Henry Avery
Not much is known about the early life of Henry Avery, other than he
was likely born in Devon, England. What is known is that he was one
of the most notorious and successful pirates of his age. Called "The
King of Pirates" by some, Avery got his start as a mutineer aboard a
Spanish ship called Charles II, which was renamed "The Fancy"
after the mutiny. Avery was elected captain, and the crew turned to
piracy, plundering ships off the west African coast. His most famous
haul was a ship called the Ganj-i-sawi, a treasure ship of the Mughal
Empire. The actual value of the treasure Avery got from taking the
ship is not known, but is estimated to be somewhere between £325,000 ($200 million)
to £600,000 ($400 million dollars). Avery disappeared not
long after this heist, and it is unknown what happened to him.
Sam Bellamy
Bellamy was born in Devonshire, England in 1689. He got his start in piracy
while hunting for the famed wreck of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet.
During this time, he teamed up with two notorious pirates, Captain Benjamin Hornigold
and his first mate, Edward Teach. Hornigold not being willing to attack English ships,
he was soon ousted as captain and Bellamy elected in his stead. Bellamy's
greatest triumph was the capture of the slave galley Whydah. As well as
gaining a fortune in gold, ivory and other precious commodities, Bellamy
took command of the Whydah and turned it into his flagship. Just a
few months after his acquisition of the Whydah, however, he was
caught in a nor'easter storm off Cape Cod, where the Whydah sank and Bellamy
drowned.
Edward Teach
Edward Teach, better known as "Blackbeard", was probably one of the most
famous pirates in history. Like many other pirates, little is known of his
early life, but it is possible he was born in Bristol and his family emigrated
to Jamaica. What is known is that he joined the crew of Captain Benjamin Hornigold,
another famous pirate, around 1716, and was soon placed in command of a sloop.
Not long after they joined together, Hornigold retired from piracy. Teach
captured a French merchant vessel which he renamed Queen Anne's Revenge,
and became a renowned pirate, known for his thick black beard and ferocious
appearance. He committed many acts of piracy, including blockading the port
of Charleston and ransoming it's citizens. After running the Queen Anne's Revenge
aground off the coast of North Carolina, he accepted a pardon and settled down, only
to return to a life of piracy. He was killed in an encounter with sailors from
Virginia sent to put an end to his pirate career.
Charles Vane
Charles Vane, much like his contemporary Sam Bellamy, got his start in piracy
by joining the search for the 1715 Spanish Treasure galleys. After joining in
raids on the surviving Spanish who had salvaged what they could, Vane and
other pirates retired to Nassau, which would come to be known as the Republic
of Pirates, where they lived a life of leisure and based their operations from.
Vane spent several years plundering ships in the Carribbean along with his
chief lieutenant, Jack Rackham. Vane was well known for the cruelty he showed his victims,
torturing and killing them. He was eventually deposed by his crew, led by Jack Rackham, for fleeing
from a fight, and was given a small sloop and 15 loyal men. The sloop was
wrecked in a storm and Vane was one of the only survivors, washed up on a deserted
island. He was eventually rescued, but one of his rescuers recognized him and
he was taken back to Jamaica where he was tried and hanged.
Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow is something of a mystery. We know that he was the pirate captain
of the Black Pearl, before his crew ousted him and elected Hector Barbossa
to take his place, and left him stranded on a desert island. Legend says that
he was saved from the island by lashing together sea turtles with human hair and piloting
them to safety, although more contemporary accounts say that he was actually
rescued by rum smugglers. He turned up in Port Royal a few years later, looking to commandeer
a ship, and was captured by the commodore, James Norrington. After escaping following
a raid on Port Royal by the crew of the Black Pearl, he hunted down Barbossa
and killed him. Despite this, he was recaptured by the Royal Navy and sentenced
to hang, but he once again escaped and returned to a life of piracy. His
later exploits included playing a role in the demise of the legendary Davey Jones,
as well as discovering the Fountain of Youth. It is not known how he died.
