History's Infamous Pirates, Sea Dogs and Scallywags
Dead men tell no tales, but their fans sure do.
Published 1 year ago in Wow
While tales of pirate ships and buried treasure may seem to be a thing of storybooks and billion-dollar Disney franchises with Johnny Depp, swashbucklers were all too real, sailing the seven seas in search of adventure, treasure, and a whole lot of rum. Just ask fans of these infamous dead men, who have — and will continue to — tell their harrowing tales for centuries to come.
From the legend of "Pirate Queen" Zheng Yi Sao to the real story behind Blackbeard, here are the real-life stories behind 16 notorious pirates.
1
Francois L'Ollonias
“[Francois L'Ollonias] hated the Spanish, because they killed his crew and the only reason he survived was because he played dead, so he attacked the Spanish at every opportunity. One day the Spanish laid an ambush for him and desperate to escape, he took some Spanish prisoners he had onboard, cut out one of their hearts, took a bite and then said that the same thing would happen to the rest of them if they didn't help him escape.”
2
Jeanne de Clisson
“Jeanne de Clisson, also known as the Lioness of Brittany, was a French noblewoman and mother who became a privateer to avenge her husband after he was executed for treason by the French king. She swore revenge against the French king after the execution of her husband. She crossed the English Channel targeting French ships and often slaughtering their entire crew. She would sail in a fleet of black ships with red sails (scary stuff). She was an absolute legend! Once she was avenged she up and quit piracy as a wealthy woman and returned to being a mum.”
5
Pierre Legrand
“I always loved the story of the french pirate Pierre Legrand who captured a spanish man-o-war with his small crew of 28 sailors, forcing them to succeed in sinking his own ship, then sneaking aboard, going into the officers' cabin and capturing them all at once because they were playing cards.”
6
John Taylor
“John Taylor. He was a democratic but very efficient pirate, said by one captive to have been one of the best and most effective sailors of the day. He took the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, a prize ship whose treasures possibly exceeded what Henry Avery took from the Gunsway. He retired in the Caribbean as a married man, landowner and Spanish Naval commander.”
10
Henry Avery
"In the late 17th century, the pirate Henry Avery became the richest pirate in the world after raiding a treasure laden ship belonging to the Grand Ruler of India. He stole £600,000 in precious metals and jewels, equivalent to £89.6M today. The world’s first worldwide manhunt was called on him."
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