Ahoy Cap’n! Us normal folk don’t come across these words on a daily basis. But, what about the pirates? If anybody dared talk to the Captain without respect, the poor bloke would surely have lost something (an eye, a hand, UGH!). Fearsome as they might be, pirates are still a topic of interest. Whenever the word ‘pirate’ comes to mind we picture someone with an eye patch, a fake leg (maybe) and, fearsome personality. But, the core of piracy is stealing. If there was nothing to steal, there would be no eye patches, fake legs and fearsome personality, all grouped into one. History has seen many pirates, some greedy, some blood-thirsty and some phenomenal ones! Their enemies or, everybody feared them. Let’s look at these fearsome pirates.
- Edward Teach ‘Blackbeard’ – Pirates of the Caribbean comes to mind. Anyways, he was a real and feared pirate. At the pinnacle of his career as a pirate, he had an army of 300 and commanded four ships! He always went into battle with two swords and, a few knives and pistols at the ready. He is known for defeating HMS Scarborough, the famous battleship. During the time he ruled the sea, he plundered over 40 goods ships in the Caribbean. He was later defeated by the Royal Navy and beheaded.
- Sir Henry Morgan – He terrorized the Spanish Caribbean colonies in the 1600’s. Itis rumored that the English sanctioned him. He headed the Jamaican fleet and enfeebled the Spanish rule. He even hindered the normal conditions in West Indies. He has plundered more than 400 hundred ships but his greatest and largest plunder was when he captured the Panama city with 1200 men and thirty ships! But because of this plunder hewas captured and brought to England. However, hewas knighted and released as deputed governor of Jamaica because of the battle between Spain and England. He did not go back to his pirate ways after that.
- Anne Bonny – She was a lady pirate! She married James Bonny at first but was not happy with him so she sought out to look for some adventure. That’s when she found Calico Jack Rackham, a pirate captain with a ship. She joined his crew as a man (she was acting, ofcourse!) and fought under his command. She even managed to persuade the crew for extreme bloodshed and violence. However, she was later captured and sentenced to death, but the death sentence was not carried out as she claimed pregnancy. No one knows what happened to her but it is said that she went back to her husband.
- Cheung Po Tsai – He was born to a chinese fisherman but was captured by a Pirate couple, who later adopted him. At the peak of his career as a pirate, he had an army of several hundred ships and 50,000 soldiers! The Caribbean soldiers were no match for him. He amassed great treasure by terrorizing the Guangdong Coastline and hid it in a cave. The cave is named after him. He was eventually caught by the Chinese government but, he struck a deal with the government and got enlisted as a Captain in the Qing Imperial Navy. He later on became of colonel and then for the rest of his life, helped the Chinese government to capture other pirates.
These are the four most fearsome pirates, among others, of their time. I am so glad that they don’t exist today!
