The untold stories of 3 real-life pirates
Your curiosity and fantasy about pirates have been fuelled by the famous fictional character Sindbad the Sailor and the renowned movie franchise Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, some of you probably fancy that they exist in the real world too, away from civilisation and continue with their swashbuckling shenanigans. Then there are also others who wish to become pirates themselves and get a taste of the thrill and perils that come with it. Well, while we can’t advise you to embrace the life of a pirate, we can surely tell you some real-life stories about people who turned into pirates due to certain unforeseen circumstances.
Captain William Kidd
History remembers Captain William Kidd as an infamous 17th century Scottish pirate who conducted his illegal yet profitable business in the Atlantic. However, not many know that Kidd began as a private merchant who was hired by the British to protect their trade routes, especially during the Nine Year War that happened between France and the Grand Alliance (Italy, Netherlands, England, and Spain). Eventually, the British betrayed Captain Kidd and his crew by not giving them the promised incentives. This is when they took up pirating as a way of revenge. Guess what they did? They specifically identified ships carrying food and cargo from India to England and attacked them. In fact, one of his greatest accomplishments as a pirate was to capture and loot the Quedagh Merchant, an Indian ship laden with trade items worth 70,000 pounds, making it one of the biggest hauls in the history of pirating.
Unfortunately, when he landed in West Indies in 1699 to take some rest, the British were waiting for him. He managed to flee to Boston where the governor promised him immunity. But he too betrayed Kidd and eventually handed him over to the British. While in trial, he was sentenced to death. In March 1701, he was hanged, not once but twice. The first time, the rope snapped. Those who were in favour of him declared it as an act of god and pleaded to spare his life. But the British were reluctant to let him walk free and hung him again until he was dead.
Edward Teach
Better known as Blackbeard, Edward Teach is one of the most infamous pirates of all time. He too, like Kidd, operated in the 17th century across the Atlantic. Born in Bristol, England, he was one of the crewmen on board a British private ship during the War of Spanish Succession. Unfortunately, his ship got stuck in the tumultuous waters and the captains and high-ranking officers fled by boat, leaving behind Teach and some other low-ranking crewmen. To their bad luck, the ship was found by the Spanish and captured, while the men were imprisoned. Teach, who was their self-proclaimed leader sent news back home; but in vain.
Somehow, Teach managed to escape Spanish prison and ended up in the Caribbean where he met Captain Benjamin Hornigold. Already a successful pirate, Hornigold operated out of Jamaica. Teach too joined his service and initially plundered all ships that ventured into the Jamaican waters. But Teach wasn’t happy with what he was making and all sought vengeance. So, he went his own way and eventually captured a ship laden with British treasures. He renamed it “Queen Anne: Revenger”. As you can guess, his goal was straightforward - to make the current monarch (who he believed had wrecked his life) pay for her sins. And he did that as well. Till date, nobody knows where Teach hid the ship and its valuable contents.
Throughout his career as a pirate, Teach looted approximately forty ships. In November 1718, his reputation finally caught up with him. His ship was captured by British royal Marines, but he gave a fitting fight. At the end when he succumbed, he had 20 sword lacerations and five musket-ball wounds on his body, making him one of the best-remembered fallen pirate heroes.
As for his nickname, “Blackbeard” referred to his long and burning fuses that he kept stuffed into his beard, hair and hat.
Anne Bonny
Born in England as Anne Cormac in 1697, she was separated from her mother during her infant days when her step father fled with her to the New World in Carolina, USA. There, she grew up as an adventure seeker and at the young age of 16 married a private merchant James Bonny, going against her family.
Her husband was a private spy who was based in the New Providence island in the Bahamas. Being madly in love with him, she constantly sought her attention and approval. But being in the espionage business, James Bonny had very little time for her. This is when Anne started mingling with pirates who often came ashore. There, he developed an affair with a famous pirate named “Calico” Jack Rackham. She took the disguise of a man and fled with him. In Rackham’s crew, she also met Mary Read (perhaps the only female pirate of that time) and the three musketeers on board a ship called “William” hired a new crew and for the next few years (late 1690s to early 1720s) enjoyed a life of pirating.
Unfortunately, in October 1720, she along with his crew were caught by the Jamaican governor. While the men mere mostly beheaded, both Bonny and Read sought mercy on the grounds of pregnancy. While Read was imprisoned and eventually gave birth, the whereabouts of Bonny still remains a mystery in pirating history. Some say she died from childbirth, others say she swam thousands of miles in search of her husband and eventually survived under a pretend identity.