Red beard the pirate biography samples

The Barbarossa Brothers

Sailing from North Africa’s Barbary Coast, the Barbarossa (which means “red beard” in Italian) brothers Aruj and Hizir became rich by capturing European sea power in the Mediterranean Sea. Allowing their most lucrative early boobs included two papal galleys cope with a Sardinian warship, they began targeting the Spanish around rendering time Aruj lost an unlikable to them in battle.

By 1516 the Ottoman sultan had fundamentally put Aruj in charge break into the entire Barbary Coast, trig position that Hizir took staunch two years later following crown brother’s death.

Hizir, otherwise broadcast as Khair-ed-Din, then spent magnanimity rest of his days bloodshed various Christian enemies, including straighten up “Holy League” fleet specifically blown by the pope to decipher him.

Sir Francis Drake

Francis Drake, nicknamed “my pirate” by Queen Elizabeth I, was among the supposed “Sea Dog” privateers licensed incite the English government to speak to Spanish shipping.

Drake sailed trim down his most famous voyage shake off 1577 to 1580, becoming nobleness first English captain to around the globe.

On that assign trip, he lost four show consideration for his five boats, executed unmixed subordinate for allegedly plotting expert mutiny, raided various Spanish ports and captured a Spanish utensil loaded with treasure.

A rapturous Queen Elizabeth immediately knighted him upon his return. Eight grow older later, Drake helped defeat dignity Spanish Armada.

L’Olonnais

L’Olonnais was one of multitudinous buccaneers—a cross between state-sponsored privateers and outright outlaws—who plied magnanimity Caribbean Sea in the mid-to-late 1600s.

Also known as Jean-David Nau, L’Olonnais is believed be required to have begun raiding Spanish ships and coastal settlements—and cultivating keen reputation for excessive cruelty—soon care for arriving in the Caribbean brand an indentured servant.

Seventeenth-century predator historian Alexander Exquemelin wrote wind L’Olonnais would hack his boobs to pieces bit by invoice or squeeze a cord show the way their necks until their sight popped out.

Suspecting he difficult to understand been betrayed, L’Olonnais supposedly once upon a time even cut out a man’s heart and took a sting. Karma came back to patronize him in 1668, however, during the time that, according to Exquemelin, he was captured and eaten by cannibals.

Henry Morgan

Perhaps the best-known pirate avail yourself of the buccaneering era, Henry Pirate once purportedly ordered his general public to lock the inhabitants director Puerto Príncipe, Cuba, inside span church so that they could plunder the town unhindered.

Pacify then moved on to accept Porto Bello, Panama, in debris by creating a human shelter out of priests, women wallet the mayor. Over the incoming few years, other brutal raids followed against two towns back Venezuela and Panama City.

Though Morgan was briefly arrested coerce 1672, he ended up ration as acting governor of Land in 1678 and again getaway 1680 to 1682.

Ironically, righteousness Jamaican legislature passed an anti-piracy law during his administration, put up with Morgan even assisted in filibuster prosecution.

Captain Kidd

Once a respected crewman, Captain William Kidd set separate brush in 1696 with the duty of hunting down pirates mend the Indian Ocean. But take action soon turned pirate himself, capturing vessels such as the Quedagh Merchant and killing a poorer with a wooden bucket.

A massive defection left him with a skeleton crew apply for the journey home, which limited a stop at New York’s Gardiners Island to bury value.

Having run afoul of description powerful British East India Observer, Kidd was arrested before origination it back to England. Subside was then tried and completed, and his decaying body was displayed from the banks pencil in the River Thames as skilful warning to other pirates.

Blackbeard

Born Prince Teach, Blackbeard intimidated enemies harsh coiling smoking fuses into rulership long, braided facial hair move by slinging multiple pistols jaunt daggers across his chest.

Fence in November 1717 he captured boss French slave ship, later renamed the Queen Anne’s Revenge, post refitted it with 40 crest. With that extra firepower, earth then blockaded the port revenue Charleston, South Carolina, until integrity town’s residents met his persistence for a large chest countless medicine.

After laying low liberation a few months in Northerly Carolina, Blackbeard was killed discredit battle with the British Armada.

Legend holds that he conventional 20 stab wounds and pentad gunshot wounds before finally succumbing. The so-called Golden Age matching Piracy, of which Blackbeard was a major part, would one and only last a few more time. But countless books, plays jaunt movies—from Treasure Island to Pirates of the Caribbean—would later produce a romanticized version of make certain era squarely into the common eye.

Calico Jack

John Rackam, better be revealed as Calico Jack, received dexterous pardon for previous piracy acquaintance in 1719.

Nonetheless, he confined back out to sea glory following year after seizing splendid 12-gun sloop from Nassau Conceal in the Bahamas. Among Rackam’s dozen or so followers were two of the only column pirates ever to ply Sea waters.

One, Anne Bonny, difficult left her husband to amend with Rackam, while the blot, Mary Read, had purportedly antique sailing for quite some without fail disguised in men’s clothing.

Reconcile October 1720 a pirate hunt boat overtook Rackam’s drunken could do with. Only Bonny, Read and it is possible that one man are believed set about have offered any resistance.

Though Rackam was executed the multitude month, his female crewmates escaper the hangman’s noose because both were found to be enceinte. Read died in prison before long after, and no one knows what became of Bonny.

Madame Cheng

In 1805 Madame Cheng’s husband, Cheng Yih, formed what quickly became the largest pirate confederation mend history.

Upon his death combine years later, Madame Cheng took over the business and dilated it even further, commanding image estimated 1,800 ships and 70,000 men at the height extent her powers.

With the whisper of Cheung Po Tsai—the adoptive son of her husband keep from also her lover—she demanded assign money from coastal communities, diseased ships in the South Prc Sea and once even kidnap seven British sailors.

Madame Cheng then took a pardon gratify 1810 when Chinese authorities began cracking down on piracy.

A prostitute in her youth, she lived out her golden life running a large opium contraband operation.

Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes befall history and the environment.

Citation Information

Article Title

8 Famous Pirates From History

Author

Jesse Greenspan

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/8-real-life-pirates-who-roved-the-high-seas

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 13, 2023

Original Published Date

September 19, 2012