From childhood, our imagination is stirred up by stories about pirates plowing the ocean and capturing ships, about chests full of treasures, about distant islands where elusive robbers hide. But many stories are based on the adventures of real people.
1. Avery, Henry (1659-1699)
Henry Avery went down in history as "Lanky Ben". Henry's father was a captain on a ship that is part of the English fleet, and, growing up, the young man went to serve on the ship. One day a riot broke out on the ship, and Henry first joined the rebel squad, and then led them.
The gang of Lanky Ben has many captured ships, but the most famous is the Indian "Gang-i-Sawai", which, as the story goes, had many gold, silver coins and heaps of precious stones.
2. Bonnie, Anne (1700-1782)
In addition to men, it turns out that women also hunted piracy, Anne Bonnie is considered a striking example of this. Anne grew up well off and was well educated. At sea, she fled after a sailor after her father expressed his desire to marry her off. She later met the pirate Jack Rackham and became part of his crew. According to those familiar with Bonnie, her fighting skills could impress any man.
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3. Olone, Francois (1630-1671)
Famous for his incredible cruelty, the French pirate began with service in the West Indian campaign as a simple soldier.
Olone later became a buccaneer. He took part in the capture of the cities of Maracaibo and Gibraltar. In Nicaragua, he fell into the hands of the cannibals, by whom he was eaten.
4. Lau, Edward (1690-1724)
Edward Lau learned the craft of thieves from his parents since childhood. In his youth, he served as a sailor, but this did not last long, and, having assembled a crew, Edward captured a small sailing ship. It was from this moment that his pirate career began. In total, they boarded over a hundred ships.
5. Rackham, Jack (1682-1720)
Jack Rackham joined the Navy at an early age. The young pirate was not immediately lucky, every now and then he almost found himself captured by the authorities. That all changed when he met Mary Reed and Anne Bonnie. Together they began to trade off the coast of Jamaica. Their activities were successful, but the authorities still managed to catch Rackham. Jack Rackham was sentenced to death, and Reed died in prison.
6. Bonnet, Steed (1688-1718)
Prior to piracy, Steed Bonnet was a Major in the Colonial Militia in Barbados. The reason why Bonnet engaged in robbery is cited as the bad character of his wife. For a long time, Bonnet managed to successfully rob off the coast of North America, but then he nevertheless came to the attention of the authorities, who sent two warships to capture the pirate. Bonnet was captured and executed at White Point.
7. Roberts, Bartholomew (1682-1722)
If many became pirates voluntarily, then Bartholomew Roberts ended up in the band of robbers as a navigator against his will after seizing the ship where he served. Only 6 weeks have passed, and Roberts has already become a captain and began to trade in robbery in the Atlantic and the Caribbean, having managed to capture more than four hundred ships.
8. Morgan, Henry (1635-1688)
Henry Morgan was the son of a landowner, he decided to become a pirate in order to get rich. He began to form his fleet with the acquisition of one ship and gradually became the master of a flotilla of 12 ships. After the capture, the pirate was taken to London, but he was so influential that he was not only released from arrest, but even appointed to the post of Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
9. Kidd, William (1645-1701)
A number of historians believe that William Kill was not a pirate in the sense of the word in which we understand him, but a corsair or caper. He was engaged in capturing pirate and enemy ships in the Indian Ocean. In addition, he made expeditions to various parts of the world. Kidd gained his greatest fame after his death, when many rushed to look for the treasures hidden by him, still not found until now.
10. Teach, Edward (1680-1718)
The famous pirate in England Edward Teach, also nicknamed "Blackbeard" began his activities under the leadership of Captain Hornigold. However, when Hornigold decided to surrender to the authorities, Teach himself stood at the head of the ship Queen Anne's Revenge. The pirate gained great fame thanks to the siege of Charlestown, during which robbers took on board 9 ships with rich passengers, who were later returned for a huge ransom.
Anna Ponomareva