This pirate was the embodiment of evil, cruelty and bloodthirstiness. The Spanish sailors knew: if you get captured by him, there will be no mercy. Therefore, they always fought with him with special fury. But he won again and again. Several times the pirate was on the verge of death, but managed to escape. We are talking about François Olon, a filibuster from France, who kept the Caribbean at bay.
Ideal candidate
The future pirate was born in Les Sables-d'Olonne in about 1630 and his name was Jean-David No. In honor of his place of birth, he took the pseudonym "Olone". At the age of twenty, Jean-David managed to become a soldier of the West Indian Company. After that I found myself on Espanyol in the company of French buccaneers. And, of course, soon he himself began to trade in robberies in San Domingo.
In the middle of the seventeenth century, a protracted and bitter war was waged between France and Spain. And Olone realized that fighting was his calling. He stood out very much among his "colleagues", so soon Francois was noticed by the governor of Tortuga himself. The leader of the pirate movement realized that the Frenchman would make a good captain who would bring in income. Olone was assigned a ship and crew. The pirate took full advantage of this chance.
The captain's toughness and composure inspired superstitious fear not only in his opponents, but also in his own team. Everyone knew: Olone would not stand on ceremony, he would immediately send him to the next world. The Frenchman burned with particular hatred for the Spaniards. He did not spare anyone and forbade his team to take prisoners. The Spanish sailors knew that the meeting with Olone would end in painful death, so they fought to the last. It was better to die in battle than from the painful and long torture of a pirate captain.
In those days, the Viceroy of New Spain was Juan de Leyva and de la Cerda. This man was very sensitive about security issues. Therefore, during his reign, Spanish merchant ships never went to sea alone. They were always accompanied by warships. This initiative did not appear out of nowhere. The king of New Spain thus tried to cope with the pirates. After all, once a wounded soldier was brought to him, devoid of fingers and an eye. That unfortunate man was spared for one purpose - he had to deliver a letter to the king. It turned out that the author of the message was a certain François Olone. Juan de Leyva y de la Cerda stole the letter and read: “I will kill the Spaniards like dogs. One day I will get to you and cut off your head."
Promotional video:
Take no prisoners
Why Olone hated the Spaniards so fiercely is not clear. But the fact remains that he did not spare them, even despite some financial obligations. After all, the captain of the pirate ship had to give part of the booty to his "bosses". And the captives played the role of a commodity that was not difficult to sell. More precisely, demand a solid ransom for them. But Olone was the only corsair at that time who basically killed everyone. Moreover, he most often decapitated the captured sailors with his own hands. Only one was left alive to tell about the terrible French pirate.
But Olone's first assignment almost became his last. In the early sixties, he ventured to seize the wealthy city of Campeche, which was in the Yucatan. This settlement was very well guarded. True, the pirate did not particularly care. He was confident in his own victory. But the weather made its own adjustments. At first, the pirate's ship got into a powerful storm, and to top it off, it could not dodge a meeting with the reefs. The captain and the crew had only one way out - to disembark and take the battle. The numerical superiority was on the side of the Spaniards. A couple of hundred pirates, led by Olone, took, as it seemed then, their last battle. None of the French survived … except François. When it became clear that it would not be possible to win, he got stained from head to toe with someone else's blood and hid among the numerous corpses. In honor of the landmark victory over the pirates, the Governor of Campeche ordered the bodies of the dead French to be hung along the coast. But since there were too many corpses, the process of hanging took several days. All this time, Olona had to pretend to be dead. But still, after a couple of days, he managed to escape. No, François could not just leave. He wanted to take cruel revenge on his offenders. Therefore, Olone managed to incite the slaves to escape, then set fire to a warehouse with weapons and managed to steal a fishing boat. Several slaves went with him to Tortuga. Of course, the inhabitants of the island knew about what happened at the walls of Campeche. Therefore, no one expected to see Olone alive. Thanks to this incredible rescue, the Frenchman gained a reputation as a lucky captain. But since there were too many corpses, the process of hanging took several days. All this time, Olona had to pretend to be dead. But still, after a couple of days, he managed to escape. No, François could not just leave. He wanted to take cruel revenge on his offenders. Therefore, Olone managed to incite the slaves to escape, then set fire to a warehouse with weapons and managed to steal a fishing boat. Several slaves went with him to Tortuga. Of course, the inhabitants of the island knew about what happened at the walls of Campeche. Therefore, no one expected to see Olone alive. Thanks to this incredible rescue, the Frenchman gained a reputation as a lucky captain. But since there were too many corpses, the process of hanging took several days. All this time, Olona had to pretend to be dead. But still, after a couple of days, he managed to escape. No, François could not just leave. He wanted to take cruel revenge on his offenders. Therefore, Olone managed to incite the slaves to escape, then set fire to a warehouse with weapons and managed to steal a fishing boat. Several slaves went with him to Tortuga. Of course, the inhabitants of the island knew about what happened at the walls of Campeche. Therefore, no one expected to see Olone alive. Thanks to this incredible rescue, the Frenchman gained a reputation as a lucky captain. He wanted to take cruel revenge on his offenders. Therefore, Olone managed to incite the slaves to escape, then set fire to a warehouse with weapons and managed to steal a fishing boat. Several slaves went with him to Tortuga. Of course, the inhabitants of the island knew about what happened at the walls of Campeche. Therefore, no one expected to see Olone alive. Thanks to this incredible rescue, the Frenchman gained a reputation as a lucky captain. He wanted to take cruel revenge on his offenders. Therefore, Olone managed to incite the slaves to escape, then set fire to a warehouse with weapons and managed to steal a fishing boat. Several slaves went with him to Tortuga. Of course, the inhabitants of the island knew about what happened at the walls of Campeche. Therefore, no one expected to see Olone alive. Thanks to this incredible rescue, the Frenchman gained a reputation as a lucky captain.
In general, during the first four years of his pirate career, Olone lost three ships and almost the entire crew. Therefore, in the future, the Frenchman chose small ships, and the number of his crew did not exceed three dozen people. And it worked.
In 1663, Olone unexpectedly "emerged" from Cuba. On the Estera River, he and his team reached the village of La Villa de Los Caios. The inhabitants of this city were the main suppliers of leather, tobacco and fish for the capital of the island. Olone ordered the boats to be seized along with the cargo, and the unfortunate sailors should not be killed. When the governor of Havana learned of the atrocities of the French, he sent a warship to liberate the city. He ordered the soldiers to kill all the pirates, leaving only their leader alive. A special execution was being prepared for him.
But they did not succeed in catching Olone by surprise. The French attacked the ship as soon as it entered the river. The Spaniards, not expecting an attack, hid in the hold. It was only possible to get out of it through the hatch. Having driven themselves into a trap, the Spaniards did not yet suspect that they were dealing with "that very Frenchman." Olone, standing at the hatch, ordered the soldiers to leave the hold one by one. In case of refusal, the pirate threatened to blow up the ship. There was no choice. One by one, they got out of the hold, where they were immediately beheaded by François Olone personally. Only one thing was left alive. He was handed a letter to the Governor of Havana and was released. Realizing that it would not be possible to win so easily the second time, Olone ordered his people to leave the island. But first, the French set fire to the selva.
Capture of Maracaibo
Because of their extraordinary cruelty, the French called their compatriot the "Scourge of the Spaniards" (Fleau des Espagnols). The Spaniards themselves called Olone sangriento - bloody. And after the pirate raided Maracaibo and Gibraltar, they began to frighten children with his name, presenting Francois as the devil on earth. This is the kind of reputation the Frenchman wished to acquire.
The attack on Maracaibo and Gibraltar was the peak of Olone's pirate career. The first on his list was the city of Maracaibo. The pirate, together with his people, set up camp on the shore of the lake of the same name. Then he applied his favorite practice - he captured all ships going to or from the city. They did not take prisoners, people were tortured, trying to find out valuable information from them. For example, the size of the garrison. One prisoner could not stand it, saying that the city was practically without protection. Olone decided not to waste time and ordered an attack on Maracaibo.
Moreover, the attack did not come from water, but from land. Olone landed on the shore and, passing through the jungle, attacked the city at night. Fortunately, most of the city's population by that time had already managed to move to Gibraltar, located nearby. The production was not as large as the Frenchman had hoped. Therefore, he decided not to dwell on Maracaibo alone. A plan to capture Gibraltar was ripe in his head.
The Spaniards also understood that Francois Olone would soon appear under the walls of the city. Therefore, we began to prepare for the defense. The townspeople together with the soldiers erected a new palisade and redoubts. The entire population of the city understood that in case of defeat there would be no mercy.
The inhabitants of Gibraltar greeted the French with buckshot. Then they opened fire with muskets. In the first attack, about fifty pirates fell ill. Olone ordered to retreat. And then the Spaniards themselves presented an unexpected gift of fate. They were so delighted with the first success that they rushed to finish off the pirates. François gave the command to attack. In the battle head-on-head the French were stronger. About ten Spanish soldiers were trapped in a swamp. François personally collected pistols from the battlefield and began shooting.
Surprisingly, the pirate did not slaughter the inhabitants of captured Gibraltar. Having collected a ransom from them, he returned under the walls of Maracaibo. After collecting tribute from the inhabitants, the French left.
Pirate against Nicaragua
Olone returned in an aura of glory and greatness. Success in Maracaibo and Gibraltar turned his head. And the Frenchman decided not to waste time on trifles, choosing the next victim. This time it was Nicaragua. To devastate such a large territory, François "ordered" 6 ships and a detachment of over 7 hundred professional pirates.
But from the very beginning everything went according to an unplanned scenario. Olona was fatally unlucky. At first, the ships fell into calm. Because of this, the current carried them to the Gulf of Honduras. In order not to sit around waiting for the wind, pirates began to plunder small villages on the coast, inhabited by tortoise fishermen. They then managed to capture a Spanish ship in Puerto Cabello. From this village, Olone, along with his people, went to San Pedro. The Spaniards tried in every possible way to prevent the advance of the French. Dutchman Alexander Exquemelin, author of the book "Pirates of America", described this march as follows: “If Olone started to torture and the poor man did not immediately answer questions, then this pirate did not cost anything to chop his victim into pieces, and finally lick the blood from a saber … He was ready to kill any Spaniard. If any of them, being afraid of torture or unable to bear it,agreed to lead the pirates to his compatriots, but out of confusion he did not find the way right away, he was subjected to hellish torments and beaten to death."
Yet Olone managed to achieve his goal. After a fierce battle, San Pedro was captured. But the production turned out to be extremely scarce. The frustrated pirates began to rage. François managed to come to an agreement with his team with great difficulty. He had to go all-in, promising rich booty soon. The pirates believed. But luck turned away from the captain. With great difficulty, having lost most of the crew, Olone managed to capture a powerful Spanish ship. But there was no gold and silver, only iron, paper and blue paint (indigo). This time the riot was not avoided.
Part of the team abandoned Olone and decided to return to Tortuga. With the remaining pirates, the French went to the coast of Nicaragua. But the ship hit the reef and had to land. After long attempts to remove the ship, Olone ordered to disassemble it and build a barcalon. It took several months. After that, some of the pirates remained on the coast, while the rest, together with Olone, went to the mouth of the San Juan River. The Frenchman wanted to get hold of canoes from the local population. But this attempt failed. Spanish soldiers from Fort San Carlos de Austria, in alliance with the Indians, defeated the pirates. Olone himself miraculously survived. The thirst for revenge forced the Frenchman to make a fatal mistake. He decided not to return to his own (the reputation of a successful captain had already suffered so much), but to try to seize some ship from the Spaniards. But this venture ended in complete failure. In Darien Bay, pirates stumbled upon Cannibal Indians. In their cruelty, the savages could give odds even to Olone. Exquemelin described the last fight of the Frenchman as follows: "They tore Olone to shreds and roasted his remains."
In that battle, only a few pirates managed to survive. It was they who told about the death of the Scourge of the Spaniards.
Author: Pavel Zhukov