A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.
- Chinese Proverb
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Once a respected privateer, Captain William Kidd set sail in 1696 with the assignment of hunting down pirates in the Indian Ocean. But he soon turned pirate himself, capturing vessels such as the Quedagh Merchant and killing a subordinate with a wooden bucket. A massive defection left him with a skeleton crew for the journey home, which included a stop at New York’s Gardiners Island to bury treasure.
Having run afoul of the powerful British East India Company, Kidd was arrested before making it back to England. He was then tried and executed, and his decaying body was displayed from the banks of the River Thames as a warning to other pirates.
Though there have been more successful pirates, Blackbeard is one of the best-known and widely-feared of his time. He commanded four ships and had a pirate army of 300 at the height of his career, and defeated the famous warship, HMS “Scarborough” in sea-battle. He was known for barreling into battle clutching two swords, with several knives and pistols at the ready.
He captured over forty merchant ships in the Caribbean, and without flinching killed many prisoners. Though he had many unofficial wives, he was “officially” married to a 16-year-old girl - whom legend has it he offered as a gift to his crew after she tried to reform him. After a fierce battle in which he made a stand with candle smoke rising from his beard, he was overtaken by the Royal Navy and beheaded. His head was then raised upon a stake as a warning to other pirates near Virginia’s Hampton River.
Sailing from North Africa’s Barbary Coast, the Barbarossa (which means “red beard” in Italian) brothers Aruj and Hizir became rich by capturing European vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. Though their most lucrative early victims included two papal galleys and a Sardinian warship, they began targeting the Spanish around the time Aruj lost an arm to them in battle.
By 1516 the Ottoman sultan had essentially put Aruj in charge of the entire Barbary Coast, a position that Hizir took over two years later following his brother’s death. Hizir, otherwise known as Khair-ed-Din, then spent the rest of his days fighting various Christian enemies, including a “Holy League” fleet specifically formed by the pope to destroy him.
Roberts’ crew admired his adventurist courage, calling him “pistol proof” - though he had been forced into piracy, having once been an officer on board a ship that was captured by the pirate Howell Davis. After taking over, Roberts’ navigational skills, charisma, and bravado painted him golden the eyes of his men.
He plundered over 400 ships, a grandiose record to be sure, and captained well-armoured ships in every endeavour. He died in a vigorous battle against British Captain Chaloner Ogle; his death left many of his faithful followers and admirers reeling. Even the Royal Navy itself was stunned.
L’Olonnais was one of many buccaneers—a cross between state-sponsored privateers and outright outlaws—who plied the Caribbean Sea in the mid-to-late 1600s. Also known as Jean-David Nau, L’Olonnais is believed to have begun raiding Spanish ships and coastal settlements—and cultivating a reputation for excessive cruelty—soon after arriving in the Caribbean as an indentured servant.
Seventeenth-century pirate historian Alexander Exquemelin wrote that L’Olonnais would hack his victims to pieces bit by bit or squeeze a cord around their necks until their eyes popped out. Suspecting he had been betrayed, L’Olonnais supposedly once even cut out a man’s heart and took a bite. Karma came back to haunt him in 1668, however, when, according to Exquemelin, he was captured and eaten by cannibals.
Captain Morgan is one of the most famous pirates who terrorized Spain’s Caribbean colonies in the late 1600s. Inconspicuously sanctioned by England, Morgan became the head of the Jamaican fleet and successfully undermined Spanish rule, hampering normalcy in the West Indies. He may have pillaged upwards of four hundred ships throughout his piracy career.
His greatest achievement was capturing the very wealthy Panama City with thirty ships and 1,200 men, acquiring his largest plunder yet. It was due to his raid on Panama City that he was arrested and brought back to England, but because battle resumed between England and Spain, King Charles II knighted Morgan and released him as deputy governor of Jamaica. There, he lived a very well respected planter until his death.
In 1805 Madame Cheng’s husband, Cheng Yih, formed what quickly became the largest pirate confederation in history. Upon his death two years later, Madame Cheng took over the business and expanded it even further, commanding an estimated 1,800 ships and 70,000 men at the height of her powers.
With the help of Cheung Po Tsai—the adopted son of her husband and also her lover—she demanded protection money from coastal communities, attacked ships in the South China Sea and once even kidnapped seven British sailors. Madame Cheng then took a pardon in 1810 when Chinese authorities began cracking down on piracy. A prostitute in her youth, she lived out her golden years running a large opium smuggling operation.
Cheung Po Tsai was a fisherman’s son, captured by a pirate and his wife to later be adopted by them and become a pirate himself. In the height of his “career”, he commanded an army of over 50,000 men and several hundred ships (Caribbean pirates seem to pale in comparison). He terrorized the Guangdong coastline, amassing great treasure, which he hid in a small cave that is today named after him.
Eventually, the Chinese government managed to catch him, though he struck a deal with them and became enlisted as a captain in the Qing Imperial Navy. He was appointed to the rank of colonel and spent the rest of his life aiding the Chinese government in capturing other pirates.
By Pritam Mondal
Aug 14, 2018
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Once a respected privateer, Captain William Kidd set sail in 1696 with the assignment of hunting down pirates in the Indian Ocean. But he soon turned pirate himself, capturing vessels such as the Quedagh Merchant and killing a subordinate with a wooden bucket. A massive defection left him with a skeleton crew for the journey home, which included a stop at New York’s Gardiners Island to bury treasure.
Having run afoul of the powerful British East India Company, Kidd was arrested before making it back to England. He was then tried and executed, and his decaying body was displayed from the banks of the River Thames as a warning to other pirates.
Though there have been more successful pirates, Blackbeard is one of the best-known and widely-feared of his time. He commanded four ships and had a pirate army of 300 at the height of his career, and defeated the famous warship, HMS “Scarborough” in sea-battle. He was known for barreling into battle clutching two swords, with several knives and pistols at the ready.
He captured over forty merchant ships in the Caribbean, and without flinching killed many prisoners. Though he had many unofficial wives, he was “officially” married to a 16-year-old girl - whom legend has it he offered as a gift to his crew after she tried to reform him. After a fierce battle in which he made a stand with candle smoke rising from his beard, he was overtaken by the Royal Navy and beheaded. His head was then raised upon a stake as a warning to other pirates near Virginia’s Hampton River.
Sailing from North Africa’s Barbary Coast, the Barbarossa (which means “red beard” in Italian) brothers Aruj and Hizir became rich by capturing European vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. Though their most lucrative early victims included two papal galleys and a Sardinian warship, they began targeting the Spanish around the time Aruj lost an arm to them in battle.
By 1516 the Ottoman sultan had essentially put Aruj in charge of the entire Barbary Coast, a position that Hizir took over two years later following his brother’s death. Hizir, otherwise known as Khair-ed-Din, then spent the rest of his days fighting various Christian enemies, including a “Holy League” fleet specifically formed by the pope to destroy him.
Roberts’ crew admired his adventurist courage, calling him “pistol proof” - though he had been forced into piracy, having once been an officer on board a ship that was captured by the pirate Howell Davis. After taking over, Roberts’ navigational skills, charisma, and bravado painted him golden the eyes of his men.
He plundered over 400 ships, a grandiose record to be sure, and captained well-armoured ships in every endeavour. He died in a vigorous battle against British Captain Chaloner Ogle; his death left many of his faithful followers and admirers reeling. Even the Royal Navy itself was stunned.
L’Olonnais was one of many buccaneers—a cross between state-sponsored privateers and outright outlaws—who plied the Caribbean Sea in the mid-to-late 1600s. Also known as Jean-David Nau, L’Olonnais is believed to have begun raiding Spanish ships and coastal settlements—and cultivating a reputation for excessive cruelty—soon after arriving in the Caribbean as an indentured servant.
Seventeenth-century pirate historian Alexander Exquemelin wrote that L’Olonnais would hack his victims to pieces bit by bit or squeeze a cord around their necks until their eyes popped out. Suspecting he had been betrayed, L’Olonnais supposedly once even cut out a man’s heart and took a bite. Karma came back to haunt him in 1668, however, when, according to Exquemelin, he was captured and eaten by cannibals.
Captain Morgan is one of the most famous pirates who terrorized Spain’s Caribbean colonies in the late 1600s. Inconspicuously sanctioned by England, Morgan became the head of the Jamaican fleet and successfully undermined Spanish rule, hampering normalcy in the West Indies. He may have pillaged upwards of four hundred ships throughout his piracy career.
His greatest achievement was capturing the very wealthy Panama City with thirty ships and 1,200 men, acquiring his largest plunder yet. It was due to his raid on Panama City that he was arrested and brought back to England, but because battle resumed between England and Spain, King Charles II knighted Morgan and released him as deputy governor of Jamaica. There, he lived a very well respected planter until his death.
In 1805 Madame Cheng’s husband, Cheng Yih, formed what quickly became the largest pirate confederation in history. Upon his death two years later, Madame Cheng took over the business and expanded it even further, commanding an estimated 1,800 ships and 70,000 men at the height of her powers.
With the help of Cheung Po Tsai—the adopted son of her husband and also her lover—she demanded protection money from coastal communities, attacked ships in the South China Sea and once even kidnapped seven British sailors. Madame Cheng then took a pardon in 1810 when Chinese authorities began cracking down on piracy. A prostitute in her youth, she lived out her golden years running a large opium smuggling operation.
Cheung Po Tsai was a fisherman’s son, captured by a pirate and his wife to later be adopted by them and become a pirate himself. In the height of his “career”, he commanded an army of over 50,000 men and several hundred ships (Caribbean pirates seem to pale in comparison). He terrorized the Guangdong coastline, amassing great treasure, which he hid in a small cave that is today named after him.
Eventually, the Chinese government managed to catch him, though he struck a deal with them and became enlisted as a captain in the Qing Imperial Navy. He was appointed to the rank of colonel and spent the rest of his life aiding the Chinese government in capturing other pirates.
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