Sea piracy is an ancient practice and is usually associated with men, but there have been some famous women pirates passed in history.
Piracy is an ancient practice and has been found a place in Homer’s writings, and piracy was practiced in the Roman Empire’s period. But it witnessed a significant increase during the Spanish colonialism of America when Spain brought ships loaded of silver from America.
The pirates, whose traditional refuge was the islands of the West Indies and other uninhabited islands, would rob these ships.
Usually, the dissenters and slaves would become the recruits.
Great Britain and other European governments would stuff the people in their ships and treated them as slaves. As a result, those rebellious youngsters would seize the ship at the first opportunity and become pirates.
Although they would live an adventurous life as they would be declared outlaw, there was no return once they became a pirate.
History throws light on fewer women who ended up as pirates, who would disguise as men to avoid a more miserable life being a woman.
Although piracy has been considered an exclusive profession of men, there are some famous women pirates in history.
Odd rule!
In those times, there was a rule that banned women and boys from entering sea ships. In fact, there was a written agreement that the entire crew had to sign barring to take onboard any women or a boy.
Since women’s entry was banned, some of the more adventurous women would disguise as men to mix into the crew.
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Then a time came, which is remembered as the golden age of piracy that was between (1650 and 1720). During this span, people would prefer to seek their livelihood to the land beyond seas.
It naturally paved the way for women to play a more manly role in order to sustain their families. Naturally, the changing situation extended women the right to trade.
The widows now began to assume the professions or businesses left by their husbands, and they got economic freedom. They would also conduct business with the pirates.
Mutual relations led to mutual cooperation, and sometimes these women would save their pirate customers from the watchful eye of the law.
Some women even married with the pirates for their wealth as they become thanks to frequent plundering.
These relations would sometime culminate into professional cooperation that saw women turning into pirates.
Anne Bonny
There are two most famous women pirates in history, marry raid and Anne Bonny.
Bonny was born in Ireland in 1700 and came to London as she grew up. She was the daughter of a maid whose love with her lord William Mark culminated in the child, Bonny.
The lord, who was a lawyer by profession, later moved along with his maid and the daughter to London to escape the reprimand of his wife. Since childhood, Bonny was dressed like boys to conceal her gender.
Later the lord moved to America, where he resumed his profession as a lawyer. But Bonny was not educated and had criminal tendencies since childhood.
Once, she stabbed a fellow girl during a quarrel!
She was pretty and loved her freedom and fell in love with a pirate, James Bonny. She was disowned by her father after which she left her home and reached a portion of Bahamas nicknamed the Pirates Republic, a sanctuary for the pirates.
As soon as she found out that her husband had begun spying for the government against the fellow pirates, she began to loathe him.
Meanwhile, she met another emerging pirate, Calico Jack Rackham, for whom she left her husband.
Then together, they formed a gang and began to plunder on “Revenge,” a ship they had stolen for the purpose.
When the Jamaican governor had formed a list for the outlaw pirates, Ann was included in it.
In 1720, all the members of the gang were finally arrested, and all were hanged except for Bonny and her fellow woman Mary Read as both were pregnant.
Mary Read
Mary Read was born in 1685 in England, and like Bonny, she too was raised and dressed like a boy. Her mother’s insight for this was that inheritance could be claimed only by the son.
Then she was deployed in the British force as a boy. Later she married, but after her husband’s death, she came to the West Indies in 1720, where she met with Bonny and joined the gang.
On November 15, 1720, when the forces of Jamaican Governor raided the ship, Rackham and his gang were drunk.
Both women sought appeal for mercy as they were pregnant; both were pardoned.
Although there are incomplete details regarding these women, it makes one thing clear that women have the adventurous spirit and history supports this claim.
