Famous female pirates

It’s hard to imagine a woman’s fingers clutching a boarding ax instead of a fan or ladle, but the history of piracy has preserved many names of charming women who, no worse than men, robbed the seas under the black banner of the “Jolly Roger.”

Alvilda - Queen of the Pirates

One of the most famous female pirates is Alvilda, who plundered the waters of Scandinavia during the period early Middle Ages. Her name often appears in popular books on the history of piracy. According to legend, this beautiful princess Alvilda, who lived around 800, the daughter of a Gothic king (or a king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “sea Amazon” in order to avoid the marriage forced on her to Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.

The princess took all her maids with her, bought a ship and took up sea robbery. It was a real ship with Amazons, because there were no men on board at all, and only women went to board other people’s ships. She turned into the number one “star” among sea robbers. For a long period, pirates successfully robbed off the coast of Denmark, capturing merchant ships.

Since Alvilda's dashing raids posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and residents coastal areas Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the object of his pursuit was the coveted Alvilda. Deciding to destroy the pirates, he found Alvilda's ship and attacked it. The Danes outnumbered the pirates and easily captured the ship. Having killed most of the sea robbers, Alf entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender.

How surprised the Danish prince was when the pirate leader took off his helmet from his head and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty whom he dreamed of marrying. Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to swing a sword. The wedding took place right there, on board the pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never to go to sea without him again.

Is the story told true?

Researchers have discovered that the legend of Alwilda was first told to readers by the monk Saxo Grammaticus (1140 - ca. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes.” He got it either from the ancients Scandinavian sagas, or from myths about the Amazons.

Alvilda's successor was the French Countess Jeanne de Belleville-Cpassin

The following story is more like the truth, it is confirmed historical chronicles. It's about about a charming aristocrat from Brittany, perhaps she was one of the first women to take up the pirate craft. Jeanne de Belleville, who was famous for her beauty and intelligence, was driven to become a pirate by her thirst for revenge.

During Hundred Years' War her husband, the noble lord Maurice de Bellevoule, was slandered, accused of treason, and in 1430. executed, Zhanna was then 29 years old. When Jeanne de Belleville was returned to her husband's body, she and her sons (the youngest was seven and the eldest was 14) vowed to take revenge on the treacherous French king.

Having sold all her estates, Jeanne purchased three brigantines, equipped a crew, put detachments of her vassals on ships and set off for the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais. Zhanna, having received from English king a letter of marque - permission to attack the ships of France and its allies, called her ships the “Fleet of Vengeance” and began her war at sea.

For four years, the Countess's squadron cruised in the straits, mercilessly sinking and burning all ships of the French flag. In addition to sea robbery, her flying squads landed on the shore and attacked the castles and estates of those whom the countess considered guilty of the death of her husband. Jeanne transported all her loot to England. In France she was nicknamed the Lioness of Clisson, and Philip VI ordered: “Catch the witch dead or alive!

Several times her ships managed to elude French fleet, but such luck could not last forever. One day, the flotilla of the Clisson Lioness was surrounded. When Jeanne had already lost two ships, she and her sons left the flagship and fled with several sailors on a small boat.

It is known that Jeanne was distinguished by fearlessness; perhaps she was persuaded to flee by her comrades in arms remaining on the surrounded ship, and their main argument was that Jeanne, captured or dead, would give great pleasure to the French king, but she did not want this.

Leaving the ship in a hurry, the fugitives did not take with them either water or provisions, and died six days later. younger son Jeanne, then several sailors died. The survivors were carried out by the current to the French coast in the Brittany region. Jeanne de Belleville was lucky; she managed to find shelter in the possessions of Jean de Montfort, a friend of her executed husband.

The death of her son, the death of her fleet and friends made the thirst for revenge subside, and soon the female corsair accepted the courtship of the nobleman Gautier de Bentley and married him. Time passed and she began to appear in public again, and the fate of her eldest son turned out well - he became a constable, the highest dignitary of France.

A hundred years after Joan, a flotilla of another aristocrat, the mother of the British lord John Killigrew, who led the pirates until her death in 1550, appeared in the area of ​​​​her pirate activities. Her exploits were continued by Lady Elizabeth Killigoe, her son's wife.

The pirate leader had a wide network of informants on shore who supplied her with information about the nature of the cargo on the ships and their weapons. So she would have pirated, but one day, when her thugs attacked a Spanish galleon, its captain managed to hide in a secret room on the ship and reveal her secret. The amazed Spaniard saw through a hole in the panel that the pirates destroying his crew were commanded by a charming woman.

At dusk, he managed to quietly leave the ship and swim to the shore. In the morning he hurried to the governor of Falmouth and in his house he saw a lovely young woman, whom, of course, he recognized. The prudent Spaniard did not reveal anything about himself; after greeting the governor, he quickly took his leave and headed straight to London. There, his message caused a real shock to the king, who ordered an immediate investigation.

During the investigation, it turned out that Elizabeth Killigrew was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolverston. From her father, she not only learned to master weapons perfectly, but also went through a real school of robbery. Her husband, the governor of Falmouth, was aware of his wife’s hobby and did not oppose it, but on the contrary, supported her activities. My wife's hobby brought in excellent income.

When it smelled like something was cooking, the Killigrew couple decided to escape with the loot on one of the pirate ships, but some “well-wisher” betrayed the couple and they were captured. Lord Killigrew was sentenced to death penalty, and his wife - to life imprisonment.

Mary Blood, the girlfriend of the famous filibuster Edward Teach, nicknamed “Blackbeard,” is a beautiful, very tall (over 1 m 90 cm) Irish woman. While she was on her way to America, the ship she was on was captured by Edward Teach. He was so struck by the girl’s beauty and height that he immediately decided to marry her. Mary had no choice but to agree, because the pirates killed all the other passengers.

As a wedding gift, Mary received a pirate ship and its crew. She quickly got used to the sea robbers and began to take part in attacks on ships herself. Mary was madly in love with jewelry and especially diamonds, so she was nicknamed Diamond Mary. The pirate craft helped regularly replenish her collection of jewelry. However, passion for soulless stones defeated love.

In 1729, Mary's pirates captured a Spanish ship. When the prisoners were lined up on deck, she met the eyes of one of the tall Spaniards and disappeared. Mary fell madly in love with a handsome captive and soon ran away with him to Peru. Teach made a lot of efforts to find and punish the traitor, but he was never able to find the couple that had eluded him.

Truth or myth?

And at the end of this topic

I bring to your attention an article by historian Andrei Volkov about female pirates, “True or Fiction.”
“It should be noted that a number of researchers are very wary of descriptions of the “exploits” of ladies under the black flag. Some believe that women have never been outstanding pirates and have gone down in the history of sea robbery only because of the “blatant” fact of their invasion of pure male occupation, others talk about numerous exaggerations and misrepresentations in their biographies.

There are even female pirates who are considered fictitious... For example, about the English pirate Maria Lindsay, as well as about her lover, the pirate Eric Cobham, no mention was found in documents of the early 18th century, when, according to various publications, they committed their outrages. And this couple is described very colorfully. Maria Lindsay looks like a real pathological sadist: she chopped off the hands of prisoners and then pushed them overboard... She also loved to use living people as targets for shooting exercises, and once poisoned the entire crew of a captured ship.

Together with their lover, they successfully completed their pirate “career”, and with the stolen money they bought a huge estate in France. And here, mind you, is a very curious ending to this whole story: unable to withstand the betrayals of her lover, exhausted from remorse for the crimes she had committed, Maria committed suicide by taking poison, and to be sure, by throwing herself off a cliff... Well, it’s just a ready-made script for a box office film.

However, there is no point in completely doubting the reality of female pirates; they actually existed. And the very possibility of women’s active participation in the pirate craft is evidenced by the story of the legendary Madame Wong, whose pirates rampaged through the eastern seas in the twentieth century. She organized an entire pirate empire, according to various estimates, numbering from three to eight thousand people. Its fleet, according to the Japanese police, in the early 60s amounted to 150 ships and boats.

Despite all attempts to catch the madam, neither Interpol nor the police of several countries were able to do so. According to some sources, Madame Wong blew herself up in the cave where her treasures were hidden; according to others, having faked her death, she simply “retired.”

Saida Al Hurra Saida Al Hurra was born around 1485 into a prominent Muslim family in the Kingdom of Granada. Forced to flee after being captured by Christian Spain, Saida's parents settled in Chaoen, Morocco. After the death of her husband, Saida became Queen of Tetouan, which led to her later marrying the King of Morocco, Ahmed al-Wattasi. And although Saida was incredibly rich, her anger at the Christians who once forced her to leave her home prompted her to take up piracy. Capturing Christian ships helped fulfill her dream of returning home, at least for one day. Ultimately the queen Mediterranean Sea in the eyes of Christians, she became the main intermediary for the Portuguese and Spanish governments when they tried to free captives held by pirates. In 1542, the woman was dethroned by her stepson. Nothing is known about her further fate.


Pirate Queen Teuta of Illyria.Eta amazing woman risked taking Rome when many of the men could not even think about it. After the death of her husband, King Ardiein, Teuta inherited the kingdom of Ardiein in 231 BC. Trying to deal with aggression neighboring states, she supported the pirate population of her kingdom. With her support, the Illyrians captured the cities of Foenis and Dyrrhachium. Expanding their territories, its pirates attacked merchant ships of Greece and Rome. The result was a war between Rome and Illyria in 229 BC, in which the pirate queen was defeated.


Anne Bonny. Anne Bonny (or Annie) was an Irish pirate born between 1697-1700. After her mother's death, Anne's father made a small fortune through trading. However, Bonnie was not an angelic child - after a stabbing with a servant and marriage to a petty pirate, James Bonney, her father abandoned her. The girl moved to New Providence in the Bahamas, where she met Jack Rackham, captain of the pirate ship Revenge, and became his mistress. This was followed by a divorce from James and a wedding to Jack, and... piracy... Anne helped form a new crew and capture a large number of ships , many of which transported tea. It all ended with the Governor of Jamaica authorizing Captain Jonathan Barnett to deal with Bonnie and Rackham. Because the most of their crew was drunk at that time, their ship was hijacked. Rackham was executed, and Bonnie disappeared - perhaps her father paid the ransom.


Jean de Clisson. A girl who lived in Brittany in the 1300s married Olivier III de Clisson, a wealthy nobleman who was tasked with defending the peninsula from English claimants. However, he went over to the side of the British. Captured in 1343, Olivier was sent to Paris and executed by order of King Philip VI. Full of anger, Jean swore revenge on the king. She sold her lands to rich nobles and bought 3 warships. The ships were painted black, the sails red. The woman killed the crew of the captured ships, leaving only a few sailors alive so that they could tell the King that “the Lioness of Brittany will strike again.” But even after Philip's death, she continued to attack French ships and did this until she left for England - the only place where people loved the French about as much as she did.


Chin Shi. Chin Shi is a Chinese sea robber who gained fame as one of the most successful female pirates in history. This short, fragile girl, leading the battle, held a fan in her hand instead of a saber. She was a contemporary of Napoleon and Admiral Nelson, but nothing was heard of her in Europe. But on Far East and in the vastness of the South Chinese seas, everyone knew her name - both the poor and the rich. She went down in history under the name “Lady Qing”, uncrowned queen Chinese pirates late XVIII - early XIX centuries. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had more than 70,000 sailors under her command.


Anne Dieu-Le-Veuth. A criminal exiled from France to Tortuga sometime between 1665 and 1675, she married the pirate Pierre Langt. In 1683, her husband was killed by another pirate, Lorenzo de Graaf, during a bar fight. After the incident, the girl challenged Lorenzo and took out a weapon. The pirate refused to fight the woman, but was impressed dark side Ann, proposed to her. Anne, apparently forgetting that she had just wanted to kill this man, accepted him. Together they began to sail the seas as pirates, capturing ships and even raiding Jamaica in 1693. A subsequent raid on Tortuga led to the capture of Anne and her two daughters. She and Lorenzo were reunited several years later. Their further fate is unknown.


Grace O'Malley. Extraordinarily brave, but at the same time insensitive and cruel woman came from the old Irish family of O'Malley, known for many corsairs and pirates. Grace's father was the leader of the seafaring Clan O'Mail, left untouched by the British. O'Malley took on his role of collecting taxes from fishermen on their territory. But the method of "collection taxes" was not very common - ships were required to pay cash or cargo for safe passage. Refusal was tantamount to death. Grace also attacked the fortresses of Irish and Scottish nobles. Some say she even kidnapped children of Anglo-Irish origin.


Lady Elizabeth Killigrew Born around 1525, Elizabeth became Lady Killigrew when she married Sir John Killigrew of Arwenack, Cornwall. In the 1540s, when Pendennis Castle was built on his husband's land by King Henry VIII, the Killigrews were given control of shipping in the area. They began to use this position to hunt the cargo of ships entering the area under their control, fortifying Arvenac Castle. After the death of her husband, Elizabeth took full control of the pirates. When she learned that the Spanish ship Mafri San Sebastian had taken refuge in Falmouth Harbor, the woman organized an attack on the ship, seizing it and its cargo. After she was caught, Killigrew was pardoned and pardoned by Queen Elizabeth.


Christina Anna Skitt. ​​The daughter of Baron Jacob Skitt from Duderhof (Sweden) with her fiancé Gustaf Drake became partners in “business” - her brother, obviously not happy with the great wealth, led double life like a pirate, robbing ships in the Baltic Sea. After killing one of the conspirators who tried to leave, Christina proved that she was not a passive partner. In 1663, they attacked a Dutch merchant ship, killing the crew and stealing the cargo. This attack led to Gustaf's capture and Christina was forced to flee.


Jacot Delahaye. The death of her father and mother, as well as brain damage to her brother received at birth, forced the red-haired beauty Jacot to turn to piracy in the Caribbean - she had to somehow take care of her brother. In the 1660s, a girl faked her own death to avoid a government hunt. After several years peaceful life she returned to piracy and is believed by many to have teamed up with Anne Dieu-Le-Vouet.

My grandmother smokes a pipe in her little room in her Khrushchev house,
My grandmother smokes a pipe and through the smoke she sees the waves of the seas.
All the pirates in the world are afraid of her and are rightfully proud of her
Because grandma robs and burns their frigates,
But it spares the elderly and children!
Sukachev Garik and the Untouchables

M ama is a pirate... what could be more authoritative for a child, and it helps to keep her husband in line.
Most people associate the word “pirate” with the image of a bearded sea robber with one leg and a pinned eye. However, among the successful famous pirates there were not only men, but also women. This post is about some of them.


Listen or download My Grandmother Smoking a Pipe for free on ProstoPlayer

Scandinavian pirate princess Alvilda

Alvilda is considered one of the first pirates, who robbed the waters of Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages. According to legend, this medieval princess, the daughter of a Gothic king (or king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “sea Amazon” in order to avoid the marriage forced on her to Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.

Having gone on a pirate voyage with a crew of young women dressed in men's clothes, she turned into the number one “star” among sea robbers. Since Alvilda’s dashing raids posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the object of his pursuit was the coveted Alvilda.

Having killed most of the sea robbers, he entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender. How surprised the Danish prince was when the pirate leader took off his helmet from his head and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty whom he dreamed of marrying! Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to swing a sword. The wedding took place right there, on board the pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never to go to sea without him again.

Everyone died... Hallelujah! Is the story told true? Researchers have discovered that the tale of Alwilda was first told to readers by the monk Saxo Grammaticus (1140 - ca. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes.” Most likely he learned about it from the ancient Scandinavian sagas.

Jeanne de Belleville

The Breton noblewoman Jeanne de Belleville, who was married to the knight de Clisson, became a pirate not out of love for adventure and wealth, but out of a desire for revenge.

In the period 1337-1453, with several interruptions, there was a war between England and France, which went down in history as the Hundred Years' War. Jeanne de Belleville's husband was accused of treason.
King Philip II of France ordered his arrest, and without any evidence or trial, on August 2, 1943, he was handed over to the executioner. The widow Jeanne de Belleville-Clison, known for her beauty, charm and hospitality, vowed brutal revenge. She sold her property and bought three fast ships. According to another version, she went to England, achieved an audience with King Edward and, thanks to her beauty... received three fast ships from the monarch for corsair operations against France.

She commanded one ship herself, the others - her two sons. The small fleet, dubbed the "Channel Fleet of Vengeance", became the "scourge of God" in French coastal waters. The pirates mercilessly sent French ships to the bottom, devastating the coastal areas. They say that everyone who was to cross the English Channel on a French ship first of all wrote a will.

For several years the squadron plundered French merchant ships, often even attacking warships. Zhanna took part in battles and was excellent at wielding both a saber and a boarding axe. As a rule, she ordered the crew of a captured ship to be completely destroyed. It is not surprising that Philip VI soon gave the order to “catch the witch dead or alive.”

And one day the French managed to surround the pirate ships. Seeing that the forces were unequal, Jeanne showed real cunning - with several sailors she launched a longboat and, together with her sons and a dozen oarsmen, left the battlefield, abandoning her comrades.

However, fate cruelly repaid her for her betrayal. For ten days, the fugitives wandered around the sea - because they had no navigational instruments. Several people died of thirst (among them Jeanne's youngest son). On the eleventh day, the surviving pirates reached the shores of France. There they were sheltered by a friend of the executed de Belleville.
After this, Jeanne de Belleville, who is considered the first female pirate, left her bloody craft and married again. Popular rumor said: she began to embroider with beads, got a lot of cats and settled down. This is what the life-giving cross does, what a successful marriage means...

Leat Kiligra

Some two hundred years after Joan of Belleville, a new female pirate appeared in the English Channel: Lady Kiligru. This lady led a double life: in society she is the respected wife of the governor Lord John Killigru in the port city of Falmet, and at the same time secretly commands pirate ships, attacking merchant ships mainly in Falmet Bay. Lady Kiligru's Tactics for a long time was successful because it never left any living witnesses.

One day a heavily laden Spanish ship entered the bay. Before the captain and crew came to their senses, the pirates attacked and captured him. The captain managed to take cover and was very surprised to discover that the pirates were commanded by a young and very beautiful woman, which could compete with men in cruelty. The Spanish captain reached the shore and quickly headed to the city of Falmet to inform the royal governor of the attack. To his new surprise, he saw the pirate sitting next to the governor, Lord Kiligru. Lord Kiligru controlled two fortresses, whose task was to ensure the smooth navigation of ships in the bay. The captain kept silent about what happened and immediately left for London. By order of the king, an investigation began, which brought unexpected results.

It turned out that Lady Kiligru carried violent pirate blood in her, as she was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolversten from Sofolk, and as a girl she participated in pirate attacks. Thanks to her marriage to a lord, she acquired a position in society, and at the same time created a large pirate company that operated not only in the English Channel, but also in neighboring waters. During the process it became clear a lot mysterious cases the disappearance of merchant ships, which until now had been attributed to “supernatural forces.”

Lord Kiligru was condemned to death and executed. His wife also received a death sentence, but the king later commuted it to life imprisonment.

Mary Ann Blyde

Irish Mary was exceptionally tall for her time - 190 cm and unearthly beauty. She became a pirate completely by accident, but devoted herself entirely to this dangerous activity. One day she was heading on a ship to America and was captured by the most famous sea pirate in history - Edward Titch, nicknamed Blackbeard. Thanks to his good upbringing, Mary Ann Blyde remained with the kidnapper. She soon proved herself to be an excellent student of Tichch and received her own ship. Her passion was jewelry and precious stones. They say that together with Tichch she accumulated treasures worth $70 million, and together they buried them somewhere on the shores of North Carolina. The treasure has not yet been discovered.

All pirates, both men and women, who do not die in battle end their lives ingloriously: they are usually sentenced to death or life imprisonment. Mary Ann, however, had a different fate. In 1729, during an attack on a Spanish ship, she fell in love with a young man who was traveling on this ship. The young man agreed to marry her, but on the condition that she give up her occupation. The two of them run away to Peru, and there their traces are lost...

Anne Bonney

Anne Cormack (her maiden name) was born in a small Irish town in 1698. This red-haired beauty with a wild temperament became an icon of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730s) after secretly throwing in her lot with a common sailor named James Bonney. Anne's father, everyone Respected man Having learned about his daughter’s marriage, he disowned her, after which she and her newly-made husband were forced to leave for the Bahamas, which at that time was called the Pirate Republic, a place where slackers and slackers lived. Bonnie's happy family life did not last long.

After divorcing her husband, Anne met the pirate Jack Rackham, who became her lover. Together with him, she went on the ship “Revenge” to the open sea to rob merchant ships. In October 1720, members of Rackham's crew, including Anne and her bosom friend Mary Read, were captured by the British. Bonnie blamed her lover for everything. On last date in prison she told him the following: “It’s a pity to see you here, but if you had fought like a man, you wouldn’t have been hanged like a dog.”

Rackham was executed. Bonnie's pregnancy allowed her to obtain a reprieve from her death sentence. However, it is nowhere recorded in historical records that it was ever put into action. Rumor has it that Ann's influential father paid a huge sum of money to have his unlucky daughter released.

Mary Read

Mary Read was born in London in 1685. Since childhood, by the will of fate, she was forced to portray a boy. Her mother, the widow of a sea captain, dressed the illegitimate girl in the clothes of her early deceased son in order to lure money from her wealthy mother-in-law, who did not know about the death of her grandson. Pretending to be a man in the Renaissance was easy, since all men's fashion was very similar to women's (long wigs, big hats, lush outfits, boots), which Mary managed to do.

At the age of 15, Mary enlisted in the ranks british army under the name Mark Reid. During her service, she fell in love with a Flemish soldier. Their happiness was short-lived. He died unexpectedly, and Mary, again dressed as a man, set off on a ship to the West Indies. On the way, the ship was captured by pirates. Reid decided to stay with them.

In 1720, Mary joined the crew of the ship Revenge, owned by Jack Rackham. At first, only Bonnie and her lover knew that she was a woman, who often flirted with “Mark,” making Anne wildly jealous. After a couple of months, the entire team knew about Reed’s secret.

After the ship Revenge was captured by pirate hunter Captain Jonathan Barnet, Mary, like Anne, managed to defer her death sentence due to pregnancy. But fate still overtook her. She died in her prison cell on April 28, 1721, from puerperal fever. What happened to her child is unknown. Some suspect he died during childbirth.

Sadie "Goat"

Sadie Farrell, an American sea robber of the 19th century, received her rare nickname due to in a strange way committing crimes. On the streets of New York, Sadie gained a reputation as a merciless robber who attacked her victims with severe headbutts. It is said that Sadie was kicked out of Manhattan after she got into an argument with a fellow criminal, Gallus Mag, which resulted in her losing part of her ear.

In the spring of 1869, Sadie joined the Charles Street street gang and became its leader after she stole a moored sloop on a bet. Farrell and her new crew, flying a black flag with the Jolly Roger, sailed the Hudson and Harlem rivers, along the way plundering the farm estates and mansions of the rich along the banks, and sometimes kidnapping people for ransom.

By the end of the summer, such fishing became too risky as farmers began to defend their property by shooting without warning at an approaching sloop. Sadie Farrell was forced to return to Manhattan and make peace with Gallus Mag. She returned a piece of her ear, which she kept for posterity in a jar with a special solution. Sadie, from then on known as the "Queen of the Harbor", placed it in a locket, which she never parted with for the rest of her life.

Illyrian Queen Teuta

After Teutha's husband, the Illyrian king Agron, died in 231 BC, she took the reins of power into her own hands, since her stepson Pinnes was then too young. In the first four years of her reign over the Ardiei tribe, which lived on the territory of the modern Balkan Peninsula, Teuta encouraged piracy as a means of struggle against the powerful neighbors of Illyria. Adriatic sea robbers not only robbed Roman merchant ships, but also helped the queen recapture a number of settlements, including Dyrrachium, and Phoenicia. Over time, they expanded their influence into the Ionian Sea, terrorizing trade routes Greece and Italy.

In 229 BC, the Romans sent envoys to Teuta, who expressed dissatisfaction with the scale of the Adriatic pirates and called on her to influence her subjects. The queen responded to their requests with ridicule, declaring that piracy, according to Illyrian ideas, was a legitimate craft. How the Roman ambassadors reacted to this is unknown, but apparently not very politely, since after meeting Teutha one of them was killed and the other was sent to prison. This was the reason for the start of the war between Rome and Illyria, which lasted two years. Teutha was forced to admit defeat and make peace on extremely unfavorable terms. Ardiei was obliged to pay Rome a onerous tribute annually.

Teuta continued to oppose Roman rule, for which she lost her throne. There is no information about her further fate in history.

Jacotte Delaye

Jacotte Delaye was born in the 17th century to a French father and a Haitian mother. Her mother died in childbirth. After Jacotte's father was killed, she was left alone with her younger brother who suffered mental retardation. This forced the red-haired girl to take up the pirate trade.

In the 1660s, Jacotte had to fake her own death in order to escape persecution by government troops. She lived for several years under male name. When everything calmed down, Jacotte returned to her previous activities, taking the nickname “Red-haired, returned from the other world.”

Breton lioness

Jeanne de Clisson was the wife of the wealthy nobleman Olivier III de Clisson. They lived happily, raising five children, but when the war between England and France began, her husband was accused of treason and executed by beheading. Joan swore revenge on King Philip VI of France.

The widow de Clisson sold all her lands in order to buy three warships, which she christened the Black Fleet. Their crew consisted of merciless and cruel corsairs. Between 1343 and 1356, they attacked the French king's ships sailing across the English Channel, killing crew members and beheading with an ax any aristocrats unfortunate enough to be on board.

Jeanne de Clisson engaged in sea robbery for 13 years, after which she settled in England and married Sir Walter Bentley, a lieutenant in the army of the English King Edward III. She later returned to France, where she died in 1359.

Anne Dieu-le-Veux

The Frenchwoman Anne Dieu-le-Veux, whose surname translates as “God wants it,” had a stubborn and strong character. She arrived on the island of Tortuga in the Caribbean in the late 60s or early 70s of the 17th century. Here she became a mother and a widow twice. Ironically, Anne's third husband was the man who killed her second husband. Dieu-le-Veux challenged Laurence de Graaff to a duel to avenge the death of her late lover. The Dutch pirate was so fascinated by Anne's courage that he refused to shoot himself and offered her his hand and heart. On July 26, 1693, they got married and had two children.

After her marriage, Dieu-le-Veux went to the open sea with her new husband. Most of his crew believed that the presence of a woman on the ship promised bad luck. The lovers themselves laughed at this superstition. No one knows exactly how their love story ended.

According to one version, Anne Dieu-le-Veux became the captain of de Graaff's ship after he was killed in a cannonball explosion. Some historians suggest that the couple fled to Mississippi in 1698, where they may have continued to engage in piracy.

Saida Al-Hurra

A contemporary and ally of the Turkish corsair Barbarossa, Saida Al-Hurra became the last queen Tetouan (Morocco); She inherited power after the death of her husband in 1515. Her real name is unknown. “Saida Al-Hurra” can be roughly translated into Russian as “a noble lady, free and independent; a female overlord who does not recognize any power over herself.”

Saida Al-Hurra ruled Tetouan from 1515 to 1542, controlling along with her pirate fleet western part Mediterranean, while Barbarossa terrorized the eastern. Al-Hurra decided to take up piracy in order to take revenge on the “Christian enemies” who forced her family to flee the city in 1492 (following the conquest of Granada by Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile).

At the peak of her power, Al-Hurra married the King of Morocco, but refused to give him the reins of Tetouan. In 1542, Saida was overthrown by her stepson. She lost all power and property; nothing is known about her further fate. It is believed that she died in poverty.

Grace O'MailBald Grainne"

Grace was also called the “pirate queen” and “the witch of Rockfleet.” . ABOUT It’s impossible to write briefly for this woman))) everything in her life was so interesting and confusing. Dumas smokes nervously. She was so famous that Queen Elizabeth I of England herself met her.

Grace was born around 1530 in Ireland, in the family of the leader of the O'Malley clan, Owen Dubdara (Umall-Uakhtara). According to legend, she “went bald” by cutting her hair in response to her father’s remark that a woman on a ship was a bad omen, and after her father’s death she defeated her brother Indulf in a knife fight, becoming a leader.

Having married O'Flaherty's taniste, Domhnall the Warlike, Granual became the head of her husband's fleet. The marriage produced three children: Owen, Murrow and Margaret.
In 1560, Domhnall was killed, and Granual went to Clare Island with two hundred volunteers. Here she (continuing her pirate activities) fell in love with the aristocrat Hugh de Lacy, who, however, was killed by the McMahon clan hostile to him. Granual, in response to this murder, took their fortress and killed the entire clan.

A year later, she announced a divorce and did not return the castle; however, she managed to give birth to a son, Tibbot, in this marriage. According to legend, on the second day after giving birth, her ship was attacked by Algerian pirates, and Granual inspired her people to fight, declaring that giving birth was worse than fighting. Considering that men won’t have to give birth anyway, this is a questionable motivation. Apparently feminine logic and then it was the most logical...

Gradually capturing the entire coast of Mayo, except for Rockfleet Castle, Granual married (according to Irish tradition, in the format of a “trial marriage” for a year) Iron Richard from the Berk clan.

There were defeats in Grania's life; One day the British took her prisoner and placed her in Dublin Castle. Somehow the pirate managed to escape, and on the way back she tried to spend the night in Howth. She was not allowed in; the next morning she kidnapped the burgomaster's son, who had gone out hunting, and released him free of charge, but with the condition that the doors of the city were to be open to everyone seeking lodging for the night, and there should be a place for them at every table.

Queen Elizabeth hosted her twice and wanted to attract her to her service. The first time, at the entrance, Grace's hidden dagger was taken away and Elizabeth was very concerned about the fact that it was there. Grace then refused to bow before the queen because she “did not recognize her as the Queen of Ireland.”
When Grace took a sip of snuff, one of the noble ladies handed her a handkerchief. Having used it for its intended purpose, that is, blowing her nose, she threw the handkerchief into the nearest fireplace. Responding to Elizabeth's astonished look, Grace stated that in Ireland, once used, a handkerchief is thrown away.

This meeting was captured in an engraving, the only lifetime depiction of the pirate; Even the color of her hair is unknown, traditionally considered black, according to her father’s nickname, but in one of the poems called red. History is silent about why she was called bald.

The pirate queen died in the same year as the Queen of England - in 1603.

Zheng Shi

Zheng Shi gained fame as the most merciless sea robber in history. Before meeting the famous Chinese pirate Zheng Yi, she made her living as a prostitute. In 1801, the lovers got married. Yi's fleet was huge; it consisted of 300 ships and about 30 thousand corsairs.

On November 16, 1807, Zheng Yi died. His fleet passed into the hands of his wife, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow"). Zhang Bao, the son of a fisherman, whom Yi kidnapped and adopted, helped her manage everything. They turned out to be a great team. By 1810, the fleet consisted of 1,800 ships and 80,000 crew members. Zheng Shi's ships were subject to strict laws. Those who violated them paid for it with their heads. In 1810, Zheng Shi's fleet and authority weakened, and she was forced to conclude a truce with the emperor and go over to the side of the authorities.

Zheng Shi became the most successful and richest sea robber of all time. She died at the age of 69.

Madame Shan Wong

200 years after the death of the first Chinese “pirate queen”, in the same waters where her fleets were robbing, a completely worthy successor to her work appeared, who rightfully won the same title. A former Cantonese nightclub dancer named Shang, who became famous as China's most seductive diva, married no less famous person. His name was Wong Kungkim, he was the largest pirate chieftain in South-East Asia, who began robbing merchant ships back in 1940.
His wife, Madame Wong, as she was called by friends and foes, was a loyal friend and intelligent assistant to the pirate in all his operations. But in 1946, Wong Kungkit died. The story of his death is mysterious; it is believed that the pirate’s competitors are to blame. When in the end, two of Wong Kungkit's closest assistants came to the widow so that she would purely formally (since everything had already been decided by these two) approve the candidacy they named for the post of head of the corporation. “Unfortunately, there are two of you,” the madam answered, without looking up from the toilet, “and the company needs one head...” After these words, the madam turned sharply, and the men saw that she was holding a revolver in each hand. This is how Madam Wong’s “coronation” took place, because after this incident there were no people willing to talk to her about power in the corporation.

Since then, her power over the pirates has been unquestioned. Her first independent operation was an attack on the Dutch steamer Van Heutz, which was boarded at night at the anchorage. In addition to the seizure of the cargo, everyone who was on board was robbed. Madam Wong's haul amounted to more than 400 thousand pounds sterling. She herself rarely took part in raids and in such cases always wore a mask.
The police of coastal countries, knowing that the pirates were led by a woman named Madame Wong, could not publish her portrait, which negated the possibility of her capture. It was announced that a reward of 10 thousand pounds would be awarded for her photograph, and whoever caught or killed Madame Wong could name the amount of the reward, and the authorities of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines would guarantee payment of such a sum.
And one day the chief of the Singapore police received a package with photographs on which it was written that they were related to Madame Wong. These were photographs of two Chinese men being cut into pieces. The caption read: They wanted to take a photo of Madame Wong.

That's almost all...

The theme of beautiful women among pirates is glorified by cinema... and will only gain popularity every year.

Pictures (C) on the Internet. If they are highly artistic and colorful, then they have no relation to the pirate being described. I apologize to them and to you, I am sure real life they looked more impressive...

December 16th, 2015

After we have discussed and learned about let's move on to the topic of female pirates.

It is believed that piracy is the privilege of tough men. There are many stories that tell of weather-beaten lords of the seas, ships over which the black flag fluttered, and treasures hidden on uninhabited islands. But it turns out there were also female pirates! With their audacity they often surpassed the famous male corsairs and participated in the most incredible pirate adventures.

Let's find out more about them...

Scandinavian princess

One of the first pirates is considered Alvilda, which plundered the waters of Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages. Her name often appears in popular books on the history of piracy. According to legend, this medieval princess, the daughter of a Gothic king (or king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “sea Amazon” in order to avoid the marriage forced on her to Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.

Having gone on a pirate voyage with a crew of young women dressed in men's clothes, she turned into the number one “star” among sea robbers. Since Alvilda’s dashing raids posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her , not realizing that the object of his persecution was the coveted Alvilda.

Having killed most of the sea robbers, he entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender. How surprised the Danish prince was when the pirate leader took off his helmet from his head and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty whom he dreamed of marrying! Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to swing a sword. The wedding took place right there, on board the pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never to go to sea without him again.

Is the story told true? Researchers have discovered that the legend of Alvilda was first told to readers by the monk Saxo Grammaticus (1140 - ca. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes.” He got it either from the ancient Scandinavian sagas or from the myths of the Amazons.

Breton noblewoman Jeanne de Belleville

Refuting the well-known thesis that women have no place on a ship, pirates were a real storm of the seas. Jeanne de Belleville born in Brittany around 1315. During the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), she was widowed and decided to take revenge on the French king Philip VI, who executed her husband.

Together with her two sons, the pirate went to England and soon achieved an audience with King Edward. Perhaps, thanks to her beauty, the woman managed to obtain three fast ships from the monarch for corsair operations against France. However, it is possible that she had the gift of persuasion. Jeanne commanded one ship herself, the others - her sons. The small squadron, called the Channel Fleet of Vengeance, became a real scourge of God in French coastal waters.

For several years the squadron plundered French merchant ships, often even attacking warships. Zhanna took part in battles and was excellent at wielding both a saber and a boarding axe. As a rule, she ordered the crew of a captured ship to be completely destroyed. It is not surprising that Philip VI soon gave the order to “catch the witch dead or alive.”

And one day the French managed to surround the pirate ships. Seeing that the forces were unequal, Zhanna showed real cunning - with several sailors she launched a longboat and, together with her sons and a dozen oarsmen, left the battlefield, abandoning her comrades.

However, fate cruelly repaid her for her betrayal. For ten days, the fugitives wandered around the sea - because they had no navigational instruments. Several people died of thirst (among them Jeanne's youngest son). On the eleventh day, the surviving pirates reached the shores of France. There they were sheltered by a friend of the executed de Belleville.

After this, Jeanne de Belleville, who is considered the first female pirate, left her bloody craft, remarried and settled down...

The double life of the governor's wife

After about two hundred years, a new female pirate appeared in the English Channel - Lady Mary Killigrew. This lady truly represented a two-faced Janus. She was known in society as the governor's wife port city Flamet, and it never occurred to anyone that this respected lady secretly commanded pirate ships that attacked merchant ships. Lady Killigrew remained elusive for a long time, since the people whom the pirates captured were not left alive, thereby getting rid of witnesses to their bloody “exploits.”

Anthony Van Dyck - Female Pirate: Lady Mary Killigrew

Everything was revealed when a heavily laden Spanish ship entered the strait. Pirates attacked him. The Spanish captain managed to escape - wounded in the chest, he pretended to be dead on the deck, and when the sea robbers began to celebrate their victory, without even sending the dead bodies overboard, he swam to the shore.

Once safe, the captain immediately went to the governor to inform him of the daring attack of the pirates. Among other things, he informed that the filibusters were commanded by a young and very beautiful woman. Imagine his surprise when the governor decided to introduce his wife to the unfortunate captain. It turned out that this is the bloodthirsty pirate mistress! But the governor controlled two fortresses, whose task was to ensure unhindered navigation of ships in coastal waters. The captain did not show his surprise, and certainly did not say that he recognized the sea robber. After receiving Governor Flamet, he immediately went to London, where, having secured an audience with the king, he informed him of what had happened.

By order of the king, an investigation began, which brought unexpected discoveries. It turned out that Lady Killigrew had hot pirate blood in her veins. She was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolversten of Sophocles, and as a girl she was a robber with her father. Thanks to a successful marriage, Mary acquired a position in society. Her husband's money allowed her to create a pirate crew that operated in the English Channel and neighboring waters. Governor Killigrew was convicted and executed as an accomplice of sea robbers. His wife was also sentenced to death, but the king later commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.

Interestingly, about ten years later, merchant ships, whose route lay close to the coast of Cornwall or across the English Channel, began to be robbed again, this time by a flotilla of four thirty-gun ships led by Lady Killigrew. Only different - Lady Elizabeth Killigrew, wife and later widow of Sir John (son of Lady Mary) and, accordingly, daughter-in-law of Lady Killigrew Sr. However, this flotilla did not last long - it was defeated, and Lady Elizabeth was killed in a naval battle.

Under a man's dress...

By the age of sixteen the Irish girl Anna Bonny, born in 1690 in the Irish town of Cork, showed a penchant for all kinds of adventures. Her father, lawyer William Cormack, tried to keep his daughter strict, but Anna, barely waiting for her to turn eighteen, secretly married a simple sailor James Bonney. Mr. Cormac could not bear this and kicked his disobedient daughter out of the house.

The newlyweds, not at all upset, went to the Bahamas, to the pirate capital of New Providence. There Anna met a sea robber nicknamed Calico Jack and immediately forgot James. Soon a team gathered around Calico Jack and Anna. Now they needed a suitable ship.

Anna, dressed in men's clothing and posing as a sailor who wanted to get hired, visited several ports. She tried to figure out how best it would be for her accomplices to get on board this or that ship unnoticed. Soon after this, taking the crew by surprise, the pirates snuck aboard the ship that Anna liked at night.

They raised the sails and went out to the open sea right under the guns of the fort covering the entrance to the harbor. The ship was named "Dragon" and a black flag was raised over it. By the way, while on the ship, Anna continued to pretend to be a man. Unsuspecting accomplices called her Andreas.

Anna Bonnie. Ancient engraving.

This went on for several months until a new sailor appeared on the ship - Mac Reed. Calico Jack, the only one of all who knew that his wife was hiding under the name of Andreas, became jealous of Anna and Mac. However, not a trace of his jealousy remained when it turned out that Mac... was also a woman. And her name is Mary Read.

Mary told Anna and Jack that she was born in London, and at the age of 15, disguised as a boy, she joined a warship as a cabin boy. However, she soon became bored with everyday life at sea, and she switched to military service to one of the French infantry regiments in Flanders. Participated in several battles. In the French army, she married a cavalry officer, but the newlyweds decided to keep Mary’s secret, meeting only in secret. And soon Mary’s husband died, and she, having deserted, returned to the sea...

But everything secret becomes clear. And the secret of Anna and Mary also one day ceased to be a secret. However, since both women fought better than many of the men, they were allowed to remain on the Dragon.

Mary Reid. Ancient engraving.

On November 2, 1720, the Dragon was attacked by an English royal frigate. Anna and Mary fought desperately. Before they were captured, they managed to kill three attackers and wound seven more. But the rest of the team offered almost no resistance, relying on the mercy of royal justice. Upon arrival in Jamaica, a trial was held and all the pirates were sentenced to death by hanging. Everyone - except Anna and Mary.

Anna Bonney and Mary Read. Engraving from 1724.

Both women uttered the standard phrase for legal proceedings of that time: “Mr. Judge, my womb is asking for me.” In other words, they asked for mercy because they were pregnant. The fact that two of the pirates turned out to be women was completely unexpected for the court. Even more unexpected was that doctors confirmed both were pregnant. Anna and Mary received a reprieve.

The further fate of Anna Bonny is shrouded in darkness. It is known that she gave birth to a child in prison, but no one knows what happened after the birth. Perhaps she managed to escape or pay herself off, or maybe the sentence was carried out...

Mary Reed was less fortunate: shortly after giving birth, she died of fever.

Lady Grain's hot blood

Female pirate Grainne (or Grace) O'Malley born in 1544.

The name Grace was given to her by the English, with whom the pirate queen either quarreled or made peace throughout her long life. At birth she was named Grain, and then given the nickname Granual, which means Bald Grain. She “went bald” at the age of thirteen, when she asked to go to sea with men. She was told that a woman on a ship was a bad omen. Then she took the scissors and cut her dark curls short: “That’s it, now I’m a man!” The father laughed and took his daughter swimming.

She came from an old Irish family, many of whose representatives became famous as corsairs. From a young age, Grain showed character: she was unusually brave, but at the same time cruel. When she turned eighteen, she and a group of selected thugs began to plunder villages that belonged to feudal lords hostile to her family.

Grain later married the corsair O'Fleherty, who came from another Irish family. Widowed at an early age, she united her fate with Lord Burkey, famous in the world of corsairs, nicknamed Iron Richard. Lady Berkey kept both her husband and the crew of his ship under her thumb. After one unsuccessful outing, she told her husband: “Go ashore,” which meant the end of their family relationship.

The English queen, trying to attract Grain to the royal service, invited her to the palace twice, but the proud woman preferred not to obey anyone. Then, for “violating the piracy law,” she was imprisoned for a year and a half. And they released him after promising not to commit robbery again. However, Lady Grain continued to pirate until her death.

Mrs. Qing

Zheng Shi (Lady Jing)(1785-1844) - Chinese sea robber who gained fame as one of the most successful female pirates in history. This short, fragile woman, leading the battle, held a fan in her hand instead of a saber. She was a contemporary of Napoleon and Admiral Nelson, but no one had heard of her in Europe. But in the Far East, in the vastness of the South Chinese seas, her name was known to the very last poor man and the very first rich man.

She went down in history under the name of “Lady Jing,” the uncrowned queen of Chinese pirates in the late 18th century and early XIX centuries. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had more than 70,000 sailors under her command.

It is believed that the key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to traditional pirate freedom:

the robbery of fishing villages allied to pirates and the rape of captive women were prohibited - punishable by death;

For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate's left ear was cut off (according to some versions, the ears were pierced with a hot iron rod) in the presence of the entire crew, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation. In case of relapse - death penalty;

It was forbidden to appropriate any things (small, large) that were obtained through thefts and robberies. The pirate received only two parts (20%) of the proceeds; the rest of the booty (80%) became common property, which, like any other extracted value, went to the warehouse. If someone tried to appropriate any of general fund, then he was threatened capital punishment executions - death.

The story of Madame Zheng has repeatedly attracted the attention of writers. She is the heroine of the Jorge Luis Borges story "The Widow of Ching, the Pirate" (1935). A film was made based on Borges' story, losing all connection with real events"Legend of Vengeance" (2003). According to the preliminary script for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Zhang Bao, Madame Zheng's stepson-husband, became the prototype for one of the characters in this film.

Zhang Bao's name is also associated with several romantic places in Hong Kong, where they even show the cave where he allegedly hid his treasures. It is said that one of the local attractions, the Tunzhong Fort on Lantau Island, was used by a pirate as a staging post for the opium trade.

Having retired from pirate affairs, Madame Zheng settled in Guangzhou, where she ran a brothel and a den for gambling until his death at the age of 60.

The Elusive Madame Wong (1920-?)

200 years after the death of the first Chinese “pirate queen”, in the same waters where her fleets were robbing, a completely worthy successor to her work appeared, who rightfully won the same title. A former Cantonese nightclub dancer named Shang, who became famous as China's most seductive diva, has married an equally famous man. His name was Wong Kungkim, he was the largest pirate chieftain in Southeast Asia, who began robbing merchant ships back in 1940. His wife, Madame Wong, as her friends and enemies called her, was a faithful friend and intelligent assistant to the pirate in all his operations. But in 1946, Wong Kungkit died. The story of his death is mysterious; it is believed that the pirate’s competitors are to blame. When in the end, two of Wong Kungkit's closest assistants came to the widow so that she would purely formally (since everything had already been decided by these two) approve the candidacy they named for the post of head of the corporation. “Unfortunately, there are two of you,” the madam answered, without looking up from the toilet, “and the company needs one head...” After these words, the madam turned sharply, and the men saw that she was holding a revolver in each hand. This is how Madam Wong’s “coronation” took place, because after this incident there were no people willing to talk to her about power in the corporation.

Since then, her power over the pirates has been unquestioned. Her first independent operation was an attack on the Dutch steamer Van Heutz, which was boarded at night at the anchorage. In addition to the seizure of the cargo, everyone who was on board was robbed. Madam Wong's haul amounted to more than 400 thousand pounds sterling. She herself rarely took part in raids and in such cases always wore a mask.

The police of coastal countries, knowing that the pirates were led by a woman named Madame Wong, could not publish her portrait, which negated the possibility of her capture. It was announced that a reward of 10 thousand pounds would be awarded for her photograph, and whoever caught or killed Madame Wong could name the amount of the reward, and the authorities of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines would guarantee payment of such a sum.

And one day the chief of the Singapore police received a package with photographs on which it was written that they were related to Madame Wong. These were photographs of two Chinese men being cut into pieces. The caption read: "They wanted to take a photo of Madame Wong."
According to the police, Madame Wong already visited Tokyo, Singapore, Macau and Manila at that time, where she collected information about the voyages of merchant ships and met with potential buyers of stolen cargo. And besides, she indulged in her only passion - casino games. And since no one knew her by sight, the visits were completely unpunished.

When the Vice President of the Philippines hosted a reception at his palace in June 1962, among the distinguished guests was Madame Senkaku, introduced as a Japanese banker. She did not leave the gambling table all evening, calmly losing huge sums. The vice president complimented her: “Only Madame Wong herself could play like that.” Madame laughed: “Do I look like her?” A week later, the vice president received a letter thanking him for a pleasant evening. Signed: "Madame Wong."

According to the Japanese police, by the end of the 60s of the last century, the fleet of the queen of filibusters consisted of about 150 high-speed boats, a third of which were armed with rapid-fire cannons. The crews included up to 8 thousand sailors and attack aircraft. However, already in the 70s, information about the actions of this predatory fleet ceased to reach the police of Southeast Asian countries.

Piracy had by no means stopped there, but Madame Wong no longer had anything to do with its manifestations. According to unverified information, she disbanded the crews of the boats, sold them and disappeared.

Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 14 books.

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Pirates

Surnames and names of famous pirates

Pirates- these are sea and river robbers of any nationality, who at all times robbed ships of all countries and peoples.

The word "pirate" (lat. pirata) comes from the Greek. "to try, to experience" The meaning of the word pirate is a seeker of luck, a gentleman of fortune.

The word "pirate" came into use around the 4th-3rd centuries BC. e., and before that the concept of “laystes” was used, known since the time of Homer and closely associated with such concepts as robbery, murder, extraction. Piracy in its original form sea ​​raids appeared simultaneously with navigation and maritime trade. All coastal tribes who mastered the basics of navigation engaged in such raids. Piracy as a phenomenon is reflected in ancient poetry- in Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" and Homer's poems.

As trade and legal ties between countries and peoples developed, attempts were made to combat this phenomenon.

The pirates had own flag. The idea of ​​walking under pirate flag appeared for the purpose psychological impact on the crew of the attacked ship. For the purpose of intimidation, a blood-red flag was initially used, which was often depicted symbols of death: skeleton, skull, crossed bones, crossed sabers, death with a scythe, skeleton with a cup.

The most common method of pirate attack there was boarding (French abordage). The enemy ships approached side by side, grappled with boarding gear, and pirates jumped onto the enemy ship, supported by fire from the pirate ship.

Modern piracy

Currently, most pirate attacks occur in East Africa(Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique).

The area of ​​the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia is not free from pirate raids.

Types of pirates

Sea pirates

River pirates

Teucrians- Middle Eastern pirates in the 15th-11th centuries BC. They were destroyed by the united forces of the Greeks during the Trojan War.

Dolopians- Ancient Greek pirates (Skyrians), in the second half of the 6th century BC they settled on the island of Skyros. They hunted in the Aegean Sea.

Ushkuiniki- Novgorod river pirates who traded along the entire Volga up to Astrakhan, mainly in the 14th century.

Barbary pirates– pirates North Africa. Based in the ports of Algeria and Morocco.

Liquedelaires- pirates of the Northern European seas, descendants of the ancient Vikings.

Buccaneers- the English name for a filibuster, a synonym for a pirate who traded in the waters of America.

Filibusters– 17th century sea robbers who robbed Spanish ships and colonies in America. The word comes from the Dutch "vrijbuiter", which means "free breadwinner".

Corsairs- this word appeared in early XIV century from the Italian "corsa" and the French "la corsa". In wartime, a corsair received from the authorities of his (or another) country a letter of marque (corsair patent) for the right to plunder enemy property. The corsair ship was equipped by a private shipowner, who bought a corsair patent or a letter of reprisal from the authorities. The captains and crew members of such a ship were called corsairs. In Europe, the word "corsair" was used by the French, Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese to refer to their own and foreign gentlemen of fortune. In the countries of Germany language group synonymous with corsair privateer, V English speaking countries - privateer(from Latin word privatus - private).

Privateers- private individuals in the countries of the German language group who have received a license from the state (letter, patent, certificate, commission) to capture and destroy ships of enemy and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer. This license in English was called Letters of Marque - letter of marque. The word "privateer" comes from the Dutch verb kepen or German kapern (to capture). German synonym for corsair.

Privateers is the English name for a privateer or corsair.

Pechelings (flexelings)- this is how Dutch privateers were called in Europe and the New World (America). The name comes from their main port of origin - Vlissingen. This term dates back to the mid-1570s, when Dutch sailors began to gain fame (plunder) around the world, and little Holland became one of the leading maritime countries.

Klefts (sea guides)– Greek pirates in the era Ottoman Empire, attacking mainly Turkish ships.

Wokou- pirates of Japanese origin who attacked the shores of China, Korea and Japan in the period from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

Surnames and names of famous pirates

Teuta- queen of the Illyrian pirates, III century. BC.

Arouge Barbarossa I(1473-1518)

Khair ad-Din (Khizyr)(1475-1546), Barbarossa II

Nathaniel Butler(born 1578)

Hawkins John(1532-1595)

Francis Drake(1540-1596)

Thomas Cavendish(1560-1592)

Dragut-Rais(16th century)

Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin(c. 1645-1707)

Edward Teach(1680-1718), nicknamed "Blackbeard"

Jan Jacobsen(15(?)-1622)

Arundell, James(d. 1662)

Henry Morgan(1635-1688)

William Kidd(1645-1701)

Michel de Grammont

Mary Read(1685-1721)

Francois Ohlone(17th century)

William Dampier(1651-1715)

Abraham Blauvelt(16??-1663)

Olivier (Francois) le Vasseur, nicknames "La blues", "buzzard"

Edward Lau(1690-1724)

Bartholomew Roberts(1682-1722), nicknamed "Black Bart"

Jack Rackham(1682-1720), nicknamed "Calico Jack". It is believed that he is the author pirate symbol- skulls and bones.

Joseph Barss(1776-1824)

Henry Avery

Jean Ango

Daniel "The Destroyer" Montbard

Laurens de Graaf(17th century)

Zheng Shi(1785-1844)

Jean Lafitte(?-1826)

Jose Gaspar(first quarter of the 19th century), nickname "Black Caesar"

Moses Vauquelin

Amyas Preston

WilliamHenryHayes(William Henry Hays)(1829-1877)

From this list you can select a name and order us its energy-information diagnostics.

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Selecting a name by automatic program

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Choosing a name using astrology (examples of the weakness of this method of choosing a name)

Selection of a name according to the tasks of incarnation (life purpose, purpose)

Selecting a name using numerology (examples of the weakness of this name selection technique)

Choosing a name based on your zodiac sign

Choosing a name based on the type of person

Choosing a name based on psychology

Choosing a name based on energy

What you need to know when choosing a name

What to do to choose the perfect name

If you like the name

Why you don’t like the name and what to do if you don’t like the name (three ways)

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Pirates

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