Deadliest Pirates From Around The World
By Anna Collins
11 months ago
1. Blackbeard
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Edward Teach has become notoriously known as Blackbeard. He was a pirate who roamed the West Indies and the Eastern coast of America in the early 18th century. He gained a reputation for his numerous battles and terrifying tactics. He would even tie ribbons and light them whilst tied to his beard to intimidate people.2. Bartholomew Roberts
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Bartholomew Roberts gained a reputation as one of the scariest pirates on the sea during the 1700s. He was a captain of a ship and he successfully captured hundreds and hundreds of ships during his career. He's widely considered one of the most formidable pirates in history. His death came during a battle where he was completely outnumbered.3. William Kidd
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William Kidd was a Scottish privateer (born in 1645) who was authorized by the British government to attack oncoming enemy ships during the war. He gained huge success and after gaining himself a reputation he was then hired after the war by wealthy people who wanted to protect their own business pursuits.4. Anne Bonny
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Anne Bonny is one of history's most iconic, namely for the fact that she was a woman in the 1650s who completely went against all societal norms. SH left her husband to join a crew and disguised herself as a man until she revealed herself and fell in love with a pirate named Calico Jack. The couple fought together, terrorizing Caribbean waters.5. Calico Jack Rackman
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Calico Jack Rackman, the famous partner of Anne Bonny who was born in England in 1682. He became a pirate for a few years before commanding his own ship and crew, symbolized by his infamous black flag which features a white skull above two crossed swords. He was romantically involved with Anne Bonny AND Mary Read, who both disguised themselves as men on his ship.6. Henry Morgan
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Henry Morgan, or Captain Morgan as he is better known, was born in Wales in 1635. He was employed as a privateer by the British government to attack Spanish colonies. He led some of the biggest pirate battles in history. Despite in later years having his integrity questioned due to his acts of piracy, he was made the Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.7. Jean Lafitte
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Jean Lafite was a French pirate who had many successful conquests throughout his career of piracy. He was also a privateer, hired by different governments to suppress the ships of different regions. He also partook in smuggling and ran a network where he trafficked people and illegal goods.8. Francois L'Olonnais
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Francois l'Onlonnais was a French Pirate who became notorious for his extremely ruthless piracy tactics. He circulated the Caribbean in the 17th century and he was known then and now as a fearsome and violent pirate who spared no mercy on those he took as prisoners.9. Henry Every
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Henry Every is to this very day known as one of the most successful pirates in history, as he conducted a historic raid when he captured the Mughal ship in 1695. It was returning from Mecca after a pilgrimage and onboard were countless loads of treasure. This raid alone made him one of the richest pirates ever!10. Samuel Bellamy
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Samuel Bellamy was an English pirate from the 18th century. He first worked as a sailor before turning to a life of piracy. He joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold before setting off n his own and becoming the captain of his ship named the Whydah Gally. He captured, sunk, and stole the good of many ships in his time. His time came to an end, along with his crew and ship, during a fierce storm in 1717 when the ship vanished.11. Ching Shih
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Ching Shih, also known as Madame Ching was a very successful and powerful pirate of the early 19th century. She was born in 1775 and began her career as a prostitute before falling in love with and marrying the infamous, Captain Zheng Yi. She ended up becoming a notable pirate with a formidable career, even captaining her own ship and crew.12. Cheung Po Tsai
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Chinese pirate Cheung Po Tsai who plundered the South China Sea. When he was just 15 years old he was kidnapped by a pirate crew and forced to join their ranks. Over many years he established himself as one of the most feared pirates and worked his way to the captain of the ship and crew.13. Stede Bonnet
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English pirate, Stede Bonnet, became known as the 'Gentleman pirate' due to his background of wealth. It was unusual for a gentleman or a man of money to become a pirate. But, his fascination with pirates led to him buying his ship named Revenge and starting his own career with a crew who regularly questioned his authenticity.14. Roche Braziliano
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Roche Braziliano operated as a pirate in the Caribbean in the 17th century. At one point in history, he was taken and imprisoned by Spanish forces, but he managed to escape and resumed his life of piracy. He became known for switching allegiance to different colonial powers.15. Jean-David Nau
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Jean-David Nau was a notoriously brutal pirate. He joined the French buccaneers (who were a type of pirate primarily operating in the Caribbean) and quickly gained a reputation for his brutality. For this reason, he has gained a name in history as one of the most ruthless pirates to date.16. Thomas Tew
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Thomas Tew or Captain Tew is one of the very few pirates who successful voyages to the Indian Ocean. Here he gained huge wealth through piracy. In 1692 he set out with 150 men, determined to go further than he ever had in order to amass more wealth than he could in closer oceans.17. Mary Reid
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Mary Read was a companion to Anne Bonny, a fellow female pirate and one of her crewmates. The two of them bonded whilst joining Rackman's ship. Two women in a sea full of men. When Rackman's ship was attacked in 1720, the two women were captured together and sentenced to death. But, she actually died before she faced execution. One theory is that she was pregnant at the time.18. Charles Vane
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Englishman Charles Vane was amongst many pirates who operated during what is known as 'the Golden Age of Piracy' which occurred in the 18th century. He had a fierce reputation and he was the captain of many ships, including the infamous Ranger. Vane set sail primarily in the Caribbean and the Bahamas.19. Henry Strangways
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Henry Strangways was an English privateer in the 17th century. He started as a privateer, honored by the government. He had an extremely successful privateering career and he also embarked upon a career of piracy. He was known for his successful raids, one of which he gained £40,000.20. Francois le Clerc
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Francois Le Clerc was an infamous buccaneer who was a pirate mainly in the Caribbean Ocean in the 17th century. He had a huge reputation for being a fierce and ruthless pirate who had many successful conquests. His attacks were often successful and he captained his own ship and crew.21. Edward Low
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Edward Low gained infamy during the 18th century for his totally brutal ways. He was renowned as a fearsome pirate and he commended several small fleets. He was known for having tortured his victims, not prisoners but also members of his crew. His power finally came to an end after a series of unsuccessful attacks, his crew rebelled against him and he was tried and sentenced to death on trial.22. William Fly
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Englishman William Fly, despite having a brief career as a pirate, gained fame at that time for being extremely brutal in his tactics and treatment of people. He began his piracy career in 1726 and it came to an end after a very short amount of time when his crew turned against him. He was caught, trialed, and sentenced to death.23. William Lewis
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William Lewis was an American pirate who operated at the beginning of the 19th century. He frequently sailed in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Caribbean Ocean. He became known for launching successful attacks on both American ships and Spanish ships.24. Jean-Baptiste du Casse
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Jean Baptiste du Casse became a privateer at the end of the 17th century/ beginning of the 18th century. He became very well-established within his career and he was also a military leader during the Spanish War. He became the governor of Saint-Domingue.25. Edward England
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Irish pirate Edward England started a sailing career which led to a life of piracy. He mainly sailed in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. One of his most historic moments as a pirate happened in 1720 when he captured the East India Company ship which was named Cassandra.26. John Quelch
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John Quelch was an English pirate whose career began in 1703. He commanded his own ship which was named Charles. He plundered the coasts of Brazil, aiming at Portuguese ships and stealing cargo loads full of gold and silver, and other trade goods. He was captured in 1704 and executed with his crew.27. Nicholas van Hoorn
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Nicholas van Hoorn was a pirate during the middle of the 17th century. He operated in the Caribbean Sea and along the coast of South America. He targeted Spanish and Portuguese ships and became renowned for his successful attacks. He raided a Spanish settlement, overtook the city, and looted its goods and wealth.28. Christopher Condent
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Christopher Condent had a short, but tumultuous pirate career in the early 18th century. He began in 1718 and he set off for the Caribbean and Madagascar and attacked many Indian vessels. He launches many attacks and seized numerous vessels during his time as a pirate.29. George Lowther
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English pirate George Lowther began a career of piracy in 1719. he sailed the waters of the Caribbean, the Canary Islands, and the Azores. He captained a ship and commanded his crew to attack and loot other vessels. In 1723 he and his crew were shipwrecked, and despite surviving they were then captured and executed.30. Emanuel Wynn
