A Pirates Life

History is full of legendary and intimidating pirates, and in a way, their stories would go on to become modern myths. Many of these individuals went against mundane work and carved out a life full of adventure, danger, and riches. From famous pirates like Blackbeard to lesser-known legends like Black Caesar, here are 20 pirates you really should know.

1. Laurens de Graaf

Laurens de Graaf was a Dutch pirate mercenary who also worked as a naval officer for Saint-Domingue. He captured the treasure-laden ship Princesca and led a raid on the Spanish port of Veracruz. There are also claims that he had a whole orchestra on his ship, contributing to his zany legend.

2. William Dampier

William Dampier was born in Somerset, England in 1651. Despite being an orphan, he would go on to become a very successful seafarer, starting his career in his teens on merchant ships in the Caribbean. He famously circumnavigated the globe three times and would go on to impact explorers like Darwin. He did a bit of everything: piracy, privateering, and natural exploration.

3. Jose Gaspar

It’s unclear if Jose Gaspar’s legend is true or semi-fictional. Either way, the story goes that he was a Spanish naval officer who turned to piracy. He operated off the Gulf Coast in Florida and commanded the Florblanca. The legend gets a bit more mysterious, as some claim he built a pirate kingdom called Gasparilla Island.

4. Black Caesar

Black Caesar was an African chieftain who was captured and sold. But he managed to escape when his capturing ship got wrecked off Florida. He would go on to join forces with Blackbeard and serve as his lieutenant. He was known to be strong and cunning, but he would go down with Blackbeard in 1718.

5. John Julian

John Julian was a mixed-heritage pirate who began his career in his teens. He worked as a pilot under the famous Black Sam Bellamy. When the shipwrecked off Cape Cod, John was one of the few to survive, but as he wasn’t European, he ended up facing a dire punishment.

6. Bartholomew Sharp

Bartholomew Sharp’s early life is mainly a mystery, but he was an English sailor who roamed the Pacific. He would attack Spanish settlements along the coast and would be hindered by ship politics. He would have to leave due to a falling out with his crew but would then take command back once more.

7. Edward Jordan

Edward Jordan was born in Ireland but would find his way to Nova Scotia, where he worked as a shipwright and fisherman. But financial troubles plagued Jordan, causing him to turn to piracy to make some money. He hijacked the Three Sisters, which was the ship he worked on, but his career was very short-lived, as he would soon be captured.

8. Jack Anderson

Jack Anderson was an African-origin pirate who escaped slavery in the Caribbean. He’s a lesser-known pirate but allegedly captained a vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. He was a bit of a rebel and a freedom fighter and focused more on his ideals of justice than traditional piracy, focusing on disrupting colonial powers.

9. Victual Brothers

The Victual Brothers were a group of mercenaries and privateers who were hired by the Hanseatic League. When their contracts ended, they turned to piracy in the Baltic Sea and would attack merchant ships. They, too, claimed to fight for justice, but seemed a bit more money motivated.

10. Kazimierz Lux

Kazimierz was born in Poland and started as a soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte. After his military service, he turned to privateering and piracy and commanded ships raiding British and Spanish vessels. He survived into old age and returned to Poland to retire after his piracy.

Now that we talked about 10 lesser-known pirates, here are 10 legends everyone should know.

1. Blackbeard

Edward Teach is better known as Blackbeard, an iconic pirate who started his career around 1716. He was an English pirate known for his fearsome image, going as far as to light fuses into his beard to seem intimidating and otherworldly. His flagship was named Queen Anne’s Revenge, and he had a successful career operating in the Caribbean before the Royal Navy finally took him out.

2. Ching Shih

Ching Shih has many other names, but she became a powerful commander controlling a massive fleet of over 300 ships. Despite this success, she began as a working girl and ended up marrying a pirate leader named Zheng Yi. After he passed, she inherited his army and began dominating the South China Sea before retiring peacefully.

3. Captain Kidd

Captain William Kidd was a fearsome pirate who thrived in the late 1690s. He was a Scottish man who started out as a privateer hunting pirates. So, the story of a pirate hunter becoming a pirate is pretty iconic and helped fortify his legend. He was eventually arrested after a successful career and was found guilty in his trial.

4. Anne Bonny

It’s clear to see that many women had successful pirate careers, including iconic individuals like Ching Shih and Anne Bonny. She was born in Ireland as the daughter of a lawyer and ended up marrying a small-time pirate after moving to America. She sailed with Calico Jack Rackham and Mary Read and managed to escape execution by claiming pregnancy.

5. Mary Read

Mary Read was an English woman who was pretty comfortable working in male-dominated industries. She disguised herself as a man to work in the army and was recognized for her courage in battle. She then joined up with Calico Jack and Anne Bonny but would pass away in prison after her capture.

6. Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake was an English naval officer and explorer, and according to some, he was a hero. While to others, mainly the Spanish, he was a pirate. He would raid Spanish settlements and even wage war against the Spanish Armada.

7. Black Sam Bellamy

Bellamy is best known for becoming a very rich pirate through a short stint of pirating. He was an English sailor who moved to America and turned to pirating. In as little as a year, he successfully captured at least 53 ships, making him insanely wealthy in the golden age of piracy.

8. The Barbarossa Brothers

The Barbarossa brothers were born on Lesbos and were well-known for their piracy and privateering in the Mediterranean. They would become naval commanders in the Ottoman Empire, as their careers took place during the early 1500s. They would raid everything from Christian ships and would go on to control parts of North Africa.

9. Henry Morgan

Henry Morgan was a Welshman who began his career in the 1660s. He was best known for his brutal raids on Spanish settlements and would even go on to sack Panama City in 1671. He actually worked under the English Commission despite his piracy and would be knighted.

10. Calico Jack

John Rackham was an English pirate who earned the nickname Calico Jack due to his flashy calico clothing. He’s best known for his relationship with Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and had both romantic and professional relationships with the two. He was more focused on small raids along the Bahamas, but was also captured in the 1720s.