The Ultimate List of Famous Pirates, Raiders, and Buccaneers:
The Power and Influence of History's Most Infamous Maritime Marauders
Henry Every
Country of Origin: England
Years Active: 3 Years
Most Notable Event: Successful raid on a 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels making their annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which included the treasure-laden Ganj-i-Sawai (a large, armed trading ship owned by the emperor of India.
Henry Every (1659—1696)
Henry Every (also known as Henry Avery) was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans toward the end of the 17th century. He was known in his day as “The Arch Pirate” or the “King of the Pirates,” largely due to his successful capture of one of the greatest fortunes in the history of pirating, and his subsequent retirement
Charles Vane
Country of Origin: England
Years Active: 1716—1721
Most Notable Event: Taking a stand against England’s Governor of Nassau, Woodes Rogers.
Charles Vane (1680—1721)
Charles Vane was known for his cruelty and lack of respect for the pirate code. Vane operated out of the Bahamas toward the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.
Woodes Rogers
Country of Origin: England
Years Active: 1709—1710
Most Notable Event: Serving as governor, and suppressing the activity of the pirates in the Caribbean.
Woodes Rogers (1679—1732)
Edward Teach "Blackbeard"
Country of Origin: Bristol, England.
Years Active: 1716—1718
Most Notable Event: Final standoff at Ocracoke Island.
Edward Teach "Blackbeard" (1680—1718)
Captain of Queen Anne’s Revenge, Edward Teach (or Thatch) was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the east coast of North America.
"Black Sam" Bellamy
Country of Origin: Devonshire, England.
Years Active: 1716—1717
Most Notable Event: Capturing of the Whydah Gally, a state-of-the-art, 300-ton, 102-foot-long English slave ship with 18 guns
Ships: Marianne, Sultana, and Whydah Gally
Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy (1689—1717)
“Black Sam” Bellamy started out as an impoverished colonist living in America, who turned to piracy to make a living and support a family. Fed up with British oppression, Bellamy was considered the Robin Hood of pirates. He stole from wealthy British merchants to give to the poor. He was also dubbed “Sam the Good,” for he freed slaves and rules his fleet democratically.
Capturing some 53 ships in little more than a year, history also reports “Black Sam” Bellamy as the wealthiest pirate in the entire Golden Age of Piracy. Lashing out against the corrupt elites of England, who robbed the poor under the cover of the law, Bellamy famously said:
“I am a free prince, and I have as much authority to make war on the whole world as he who has a hundred sail of ships at sea and an army of 100,000 men in the field; and this my conscience tells me! But there is no arguing with such snivelling puppies, who allow superiors to kick them about deck at pleasure.”