Once upon a time, there was a belief among pirates that a woman on a ship was bad luck, but this did not stop several ladies from joining the pirates and taking control of the ship and its crew in their own hands. Read on for the criminal careers of the five most ferocious female sailors in history.
1. Cheng Ai Xiao
One of the most famous pirates in history began her career in a Chinese brothel. Cheng Ai Xiao, or "Cheng's wife", was a former member of an ancient profession who married a well-known corsair named Cheng in 1801. The couple soon commanded one of the most formidable pirate armies in China. It numbered about 50 thousand people, several hundred ships and preyed on fishing boats and coastal villages in southern China, feeling complete impunity.
After her husband's death in 1807, Lady Cheng cleared her way to power and partnered with her trusted lieutenant and lover, Chang Pao. Over the next few years, she worked her way to Southeast Asia and assembled a fleet that could compete with many countries. She also wrote a strict code of conduct for her pirates. For the rape of captured women, the pirates were beheaded, and the ears of deserters were cut off. Lady Cheng's bloody rule made her the number one enemy of the Chinese government, and in 1810 even the British and Portuguese navies were brought in to bring her to justice. Lady Cheng agreed to leave her fleet in exchange for all the riches she had looted. Thus, she "retired" and became one of the most successful pirates in history, and ran a gambling house for the rest of her life. Cheng died in 1844 at the age of 69.
2. Ann Bonnie
The notorious pirate Anne Bonnie was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Irish lawyer. In an attempt to hide the girl's dubious origins, her father dressed her in boys' clothes and introduced her to everyone as a clerk in his office. Anne later moved to America, where she married a sailor in 1718. Together with her husband, Ann went to the island of New Providence, which at that time was teeming with pirates. It was there that she fell "under the spell" of the famous pirate Jack Rackham, who cruised between the countries of the Caribbean. For him, she left her husband.
Bonnie has always been known for her fierce manly nature. According to one legend, she almost beat a man to death who tried to show himself in charge. She also very quickly brought to everyone that she could drink rum on a par with men and own pistols no worse than her lover. A little later, she befriended another female pirate, Mary Read, and together they played a leading role in a whole boom of raids against small fishing boats and merchant schooners that took place in the summer and autumn of 1720. However, Bonnie's stay on the high seas was very short. Already in October of the same year, Jack Rackham's ship was captured by a gang of pirate hunters. Rackham and several other men were executed, but Bonnie and Reid managed to escape the noose as it was revealed they were both pregnant.
3. Mary Read
Born in England in the late 17th century, Mary Read spent much of her youth under the guise of her late half-brother. In this way, her impoverished mother could swindle money from the boy's grandmother. Hoping to quench her thirst for adventure, the girl took the name of Mark Reid, and began to perform a typical male job: first she served as a soldier, and later she was hired as a sailor on a merchant ship. Reed became a pirate at the end of 1710. The ship where Mary served was attacked by pirates, and she decided to join their ranks. She later moved to the Rackham team, where she befriended Ann Bonnie. 
As part of Jack's team, she sailed for only a few months, but managed to earn herself a formidable reputation. One of the most famous episodes occurred in October 1720, when Mary fought like a banshee during an attack by hunters on pirates. She is said to have yelled at the men who cowered below deck, "If there are men among you that you should be, then come out and fight." Despite Reed's heroism, she and the rest of the team were captured and charged with piracy. Reed escaped the gallows as she was pregnant, but she later came down with a fever and died in prison.
4. Grace O'Malley
At a time when most women were denied education and forced to stay at home, the pirate Grace O "Malley ran a fleet of 20 ships that opposed the power of the British Monarchy. For her habit of wearing short hair, Grace was also nicknamed "bald." O "Malley was daughter of a powerful clan that ruled the west coast of Ireland. Taking over the reins in the 1560s, she continued the family tradition of piracy, plundering Spanish and English ships and attacking rival chieftains. Her escapades were legendary. According to one of the legends, she led the naval battle the day after she gave birth to a child. But these same escapades became the reason for the wrath of the authorities. In 1574, she had to repel the siege of Rockfleet Castle, and later she spent 18 months behind bars after she was captured during one of the raids. 
Immediately after the release of O "Malley resumed her looting, but in the early 1590s new problems appeared, as the British authorities detained her fleet. In the absence of support from O" Malley, who was already 63 years old, turned directly to Queen Elizabeth I for help During a famous audience in London, Grace appeared before the queen in the form of a tired and broken old woman and asked to return the ships and release one of her sons, and also allow her to retire in peace. This idea worked, but only O "Malley did not fulfill her part of the deal. Records show that she continued to engage in piracy with her sons until her death in 1603.
5. Rachel Wall
The biography of Rachel Wall is replete with myths and legends. But if any of these stories are true, then she was the first American woman to try her hand at piracy. The story goes that Wall was originally from Pennsylvania. As a teenager, she ran away from home and married a fisherman named George Wall. The couple settled in Boston and tried to make a living, but a constant lack of money forced them to turn to a life of crime. In 1781, the Wall family bought a small boat and, teaming up with several impoverished sailors, began their "hunt" off the coast of New England. Their strategy was as ingenious as it was brutal. Whenever there was a storm in the region, the pirates outfitted their boat as if it had been hit by the elements. Pretty Rachel stood on the deck and begged the ships passing by for help. When the unsuspecting rescuers got close enough, they were robbed and killed. 
Wall's "siren song" lured dozens of ships to certain death, but her luck turned against her in 1782, when her husband died during a storm, and the boat was indeed destroyed. She continued to engage in theft already on land, but in 1789 she was arrested for assaulting a woman from Boston. While in prison, she wrote a confession of "stealing, lying, disobedience to parents, and almost every sin that a person can commit except murder." Unfortunately for Wall, her "confession" was not enough to convince the authorities. Wall was the last woman to be executed in Massachusetts. On October 8, she was hanged in Boston.
Although the history of piracy is largely dominated by male names, yet there were female pirates who led pirate ships. Some of them, contrary to everything that forbade the stay of women on board the ship, acted openly, others covered themselves with men's outfits and behaved like men. Below are the most famous female pirates in the history of piracy.
Æthelflæd of Mercia (869-918)
The Lady of the Mercians or the Iron Lady of Mercia is possibly one of the first female pirates in the history of piracy. Daughter of King Alfred the Great and sister of Edward the Elder ruled Mercia from 911 until her death.
This was a time of frequent Viking attacks on Britain. In the 890s, Æthelflæd, along with her husband Æthelred II of Mercia, led a flotilla that played a huge role in repelling Viking raids.
After the deterioration of her husband's health, the Lady of the Mercians took over the government of the country. She took up the fortification of cities and the construction defensive structures. Her victory over the Vikings at Derby has been called by historians Lady Mercia's "greatest triumph". The ruler herself has earned the reputation of a competent military leader.
Jeanne de Clisson (1300-1359)
This female pirate named Jeanne de Belleville is also known as the "Lioness of Brittany". 13 years of her life were devoted to piracy. Jeanne de Clisson led pirate ships that plied the English Channel and attacked French ships. Her flotilla consisted of only three ships, but was well known as the "Black Fleet of Death".
Pirates of the Lioness of Brittany slaughtered all opponents, leaving only a few survivors who could spread rumors about Jeanne de Clisson's fleet. One of the most cruel female pirates in the history of piracy, the main meaning of her life was revenge on the French king who killed her husband.
Eliza Eskilsdotter
This famous female pirate was a Norwegian aristocrat, the daughter of the knight Eskild Agesen and the wife of the nobleman Olav Nilsson, who was part of the Norwegian government. But after the country concluded a truce with the Germans in 1452, her husband continued to attack German ships in defiance of the Norwegian king's ban. In 1455 Olaf was killed along with his son.
It was this family drama that led to the fact that Eliza took up piracy, and her team attacked the ships of German and Danish merchants. She also had personal scores with the Danes, because it was Danish king in 1468 took away from her feudal lands. Eliza became famous for her violent piracy against German and Danish ships. Her life ended in 1483.
Grace O'Malley (1530-1603)
Also known as Granual, this woman in the history of piracy won the title of "Pirate Queen". Even as a child, she shaved her head and dressed up as a boy to get on the ship of her father, the leader of the O'Malley clan, Owen Dubdara.
Later, after the death of her father, she led the pirate fleet. She was the undisputed leader both on the sea and on land. Although Grace married twice, she was still revered as the "Pirate Queen", with her own castles and fleet, as well as personal enemies.
Saida al-Hurra (1485-1561)
This well-known female pirate at birth was named Lalla Aisha bint Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami. Between 1515 and 1542 she was the ruler of Tetouan, but from 1485 she led the pirate fleet and became the pirate queen.
Most historians regard Saida al-Hurra as one of the most famous and revered women in Islamic history. She was active in piracy in the Mediterranean, where her fleet teamed up with the Ottoman corsair Hayreddin Barbarossa.
Jacotte Delahey (1630-1633)
This famous female pirate traded in piracy in the expanses of the Caribbean. Her personality in history is important, since Jacotte is one of the few female pirates of the 17th century.
However, many historians still do not agree on whether this corsair actually existed. The only information about her activities is found in the stories of the French science fiction writer Leon Treich.
Ann Bonnie
This female pirate of Irish origin was nicknamed the "mistress of the seas", which terrified the inhabitants of the Caribbean. Although Anne Bonnie is one of the most famous corsairs in the history of piracy, the dates of her birth and death are not known for certain.
According to historians, she lived between 1697 and 1782. The least known information about Anne Bonny is contained in the book " General history Pirates" by Captain Charles Johnson.
It notes that Bonnie was born in Old Head of Kinsale in Ireland. She married the pirate Jack Rackham, also known as Kalika Jack, and became a member of his crew. Anne later met and befriended Mary Reed.
Interesting fact!
It was the image of Captain Jack Rackham that served as one of the prototypes for the creation, and the story of Kaliko and Ann himself was reflected in.
In October 1720, Anne Bonny was captured and sentenced to death, but the execution of the sentence was delayed due to the pregnancy of a corsair. After giving birth, she was released.
Mary Read (1685-1721)
This female pirate is also known as Mark Reed. Along with Anne Bonnie, she is the most famous woman in the history of piracy. Reid spent her childhood under the guise of a boy who worked as a cabin boy on ships. She married a Flemish sailor, but after his death, she again disguised herself as a man and went to the West Indies.
When pirates attacked the ship along the way, Mary Reed quickly went over to their side. Later, she met Ann Bonnie and her husband Jack Calico, and the whole trio teamed up for a joint pirate activity. Mary is known to have died in prison in 1721.
Lady Zheng (1775-1844)
Also known as, this sea robber operated in the expanses of the China Sea during the reign of the Qing Dynasty in the 19th century. IN historical literature it is alleged that she commanded a fleet of 300 Chinese ships with a huge number of pirates (from 20 to 40 thousand people).
Her pirate fleet included not only men, but even women and children. Ms. Zheng lived a long life and earned a reputation as one of the most successful female pirates. Her fleet successfully smashed the powerful Portuguese and British ships.
Charlotte Badger (1778-1816)
This notorious female pirate was born into a poor family who turned to crime to make ends meet. Charlotte was caught and sentenced to seven years as a slave in Australia. But along the way, together with another woman, she staged a mutiny on the ship and captured it.
Charlotte subsequently settled in Maori villages in New Zealand with her daughter. She entered the history of piracy as the first Australian female pirate and one of the first white women to settle in New Zealand.
Basically, in history, male pirates were most often known, although in fact women were also quite successful corsairs. They were distinguished not only by intelligence, but by excessive cruelty towards enemies. They instilled fear in the most powerful empires. We offer 10 of the most famous and fearless female pirates.
Sadie Farrell was a famous river pirate in the 19th century. She spent her childhood on the streets of New York, roaming and stealing, and she got her nickname for the habit of hitting her enemies with her head. After she lost her ear in a fight with her enemy Gallus Meg, Sadie ran away from New York and organized a gang of robbers, which soon began to trade in piracy. The gang traveled along the Hudson and robbed farms, houses, and was engaged in theft of people, followed by a ransom demand. Sadie returned to New York later and made a truce with Meg.
9. Queen Teuta of Illyria
One of the earliest known pirates is Teuta, queen of Illyria, who lived in the 3rd century BC. e. The ruler of the Ardiaea tribe extended her power to the entire Adriatic Sea, attacking Roman and Greek ships. The Romans tried to negotiate with the militant queen, but all negotiations were in vain. During one of the negotiations, the queen killed the ambassadors, as a result, a war broke out that lasted from 229 to 227 BC. Teuta was defeated in the war, although she was allowed to continue to rule Illyria, but was forbidden to go by sea.
8. Grace O'Malley
Also known as Granual, Grace O'Malley was a pirate by birth. In the 1560s, she became the leader of the Irish pirates and turned into a real " headache» for British and Spanish merchant ships. In 1574, she was captured by British troops. Grace spent 18 months in prison, after her release she again took up piracy. She was captured again, but on the orders of Elizabeth I, she Grace received her fleet back. Grace died in 1603.
7. Jacotte Delae
Jacotte Delae was born in the 17th century and was a famous pirate. She chose this job because she had to raise her brother herself after the death of her mother, who died in childbirth. In order to disappear from the sight of the authorities, Jacotte Delae staged her death and changed her appearance, became like a man. After a while, she again became involved in piracy and turned into a thunderstorm of merchant ships in the Caribbean, paired with another female pirate, Anna, nicknamed "God's Will". Jacotte Delae was killed while defending the island she captured.
6. Rachel Wall
Rachel Wall, one of the first American pirates, was born in the 1760s as Rachel Schmidt. She married George Wall and began pirating with a few of his friends. Their base was an island in the Gulf of Maine. Pirates hijacked ships and killed sailors. After the death of her husband and his friends in a shipwreck, Rachel returned to Boston and worked as a maid, occasionally stealing. During one of the robberies, she was caught and hanged in 1789. She became the last woman to be hanged for crimes in Massachusetts.
5. Saida al-Hurra
A pirate queen and ally of the Turkish pirate Barbarossa, Saida al-Hurra was the ruler of the Moroccan city of Tetouan. By the way, Saida al-Hurra is a title, and the real name of this woman is not known. From 1515 to 1542 she controlled the western Mediterranean. She became a pirate to take revenge on the Christian rulers. She later married a Moroccan king, who was soon dethroned by his son-in-law. Nothing further is known about her fate.
4. Jeanne de Clisson
Known as the Lioness of Brittany, Jeanne was the wife of the nobleman Oliver III Clisson and the mother of five children. She became a pirate to take revenge on Philip VI, King of France, for the death of her husband. Jeanne de Clisson sold all her property and acquired three warships. Her pirate crew terrorized the English Channel, seizing French ships and killing sailors. She retired in 1356 and later married Lieutenant Sir Walter Bentley.
3. Mary Read
The female captain, Mary Read, was Ann Bonnie's companion. She was known for her art of dressing up as men and posed as her brother Mark for years. Reed joined the British Army and fell in love with a soldier. After his death, she went to the Caribbean and became a sailor. There she fell into the hands of pirates and joined their ranks. This is how she met Ann Bonnie and became a member of Calico Jack's gang. Only a few people knew that she was a woman. In 1720 Reid and Jack were arrested by the English army. Although she managed to escape execution, she died in prison a few years later of a fever.
2. Ann Bonnie
Anne Bonny was the daughter of an Irish lawyer. After she married a pirate, James Bonny, she moved to the Bahamas in 1718. Here she fell in love with Calico Jack and separated from her husband. Having remarried, she became a member of the team of her new husband. Paired with Mary Read, they kept the Caribbean at bay. In 1720, Calico Jack and his crew were arrested by English troops and executed. Anne and Mary escaped execution because they were pregnant. Anne's fate is not fully known.
Often called the most feared female pirate in history, Jing Shi was a Chinese pirate who dominated the waters of the China Sea in the early 19th century. In the past, she was a prostitute. She was kidnapped by pirates in 1801 and married Captain Zheng Yi. Jing Shi leads a fleet called "Red Flag" after her husband's death and attacks British and Chinese shipping. Her fleet grew rapidly. The Chinese government was forced to negotiate and make peace with her in 1810. Until her death in 1844, she ran a brothel.
She wore a man's suit and loved the bitter wind,
And if the hold was flooded in a storm, she did not leave the pump.
Her friend was Mad Jack, Fortune played with them,
Their wedding bed was the quarterdeck and their home an old schooner.
Danielle Kluger, "Lady of Fortune"
There is an old sign (forgotten in our age of equality - however, she is dear there): "A woman on a ship brings misfortune." But even though female captains, female navigators and the like have long ceased to be exotic, this phrase is no, no, yes, and they remember it. However, in relation to the heroines of this article, the sign comes true one hundred percent. On such ships - certainly unfortunately. The man, however, too. If, of course, the ships are pirate.
To tell about all the representatives of the weaker sex who went to sea for illegal (or not quite legal) fishing, with all the desire, it will not work - so we will limit ourselves to the “magnificent seven” of the most famous European-American activists in the field of boarding and robbery.
legendary princess
Personal file No. 1
What kind of kids are these days, right?
No control over them!
We waste our health
But they don't care about that.
So-and-so, escaped from the palace.
So-and-so upset her father.
cartoon song
"In the footsteps of the Bremen Town Musicians"
The life of Princess Alvilda, apparently, was supposed to proceed without a hitch, according to established rules. Fortunately, the father - the king of Gotland Siward - has already found a worthy match for his beloved daughter: Crown Prince Alf of Denmark - what's wrong? “In the future, daughter, you will become a queen, and by no means the last of the country ...” Siward’s disappointment was great when in response he heard something like the following: “You never know the crown prince, but I won’t marry this suffocating mama’s son! He did not become famous for anything - which means that there will be no glory for me in that marriage!
The fortress walls of Gotland.
As usual, dad hit the table with his fist: they say, in my opinion, everything has already been agreed - I know better than you, foolish child! As usual, the rebellious daughter (and who is she so stubborn, no one knows?) decides from a house where she is not understood, to run away and continue to live according to her own understanding. But what happened next does not fit into any traditional framework, even if you push it with your feet.
Knowing her father's difficult character, Alvilda had no doubt that the stubborn parent would try to return the fugitive at any cost. So, it is necessary to make sure that he physically does not have such an opportunity. Where to run, though from a large (almost 3,000 square kilometers), but still islands? It’s clear that daddy will turn everything upside down and there’s no hiding here. Therefore, Alvilda and her friends, dressed in men's clothes, steal a ship from the harbor and go to the sea. Moreover, the beautiful ladies were not deprived of both physical strength and seafaring skills - the times were harsh, sissies were not favored even in the royal family, therefore, the tools familiar to women were by no means limited to a needle and a spindle.
Armed and very dangerous...
Apparently, initially there were no clear plans for the escapees. But a few days later they met a pirate ship. Further information diverges: whether the captain was there, but mysteriously disappeared or died there a few days after meeting with the Gotland ship, or the pirates lost their captain almost immediately before the meeting ... Be that as it may, Alvilda (keeping incognito) becomes the captain of a pirate ship four days later. And by unanimous vote of the team!
Women fighting on ships on an equal footing with men were then not a very surprising phenomenon.
The choice of the captain, I must say, was more than successful. Soon the team became the most successful in the Baltic - that is, in other words, they captured and plundered everything that they met on the way, on an especially large scale. Including colleagues in maritime affairs, of course (no discrimination!). Alvilda became famous, according to the chronicler, “for her unbridled courage and cunning ingenuity, invariable composure and merciless cruelty to the victims” - and in order for these characteristics to distinguish her from other pirates, one had to try hard! Merchants and sailors off the coast of Denmark especially got it from her - in memory of why the princess went into the space of waves and wind.
Of course, the rampant piracy of the population is not particularly pleased. As a result, dissatisfaction reached the Danish court: in fact, why is lawlessness happening right under the nose of the king? Who is the boss in the house, he or the cockroaches? The monarch, remembering the overlord's duty, orders to deal with troublemakers and equips a punitive expedition. It is headed, of course, by Crown Prince Alf - and who else, if not the growing heir, is to restore order in the world around him?
According to medieval chronicles, Alf fought successfully with giant snakes. However, after such and such a wife ...
Contrary to the prevailing opinion of Alvilda about the prince as a "nerd", Alf shows himself to be a glorious captain and a brave warrior. He managed to track down and board a pirate ship. In the descriptions of the future, historians again disagree. Some say that Alvilda and Alf fought in a duel, the girl was defeated, and when she threw off her helmet after the battle, then, captivated by her beauty, he offered her his hand and heart. The second - that, on the contrary, watching the handsome warrior, Alvilda fell in love; having learned who he was, the captain ordered to stop the battle and surrendered to the mercy of the winner (in which, again, she did not fail). Thirdly, that the battle was completely lost, and when the vanquished were brought to the prince, he, seeing a beautiful pirate without a helmet ... see the end of the first version.
Be that as it may, Alf and Alvilda really got married. True, the Danish prince took an oath from his wife never to return to the criminal path. And soon after Alf and Alvilda became a royal couple. Pirates, by the way, in their reign, Denmark was not particularly bothered. Apparently, fearing ... according to old memory.
The uncaptured avenger
Personal file No. 2
What should a subject of the French king do who is about to approach the English Channel at a distance of five leagues?
- Make a will immediately.
Folk wisdom of the Middle Ages
Unlike Alvilda, the Breton noblewoman Jeanne-Louise de Clisson (nee de Belleville) was brought into the sea not by an unwanted marriage, but, on the contrary, a completely happy marriage, with her beloved Olivier de Clisson and two sons. Alas, the husband turned out to be more than short-sighted - and at the height of the dynastic struggle, being a supporter of Jean de Montfort, he accepted the invitation of Philippe Valois to come to the tournament in Paris. Olivier de Clisson and fourteen of his comrades in Paris were immediately seized and beheaded, and Olivier's head was transported to his native Nantes, where he was put up on the city wall. The body of the executed was returned to the family.
Who would have thought that this pretty lady would become the curse of the whole of France for several years?
Philip could not even imagine that, in ordering the execution, it was not worth discounting the widow. Indeed - the lady was known for her beauty, charm and hospitality... which is very nice, but completely useless in the Hundred Years War. However, given the nature of Jeanne-Louise, depriving her of her beloved husband was a bad idea, as France quickly became convinced. The widow and her sons, the eldest of whom was fourteen years old and the youngest only seven, swore over the body of Olivier de Clisson to take revenge.
It began with "training on cats" - Jeanne-Louise, at the head of a detachment of faithful servants, began to attack the castles of enemies and ruin them. However, it quickly became clear that this was ineffective and risky - because the royal troops also did not clap their ears. On reflection, she sailed with both sons to England and obtained an audience with King Edward. The result was the letter of marque of the English king - permission to attack the ships of France and its allies (thus, the avenger became the first female privateer in history) - and in addition three ships, called the "Venomance Fleet in the English Channel" (according to another version, ships Jeanne-Louise was not provided by Edward III - she bought them, selling all the family jewels). Jeanne-Louise de Belleville's personal war has begun!
I must say that the Breton aristocrat turned out to be an excellent pirate leader. She was well versed in the search for prey, personally leading boarding parties and attacks on coastal castles. Eyewitnesses said that she masterfully owned both a saber and a boarding ax. She did not take prisoners - few of those who fell into her hands left alive. The sons followed their mother in all battles - and were just as faithful to the oath that bound them.
Jeanne-Louise (nicknamed "The Lioness of Breton" by her allies and "The Witch of Clisson", respectively, by her opponents) terrified the French coast for several years. The French economy was suffering a serious loss all this time - too many trade routes were tied to the English Channel. Moreover, not only merchant ships, but also military ships became victims of de Belleville - the “Vengeance Fleet” was a really serious force. And Philippe Valois, finally aware of the threat embodied by the angry widow of the beheaded Olivier de Clisson, ordered: “Catch the witch, dead or alive! But the main thing is to catch, damn it!
It was easier said than done. For the first time, Philippe sent several of the best ships of the French navy to fight Jeanne-Louise and his comrades - and lost them all to the last. Then the tactics changed - in fact, a hunt was declared on the ships of the "Vengeance Fleet".
For the time being, luck was on the side of the Breton. But this could not go on forever, and one day the French were stronger. Two of the three ships were captured, and the flagship was surrounded. Then de Belleville followed the example of Jack Sparrow: after waiting for darkness, she launched a longboat and, together with her sons and about a dozen rowers from the flagship, washed off the battlefield, leaving the rest of her supporters to their fate.
Betrayal rarely pays off. Here, too, everything turned out worse than Jeanne-Louise expected (although better than it could have). In a hurry to escape and hoping to quickly reach the shore, the deserters did not take with them any water, food, or navigational instruments. And, it would seem, a small, so familiar and repeatedly smelted along and across the English Channel had its own opinion on whether to let the famous avengers go ... The current carried them away from England, no matter how the sailors strained their muscles. On the sixth day, Jeanne's youngest son, Jean de Clisson, died, and later the strait took in several more rowing victims. Only on the eleventh day did the few survivors see the land. And it was not England - but France, much more dangerous for the fugitives.
However, for Jeanne-Louise and her eldest son, in the end, everything ended well. They reached the possessions of Jean de Montfort, the same friend of Olivier de Clisson, for whose adherence the Breton husband paid with his head. His widow was received with honor and sheltered from possible troubles. A few years later, she married the nobleman Gauthier de Bentley. And her son, Olivier de Clisson, Jr., later became a constable (that is, he took the highest military public office in the French kingdom).
Pirate dynasty
Personal file No. 3
Personal file No. 4
Skipper, hey, quit the game
Sail Killigru in the sea!
Sailors are not good
Meet Killigru's sail!
Old English ballad
If you had the feeling that piracy was safe for the women involved in it - so, they fooled around and returned to solid ground in someone's hot embrace - then it is wrong. The fates of Alvilda and Jeanne-Louise de Belleville are the exception, not the rule.
The following story, on the one hand, is much more typical (in terms of a sad outcome), on the other hand, is also unusual, because we are talking about a whole pirate dynasty.
Once upon a time there was a pirate, Philip Wolverston of Suffolk, and he had a daughter, Mary (who practiced the craft of "gentlemen of fortune" from her youth). She married Henry Killigru, who also did not disdain piracy, and, accordingly, became Lady Killigru (because, despite the unrespectable occupation, Henry Killigre was not the last spoke in the chariot and “sir” was added to his name). She gave birth to a son, John Killigre, who later became the manager of Pendennis Castle, built by order of the English King Henry VIII; he lived at the same time in Arvennak, located nearby the family castle of the Killigru family. Later, the city of Falmouth will be laid there, in the times described there was a conglomeration of small towns around ... and a large convenient bay. In fact, the latter circumstance contributed considerably - well, how can one resist robbery when a ship battered by storms anchors very close by? Absolutely impossible, no willpower is enough.
Did John Killigru engage in sea robbery personally? Yes. But long years it either did not cross unspoken boundaries (in response to complaints, the Privy Council ordered simply to pay the victims for the seized cargo), or the benefits from John, who fought with competitors (French, Turkish, Barbary pirates), were more than harm. As for his venerable mother Mary, her actions seem to have overwhelmed the patience of the English authorities.
For the time being, she managed to hide her eccentric hobby, which was greatly facilitated by the appointment of Cornwall Vice-Admiral Sir John Killigre as head of the piracy commissioner. However, the night of January 7, 1582 was a turning point in the fate of Mary Killigru. A heavily loaded Spanish ship entered the bay. Lady Killigru, along with two servants, Kendall and Hawkins, secretly entered, and three people (following the rule of "leaving no one alive") cut the entire crew (!), After which they quietly engaged in robbery. However, Lady Killigru made a mistake in her calculations: in the short time that she was preparing to sail on the boat, part of the crew (including the captain) went ashore. And the captain was not inclined to forgive the death of his team. Not satisfied with a formal investigation at the county level of Cornwall (where the Killigru clan had everything captured), the Spaniards connected the capital. The second investigation led to the execution of John Killigre and the two servants involved in the attack. As for the fate of Mary, the data differ: either she was also executed, or the execution was replaced at the last moment with life imprisonment.
Curiously, after about ten years, merchant ships, whose route lay near the coast of Cornwall or across the English Channel, again began to be plundered, and already from a flotilla of four thirty-gun ships, led by Lady Killigru. Only the other is Lady Elizabeth Killigru, once the wife, and now the widow of Sir John and, accordingly, the daughter-in-law of Lady Killigru Sr. However, this flotilla did not last long - it was defeated, and Lady Elizabeth was killed in a naval battle.
Other Killigru
It must be said that the large and branched clan of Killigru is by no means limited to pirates. In addition to statesmen and military figures (from diplomats to vice admirals), among them were the poetess and artist Ann Killigru (1660-1685), playwrights William Killigru (1606-1695), Thomas Killigru (1612-1683) and Henry Killigru (1613-1685). 1700).
Defeated by bureaucracy
Personal file No. 5
We are paper, important people,
We were, and are, and we will be...
Eldar Ryazanov, "Song of Bureaucrats"
Rocks of Clare Island.
Another rather well-born lady who stood under the pirate banners was Grain-Grain-Granual, the daughter of the leader of the O'Malley clan, Owen Dubdara. From childhood, the girl was upset that she belongs to the declared weaker sex, and she repeatedly proved the opposite. For example, she received the nickname “Bald Graine” by no means due to illness or similar trouble - simply in response to the maxim said by her father regarding a woman on the ship Granual, she cut off her luxurious long hair with a sword (a long-standing symbol of female beauty) and unobtrusively asked - what would he say on This? It seems that dad had nothing to cover, and he did not find reasonable grounds to drive his daughter off the ship - he had to take it with him on a trading trip all the way to Spain. I must say, the girl did not get lost and used long sea voyages, in particular, for self-education - at least those who knew her noted that she spoke five languages perfectly, including Latin.
Legend has it that after the death of her father, Graine defeated her half-brother in battle and became a leader. Historians say that something different happened: she married Donal the Warlike, tanist (lifetime successor to the Irish king) O "Flaherty, and led her husband's flotilla. Pirate activity did not prevent her from giving birth to three children - Owen, Margaret and Marrow; and everything was fine until a few years later Donal died in battle. However, her half-brother (also Donal) helped her, in a kindred way conceded Claire Island to her as a new base for piracy. The widow did not have to lose heart for a long time: the aristocrat Hugh de Lacey consoled her, still very young - fifteen years younger than Grein herself. True, also not for long - for some reason, people tend to end quickly in a pirate environment. This cup did not pass and Hugh. On this occasion, Granual was very offended by the McMahon clan, whose representatives became the reason for this , as a result of which the whole clan has already ended radically and unpleasantly: “Bald Graine” took their fortress and cut them all.
The gloomy Rockfleet Castle.
Granual continued to methodically capture the coast of Mayo, until there was one castle not occupied by her - Rockfleet. Then the pirate changed her concept: for its owner, Risdeard Yarain from the Berk clan, also known as "Iron Richard" (either for the habit of wearing armor, almost without taking it off, or for owning iron workshops in Barrishole), she simply married. Fortunately, the Irish tradition allowed a "trial marriage" for a year. Within a year, she managed to give birth to another son, Tibbot (Theobald), then divorced in an original way - she locked herself in Rockfleet Castle with a small army and shouted out the window: "Richard Burke, I'm divorcing you!" Iron Richard did not waste time on trifles, and the castle remained in the possession of O'Malley.
It is curious that on the second day after Grain O'Malley gave birth to a son, Algerian pirates attacked her ship. The indomitable pirate rebuffed the attackers, declaring: “It is better to fight than to give birth!” The subordinates did not argue - she knows better than they do...
In general, Granual had very peculiar ideas about how to interact with people. During a trip to Dublin, trying to pay a courtesy call to Baron Howth in the castle of the same name, she found that they did not want to know her there - the servants announced to her that, they say, "the family is having dinner", and the gate remained closed. Then she kidnapped the son of the baron and announced that she would return him only if from now on in this castle the gates were open for uninvited guests and at every meal the Howts would put an extra chair for someone who could come. The baron agreed (where was he to go?) and gave Grein a ring as a pledge. The ring is still kept by the descendants of the pirate, and this agreement is still observed in Howth Castle.
Meeting Grain and Elizabeth. More fun than effective.
In parallel with the stormy personal life Grein did not leave the profitable sea craft either. However, after a while, Fortune turned her back on her: what the pirates could not do turned out to be subject to officials. Particularly hostile - which was the governor of Connacht, Sir Richard Bingham. He began by (quite within the law) ravaging Grain's lands and capturing her eldest son Owen, who was soon after killed "while trying to escape." Even the fact that Granual took part in the defeat Invincible Armada(that is, she directly participated in, perhaps, the most important battle for England and sank the galleon of Pedro de Mendoza), the situation did not change - and when Bingham captured two more sons, as well as Donal's half-brother, the pirate risked asking for an audience with Elizabeth the First herself . Say, I propose a mutually beneficial agreement - I will "fall with fire and sword on the enemies of England and the queen," and you already rein in your bureaucrats, huh? No life from them to honest pirates ...
The meeting turned out to be both nervous and anecdotal at the same time. So, for starters, Grain refused to bow to the Queen - saying that she did not recognize her as Queen of Ireland. Then it turned out that the pirate had a dagger with her (which was strictly forbidden) - Granual said that "for self-defense" ... Then she also played alternately in a rebel and a savage. Elizabeth, however, rather amused what was happening. As a result, an agreement was concluded for some time: Bingham was removed from service, and O'Malley would make sure that there were no more uprisings in Ireland. Relatives were also released.
After some time, Granual took up her old ways (trying, however, at least formally to stay within the framework of "action against the enemies of England"), and Bingham again appeared on the horizon. This continued until 1603, when, according to some sources, another battle became fatal for Grain O'Malley, and according to others, she died in Rockfleet Castle. By the way, it is possible that the versions are not so contradictory.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Personal file No. 6
Personal file number 7
If pirates weren't punished death penalty and fear would not deter many cowards, then thousands of swindlers, who seem to be honest people and who nevertheless do not disdain to rob widows and orphans, would also rush into the sea to rob with impunity, and the ocean would be at the mercy of the canals, which would be reason for the complete cessation of trade.
Mary Reid
Naturally, not only those who could boast of a long pedigree went to the “knife and ax workers on ocean roads”. Moreover, ladies under pirate flags walked not only along the European coast. So, two famous (albeit not as captains) pirates operated in the most famous sea robbery region - in the Caribbean Sea. The history of both began, however, also from Europe.
Mary Read on the left, Ann Bonnie on the right. Anne is prettier, Mary is a more serious opponent.
This is how pirates were executed.
Anne was born in the small Irish town of Kinsale, where her father Edward Cormeck worked as a lawyer - and her mother Mary was his maid. The birth of an illegitimate daughter did not please Cormeck's wife, and she took action: as a result, Edward lost all his clientele and was forced to leave with Ann and her mother to South Carolina. However, he hardly lost on this, because he soon became a wealthy planter and, since there were opportunities, he completely spoiled his beloved daughter. While she shocked the conservative public, driving around topless on horseback, it was not so bad. But when, in a fit of rage, she stabbed the maid in the stomach with a knife, the father realized that measures had to be taken - and, in accordance with his ideas, began to look for a profitable party for her.
Meanwhile, the red-haired beauty Ann had her own opinion on this matter - she agreed with a simple sailor James Bonnie. Her father, having learned about this, kicked her out of the house - and for some reason there was a fire on his plantation ... And the newlyweds hastily moved to the Bahamas, which at that time was one of the well-known havens of pirates. There, James Bonnie became an informant for the governor, and Ann first got along with the wealthy planter Childy Bayard (which helped her a lot when she was involved in the murder of the governor's cousin - Childy bought her out of prison), and then with the captain of the ship "Revenge" - the pirate John Rackham, who received either for his love of bright clothes, or for his love of love, the nickname "Chint Jack" (Anne had a child from him, who died immediately after birth). It cannot be said that James Bonney did nothing to return his wife - the governor's court even sentenced Ann to flogging and return to her husband - but for some reason both these prospects did not seduce her. Ann, along with John, went on a free voyage.
John Rackham, nicknamed
ny Jack. Surprise
sometimes the logic of people who give nicknames is telno.
Pistol and decal
they can achieve much more than with a gun and kind word.
Without hiding the fact that she is a woman, Ann, along with other pirates, took part in all the battles and earned the respect of the team as a serious and effective fighter. During the capture of one of the ships, she met Mary Reid.
Mary was born in London - and, like Ann, was illegitimate. However, her mother first hid Mary, and then passed her off as a deceased (legitimate) brother - and under this pretext received money from her mother-in-law for a long time. The habit of both giving out and perceiving oneself as a representative of the opposite sex remained with Mary in the future. At first she got a job as a lackey in the house of a rich lady, then she left for Flanders, where, calling herself Mark Reid, she entered the infantry regiment as a cadet. Convinced that her fearlessness there did not receive due appreciation, she moved to the cavalry, where the brave and quick-witted were valued more. There she fell in love for the first time - with her colleague; and soon Mary and her chosen one got married, retired and opened a tavern under the common name "Three Horseshoes". It would seem that nothing foreshadowed ... but Mary's husband soon died, and the widow took up a well-known craft - she tried to enlist in the infantry. But peacetime did not give her much chance. Then she (as usual - in men's clothing and this time under the name of John Reed) boarded the Dutch sloop Providence, bound for the West Indies, to try her luck in a new place. It was this ship that was attacked by the Revenge.
On board the attacked ship, there was only one person who did not surrender to the pirates and accepted the battle - and that was Mary Reid. She fenced so skillfully and desperately that the pirates, who appreciated high-class fighters, offered her to join their crew (and not only keep their property, but also get a share from the plunder of Providence). Mary thought - and agreed.
It is logical that a handsome and courageous young man could not help but attract the attention of Ann. She falls in love - and demands an answer. What about the answer, history did not save the exact data, but, in any case, Mary had to reveal her secret. What was surprising at the time - because the jealous Calico Jack had already threatened to cut the throat of the lucky Englishman ... but cooled down and decided that he liked the "wife's girlfriend" option more than a duel with an unobvious (considering Mary's qualifications as a swordsman) outcome. For the rest of the crew, Mary, however, continued to be John ... except for one of the artisans captured by pirates. Instead, Mary even fought a duel - reasonably believing that she had more chances.
Mary was one of those who always take the fight.
Duel Mary Read. Not the first and not the last, presumably.
"Revenge" - not least because of the beautiful Ann - quickly became a living legend in the Caribbean. However, luck smiles not only on pirates, and in October 1720, pirate hunter Jonathan Barnet took Rackham's crew by surprise - when the crew was drinking along with another crew (in this case, an English ship). After the first salvo, the sailors fled - only Calico Jack, Ann, Mary and another crew member remained to defend the Revenge. After a short (albeit fierce) resistance, the ship, of course, was captured.
When the pirates were brought to trial (whose sentence was quite predictable - the governor of Jamaica was tired of various pirates worse than bitter radish), they were asked the traditional question: can they give a reason why the court should let them live. Both friends were able to, saying the formula: “Our wombs ask for us” (for the execution of pregnant women was postponed until childbirth). However, the delay saved Mary for a short time - although the cause of her death was not the executioners, but a severe fever (apparently due to an infection introduced during childbirth). But what happened in the end with Ann is unknown. Perhaps an influential father remembered her - and, changing his anger to mercy, pulled him out of prison; perhaps, after a reprieve, the sentence was carried out, but again, in order not to cast a shadow on the respected planter because of the unlucky daughter, this was not done publicly.
Elaine encountered the pirate life as soon as she began to run a small island - a haven for the most famous and fierce sea robbers. She found a common language with them easily, but did not dare to support the fishery. Neutrality made itself felt when LeChuck and Guybrush Threepwood showed up. More precisely, he did not let them know about himself - Elaine was simply gagged and sent to Monkey Island. Then she was rescued, stolen again, rescued again - in general, at one fine moment, the girl realized that it was easier to wear a sword on her belt and a black flag on the mast than elegant clothes and the title of governor. Well, the wedding with Guybrush and the eternal confrontation with LeChak only accelerated the reincarnation.
"Boy, do you want a drink?"
Beautiful Beatrice. What serious things she has... a pistol and a dagger!
Another pirate celebrity in the games is Beatrice Sharp, or "Red Devil" as she was nicknamed by the sailors of the Caribbean. This fiery red-haired beast is the daughter of the famous Nicholas Sharpe, and concurrently the main character of the third part of The Corsairs. Not much is known about Beatrice's life, so one can only judge her from the stories of sailors. And as soon as they finish tales of her ferocity, they turn to odes to diabolical beauty and various talents, whether it is boarding a ship in record time or excellent use of a sword.
Well, if you are an avid World of Warcraft player, then you probably remember the odious Captain De Mes, an elite level 70 NPC from Pirate Bay. She appears in the game once a year - on September 19 during the Pirate Day celebration and turns anyone into a pirate.
These are just a few stories about the life of the famous pirates of the past. There were many more. Insolence and revenge, love and hatred, disobedience and courage - fanned with a veil of romance, stories seem to us much brighter and more prominent than our lives. But let's not forget that any pirate ship - no matter how beautiful she was on board and from what noble motives she went to sea - brought death, ruin and grief with her. It is not for nothing that a skull bares its teeth merrily on the flag.
There is a belief that a woman on a ship is unfortunately. No matter how! In this collection you will find some beautiful creatures that boarded treasure ships and brought misfortune only to their enemies. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Saeed Al Hurra. Saida Al-Hurra was born around 1485 to a prominent Muslim family in the Kingdom of Granada. Forced to flee after being taken over by Christian Spain, Saida's parents settled in Chaoyen, Morocco. After the death of her husband, Saida became the Queen of Tetouan, due to which she subsequently married the King of Morocco, Ahmed al-Wattasi. And although Saida was incredibly wealthy, her anger at the Christians who once forced her to leave home prompted her to take up piracy. The capture of Christian ships helped fulfill her dream of returning home for at least one day. Ultimately, the Queen of the Mediterranean in the eyes of the Christians became the main intermediary for the Portuguese and Spanish governments when they tried to free the captives held by the pirates. In 1542, a woman was dethroned by her stepson. Nothing is known about her further fate.
Pirate Queen Teuta of Illyria. This amazing woman took the risk of taking Rome, while many of the men could not even think about it. After the death of her husband, the King of Ardiae, Teuta inherited the kingdom of Ardiaein in 231 BC. Trying to cope with the aggression of neighboring states, she supported the pirate population of her kingdom. With her support, the Illyrians captured the cities of Phoenis and Dyrrachium. 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.
Ann Bonnie. Anne Bonny (or Annie) was an Irish pirate born between 1697-1700. After her mother's death, Anne's father amassed 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 Bonnie, her father abandoned her. The girl moved to New Providence in the Bahamas, where she met Jack Rackham, the captain of the pirate ship Revenge, and became his mistress. What followed was a divorce from James and marriage to Jack, and...piracy...Anne helped form a new team and take over a large number of ships, many of which carried tea. It all ended with the fact that the Governor of Jamaica authorized Captain Jonathan Barnet to deal with Bonnie and Rackham. Since most of their crew were drunk at the 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 supposed to defend the peninsula from English pretenders. 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. Filled with anger, Jean vowed to take revenge on the king. She sold her lands to wealthy nobles and bought 3 warships. The ships were painted black, the sails were red. The woman killed the crew of the captured ships, leaving only a few sailors alive to 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 so until she left for England - the only place where people loved the French about the same as she did.
Chin Shi. Chin Shi is a Chinese sea robber who has 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 in Europe they did not hear anything about her. But on Far East and in the expanses of the South China seas, everyone knew her name - both the poor and the rich. She went down in history under the name of "Lady Qing", the uncrowned queen of Chinese pirates. late XVIII - early XIX centuries. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command.
Ann Diou-le-Veuth. The criminal, exiled from France to Tortuga sometime between 1665 and 1675, married the pirate Pierre Langt. In 1683, her husband was killed by another pirate - Lorenzo de Graaf - during a fight in a bar. After the incident, the girl challenged Lorenzo and took out a weapon. The pirate refused to fight the woman, but impressed by Ann's dark side, he proposed to her. Ann, apparently forgetting that she had just wanted to kill the 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 Ann and her two daughters. They reunited with Lorenzo a few years later. Their further fate is unknown.
Grace O "Malley. An unusually brave, but at the same time insensitive and cruel woman came from an old Irish family of O" Meli, known for many corsairs and pirates. Grace's father was the leader of the seafaring O'Mall Clan, left untouched by the British. O'Malley took on his role in levying taxes from fishermen in their territory. But the method of "collecting taxes" was not quite usual - they demanded cash or cargo from the ships for safe passage. Refusal was tantamount to death. Grace also attacked the strongholds of Irish and Scottish nobles. Some say she even kidnapped Anglo-Irish children.
Lady Elizabeth Killigrew. Elizabeth, born around 1525, became Lady Killigrew when she married Sir John Killigrew of Arwenac, Cornwall. In the 1540s, when Pendennis Castle was built on her husband's land by King Henry VIII, the Killigrews gained control of shipping in the area. They began to use this position to prey on the cargoes 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 cargo. After she was caught, Killigrew was pardoned and forgiven by Queen Elizabeth.
Christina Anna Skitt. The daughter of Baron Jacob Skitt of Duderhof (Sweden) and her fiancé Gustaf Drake became partners in "business" - her brother, apparently not happy with great wealth, led a double life as 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 the capture of Gustaf, and Christina was forced to flee.
Jacot Delahee. 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 a few years of peace, she returned to piracy and is believed by many to have teamed up with Anne Diu-le-Vuet.
