List of Famous Pirates/Buccaneers
Over the course of last three millennia, many famous pirates made their mark in the history of mankind. From the privateers that fought wars, to the pirates that looted everything in sight, here you can find out about their life, battles, adventures on sea and terrors they inflicted on the waters of every Ocean on the Earth.
Anne Bonny
In the long history of piracy, there were only few women who were able to distinguish themselves. One of the most famous one is Anne Bonny, who sailed across the waters of Caribbean in the times that is today known as “Golden Age of Piracy”.
Bartholomew Roberts
If we look to the past, we can see that there were dangerous pirates and there were successful pirates, and Bartholomew Roberts is definitely part of a successful camp. During his long career he managed to capture incredible wealth and inspire such a fear that naval trade almost completely stopped around him.
Blackbeard
One of the most popular pirates of modern times was no other than fabled Blackbeard, who terrorized the waters of the Caribbean during the famous “Golden Age of Piracy”. Stories of his life and glorious death in battle were the major source of popular image that pirates have today.
Cheng I
Late 18th century was a time of turmoil on the Chinese Sea, with pirate bands uniting into such large forces that even military fleets of several nations could not oppose them. One of the biggest pirate captains of that time was Cheng I who after marriage with famous Ching Shih created a pirate empire of incredible proportions.
Edward England
One of the most famous pirate captains of early 18th century was without a doubt Edward England, who remains remembered for the popularization of Jolly Rogers pirate flag and for his attempt to spare the life of the captured enemy Captain.
Edward Low
As one of the most notorious and ruthless pirates of all time, Edward Low remains remembered today as one of the most famous pirates of the Atlantic Ocean. His violent nature and thirst for murder and torture was so strong that it almost singlehandedly brought the end of Golden age of Piracy.
Grace O'Malley
One of the most important historical figures of Ireland is Grace O'Malley. So-called Pirate queen of Ireland protected their people and lands against the control of England, and managed to reach important political status during her lifetime.
Henry Every
One of the most famous pirates of all time is without a doubt Henry Every, who managed to live a perfect dream of any pirate – during small period of his activity he managed to capture incredible treasure and then retire without being caught.
Henry Morgan
In the history of buccaneers and pirates, Henry Morgan will be remembered as one of the most ruthless ones. During his entire life he waged constant war against Spanish in the New World, which brought him reputation of national hero in England and criminal in Spain.
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte is today remembered as one of the most famous American pirates of the 19th century. During his active years he was celebrated as a hero by the ordinary people and as a criminal by US government. His idolized image of rebellious pirate has survived even to today.
John Rackham
John Rackham is remembered today for being one of the successful pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy in Caribbean. Part of his fame also comes from the fact that he was one of the rare Captains had two female pirates on his crew, Mary Read and Anne Bonny.
Mary Read
Mary Read will forever be remembered as one of the rare female pirates that operated in the waters of the Caribbean. Here you can find the interesting story of her life, and the way she found herself on a deck of a pirate ship.
Sir Francis Drake
As one of the most famous privateers of the English crown, Sir Francis Drake will forever be remembered in the history of the pirate lore. His lifelong exploits in the fights against the Spanish brought him incredible fame that remains celebrated even today.
Turgut Reis
One of the most celebrated European privateers of all time was Turgut Reis, famous Ottoman naval commander and admiral of their entire fleet who during his lifetime took part in some of the most important naval battles of 16th century.
William Kidd
William Kidd is today remembered for his short and very turbulent career as a pirate. Even though he did not have successful career as a pirate, a trial in which he lost his life greatly popularized pirates in the Europe. Here you can find out more about his interesting life.
