The life of famous pirates: what happened to Blackbeard and other “masters of the seas” (6 photos)

Their destinies are not like beautiful novels and films about “gentlemen of fortune.”





Pirates appeared before our era. The Greeks and Romans fought with them, they caused a stir in the Middle Ages, but they gained the greatest fame in modern times. Perhaps that period can be called the golden age of piracy. Then the legendary pirates appeared, whose names remained in history.

Charles Vane



He was considered the most brutal pirate of all time. And completely deservedly: after taking the spoils, he always tormented, tortured and killed the defenseless. For his character and profession, Charles lived a surprisingly long time - 41 years. And he died due to the fact that his ship was caught in a storm, only Wayne and a handful of those close to him were saved - they reached the island and began to wait for any passing ship to take them on board.

They were picked up, and when they were brought to the port, Wayne was accidentally identified by one of the local sailors and reported to the authorities. Soon the “most cruel pirate” was already hanging on the gallows.

Francis Drake





Pirate, explorer and knight all rolled into one. The first half of his life he was lucky, rich and famous. He loved to boast about victories and achievements. Well, the second part of his life was surprisingly inglorious - he died in 1596 from dysentery during another expedition. Crew members placed Drake's body in a lead coffin and threw it overboard.

Henry Morgan



He is known for his raids on Spanish colonies - it was through them that he earned his fortune and the position of governor of Jamaica. But he clearly couldn’t handle the administrative work: he didn’t have enough ability or patience. He began to drink heavily and pocket government money, for which he was quickly fired. Then the brave captain began to pawn even more on his collar and died of cirrhosis of the liver.

Edward Teach - “Blackbeard”



Known for his harsh temper and atrocities. He robbed ships successfully, but did not earn much money - but he believed in his own invincibility. And he soon paid for it: in 1718 he encountered a small military detachment under the command of Captain Maynard and was killed. To prove the death of the formidable “Blackbeard,” Maynard cut off the pirate’s head, hung it on the bowsprit, and in this form arrived at the port to collect the reward.

Bartholomew Roberts



A pirate with very eccentric habits and behavior. He is considered the author of the pirate code, and some quite rightly consider him the prototype of Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean”. During his career, Roberts captured about 400 ships, could have become a rich man, but he spent all the money on carousing, expensive outfits and generous rewards for his team of “dashing guys”. He pirated under the flags of Holland and Britain - as a result, everyone began to hunt him and he died in a battle with an English warship in 1722. With his death, the golden age of piracy ended.