When you think about the excursions of fearsome pirates, the image in your mind is probably of a Captain Hook type caricature. Hollywood and pirate novels would have you believe that pirates were swashbucklers, living a happy life on the seas. That they buried treasures and were always planning their next adventure. In the movies, pirates only fought when they very much had to. But real pirates were very different.
In actuality, pirates were ordinary people who had been forced to turn to criminal activity to make ends meet. That made them ruthless; crew ships were held in fear by their captain. They also didn’t expect to live very long, given their lifestyle, so when they found treasure they mostly spent it all on liquor and women.
Amazingly, historians have described pirate ships as the “original republics”: despite rough discipline onboard, pirate captains had to be elected, with all decisions made upon the basis that they benefited the crew. Any money that was captured was shared equally amongst the crew.
For women, the decision to become a pirate was not one taken lightly. Piracy was a lifestyle of crime, where the power is traditionally held by men. That didn’t stop women from making their mark on the seas, despite being barred from seafaring professions until the 20th century.
Thousands of Years of Swashbuckling
Pirates have existed since ancient times, threatening the trading routes of ancient Greece and seizing cargoes of grain and olive oil from Roman ships. The most famous far-reaching pirates in early middle ages Europe were the Vikings, whose image, ironically, isn’t really associated with pirates nowadays. The years 1650-1720 are considered to be the “Golden Age” of piracy, when thousands of pirates were active across the world’s seas.
The most famous pirates had a terrifying reputation, and they happily advertised it by flying gruesome flags like the emblematic ‘Jolly Roger’, with its picture of a skull and crossbones.
The Only Seafaring Option
Historically, women were not allowed to remain on ships once they had set sail due to superstitions and legends, from bringing back luck to mariners to angering the gods with their presence. Another assumption was that women would prove distracting amongst the male sailors during the long periods at sea and would be subjected to harassment and violence.
Thus, there were only two ways for a woman to participate in the running of a merchant vessel before 1900: disguise herself as a man and assume a fake name, or through relations or marriage. The third, less discussed option, was to become a pirate.
The Shes of the Seven Seas
Women are as much a part of pirate history as men. Throughout history, there have been dramatic tales of women sailing the seas, most of which from the Golden Age of Piracy (1650 to 1720), but there are accounts of female pirates dating back thousands of years.
Here are five of the most famous female pirates in history.
Zheng Yi Sao
Zheng Yi Sao or, the “wife of Zheng,” was one of history’s most influential raiders. She was a Cantonese former prostitute who married a powerful corsair named Zheng I in 1801. Together they raised one of China’s most terrifying pirate armies, and held hundreds of ships and around 50,000 men.
In 1807, after the death of her husband, Zheng Yi Sao pushed her way into power by partnering with a trusted lieutenant and lover named Chang Pao. She plundered her way across Southeast Asia and assembled a fleet that rivaled many countries’ navies. Her code of conduct stated that the rape of female prisoners was to be punished by beheading, and deserters had their ear lopped off. Zheng Yi Sao’s bloody reign made her an enemy to the Chinese government. In 1810, She surrendered to the British and Portuguese navies in exchange for the right to keep her money. She then went on to run a gambling house until her death in 1844, at the age of 69.
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Irish lawyer. For part of her youth, her father had her dress as a boy and pose as his law clerk in an effort to hide her problematic parentage. She later moved to America, where she married a sailor in 1718 and voyaged to the pirate infested island of New Providence in the Bahamas. There, she left her husband and met “Calico” Jack Rackam, an impressive buccaneer who plied his trade in the Caribbean.
Bonny was known to be fierce and courageous, and according to one legend, she beat a man to death when he tried to force himself on her. Bonny was quickly adjusted to the pirate life, and was able to rival the best of Calico Jack’s crew in shooting a pistol and drinking rum . She later became friends with fellow female pirate Mary Read and the pair raided together in the summer and fall of 1720. In October that year, the boat was captured by a band of pirate hunters. Calico Jack and several other men were executed, but Bonny and Read lived after they were both found to be pregnant.
Mary Read
Mary Read was born in England in the late 17th century, and spent most of her youth disguised as her deceased half-brother so that her mother could scam the boy’s grandmother. She later changed her name to Mark Read and took on traditionally male jobs. Read became a pirate in the late-1710s, after buccaneers attacked the ship she was working on and welcomed her into their ranks. She later found her way aboard Calico Jack Rackam’s ship, where she met and befriended Anne Bonny and revealed herself to be a woman.
In October 1720, Read and Anne Bonny fought during an attack by pirate hunters and were eventually captured along with the rest of Calico Jack’s crew. They were charged with piracy, but Read managed to avoid execution by admitting she was pregnant. She later came down with a fever and died in prison.
Grace O’Malley
Pirate Grace O’Malley, also known as “Granuaille,” or “bald,” for her habit of cutting her hair short, led a 20-ship fleet that stood up to the best of the British monarchy. O’Malley was born into a powerful clan that lorded over the coastlines of western Ireland. After taking the reins in the 1560s, she continued a family tradition of piracy by plundering English and Spanish shipping vessels and attacking rival chieftains. After one of her raids she was captured, and served 18 months in prison.
Upon her release O’Malley resumed her marauding until, in the early 1590s, British authorities impounded her fleet. With nowhere else to turn, the 63-year-old buccaneer appealed directly to Queen Elizabeth I for assistance. During a famous royal audience in London, O’Malley portrayed herself as a tired and broken old woman and begged the Queen to return her ships, release one of her captured sons and allow her to retire in peace. The performance worked but it seems she wasn’t truthful. Records show that she and her sons continued pirating until her death in 1603.
Rachel Wall
Rachel Wall is said to be the first and only American woman pirate. Born in Pennsylvania, Rachel ran away from home as a teen and married a fisherman named George Wall. The couple lived in Boston and tried to make a living. Money problems eventually led them to turn to a life of crime, and in 1781, the Walls bought a small ship, teamed with a few mariners and began preying on ships off the coast of New England. Legend has it, they used to pretend their ship was ruined from harsh storms and Rachel would then stand on the deck and plead for aid from passing ships. When the unsuspecting rescuers came near, they were robbed and murdered.
They were able to lure about a dozen ships to their doom. In 1782 a real storm destroyed her ship and killed George. She was later arrested in 1789 for attacking and robbing a Boston woman. While in prison, she confessed to stealing, lying, disobedience to parents, and almost every other sin a person could commit, except murder. Unfortunately for Wall, on October 8, she became the last woman ever executed in Massachusetts.
Seafaring Women of History
Female pirates have been terrorizing the seas for thousands of years. Their ambition to be seen as equals was astounding. Even when choosing a life of crime, women have been fighting and clawing their way through male-dominated spheres for thousands of years.
So next time you think about female pirates, imagine the fierce Cheng I Sao, rather than a Disney caricature.
