method of piracy attack there was a boarding (fr. abordage). The enemy ships approached side to side, grappled with boarding gear, and pirates jumped onto the enemy ship, supported by fire from the pirate ship.

Modern piracy

Currently, most of the pirate attacks occur in East Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique).

The region of the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia is not free from pirate raids.

Types of pirates

Sea pirates

River Pirates

Tevkry- Middle Eastern pirates in the XV-XI centuries BC. They were destroyed by the combined forces of the Greeks during the Trojan War.

Dolopians- Ancient Greek pirates (Skyrians), in the second half of the VI century BC settled on the island of Skyros. They hunted in the Aegean Sea.

Ushkuiniki- Novgorod river pirates, who hunted throughout the Volga up to Astrakhan, mainly in the XIV century.

barbary pirates- Pirates of North Africa. Based in the ports of Algeria and Morocco.

Likedelers- pirates of the northern European seas, descendants of the ancient Vikings.

Buccaneers- the English name of the filibuster, a synonym for a pirate who hunted in the waters of America.

filibusters- sea robbers of the 17th century who robbed Spanish ships and colonies in America. The word comes from the Dutch "vrijbuiter", which means "free earner".

Corsairs- this word appeared at the beginning of the XIV century from the Italian "corsa" and the French "la corsa". In wartime, a corsair received from the authorities of his (or another) country a letter of marque (corsair patent) for the right to rob enemy property. A corsair ship was equipped by a private shipowner, who bought a corsair patent or a letter of reprisal from the authorities. The captains and crew members of such a ship were called corsairs. In Europe, the word "corsair" was used by the French, Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese in relation to their own and foreign gentlemen of fortune. In the countries of the Germanic language group, a synonym for corsair is privateer, in English speaking countries privateer(from the Latin word privatus - private).

privateers- private individuals in the countries of the German language group, who received a license from the state (letter, patent, certificate, commission) to seize and destroy ships of enemy and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer. Such a license in English was called Letters of Marque - letter of marque. The word "caper" comes from the Dutch verb kepen or the German kapern (to seize). Germanic synonym for corsair.

Privateers is the English name for a privateer or corsair.

Pechelings (flexelings)- so in Europe and the New World (America) they called Dutch privateers. The name comes from the main port of their base - Vlissingen. This term has appeared since the mid-1570s, when Dutch sailors began to gain fame (rob) around the world, and little Holland became one of the leading maritime countries.

Klefts (sea guides)- Greek pirates in the era of the Ottoman Empire, who attacked mainly Turkish ships.

Wokou- pirates of Japanese origin who attacked the coasts of China, Korea and Japan in the period from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

Surnames and names of famous pirates

Teuta (Teuta)- the queen of the Illyrian pirates, III century. BC.

Aruj Barbarossa I(1473-1518)

Khair-ad-Din (Khyzir)(1475-1546), Barbarossa II

Nathaniel Butler(born 1578)

Hawkins John(1532-1595)

Francis Drake(1540-1596)

Thomas Cavendish(1560-1592)

Dragut-Rais(16th century)

Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin(c. 1645-1707)

Edward Teach(1680-1718), nickname "Blackbeard"

Jan Jacobsen(15(?)-1622)

Arundell, James(d. 1662)

Henry Morgan(1635-1688)

William Kidd(1645-1701)

Michel de Grammont

Mary Reid(1685-1721)

Francois Olone(17th century)

William Dampier(1651-1715)

Abraham Blauvelt(16??-1663)

Olivier (Francois) Le Wasser, nicknames "La blues", "buzzard"

Edward Lau(1690-1724)

Bartholomew Roberts(1682-1722), nickname "Black Bart"

Jack Rackham(1682-1720), nicknamed "Calico Jack". It is believed that he is the author of the pirate symbol - the skull and crossbones.

Joseph Barss(1776-1824)

Henry Avery

Jean Ango

Daniel "The Destroyer" Montbar

Laurens de Graaf(17th century)

Zheng Shi(1785-1844)

Jean Lafitte(?-1826)

Jose Gaspar(first quarter of the 19th century), nickname "Black Caesar"

Moses Vauclain

Amyas Preston

WilliamHenryHayes(William Henry Hays)(1829-1877)

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Pirates

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

1. William Kidd

William Kidd (January 22, 1645 – May 23, 1701) was a Scottish sailor who was convicted and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean where he was supposed to hunt pirates. It is 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 Neil Dalton, consider his pirate reputation to be unfair.

2. Bartholomew Roberts

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 in 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 well the crew of the ships he captured. He was killed by cannon shot during a battle with a British warship.

3. Blackbeard

Blackbeard or Edward Teach (1680 - November 22, 1718) - an English pirate who hunted in the Caribbean in 1716-1718. He liked to strike terror into his enemies. During the battle, Tich weaved 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 made him one of the most famous pirates, despite the fact that his "career" was rather short, and his success and scale of activity were much smaller compared to his other colleagues from this list.

4. Jack Rackham

Jack Rackham (December 21, 1682 - November 17, 1720) was an English pirate who became famous primarily for the fact that his team included two more equally famous corsairs, female pirates Anne Bonnie, nicknamed the "mistress of the seas" and Mary Read.

5. Charles Vane

Charles Vane (1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who robbed ships between 1716 and 1721 in North American waters. Notorious for his extreme cruelty. As the story goes, Wayne was not given to such feelings as compassion, pity and sympathy, he easily broke his own promises, did not respect other pirates and did not at all consider anyone's opinion. The meaning of his life was only prey.

6. Edward England

Edward England (1685 - 1721) - 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. This eventually led his crew to mutiny when he refused to kill sailors from yet another captured English merchant ship. Subsequently, England was landed in Madagascar, where for some time he survived by begging, and eventually died.

7. Samuel Bellamy

Samuel Bellamy, nicknamed Black Sam (February 23, 1689 - April 26, 1717) was a great English sailor and pirate who hunted in the early 18th century. Although his career spanned 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

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

9. Thomas Tew

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

10 Steed Bonnet

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

11. Madame Shi

Madame Shi or Lady Zheng is one of the most famous female pirates in the world. 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 most severe discipline helped her to command the whole army. For example, for unauthorized absence from the ship, the offender lost his 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 the power of Madame Shi was weakened, she agreed to a truce with the emperor and subsequently lived to a ripe old age in freedom, managing 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 operated on the seas and oceans against enemy ships by special permission of Queen Elizabeth. Devastating the coasts of Central and South America, he became immensely rich. Drake accomplished many great deeds: he opened the strait, which he named after himself, 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

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 on one of the ships as a cabin boy and was soon sold into slavery in Barbados. He managed to get to Jamaica, where Morgan joined a gang of pirates. Several successful campaigns allowed him and his comrades to acquire a ship. Morgan was chosen as captain, and it was a good decision. A few years later, under his command there were 35 ships. 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 struggle 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.

14. Edward Teach

Edward Teach, or Blackbeard, is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Almost everyone heard his name. Lived and engaged in sea robbery Tich in the heyday of the golden age of piracy. Entering the service at the age of 12, he gained valuable experience, which was then useful to him in the future. According to historians, Teach participated in the War of the Spanish Succession, and after it ended, he deliberately decided to become a pirate. The glory of a ruthless filibuster helped Blackbeard capture ships without the use of weapons - when he saw his flag, the victim surrendered without a fight. The cheerful life of a pirate did not last long - Tich died during a boarding battle with a British warship pursuing him.

15. Henry Avery

The most famous pirate in history is Henry Avery, nicknamed Lanky Ben. The father of the future famous buccaneer was a captain in the British Navy. From childhood, Avery dreamed of sea voyages. He began his career in the Navy as a cabin boy. Then Avery was appointed 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 booty of pirates 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.

16. Amaro Pargo

Amaro Pargo is one of the most famous filibusters of the golden age of piracy. Pargo was engaged in the transportation of slaves and made a fortune on this. Wealth allowed him to do charity work. Lived to a respectable age.

17. Aruj Barbarossa

Famous powerful pirate from Turkey. He was characterized by cruelty, ruthlessness, love of bullying and executions. He was involved in piracy with his brother Khair. The pirates of Barbarossa were the menace of the entire Mediterranean. So, in 1515, the entire Agiers coast was under the rule of Aruja Barbarossa. The battles under his command were sophisticated, bloody and victorious. Aruj Barbarossa died during the battle, surrounded by enemy troops in Tlemcen.

18. William Dampier

Sailor from England. By vocation, he was a researcher and discoverer. Made 3 trips around the world. He became a pirate in order to have the means to engage in his research activities - the study of 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, Direction of the Winds. An archipelago in the northwest coast of Australia is named after him, as well as a strait between the western coast of New Guinea and Waigeo Island.

19. Grace O'Malle

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

20 . Ann Bonnie

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

Incredible Pirate Facts

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

The Bahamas, today a respectable resort, and its capital, the city of 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 the pirates took over the reins of power. At that time, more than a thousand sea robbers lived in the Bahamas, and squadrons of the most famous pirate captains moored in the harbors of the island. 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. The Jolly Roger is not the only pirate flag.

The "Jolly Roger" - a black flag with a skull and crossbones - is often called the main pirate symbol. But it is not so. It is rather the most famous and spectacular. However, it was not used as often as is commonly believed. As a pirate flag, it appeared only in the 17th century, that is, already at the end of the golden era of piracy. And by no means all pirates used it, since each captain himself decided under which flag he would raid. So, along with the "Jolly Roger", there were dozens of pirate flags, and the skull and crossbones among them did not stand out at all as particularly popular.

3. Why did pirates wear earrings?

Books and films do not lie: pirates almost without exception wore earrings. They were even part of a pirate initiation ritual: young pirates received an earring the first time they crossed the equator or passed Cape Horn. The fact is that among the pirates there was a belief that an earring in the ear helps to preserve vision and even helps to cure blindness. It was this pirate superstition that led to the massive fashion for earrings among the pirates. Some have even tried to use them for a dual purpose, casting an anti-drowning spell on the earring. Also, an earring taken from the ear of a murdered 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 such a rare occurrence. Even female captains were few and far between. The most famous of them are the Chinese Cheng Yi Sao, Mary Reed and, of course, the famous Ann Bonnie. Ann was born into the family of a wealthy Irish lawyer. From an early age, her parents dressed her like a boy so that she could help her father in the office as a clerk. The boring life of an assistant lawyer did not appeal to Ann, and she ran away from home, nailed to the pirates and quickly became a captain thanks to her determination. According to rumors, Ann Bonnie had a quick temper and often beat her assistants if they tried to challenge her opinion.

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

Everyone who watched a movie about pirates must have thought at least once: why are there so many one-eyed among them? The eye patch has long been an indispensable part of the pirate image. However, the pirates wore it not at all because they completely lacked an eye. It was just convenient for quick and more accurate aiming in battle, and it took too long to put it on for battle - it was more comfortable to wear it without taking it off.

6 Pirate Ships Had Tough Discipline

Pirates could do any indecency on the shore, but strict discipline reigned on board pirate ships, because the life of sea robbers depended on it. Each pirate, entering the ship, signed a contract with the captain, stipulating his rights and obligations. The main duties were unquestioning obedience to the captain. Even a simple pirate had no right to contact the commander directly. This could be done at the insistence of the sailors only by the appointed representative of the team - as a rule, the boatswain. In addition, the contract strictly determined the part of the booty received by the pirate, and an immediate execution was due for an attempt to hide the captured - this was done to avoid bloody showdowns on board.

7. Among the pirates were representatives of all walks of life

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

8 Buried Pirate Treasures Are Legends

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

9. Walking a yardarm was a rare punishment.

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

10. Pirates have sailed all the seas

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

11. Piracy as a way to make a living

In difficult times, many hunters, shepherds and lumberjacks went to the pirates not for adventure, but for a banal piece of bread. This was especially true for the inhabitants of the countries of Central America, where in the 17th-18th centuries there was an endless battle of European powers for colonies. Constant armed skirmishes deprived people not only of work, but also of their homes, and the inhabitants of seaside settlements knew the maritime business from childhood. So they went to where they had a chance to be full and not think too much about tomorrow.

12. Not all pirates were outlaws.

State piracy is a phenomenon that has existed since ancient times. Barbary corsairs served the Ottoman Empire, Dunker privateers were in the service of Spain, and Britain, in the era of dominion over the ocean, kept a whole fleet of privateers - warships that captured enemy merchant ships - and privateers - private individuals engaged in the same trade. Despite the fact that state pirates were engaged in the same trade as their free brothers, the difference in their position was huge. Captured pirates were subject to immediate execution, while a corsair with the appropriate patent could count on the status of a prisoner of war, a quick ransom and a 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 boarding sabers, and modern speedboats are preferred to sailing ships. However, they act as decisively and ruthlessly as their ancient predecessors. The Gulf of Aden, the Strait of Malacca and the coastal waters of the island 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 feared pirates in history

With the advent of the famous Jack Sparrow, pirates have become such cartoon characters of modern pop culture. And that's why it's 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 cartoons. As evidenced by the following...

1. Francois Olone

The French pirate Francois Olonet hated Spain with all his heart. At the beginning of his pirating career, Olone almost died at the hands of Spanish marauders, but instead of reconsidering his life and becoming, say, a farmer, he decided to devote himself to hunting the Spaniards. He clearly expressed his attitude towards this people after he beheaded the entire crew of a Spanish ship that fell in his way, with the exception of a single person, whom he sent to his brethren 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 still got off lightly.

Having earned a reputation as a cutthroat, Olone gathered eight pirate ships and several hundred people under his command and went to terrorize the coast of South America, destroying Spanish cities, capturing ships bound for Spain, and generally delivering a severe headache to this state.

Nevertheless, luck abruptly turned away from Olone when, returning from another raid on the coast of Venezuela, he was ambushed by outnumbered Spanish soldiers. Explosions rumbled here and there, the pirates flew to pieces, and Olona barely managed to escape from this meat grinder, capturing several hostages along the way. But this was not the end of his difficulties, because Olona and his team still needed to leave the enemy territory alive and not run into another ambush, which they simply would not have beaten off.

What did Olone do? He took out a saber, slashed one of the Spanish hostages across the chest, pulled out his heart and "bited into it with his teeth like a greedy wolf, telling the others:" The same awaits you if you do not show me the way out.

The intimidation worked, and the pirates were soon out of danger. If you're curious about what happened to the headless Spaniards we mentioned earlier... well, let's put it this way: for a week the pirates ate like kings.

2. Jean Lafitte

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

Newspapers and authorities portrayed Lafitte as a dangerous and brutal criminal and mass murderer, a kind of Osama bin Laden of the 1800s, if you will. Apparently, his fame crossed the 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 took their side. He also promised that he would not destroy his little island and sell it piece by piece. Lafitte asked to give him a few days to think ... and in the meantime he hurried straight to New Orleans to warn the Americans of the British advance.

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

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

So, how did the American authorities react to the news 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 future President Andrew Jackson intervened, noting that New Orleans was not ready to endure a British attack, did the authorities agree 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 not for this unwashed French "terrorist", the States might not exist today.

3. Stephen Decatur

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

How did he achieve such popularity? Having organized 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 dressed 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 this raid "the most daring and audacious adventure of the century."

But that is not all. Later, returning from the capture of another ship, the crew of which was twice the number of Decatur's crew, the man learned that his brother had been mortally wounded in a fight with pirates. Although his crew were exhausted from the recent raid, Decatur turned the ship around and chased the enemy ship, which he and ten other men later boarded.

Ignoring the others, Decatur rushed straight to 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 took 27 hostages and killed 33 pirates.

He was only 25 years old.

4. Ben Hornigold

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

Hornigold began his career as a pirate in the Bahamas; then 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 the sake of 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 the fact 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 team of sailors captured by Hornigold said that the pirate released them, taking 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. Such a position did not find support from the sailors, and in the end Hornigold was removed, and a good part of his crew and ships went to Blackbeard. Before he lost his head.

Hornigold left the life of a pirate, accepted a royal pardon and took up the other side, hunting for those with whom he once hung out.

5. William Dampier

Englishman William Dampier used to achieve a lot. Not wanting to be content with the status of the first person to travel around the world three times, as well as a recognized author and research scientist, 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 and illiterate bums, but Dampier was the exact opposite: he not only respected the English language, but also filled it with new words. The Oxford English Dictionary refers to Dampier more than a thousand times in its articles, since it was his pen that wrote examples 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 from his observations that Darwin repelled, 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 team away and landed somewhere on the coast of Thailand. There he boarded a canoe and sailed home on his own. Dampier landed on the English coast only three years later; he had nothing but a diary... and a tattooed slave.

6. Black Bart

In the XVII-XVIII centuries, sailing on military or merchant ships was an extremely thankless task. The working conditions were disgusting, and if you suddenly pissed off an elder, the punishment that followed was extremely cruel and often led to death. As a result, no one wanted to become sailors, so the military and merchants had to literally kidnap people from ports and force them to work on their ships. It is clear that this method of hiring did not arouse in the sailors any special 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 trader's ship that was hijacked by pirates. When they invited 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. Due to his high intelligence and talent in navigation, Roberts quickly gained the captain's trust. When the latter was killed, he (by that time he had lived with the pirates for only half a year) was elected to his place.

Roberts became a prominent pirate, but apparently never forgot where he came from. Having boarded some ship, he, before engaging in profit, asked the captured sailors whether the captain and officers treated them well. If someone from the commanding staff received a complaint, Roberts ruthlessly cracked down on the guilty. 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 that had previously captured him) to follow a rigid 11-point code of conduct, among which were: no gambling, no women on board, blackout at eight o'clock evenings and obligatory 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 of dozen people. But as it turned out, some real pirates were much luckier in life. So, 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 sultans), he was forced to leave the Eastern Mediterranean. Having become a pirate, Barbarossa began to attack Christian ships in the area of ​​​​what is now Tunisia, until the enemies captured his base, leaving him homeless. Tired of being constantly kicked out, Barbarossa founded his own state, known as the Regency of Algiers (the territory of modern Algeria, Tunisia and parts of Morocco). He succeeded thanks to an alliance with the Turkish Sultan, who in exchange for support provided him with ships and weapons.

John Rackham, also known as Calico Jack (December 21, 1682 - November 18, 1720), was an authoritative pirate who became famous thanks to several of his notable deeds.

First of all, Rackham dared to challenge Captain Charles Vane, known for his unparalleled cruelty. In addition, he had a special relationship with two legendary female pirates of his time - Anne Bonnie and Mary Read. Both of them - in violation of all customs - served on his ship, and Ann Bonnie was taken from her husband by Rackham. In addition, Rackham invented a pirate flag of his own design, which subsequently became incredibly popular. And finally, it is worth mentioning that although Rackham did not pirate for long, he captured about $ 1.5 million in booty, which allowed him to enter the "golden twenty" of pirates. John Rackham, nicknamed Calico Jack (he got it for his addiction to calico robes), is first mentioned in history as the quartermaster on the ship of the terrible Charles Vane. Apparently, Rackham came to Vane when the pirate squadron left the island of New Providence. Wayne preferred to piracy, a peaceful life was not for him. However, Rackham himself also always dreamed of the fate of the robber of the seas. Instantly gaining the trust of Vane himself and finding common ground with the team, John Rackham was soon promoted to quartermaster. His duties were to look after the interests of the team and help the captain manage the squadron. As he later discovered, Charles Vane not only terribly mocked the captives, but also constantly robbed his own team. Moreover, the pirate captain preferred to attack only if he was absolutely sure of victory. The team did not like this very much.

The last straw was Vane's deliberate reluctance to attack a wealthy French ship. The team rebelled and chose John Rackham as the new captain.

Steed Bonnet (1688 - December 10, 1718) - a venerable British pirate, another of the "golden twenty" who took a violent death. He robbed ships in the Atlantic Ocean and, of course, in the Caribbean. In addition to his successful raids, which brought him a fair amount of booty, Bonnet went down in history as a corsair who was not afraid to enter into conflict with Edward "Blackbeard" Teach himself, a pirate of pirates! In addition, he is perhaps the only one who, being a successful planter, suddenly decided to connect his life with the robbers of the seas.

Steed Bonnet was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, into a respectable and wealthy English family, Edward and Sarah Bonnet, who baptized their baby on July 29, 1688. After the death in 1694 of his venerable parent, Steed Bonnet at the age of six became the heir to the entire family fortune. The prosperity of the Bonnet family, by the way, was based on the skillful management of plantations, which occupied an area of ​​over 400 acres (approximately 1.6 km²).

Steed Bonnet received a very good education - wealth quite allowed him to do this. When Steed reached the age of 21, he took two very serious steps. First, he ended his bachelor life and got married. His chosen one was a certain Mary Allambie. Their wedding took place on November 21, 1709. Subsequently, Steed and Mary had four children: three boys (Allambie, Edward and Steed) and one girl, Mary. Steed's eldest son Bonnet Allambie died early; his death occurred in 1715.

Secondly, Bonnet decided to learn how to hold a weapon in his hands, for which he entered the ranks of the municipal police. He quickly rose to the rank of major. Some historians admit that Bonnet's rapid career growth was due to his status as a large landowner; everyone was well aware that slave labor was used on his plantations. And among the main functions of the militia, in the first place was the suppression of uprisings of slaves.

Thus, Steed Bonnet prospered as a planter, contributed to the maintenance of order and planned family life for years to come.