These pirates built a fearsome reputation on the high seas and made a fortune plundering ships before they were captured or killed — or disappeared without a trace.
Wikimedia CommonsThe Jolly Roger, a common flag flown by some famous pirates.
From roughly the 1650s to the 1730s, the world was in the throes of the Golden Age of Piracy. Although it’s often romanticized in recent years, it was a brutal and tumultuous time period, with thousands of pirates terrorizing the world’s oceans, disrupting global trade routes, and challenging the naval supremacy of Europe’s greatest empires.
While popular culture has sometimes portrayed pirates as swashbuckling adventurers who were simply seeking treasure and freedom, the reality was often a far more complex story of desperation, violence, and rebellion against the rigid social hierarchies of the early modern world.
Learn about some of history’s most famous pirates below.
1 of 28
François L’Olonnais
François L’Olonnais was a French pirate who attacked ships and towns in the 1660s. His hatred for Spaniards was infamous and he was known for his cruelty toward Spanish prisoners of war. His savage life came to an equally savage end as he was captured, hacked to pieces, roasted over a fire, and reportedly eaten by a tribe of cannibals in the Gulf of Darien.Wikimedia Commons
2 of 28
Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew Roberts was a young, handsome, and well-dressed pirate who did immensely well. Roberts actually captured more than 400 vessels during his career. Despite his incredible success, Roberts despised hedonism and strongly discouraged gambling, female passengers, and excessive drinking. He died during a battle with the HMS Swallow, a British warship. Though he bravely fought back, his crew was too drunk to help him, and he was ultimately fatally struck by a gunshot to the throat.Wikimedia Commons
3 of 28
Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan ruthlessly attacked a myriad of Spanish cities and ships in service of Jamaican Governor Sir Thomas Modyford. The resulting booty made Morgan an incredibly wealthy man. He was even eventually knighted and appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. However, Morgan’s success didn’t last, and he eventually died from complications of alcoholism. Wikimedia Commons
4 of 28
Edward England
Born Edward Seegar in Ireland around 1685, he called himself Edward England and he was rumored to be an educated man. He originally served as a privateer during the War of the Spanish Succession. England then became a pirate after being captured by a private vessel, where he was forced to join the crew. He later died of a tropical disease in 1721. Wikimedia Commons
5 of 28
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny was Irish and married to a small-time pirate named James. The marriage was not a happy one, and Bonny left him for another pirate named Calico Jack. While sailing the high seas, Bonny had a reputation for her violent temper, dressing like a man whenever her ship went on the attack, and her friendship with another “lady pirate,” Mary Read. By pure coincidence, the two ended up sailing on the same ship in the Caribbean in the early 1700s. Eventually, Bonny, Calico Jack, and Read were captured by English forces. Bonny avoided execution due to her pregnancy, and it’s unclear what happened to her after she escaped being hanged. Wikimedia Commons
6 of 28
Benjamin Hornigold
Benjamin Hornigold was a pirate who ran raids on cargo ships. His second-in-command was none other than Edward Teach, a notorious pirate who later became known as “Blackbeard.” In his later years, Hornigold became a pirate hunter and died in an unforeseen shipwreck. Wikimedia Commons
7 of 28
Blackbeard
Born Edward Teach, the infamous Blackbeard first served England as a privateer and later turned to piracy at the end of Queen Anne’s War. His savagery and violence attracted the attention of Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood. After locating the notorious pirate, Spotswood organized an ambush for Blackbeard and hung his decapitated head to the bowsprit of a ship. Wikimedia Commons
8 of 28
Calico Jack
Born John Rackham, he was known as “Calico Jack” due to the calico clothing he wore. Calico Jack was an English pirate who was famous for two reasons: his design of the iconic Jolly Roger flag (a skull with two crossed swords) and for having two female pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, in his crew. Calico Jack was tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang for his crimes in 1720.Wikimedia Commons
9 of 28
Charles Gibbs
Charles Gibbs was the pseudonym of an American pirate named James D. Jeffers. He was one of the last active pirates in the Caribbean during the 19th century. Jeffers was among the last people to be executed for piracy in the United States.Wikimedia Commons
10 of 28
Charles Vane
Charles Vane was an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean during the early 18th century. Known for his ruthlessness and refusal to accept pardons, he captured numerous vessels and frequently clashed with colonial authorities. Vane was eventually captured after being marooned on a typically uninhabited island and was executed in Jamaica in 1721. Wikimedia Commons
11 of 28
Cheung Po Tsai
Cheng Po Tsai was just the son of a local fisherman when he was kidnapped by the notorious pirate couple Cheng I and Ching Shih, and adopted into a life of crime. According to legend, when Cheng I died, Cheng Po took up with his adoptive mother and married her, carrying on the family business of pillage and plunder. Later in life, Cheung Po joined the Qing government and became a government official. Wikimedia Commons
12 of 28
Ching Shih
Ching Shih was a Chinese prostitute who worked on a floating brothel in Canton, China, in 1775. Shih met and then married Zheng Yi, who was a powerful and wealthy pirate. After his death, she assumed power and became the world’s first female pirate lord with over 80,000 ships under her command. Wikimedia Commons
13 of 28
Edward Low
In his youth, Edward Low was a thief, a gambler, and a thug. Eventually, Low turned to a life of piracy, and he and his men captured and robbed dozens of vessels on a number of coasts. Low also developed a reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness. He is believed to have been executed by hanging. Wikimedia Commons
14 of 28
Grace O’Malley
Grace O’Malley was an Irish “pirate queen” and daughter of a chieftain who commanded a fleet of ships along Ireland’s western coast. She became a formidable leader, conducting raids on rival clans and merchant ships. O’Malley boldly met with Queen Elizabeth I to negotiate for her family’s rights. She defied gender conventions of her time, continuing her maritime activities well into her 60s. Wikimedia Commons
15 of 28
Hayreddin Barbarossa
Hayreddin Barbarossa began his naval career as a pirate alongside his brothers, raiding Christian coastal villages and seizing ships across the Mediterranean. Barbarossa was so successful that he managed to become the ruler of Algiers, and even the chief admiral of the Ottoman Turkish navy under Suleiman the Magnificent.Wikimedia Commons
16 of 28
Henry Avery
During just two years of prowling the seas, “Pirate King” Henry Avery and his band captured roughly a dozen vessels and made off with tens of millions of dollars in booty, even plundering the famed Mughal ship Ganj-i-Sawai in 1695. What’s most impressive is that he did it all without ever getting captured or killed — though he did mysteriously disappear without a trace.Wikimedia Commons
17 of 28
Howell Davis
Howell Davis was a Welsh pirate who operated along the West African coast and in the Caribbean during the early 18th century. Known for his cunning and strategic deceptions, he sometimes posed as a legitimate merchant or privateer to approach unsuspecting vessels. Davis captured numerous ships through clever ruses rather than brute force. He mentored the infamous Bartholomew Roberts, who would become one of history’s most successful pirates. Davis was killed in 1719 during an ambush while attempting to capture the Portuguese governor of Príncipe Island.Wikimedia Commons
18 of 28
Mary Read
Mary Read was the best mate of Anne Bonny. She had a long history of dressing as a man for the majority of her life, and she even successfully joined the British military, posing as a man called Mark Read. Alongside Bonny, Mary Read fiercely defended their vessel, even when most of their male comrades were too fearful or too drunk to help. She was eventually captured in the same battle as Bonny and Calico Jack. She managed to avoid execution because of her pregnancy, but she died later in her prison cell after developing a fever. Wikimedia Commons
19 of 28
Queen Teuta Of Illyria
Queen Teuta of Illyria was one of the earliest recorded instances of a “pirate queen.” She utilized piracy as a means of controlling her kingdom. However, it eventually fell to Roman rule, and Queen Teuta of Illyria’s story was nearly lost to history. Wikimedia Commons
20 of 28
Samuel Bellamy
Born to a poor English family in 1689, Samuel Bellamy joined the British navy at just 13. Bellamy later turned to a life of piracy, gathering a crew, acquiring a couple of sailing canoes, and heading out into the open seas. He had a real knack for the work, as Bellamy captured more than 50 ships from 1716 to 1717. That same year, he died during a storm that wrecked his ship. Wikimedia Commons
21 of 28
Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake participated in a number of English slaving voyages to Africa and earned a reputation for his piracy against Spanish ships and possessions. Sent by Queen Elizabeth I to South America in 1577, he returned home via the Pacific and became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. The queen later rewarded him with a knighthood.Wikimedia Commons
22 of 28
Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet was a retired British army major with a large sugar plantation in Barbados. Tired of his wife, he abandoned her, his children, his land, and his fortune, and bought a ship and turned to piracy on the high seas. Bonnet’s surprising adventures earned him the nickname the “Gentleman Pirate,” and he later died by execution.Wikimedia Commons
23 of 28
Thomas Tew
Thomas Tew was an English pirate active in the 1690s who became famous for his incredibly profitable voyages in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. He pioneered the “Pirate Round,” a global route later taken by many pirates to plunder vessels. Tew’s first major raid netted enormous wealth, making him and his crew wealthy men. He was known for treating his crew democratically and maintaining friendly relations with corrupt colonial officials in Rhode Island and New York. Tew was killed in 1695 during a battle with a Mughal convoy.Wikimedia Commons
24 of 28
William Kidd
Captain William Kidd was a British sea captain during the 17th century. In 1695, he was given a royal charter by the British government to apprehend any pirates that molested the ships of the East India Company. However, as the tide turned against any form of piracy, Kidd was later executed for being a pirate himself. Wikimedia Commons
25 of 28
Yermak Timofeyevich
Yermak Timofeyevich was the leader of an expeditionary force during Russia’s initial attempt to annex a part of Siberia. He was successful and ruled over the unruly region. He later died in battle as resistance forces began to overthrow the Russian yoke. Wikimedia Commons
26 of 28
Awilda
Largely considered to be a legend, Awilda was the daughter of a fifth-century Scandinavian king. Refusing to marry her father’s choice of a husband, Awilda ran off and became a pirate. The King of Denmark sent a ship manned by the crown prince to bring back Awilda. The prince fought with such valor that Awilda agreed to wed. The pair soon married and became King and Queen of Denmark. Wikimedia Commons
27 of 28
John Derdrake
John Derdrake was said to be a Danish pirate who was active in the 1700s, but it’s unknown whether he actually existed or if he was simply a legendary figure. If his story is true, Derdrake was one of the few pirates who actually forced his victims to walk the plank.Wikimedia Commons
28 of 28
From Blackbeard To Anne Bonny, Go Inside The Stories Of 27 Famous Pirates From History
The Rise Of Famous Pirates During The Golden Age Of Piracy
The Golden Age of Piracy emerged from a perfect storm of historical circumstances. The expansion of European colonialism had created lucrative trade networks across the Atlantic, with ships laden with sugar, tobacco, silver, and enslaved people crossing between the Old World and the New World. Simultaneously, various European wars — including the War of Spanish Succession — had produced countless experienced sailors who suddenly found themselves unemployed when peace treaties were signed.
These men (and sometimes women), skilled in naval warfare but often facing poverty and harsh conditions in legitimate maritime employment, turned to piracy as a more profitable and, paradoxically, more egalitarian alternative.
As historian Mark Cartwright explains in the World History Encyclopedia, the Caribbean was one of the biggest centers of pirate activity, with Nassau in the Bahamas — known at the time as New Providence Harbour — serving as an unofficial pirate haven around 1700. Here, pirates created their own societies, governed by codes that were surprisingly democratic for their time.
Wikimedia CommonsCapture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.
Unlike the stricter hierarchies aboard naval and merchant vessels, pirate crews often voted for their captains and quartermasters, and they distributed plunder according to agreed-upon shares. Every crew member had a vote in major decisions, and many pirate codes included provisions for compensation if sailors were injured in battle — an early form of workers’ compensation that often didn’t exist in legitimate maritime employment.
Of course, many tales about famous pirates were heavily exaggerated. “Pirate adventures and courtroom trials made good press stories,” writes Dr. Robert Blyth, the author of Buried Treasure: A Pirate Miscellany. Blyth adds:
“They featured regularly in early eighteenth-century newspapers and helped shift copies to a public keen to learn the grisly details of the latest pirate heist or the most recent death sentences. But journalists and editors also exaggerated their stories to make pirates appear even more violent and destructive. The ‘golden age of piracy’ was no stranger to fake news!”
The Golden Age of Piracy had to come to an end eventually, though. At the end of the day, pirates were still thieves (and often killers), and their widespread presence was a constant threat to the European empires, which relied on naval transport and shipping to supply their colonies.
The Decline And Lasting Legacy Of Piracy
The Golden Age of Piracy began to wane around the 1720s, as European powers finally coordinated effective responses to the pirate threat. Ultimately, the appointment of former privateer Woodes Rogers as governor of the Bahamas in 1717 marked a major turning point.
Rogers offered pirates the King’s Pardon — amnesty in exchange for abandoning piracy. Meanwhile, authorities simultaneously brought military forces to fight against those who refused pardons. Many pirates accepted pardons, while others were hunted down by aggressive naval patrols.
Some famous pirates were executed in a brutal and public fashion. Their deaths became spectacles designed to deter other would-be pirates.
“Hanging was a grisly affair during the ‘golden age’ of piracy,” Blyth writes. “Unlike in the nineteenth century — when the ‘drop’ was calculated to break the neck, leading to near-instant death — a short rope was used, which left the condemned to strangle slowly to death, which could take up to 45 minutes.”
Wikimedia CommonsCaptain William Kidd, publicly gibbeted after his hanging in 1701.
Improved naval coordination between European powers, increased patrolling of the world’s oceans, and the gradual establishment of more robust colonial governance made piracy increasingly unsustainable. By the early 1730s, the Golden Age of Piracy had effectively ended, even though piracy itself would never completely disappear from the world’s seas.
The legacy of the Golden Age of Piracy extends far beyond its historical moment, though. Pirates sometimes represented a form of proto-democratic rebellion against imperial authority and maritime exploitation, creating surprisingly egalitarian communities during a deeply hierarchical age. Their codes, their elections, and their systems of sharing wealth offered an alternative model of social organization that would later be studied by historians for insights into other class struggles and resistance movements.
Even today, there is a certain appeal to the idea of old-fashioned piracy. Despite the many negatives associated with it, the life of a pirate was also a life that offered a sense of freedom, independence, and self-sufficiency — ideals that many people today may feel they are lacking.
It’s not difficult to see why popular culture has been so captivated by the legendary tales of swashbuckling and seafaring adventures.
After reading about these famous pirates, go inside the history of the iconic pirate phrase “shiver me timbers.” Then, learn about Port Royal, the pirate haven that was once known as “the wickedest city on Earth.”
