Top 10 most famous pirates

Famous pirates in movies
Famous pirates of the caribbean
Famous pirates names

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Famous pirates

Dare you encounter Blackbeard, Ned Low, Captain Henry Morgan, Anne Bonny and Mary Read?

Despite glamorous representations in film and literature, pirates were, without exception, a thoroughly dislikeable bunch and some like Edward Low were fierce killers.

Blackbeard

Probably the most famous pirate to ever live. Blackbeard had a knack for theatricality and a startling portrait of him has ensured his image has lived on. As well as being heavily armed with knives, cutlasses and pistols, Blackbeard (real name, Edward Teach) tried to make himself look especially fearsome in order to intimidate his victims. He had wild eyes and a mass of thick tangled hair. Into his hair he twisted pieces of fuse, which he set alight during battles, so that his face was surrounded with smoke to create an even more terrifying image.

He may have regretted his fame though when the Royal Navy sent ships targeting him specifically and he was killed in battle.

Find out more about Blackbeard

Edward Low

Captain Edward (Ned) Low was born in Westminster. He was one of the most brutal men to

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Captain Charles Johnson's book A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, first published in 1724, provides vivid accounts of many of the real pirates from history we're familiar with today.

The book's colourful descriptions and accompanying illustrations have done much to shape our perception of pirates from the past. When describing Blackbeard for example, Johnson writes how his "beard was black, which he suffered to grow of an extravagant length; as to breadth, it came up to his eyes; he was accustomed to twist it with ribbons, in small tails […] and turn them about his ears."

The accounts claim to be based on trial records, newspaper reports and interviews with former pirates. However, Johnson certainly added or exaggerated details to make the narrative more exciting.

The real Pirates of the Caribbean

"The ‘golden age’ of piracy coincided with the expansion of English, later British, colonial activity around the Caribbean," writes Blyth. "This began in earnest with the capture of Jamaica from Spain in 1655."

Rival European powers

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Famous Pirates Gallery

Barbarroja Brothers
Arug and Khair ben Eddin

Barbarroja II. (1465-1546)

Khair ben Eddin had inherited from his brother ships, some thousands of supporters, Barbaroja’s nickname and the pretension to subdue the Algerian territory. Khair decided to offer himself as vassal of the Great Turk; Turks were a great power, indisputable masters of the oriental Mediterranean. The sultan granted him the title of “Bajá”, confirming to him the government of Algiers for when this position they could be snatched from the Spanish. There were moments that Barbaroja was dominating absolutely the western Mediterranean, where not only merchant ships, but those of war too, were caught by the Berber ones. Having reached such level the maritime banditry, navigation diminished since the Spanish, Genovese and Venetian merchants began to withdraw. Then pirates crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, to go to the Atlantic Ocean to chase galleons proceeding from America, while the furtive disembarkations on Italy and Spain coasts were becoming more frequent and bold.