Who are the most famous pirates in history?

All have had successful periods in their own waters, often spanning a short period of time. Some became the richest pirates, others became famous as the strongest pirates, and there were also female pirates with a fleet of thousands of ships. Below is the story of the most famous pirates in the world's oceans.

Francis Drake (British, 1540-1595)

Nicknamed "My Pirate" by Queen Elizabeth I, Francis Drake was one of the "Sea Dog" pirates licensed by the British Government to plunder Spanish ships. Between 1577 and 1580, Drake made his most important voyage, becoming the first English captain to circumnavigate the Earth.

He lost four of his five boats on this voyage, executing one of his crew for allegedly plotting a mutiny. He raided various Spanish ports and captured a Spanish ship loaded with treasure. Rejoicing this, Queen Elizabeth knighted him soon after his return. Eight years after that, he helped defeat the Spanish Navy.

Captain Drake, the most famous government-licensed pirate of his time, chose Spain as his lifelong worst enemy. He ruthlessly plundered and destroyed Spanish cities on the Florida coast. He also sailed to North America and conquered new land on the Pacific coast for Queen Elizabeth. He rescued the failed British colonists on Roanoke Island from the coast of the Carolinas and transported them on his ship to England. Despite his coveted career, he died of common dysentery on the coast of Panama.

Ching Shih (Madame Cheng, Chinese, 1785-1844)

In 1805, Madam Cheng's husband, Cheng Yih, soon formed the largest confederation of pirates in history. After her husband's death two years later, Madam Cheng took over the business and expanded it further. She commanded an estimated 1,800 ships and 70,000 men, the number equal to all other successful pirates combined.

With the help of her husband's adopted son and also her lover, Cheung Po Tsai, she sought protection money from coastal communities. It attacked ships in the South China Sea and even once kidnapped seven British sailors. The code of conduct Madame Cheng required of the crew was strict. Those who raped women prisoners were killed, and even if they were together by consent, the head of the pirate was cut off and cannonballs were attached to the woman's legs and thrown into the sea. The escapee's ears were cut off and the man was shown to the fleet as a lesson.

Madame Cheng later apologized in 1810, when the Chinese authorities began to take action against piracy. However, the pirates' property remained intact, and they were even given military duties. She was a prostitute in her youth and spent her golden years running a major opium smuggling operation. Her old age was no different; She ran a casino and brothel with her husband until her death at the age of 69.

Cheung Po Tsai (Chinese, 1800s)

Cheung Po Tsai was the son of a fisherman. At the age of 15, he was captured by pirates. He was captain Ching Shih who captured him and later adopted him. At the height of his "career", he commanded an army of more than 50,000 men and several hundred ships (Pirates of the Caribbean are tiny by comparison).

He made great treasures for himself by attacking the Guangdong coastline and hid his treasure in a small cave that today bears his name. Although the Chinese government eventually caught him, he managed to make a deal with them and was appointed captain of the Qing Imperial Navy. He spent the rest of his life capturing other pirates to aid the Chinese government.

Blackbeard (Edward Teach, English, 1680-1718)

Blackbeard, real name Edward Teach, tied smoking wicks to his long, braided beard and hung several knives and pistols from his chest to frighten his enemies. In November 1717 he captured a French slave ship and renamed it Queen Anne's Revenge and equipped it with 40 cannons. With this extra firepower, South Carolina besieged the port of Charleston until he got the big case of medicine he wanted. Blackbeard was killed in battle with the British Navy after several months of hiding in North Carolina. According to legends, he received 20 stab wounds and 5 bullet wounds to his body until he died.

Although there have been more successful pirates in history, Blackbeard is one of the best-known and most feared pirates of his time. At the height of his short career, he commanded four ships and had a 300-man pirate army. He defeated the famous warship HMS "Scarborough" in a naval battle. He was known for his rapid charge, carrying two swords, several knives, and pistols. He captured more than forty merchant ships in the Caribbean and killed many prisoners without hesitation.

Although he had numerous unofficial wives, he was "officially" married to a 16-year-old girl - who, according to legend, presented her as a gift to his crew after he tried to breed her. After a fierce battle, which he resisted, he was captured by the Royal Navy and beheaded by the smoke from his beard. As a warning to other pirates, he was impaled near Virginia's Hampton River.

Barbaros Brothers (Turkish, the 1500s)

Oruç and Hızır, known as the Barbaros (meaning "red beard" in Italian) Brothers, sailing from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, became rich by seizing European ships in the Mediterranean. Their most lucrative first victims were the capture of two papal galleys and a Sardinian warship. Oruç lost his arm in the war when the brothers began targeting Spanish ships.

By 1516, the Ottoman sultan put Oruç in charge of the entire Barbary Coast; Khidr took over this position two years after his brother's death. Khidr, also known as Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, spent the rest of his days fighting various Christian enemies, including the "Holy Unity" fleet that the pope had specially recruited to destroy him. Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha is among the most famous pirates in history and continues to be the subject of many books, movies, music, animations, and video games today.

Turgut Reis (Turkish, 1485-1565)

Turgut Reis was an Ottoman admiral and legal pirate. It carried out operations in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The town of Bodrum where he was born today bears the name of Turgutreis. He won many battles such as the Battle of Preveza, the Battle of Ponza, the Battle of Djerba, and the Siege of Malta, and added to his reputation. He was extremely influential in the Ottoman expansion into North Africa. In addition to being a naval officer, Turgut Reis was the Bey of Algeria, the Beylerbeyi of the Mediterranean (Navy Commander), and the Pasha of Tripoli. During his tenure as Tripoli Governor, he brought great wealth to one of the most important cities on the North African coast. He was known by the Westerners as Dragut (the combination of dragon, which means dragon, and Turgut).

Turgut Reis was born in a village close to Bodrum, to Muslim parents with Greek ancestry. She was kidnapped as a slave at the age of 12. He quickly began to gain skills in naval life, ship combat, gun handling, and navigation. As the favorite student of Sinan Reis during the Ottoman expansion to Egypt, he further developed his navigation skills.

Seeing the impressive skills of the young crew, Sinan Reis eventually gave him the captaincy of a small warship and was successful in several small battles. Turgut Reis, whose reputation was increasing, finally found the most advanced naval combat equipment of the time at his disposal. He became close friends with the Ottoman admiral Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha. Hayrettin promoted himself to the chief lieutenant and placed 12 small galleys under his control.

Turgut Reis' military career is full of success. He fought the Venetians in the famous 1538 Battle of Preveza. He raided cities in Sicily, Italy, Spain, and Albania, and most importantly he took the city of Castelnuovo from the Venetians. Turgut Reis was captured and enslaved by the Genoese war fleet in 1540.

He spent the next four years as a galley slave until his friend Hayrettin besieged Genoa with an impressive fleet of 210 ships and freed it. Turgut Reis became the greatest commander of the Ottoman naval forces in the Mediterranean after Hayrettin's death in 1546. Over the next 20 years, he continued to serve the Ottoman Empire as both naval commander and pasha of Tripoli. He died in 1565 during the raid he started for the conquest of Malta.

Black Bart (Bartholomew Roberts, English, 1682 – 1722)

Bartholomew Roberts' crew admired his adventurous prowess, calling him "gun-proof." He was forced into piracy. The ship he served as an officer on was captured by the pirate Howell Davis. After the capture, Roberts' navigational skills, charisma, and bravado were the eyes of the men on the ship. He looted more than 400 ships and set a record in his field. He always captained well-armored ships. Died in a fierce battle against British Captain Chaloner Ogle; His death stunned his loyal men and admirers. Even the Royal Navy couldn't believe it.

Sayyide Hurra (Moroccan, 1485 – 1561)

Sayyida al-Hurra or Sayyide Hurra (Free Woman) was one of the most famous female pirates of all time and a pivotal figure in the modern Western Islamic era. She is the first known Muslim female pirate. She made an alliance with the famous Turkish captain and pirate Hayrettin Pasha and operated in the Western Mediterranean at the height of the piracy era. She continued to carry the title of sultan even after her husband died. This made her the last independent sultan in Islamic history.

Some historians claim that she was chosen as a female ruler by Muslims because of the strong tradition of female leaders whose homeland is Andalusia. Others, however, believe she was respected for her successful hacking skills.

She was born in 1485 as a new member of the prominent Muslim family Banu Rashid. The family is Queen Isabella I of Castile and King of Aragon II. She was forced to flee Morocco when Ferdinand attacked and conquered the kingdom of Granada in 1492. Her family settled in Shafshavan, where she married an elderly businessman, and took over the business when her husband died in 1515. At that time she was taking on the role of Tetuan governor, so she even refused to go as far as Fez to marry her new husband, Sultan Ahmed Wattasi.

Sayyide Hurra never forgot the time she had to flee Morocco. She wanted to somehow avenge her lands against the Christian invaders, and she swore to return to Andalusia. To make her revenge a reality, she formed an alliance with Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, who would teach him the ways of piracy in the Mediterranean. Sayyide Hurra during the piracy years was seen as the only valid person to negotiate the release of Christian prisoners. She was influential at sea, and the spoils of piracy brought many riches to her and her city. In 1540 he launched a large and successful pirate raid on Gibraltar. Pirates filled all their ships with stolen goods and slaves.

After ruling Tetuan for 30 years and raids in the Mediterranean, she was overthrown by her son-in-law in 1542. She retired in Shafshavan and lived another 19 years.

Henry Morgan (British, 1635-1688)

Henry Morgan, one of the most famous pirates in piracy history, once ordered his men to lock the residents of Puerto Príncipe in Cuba in a church. The goal was to plunder the town unhindered. Then, with a human shield of priests, women, and the mayor, he began to take over Porto Bello, Panama.

Within a few years, Henry Morgan made brutal raids on two cities in Venezuela and Panama. Although briefly arrested in 1672, he served as acting governor of Jamaica in 1678 and from 1680 to 1682. Ironically, the Jamaican legislature passed anti-piracy legislation during his administration and even assisted in piracy prosecutions.

Captain Morgan was one of the most famous pirates to rain terror on Spain's Caribbean colonies in the late 1600s. Secretly supported by the British, Morgan took command of the Jamaican fleet and successfully undermined Spanish rule, preventing their domination of the West Indies. He is thought to have plundered four hundred ships during his piracy career.

His greatest achievement was his capture of the very wealthy Panama City with thirty ships and 1,200 men and his biggest booty ever. He was arrested and brought back to England for the Panama City raid, but as the war between England and Spain continued, King II. He knighted Charles Morgan and was freed as deputy governor of Jamaica. There he lived as a highly respected rancher until his death.

François l'Olonnais (French, 1635-1668)

François l'Olonnais was one of the many pirates who sailed the Caribbean Sea in the mid and late 1600s. He was originally a buccaneer; He was somewhere between state-sponsored private pirates and outlaws. It is believed that in the Caribbean, where François L'Olonnais, also known as Jean-David Nau, arrived as an indentured butler, he began raiding Spanish ships and coastal settlements and gaining a reputation for extreme cruelty.

The seventeenth-century pirate historian Alexander Exquemelin writes that François L'Olonnais dismembered his victims or tightened their necks with a rope until their eyes popped out. Allegedly, suspecting he had been betrayed, L'Olonnais once cut a man's heart out and took a bite. But according to Exquemelin, his end was just as bad: he was captured and eaten by cannibals in 1668.

l'Olonnais began life as a humble poor man. She started working as a contract servant in a field in America. After becoming a pirate, he was known for his brutality toward the men he defeated, as well as for raiding many towns (he was one of the most successful pirates in land attacks) and capturing many ships.

One of his most successful loots was the Venezuelan town of Maracaibo, where the 200,000 Spanish dollars he removed paved the way for historical fame. His sadistic, bloodthirsty streak dominated his career. Because in one of his many attacks he is said to have eaten the heart of a Spanish soldier. But his own death was just as gruesome. l'Olonnais and his crew put their ship in a shallow off the coast of Panama and were unable to get out of it. When they came ashore in search of food, they were caught and eaten by the local tribe.

Henry Avery (Long Ben, Englishman, 1653)

Henry Avery, also known as Henry Every, began his naval career in the British Royal Navy. He served on several ships before joining an enterprise known as the Spanish Expeditionary Ship in 1693. He became a pirate captain by rebellion and became famous as one of the Red Sea's most feared and successful pirates. Although he did not capture many ships, the two ships he captured were among the best in the Indian Ocean. One of them was the treasure ship of India, filled with gold and jewels. Henry Avery, who made a huge fortune, became the richest pirate in the world and retired. However, he was widely pursued, so his whereabouts, when he died, are unknown.

Calico Jack (British, 1682-1720)

John Rackham, better known as Calico Jack, was pardoned for his acts of piracy in 1719. However, she returned to sea the following year, seizing a 12-gun sloop from the port of Nassau in the Bahamas. Calico Jack had dozens of minions, including two of the only female pirates to swim in Caribbean waters.

One was the famous Anne Bonny, who had left her husband for Calico Jack, and the other was Mary Read, who had sailed for a long time in men's clothing. In October 1720, a pirate fishing boat captured Calico Jack's drunken crew. It is believed that only Bonny, Read, and one more resisted. Although Calico Jack was executed the following month, both female crewmates escaped the hangman's grasp because they were both found pregnant. No one knows what happened to Anne Bonny as Mary Read died in prison soon after.

Anne Bonny (Irish, 1700-1782)

Anne Bonny is known as one of the few successful female pirates. Traveling with her family to the New World, Anne fell in love and married a poor sailor named James Bonny. But as she gradually realized that her husband was not a valiant man, she began befriending many different men in Nassau, Bahama. Among these men was "Calico Jack" Rackham, the captain of a pirate ship.

Anne Bonny joined the crew by dressing and acting like a man (including drinking profusely and fighting). So she fought under Calico Jack's command and, along with the other female pirate, Mary Read, pushed the crew into more bloodshed and violence. As a result, she became a famous pirate herself. But she was caught with Rackham's crew and sentenced to death. While both she and Mary Read were in prison, they claimed to be pregnant and the death sentences were not served (Mary Read had the misfortune of dying in prison). No one is sure how Anne Bonny, one of the prominent female pirates, died. However, there have been rumors that her husband or father has returned to her home.

Captain Kidd (Scottish, 1645-1701)

Captain William Kidd, once a respected pirate, sailed out to sea in 1696 on a mission to hunt down pirates in the Indian Ocean. However, he soon became a pirate himself. He captured the famous Armenian merchant ship Quedagh Merchant and killed one of his subordinates with a wooden bucket. On the journey home, many of his men betrayed him and moved on to other pirate ships. Arriving on New York's Gardiners Island, he paused to bury his treasure. At odds with the powerful British East India Company, Kidd was arrested before he could even return to England. He was later tried and executed. As a warning to other pirates, his body was displayed on the banks of the River Thames until it decomposed.

Known as a stylish Scotsman who was a prominent citizen of New York City and played an active role in the construction of the famous Trinity Church, Captain Kidd began his career as a licensed pirate working for the government. His mission was to clear the sea of pirates. However, he accepted this new assignment when he was chosen as "pirate captain" by his crew. His piracy didn't go too well. His greatest misfortune was to attack an East India Company ship.

When he learned that he was being pursued his act, he buried some of his treasure on Gardiners Island, thinking it would be useful as a bargaining chip. However, William Kidd, who was captured in Boston with his wife, was sent to England for a non-negotiable trial. Some said he was unfairly sentenced to death, and his execution was miserable.