By the beginning of the 18th century, the Golden Age of corsairs was already moving towards sunset. Lucky robbers could still amass a small fortune on the seas, but the ships of the British fleet sooner or later found everyone. The last corsair of the era was the famous Black Bart - an extravagant gentleman who captured more than four hundred ships, and in his spare time composed the famous pirate code.
Carier start
John Roberts was born in 1682. Little is known about the youth of the future pirate - he went out to sea 13 years old and did not leave the deck for the next 24 years, having risen to the rank of third mate on a slave ship. For the first time the name of the storm of the seas flashed in 1718, when the corsairs captured the slave traders and forced Roberts to join them in command.
New friends
Seeing Roberts as a skilled navigator, the captain of the pirate ship, Davis Howell, brought him closer to him and even appointed a large salary. John quickly became his own for the whole crew: an intelligent, shrewd, skillful sailor and he himself soon stopped thinking about life within the framework of the law, with pleasure trying on a new corsair outfit for himself.
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Finger of Fate
Just a month after the events described above, Howell's Pirate entered the harbor of Principia Island. The corsairs decided to rob the whole city, but during the first attack, Davis Howell was mortally wounded. The crew unanimously chose the new captain as the new captain: by that time, Roberts remained the only navigational-savvy person on board.
Avenger
The new captain managed to subdue the team. By order of Roberts, the corsairs returned to the island and plundered it completely. After such luck, the former honest sailor, and now the leader of the bandit gang took the name Black Bart, under which he would be destined to remain in world history.
Rich ocean
Having slightly plundered the slave traders off the African coast, Black Bart went to the Caribbean, from where he made a long journey to Canada itself. Here he boarded and sank 21 ships, filling the holds with a cargo of valuable furs. Now every pirate in the Caribbean dreamed of serving on the Roberts ship, and soon Black Bart was already in charge of a whole squadron of ships.
With an iron hand
It is hard to believe that one person managed to keep several hundred notorious thugs in check. Roberts' steely character has subdued even the sneakiest. Strict discipline reigned on his ships. No alcohol, no women, no gambling - but nightly prayer and even an experienced doctor on each of the ships.
Three glorious years
In good times, Black Bart's squadron grew to thirty ships. For three years, the pirate captured about four hundred ships, the name of the successful robber was known even in the most distant parts of the world. The Caribbean Sea, the African coast and Brazilian waters became his hunting grounds.
Walk the plank
According to legend, it was Black Bart who invented the famous pirate execution - a walk on the board. The doomed prisoner was forced to stand on a board, the end of which hung over the sea and with pricks of swords pushed him to the edge. They say that some unfortunate people could hold out on the board for up to twenty minutes, looking in horror at the shark dance under their feet.
Last goodbye
Luck left Roberts in 1721. On February 10, the British brig "Swallow" accidentally stumbled upon a pirate ship drifting off the coast of Gabon. Here Black Bart was waiting for the ships of his squadron and therefore took the British for his own. The brig came close to the pirates and fired a side salvo, which demolished all the masts and rigging. Then the British cleaned the deck with buckshot: Black Bart was one of the first to die.