Piracy appeared as soon as a person began to use watercraft to transport goods. AT different countries and in different eras, pirates were called filibusters, ushkuiniki, corsairs, privateers.
The most famous pirates in history have left a significant mark: in life they inspired fear, after death their adventures continue to arouse unflagging interest. Piracy has had a great impact on culture: sea robbers have become the central figures of many famous literary works, modern films and TV series.
10 Jack Rackham
Jack Rackham, who lived in the 18th century, is one of the most famous pirates in history. He is interesting because there were two women in his team. For his love of Indian chintz (calico) shirts of bright colors, he received the nickname Calico Jack. He was in the Navy at an early age due to need. For a long time he served as a senior helmsman under the command of the famous pirate Charles Vane. After the latter tried to refuse to fight a French warship pursuing a pirate ship, Rackham rebelled and was elected the new captain in accordance with the order of the pirate code. Calico Jack differed from other sea robbers in his gentle treatment of his victims, which, however, did not save him from the gallows. The pirate was executed on November 17, 1720 in Port Royal, and his body was hung out as a warning to the rest of the robbers at the entrance to the harbor.
9 William Kidd
The story of one of the most famous pirates in history, William Kidd, is still controversial among researchers of his life. Some historians are sure that he was not a pirate and acted strictly within the framework of a letter of marque. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of attacking 5 ships and murder. Despite trying to get his release in exchange for information about the location of the valuables, Kidd was sentenced to be hanged. After the execution, the body of the pirate and his accomplices was hung out for public viewing over the Thames, where it hung for 3 years.
The legend of Kidd's hidden treasures has long haunted the minds. The belief that the treasure really exists was supported literary works, which mentioned a pirate treasure. The hidden riches of Kidd were searched on many islands, but without success. The fact that the treasure is still not a myth is evidenced by the fact that in 2015, British divers found the wreckage of a pirate ship off the coast of Madagascar and under it a 50-kilogram ingot, which, according to experts, belonged to Captain Kidd.
8 Madame Shi
Madame Shi or Lady Zheng is one of the most famous female pirates in the world. After the death of her husband, she inherited his pirate flotilla and put sea robbery on a grand scale. Under her command were two thousand ships and seventy thousand people. The most severe discipline helped her to command the whole army. For example, for unauthorized absence from the ship, the offender lost his ear. Not all of Madame Shi's subordinates were happy with this state of affairs, and one of the captains once rebelled and went over to the side of the authorities. After the power of Madame Shi was weakened, she agreed to a truce with the emperor and subsequently lived to a ripe old age in freedom, managing a brothel.
7 Francis Drake
Francis Drake is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Actually, he was not a pirate, but a corsair who operated on the seas and oceans against enemy ships by special permission of Queen Elizabeth. Devastating the coasts of Central and South America, he became immensely rich. Drake accomplished many great deeds: he opened the strait, which he named after himself, under his command the British fleet defeated the Great Armada. Since then, one of the ships of the English navy has been named after the famous navigator and corsair Francis Drake.
6 Henry Morgan
List of the most famous pirates would be incomplete without the name of Henry Morgan. Despite the fact that he was born into a wealthy family of an English landowner, from his youth Morgan connected his life with the sea. He was hired on one of the ships as a cabin boy and was soon sold into slavery in Barbados. He managed to get to Jamaica, where Morgan joined a gang of pirates. Several successful campaigns allowed him and his comrades to acquire a ship. Morgan was chosen as captain, and it was a good decision. A few years later, under his command there were 35 ships. With such a fleet, he managed to capture Panama in a day and burn the entire city. Since Morgan acted mainly against Spanish ships and pursued an active English colonial policy, after his arrest, the pirate was not executed. On the contrary, for the services rendered to Britain in the struggle against Spain, Henry Morgan received the post of Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. The famous corsair died at the age of 53 from cirrhosis of the liver.
5 Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart, is one of the most colorful pirates in history, although he is not as famous as Blackbeard or Henry Morgan. Black Bart became the most successful filibuster in the history of piracy. During his short pirate career (3 years), he captured 456 ships. Its production is estimated at 50 million pounds. It is believed that he created the famous "Pirate Code". He was killed in action with a British warship. The body of the pirate, according to his will, was thrown into the water, and the remains of one of the greatest pirates were never found.
4 Edward Teach
Edward Teach, or Blackbeard is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Almost everyone heard his name. Lived and engaged in sea robbery Tich in the heyday of the golden age of piracy. Entering the service at the age of 12, he gained valuable experience, which was then useful to him in the future. According to historians, Tich participated in the war for Spanish inheritance, and after its completion consciously decided to become a pirate. The glory of a ruthless filibuster helped Blackbeard capture ships without the use of weapons - when he saw his flag, the victim surrendered without a fight. The cheerful life of a pirate did not last long - Tich died during a boarding battle with a British warship pursuing him.
3 Henry Avery
The most famous pirate in history is Henry Avery, nicknamed Lanky Ben. The father of the future famous buccaneer was a captain in the British Navy. From childhood, Avery dreamed of sea voyages. He began his career in the Navy as a cabin boy. Then Avery was appointed first mate on a corsair frigate. The ship's crew soon rebelled, and the first mate was proclaimed captain of the pirate ship. So Avery took the path of piracy. He became famous for capturing the ships of Indian pilgrims heading to Mecca. The booty of pirates was unheard of at that time: 600 thousand pounds and the daughter of the Great Mogul, whom Avery later officially married. How the life of the famous filibuster ended is unknown.
2 Amaro Pargo
Amaro Pargo is one of the most famous filibusters of the golden age of piracy. Pargo was engaged in the transportation of slaves and made a fortune on this. Wealth allowed him to do charity work. Lived to a respectable age.
1 Samuel Bellamy
Among the most famous sea robbers is Samuel Bellamy, known as Black Sam. Became a pirate in order to marry Maria Hallet. Bellamy was desperately short of funds to provide future family, and he joined Benjamin Hornigold's crew of pirates. A year later, he became the captain of the robbers, allowing Hornigold to leave peacefully. Thanks to a network of informers and spies, Bellamy was able to capture one of the fastest ships of the time, the frigate Vaida. Bellamy died while sailing to his lover. The Vaida was caught in a storm, the ship was stranded and the crew, including Black Sam, perished. Bellamy's career as a pirate only lasted a year.
My grandmother smokes a pipe in her Khrushchev room,
My grandmother smokes a pipe and sees the waves of the seas through the smoke.
All the pirates in the world are afraid of her and are rightfully proud of her.
Because grandma robs and burns their frigates,
But spares the elderly and children!
Sukachev Garik and the Untouchables
M
ama is a pirate ... what could be more authoritative for a child, and it helps to keep her husband within limits.
For most people, the word "pirate" is associated with the image of a bearded sea robber with one leg and a boarded up eye. However, among the successful famous pirates, there were not only men, but also women. This post is about some of them.
Listen or download My grandmother smokes a pipe for free on Prostopleer
Scandinavian pirate princess Alvilda
One of the first pirates is Alvilda, who robbed in the waters of Scandinavia in the early Middle Ages. According to legend, this medieval princess, the daughter of a Gothic king (or a king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a "marine Amazon" in order to evade a marriage forced on her by Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.
Having gone on a pirate voyage with a team of young women dressed in men's clothes, she became the number one "star" among the sea robbers. Since the dashing raids of Alvilda posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the desired Alvilda was the object of his persecution.
Having killed most of the sea robbers, he entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender. How surprised the prince of Denmark was when the pirate leader took off his helmet and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty, whom he dreamed of marrying! Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to brandish a sword. The wedding was played right there, on board a pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never again to go to sea without him.
Everyone is dead... Hallelujah! Is the story told true? The researchers found that for the first time the tale of Alvilda was told to readers by the monk Saxon Grammatik (1140 - c. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes”. Most likely he learned about it from the ancient Scandinavian sagas.
Jeanne de Belleville
The Breton noblewoman Jeanne de Belleville, who was married to the knight de Clisson, became a pirate not out of a love of adventure and wealth, but out of a desire for revenge.
In the period 1337-1453, with several interruptions, there was a war between England and France, which went down in history as the Hundred Years' War. The husband of Jeanne de Belleville was accused of treason.
King Philip II of France ordered his arrest, and without any evidence or trial, on August 2, 1943, he was handed over to the executioner. Known for her beauty, charm and hospitality, the widow Jeanne de Belleville-Clison vowed cruel revenge. She sold her property and bought three fast ships. According to another version, she went to England, achieved an audience with King Edward and, thanks to her beauty, received three fast ships from the monarch for corsair operations against France.
She commanded one ship herself, the others - her two sons. The small fleet, dubbed the "Vengeance Fleet in the English Channel", became the "scourge of God" in French coastal waters. Pirates mercilessly sent French ships to the bottom, devastating coastal areas. They say that everyone who had to cross the English Channel on a French ship, first of all, wrote a will.
For several years, the squadron robbed French merchant ships, often even attacking warships. Zhanna participated in battles, excellently owned both a saber and a boarding ax. As a rule, she ordered the crew of the captured ship to be completely destroyed. Not surprisingly, Philip VI soon gave the order to "catch the witch dead or alive."
And once the French managed to surround the pirate ships. Seeing that the forces were unequal, Jeanne showed real deceit - with several sailors she launched a longboat and, together with her sons and a dozen rowers, left the battlefield, leaving her comrades-in-arms.
However, fate cruelly repaid her for betrayal. For ten days, the fugitives wandered the sea - after all, they did not have navigational instruments. Several people died of thirst (among them - the youngest son of Jeanne). On the eleventh day, the surviving pirates reached the coast of France. There they were sheltered by a friend of the executed de Belleville.
After that, Jeanne de Belleville, who is considered the first female pirate, left her bloody craft, remarried. Popular rumor said: she began to embroider with beads, got a lot of seals and settled down. This is what the life-giving cross does, which means a successful marriage ...
Leat kiligra
About two hundred years after Jeanne de Belleville, a new female pirate appeared in the English Channel: Lady Kiligru. This lady has led a double life: in society she is the respected wife of the governor, Lord John Kiligru, in the port city of Falmet, and at the same time secretly commands pirate ships that attacked merchant ships mainly in Falmet Bay. Lady Kiligru's tactics proved successful for a long time, as she never left living witnesses.
One day a heavily loaded Spanish ship entered the bay. Before the captain and crew could recover, the pirates attacked and captured him. The captain managed to hide and with great surprise discovered that the pirates were commanded by a young and very beautiful woman, which in cruelty could compete with men. The Spanish captain made it ashore and quickly headed for the city of Falmet to inform the royal governor of the attack. To his new surprise, he saw a pirate sitting next to the governor, Lord Kiligru. Lord Kiligru controlled two fortresses, the task of which was to ensure the unhindered navigation of ships in the bay. The captain said nothing about what had happened, and immediately left for London. By order of the king, an investigation began, which brought unexpected results.
It turned out that Lady Kiligru carried violent pirate blood, as she was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolversten from Sofolk, and as a girl she participated in pirate attacks. Thanks to her marriage to the lord, she gained a position in society, and at the same time created a large pirate company that operated not only in the English Channel, but also in neighboring waters. During the process, many mysterious cases of disappearances came to light. merchant ships which until now have been attributed to "supernatural powers".
Lord Kiligru was condemned to death and executed. His wife also received a death sentence, but later the king commuted it to life imprisonment.
Mary Ann Blyde
Irish Mary was exceptionally tall for her time - 190 cm and unearthly beauty. She became a pirate quite by accident, but she devoted herself entirely to this dangerous activity. One day she was on a ship to America and was captured by the most famous sea pirate in history - Eduard Ticchu, nicknamed Blackbeard. Thanks to her good upbringing, Mary Ann Blyde stayed with the kidnapper. Soon she proved herself to be an excellent student of Ticci and received her ship. Her passion was jewelry and precious stones. She and Ticch are said to have amassed $70 million worth of treasure, and together they buried it somewhere on the shores of North Carolina. Treasures have not been discovered so far.
All pirates, both men and women who did not die in battle, end their lives ingloriously: they are usually condemned to death or life imprisonment. Mary Ann, however, had a different fate. In 1729, during an attack on a Spanish ship, she fell in love with young man who was on this ship. The young man agreed to marry her, but on the condition that she abandon her occupation. Together they run away to Peru, and there their traces are lost...
Ann Bonnie
Ann Cormac (her maiden name) was born in a small Irish town in 1698. This red-haired beauty with an exuberant temperament became an icon of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730s) after she secretly threw in her lot with a simple sailor named James Bonney. Ann's father, a respected person, having learned about his daughter's marriage, disowned her, after which she and her newly-made husband were forced to leave for the Bahamas, which at that time were called the Pirate Republic, a place where loafers and idlers lived. Happy family life Bonnie didn't last long.
After her divorce from her husband, Ann met the pirate Jack Rackham, who became her lover. Together with him, she went to the open sea on the ship "Revenge" to rob merchant ships. In October 1720, members of Rackham's crew, including Anne and her bosom friend Mary Read, were taken prisoner by the British. Bonnie blamed her lover for everything. On the last date in prison, she told him the following: "It's a pity to see you here, but if you fought like a man, you wouldn't be hanged like a dog."
Rackham was executed. Bonnie's pregnancy allowed her to get a reprieve from her death sentence. However, the fact that it was ever put into action is nowhere in the historical records. Rumor has it that Anne's influential father paid a huge amount of money to have his unlucky daughter released.
Mary Reid
Mary Read was born in London in 1685. Since childhood, by the will of fate, she was forced to portray a boy. Her mother, the widow of a sea captain, dressed an illegitimate girl in the clothes of an early deceased son in order to swindle money from a wealthy mother-in-law who did not know about her grandson's death. Pretending to be a man in the Renaissance was easy, because all men's fashion was very similar to women's (long wigs, big hats, puffy outfits, boots), which Mary managed to do.
At the age of 15, Mary was enlisted in the British army under the name Mark Read. During her service, she fell in love with a Flemish soldier. Their happiness was short-lived. He died unexpectedly, and Mary, dressed again in a man's dress, went on a ship to the West Indies. On the way, the ship was captured by pirates. Reid decided to stay with them.
In 1720, Mary joined the crew of Jack Rackham's ship The Revenge. At first, only Bonnie and her lover knew that she was a woman, who often flirted with "Mark", making Ann wildly jealous. A couple of months later, the whole team knew about Reed's secret.
After the ship "Vengeance" was captured by pirate hunter Captain Jonathan Barnet, Mary, like Ann, managed to get her death sentence suspended due to pregnancy. But fate still overtook her. She died in her prison cell on April 28, 1721 from puerperal fever. What happened to her child is unknown. Some suspect that he died during childbirth.
Sadie Goat
Sadie Farrell, a 19th-century American pirate, got her rare nickname because of the strange way her crimes were committed. On the streets of New York City, Sadie gained a reputation as a merciless mugger who attacked her victims by headbutting them hard. Sadie is said to have been kicked out of Manhattan after she got into a fight with a fellow criminal, Gallus Meg, which resulted in her losing part of her ear.
In the spring of 1869, Sadie joined the Charles Street gang and became its leader after stealing a moored sloop on a bet. Farrell and her new black-flagged crew with the Jolly Roger sailed the Hudson and Harlem rivers, plundering the farm estates and mansions of the wealthy along the way, and sometimes kidnapping people for ransom.
By the end of the summer, such a fishery became too risky, as farmers began to defend their holdings, firing at the approaching sloop without warning. Sadie Farrell was forced to return to Manhattan and make amends with Gallus Meg. She returned a piece of her ear, which she kept for posterity in a jar with a special solution. Sadie, since then known as the "Queen of the Port", placed him in a locket, which she did not part with for the rest of her life.
Illyrian queen Teuta
After Teuta's husband, the Illyrian king Agron, died in 231 BC, she took over the reins of government, since her stepson Pinnes was then too young. In the first four years of her reign over the Ardiei tribe, who lived on the territory of the modern Balkan Peninsula, Teuta encouraged piracy as a means of fighting against the powerful neighbors of Illyria. The Adriatic sea robbers not only robbed Roman merchant ships, but also helped the queen recapture a number of settlements, including Dyrrhachium and Phoenicia. Over time, they expanded their influence into the Ionian Sea, terrorizing the trade routes of Greece and Italy.
In 229 BC, the Romans sent ambassadors to Teuta, who expressed dissatisfaction with the scope of the Adriatic pirates and urged her to influence her subjects. The queen derisively reacted to their requests, stating that piracy, according to Illyrian ideas, is a legitimate trade. How the Roman ambassadors reacted to this is unknown, but apparently not very politely, since after meeting with Teuta one of them was killed and the other was sent to prison. This was the reason for the start of the war between Rome and Illyria, which lasted two years. Teuta was forced to admit defeat and make peace on extremely unfavorable terms. Ardiei pledged to pay an annual burdensome tribute to Rome.
Teuta continued to oppose Roman rule, for which she lost her throne. There is no information about her further fate in history.
Jacotta Delaye
Jacotta Delaye was born in the 17th century to a Frenchman and a Haitian mother. Her mother died in childbirth. After Jacotta's father was killed, she was left alone with her younger brother, who suffered from mental retardation. This forced the red-haired girl to take up piracy.
In the 1660s, Jacotta had to fake his own death in order to escape the persecution of government troops. She lived for several years male name. When everything calmed down, Jacotta returned to her previous activities, taking the nickname "Red-haired, returned from the other world."
Breton lioness
Jeanne de Clisson was the wife of the wealthy nobleman Olivier III de Clisson. They lived happily, raised five children, but when the war broke out between England and France, her husband was accused of treason and executed by beheading. Jeanne vowed revenge on King Philip VI of France.
The widow de Clisson sold all her lands in order to buy three warships, which she dubbed the Black Fleet. Their crew consisted of merciless and cruel corsairs. Between 1343 and 1356, they attacked the ships of the French king sailing across the English Channel, killed crew members and beheaded with an ax all the aristocrats who had the misfortune to be on board.
Jeanne de Clisson hunted for sea robbery for 13 years, after which she settled in England and married Sir Walter Bentley, a lieutenant in the army of the English king Edward III. She later returned to France, where she died in 1359.
Anne Dieu-le-Veu
Frenchwoman Anne Dieu-le-Veu, whose last name translates as "God wants it", had a stubborn and strong character. She arrived on the island of Tortuga in the Caribbean in the late 60s or early 70s of the 17th century. Here she twice became a mother and a widow. Ironically, Ann's third husband was the man who killed her second husband. Dieu-le-Veu challenged Lawrence de Graaf to a duel to avenge the death of her late lover. The Dutch pirate was so mesmerized by Ann's courage that he refused to shoot himself and offered her his hand and heart. On July 26, 1693, they got married and had two children.
After her marriage, Dieu-le-Veu went to the open sea with her new husband. Most of his crew members believed that the presence of a woman on the ship meant bad luck. The lovers themselves laughed at this superstition. How their love story ended, no one knows for sure.
According to one version, Anne Dieu-le-Veu became the captain of de Graaf's ship after he was killed in a cannonball explosion. Some historians suggest that the couple fled to Mississippi in 1698, where they may have continued to engage in piracy.
Saida Al-Hurra
A contemporary and ally of the Turkish corsair Barbarossa, Saida al-Hurra became the last queen of Tetouan (Morocco); she inherited power after the death of her husband in 1515. Her real name is unknown. “Saida Al-Hurra” into Russian can be roughly translated as “noble lady, free and independent; a woman overlord who does not recognize any power over herself.
Saida al-Hurra ruled Tetouan from 1515 to 1542, controlling the western Mediterranean with his pirate fleet while Barbarossa terrorized the eastern. Al-Hurra decided to engage in piracy in order to take revenge on the "Christian enemies" who in 1492 (after the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile) forced her family to flee the city.
At the height of her power, Al-Hurra married the King of Morocco, but refused to hand over the reins of Tetouan to him. In 1542, Saida was overthrown by her stepson. She lost all power and property; nothing is known about her further fate. She is believed to have died in poverty.
Grace O'MailBald Greine"
Grace was also called the "Queen of the Pirates" and the "Witch of Rockfleet" . O it is impossible to write briefly for this woman))) everything in her life was so interesting and confusing. Dumas smokes nervously. She was so famous that the Queen of England Elizabeth I herself met with her.
Grace was born around 1530 in Ireland, in the family of the leader of the O`Malley clan, Owen Dubdara (Umall-Uakhtara). According to legend, she “lost her hair” by cutting off her hair in response to her father’s remark that a woman on a ship was a bad omen, and after her father’s death, she defeated her brother Indulf in a knife fight, becoming a leader.
By marrying O'Flaherty's tanist Domhnall the Warlike, Granual became the head of her husband's fleet. Three children were born in the marriage - Owen, Murrow and Margaret.
In 1560, Domhnall was killed, and Granual, with two hundred volunteers, went to Claire Island. Here she (continuing her piratical activities) fell in love with the aristocrat Hugh de Lacy, who, however, was killed by the MacMahon clan, which was hostile to him. Granual, in response to this murder, took their fortress and killed the entire clan.
A year later, she announced a divorce and did not return the castle; however, she managed to give birth in this marriage to a son, Tibbot. According to legend, on the second day after giving birth, her ship was attacked by Algerian pirates, and Granual inspired her people to fight, declaring that giving birth is worse than fighting. Considering that men will not have to give birth anyway, this is a dubious motivation. Apparently, female logic was the most logical then ....
Gradually capturing the entire Mayo coast, except for Rockfleet Castle, Granual got married (according to Irish tradition, in the format of a "trial marriage" for a year) for Iron Richard of the Berk clan.
In the life of Grania there were defeats; one day the British took her prisoner and placed her in Dublin Castle. Somehow, the pirate managed to escape, and on the way back she tried to spend the night in Howth. They didn't let her in; the next morning, she kidnapped the burgomaster's son, who went hunting, and released him free of charge, but on the condition that the doors of the city were to be open to everyone looking for an overnight stay, and there should be a place for them at every table.
Queen Elizabeth hosted her twice and wanted to enlist her in her service. The first time at the entrance, a hidden dagger was taken away from Grace and Elizabeth was very worried about the fact of his presence. Grace then refused to bow before the Queen because she "did not recognize her as the Queen of Ireland".
As Grace took a puff of snuff, one of the noble ladies handed her a handkerchief. Using it for its intended purpose, that is, blowing her nose, she threw the handkerchief into the nearest fireplace. Responding to Elizabeth's astonished look, Grace stated that they, in Ireland, once used a handkerchief are thrown away.
This meeting was captured in an engraving, the only lifetime image of a pirate; even the color of her hair is unknown, traditionally considered black, according to her father's nickname, but in one of the poems called red. Why her name was bald history is silent.
The pirate queen died in the same year as the queen of England - in 1603.
Zheng Shi
Zheng Shi has earned fame as the most merciless sea robber in history. Before meeting the famous Chinese pirate Zheng Yi, she made a living as a prostitute. In 1801, the lovers got married. The Yi fleet was huge; it consisted of 300 ships and about 30 thousand corsairs.
On November 16, 1807, Zheng Yi died. His fleet passed into the hands of his wife, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow"). Zhang Bao, the son of a fisherman, whom Yi kidnapped and adopted, helped her manage everything. They turned out to be a great team. By 1810, the fleet consisted of 1,800 ships and 80,000 crew members. Zheng Shi's ships were subject to strict laws. Those who violated them paid for it with their heads. In 1810, Zheng Shi's fleet and authority weakened, and she was forced to conclude a truce with the emperor and go over to the side of the authorities.
Zheng Shi became the most successful and richest pirate of all time. She died at the age of 69.
Madame Shan Wong
200 years after the death of the first Chinese "pirate queen" in the same waters where her fleets robbed, a completely worthy successor to her work appeared, who rightfully won the same title. Shang, a former Cantonese nightclub dancer who became famous as China's most seductive diva, married no less famous person. His name was Wong Kungkim, he was the largest pirate chieftain in South-East Asia who began robbing merchant ships back in 1940.
His wife, Madame Wong, as her friends and foes called her, was a faithful friend and intelligent assistant to the pirate in all his operations. But in 1946, Wong Kungkit died. The story of his death is mysterious, it is believed that the pirate's competitors are to blame for it. When, in the end, two of Wong Kungkit's closest assistants came to the widow, so that she, purely formally (since everything had already been decided by these two), would approve the candidate they had named for the post of head of the corporation. “Unfortunately, there are two of you,” Madame replied, not looking up from the toilet, “and the company needs one head ...” After these words, Madame turned around sharply, and the men saw that she was holding a revolver in each hand. This is how the “coronation” of Madame Wong took place, because after this incident there were no hunters to talk with her about power in the corporation.
Since then, her power over the pirates has been unquestioned. Her first independent operation was the attack on the Dutch steamer Van Heutz, which was boarded at night at the anchorage. In addition to the seizure of the cargo, everyone who was on board was robbed. Mining Madame Wong amounted to more than 400 thousand pounds. She herself rarely took part in the raids and in such cases she always wore a mask.
The police of the coastal countries, knowing that the pirates were led by a woman named Madame Wong, could not publish her portrait, which negated the possibility of her capture. It was announced that there was a £10,000 reward for her photograph, and whoever caught or killed Madame Wong could name the amount of the reward, and the authorities of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines would guarantee him the payment of such an amount.
And one day, the head of the police of Singapore received a package with photographs, on which it was written that they were related to Madame Wong. They were photographs of two Chinese men cut into pieces. The caption read: They wanted to take a picture of Madame Wong.
That's almost all...
The theme of beautiful women among pirates is glorified by cinema... and every year it will only gain popularity.
Pictures (C) on the Internet. If they are highly artistic and colored, then they have nothing to do with the described pirate. I apologize to them and you, I'm sure in real life they looked more impressive ...
Between two robbers- an expression describing the nature of the death of Jesus Christ, whose cross, according to the Gospels, was erected between the crucifixions of the criminals Dismas and Gestas, who received the nickname of the Prudent and Mad Thieves.
AT figurative meaning- a person who finds himself in a disgraceful situation (company), but at the same time retains his positive qualities.
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Gospel description
| Led with Him to death and two villains. And when they came to the place called Skull, there they crucified Him and the evildoers, one on the right, and the other on the left… One of the hanged villains cursed Him and said: "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us". |
On the contrary, in short stories both thieves reproached about this in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark Jesus (Matt., Mk.).
The repentant thief received in the Christian tradition the nickname " Reasonable And, according to legend, he was the first to enter paradise. The robber is remembered in Orthodox chants of Great Friday when reading twelve gospels: « Thou didst honor the prudent thief in a single hour of heaven, O Lord”, and his words on the cross became the beginning of the Lenten following of the pictorial:“ Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom».
Interpretation in Christianity
The difference between the text of the Evangelist Luke and the texts of other synoptics is explained by the fact that at first the future Prudent Thief also participated in the blasphemy of Christ, but then repented.
It is traditionally believed that the Prudent Thief was the first saved person from all those who believed in Christ and was the third inhabitant of paradise from people (after Enoch and Elijah, taken to heaven alive). The story of the Prudent Thief's entry into heaven is not just an illustration of the villain's remorse. It is interpreted by the church as God's willingness to grant forgiveness to the dying even at the very last moment.
The question of the pious thief was examined in most detail by John Chrysostom in his conversation “ About the cross and the thief, and about the second coming of Christ, and about unceasing prayer for enemies". The saint, studying the repentance of the robber and the church tradition that he was the first to enter paradise, draws the following conclusions:
- Christ, being crucified, insulted, spit upon, vilified, dishonored, performs a miracle - he changed the vicious soul of the robber;
- The greatness of the thief's soul Chrysostom derives from his comparison with the Apostle Peter: when Peter renounced the valley, then the thief confessed grief". At the same time, the saint, without blaming Peter, says that the disciple of Christ could not endure the threat of an insignificant girl, and the robber, seeing how the people scream, rage and blaspheme the crucified Christ, did not pay attention to them, but with the eyes of faith " know the Lord of heaven»;
- Chrysostom draws attention to the fact that the pious robber, unlike other people, " I did not see the resurrected dead, nor the exorcised demons, I did not see the obedient sea; Christ told him nothing about the kingdom or hell", but at the same time he" confessed Him first».
In addition, this precedent formed the basis of the Catholic concept of Baptism of Desire (Baptismus Flaminis), which is interpreted as follows: if someone wished to be baptized, but could not, due to insurmountable circumstances, be properly baptized, he can still be saved by the grace of God.
The faith of the prudent thief as a model for all Christians to follow is one of the oldest in church sermons (the earliest was written no later than 125 by Saint Aristides).
Prophecies
Apocryphal stories
The origin of the robbers
Unlike the Gospels, which do not give details about the people between whom Christ was crucified, the apocryphal literature contains an extensive set of traditions.
Apocrypha "Word of the Cross Tree" includes a description of the origin of the two robbers: during the flight to Egypt, the Holy Family settled in the desert next to the robber, who had two sons. But his wife, who had only one breast, could not nurse them both. The Virgin Mary helped her in feeding - she fed that child, who was then crucified on the right side of Christ and repented before death:
A common legend about Mysterious drop tells that the Holy Family was captured by robbers, and Mary, seeing the dying baby in the arms of the robber's wife, took him, and only a drop of her milk touched his lips, he recovered.
"Word of the Cross Tree" does not give the names of these robbers, unlike "Gospel" of Nicodemus who calls them Dijman- a prudent robber, and Gesta- blasphemed Christ. Also in this "Gospels" contains a description of the astonishment of the Old Testament righteous, who were led out of hell by Christ and saw the thief, who had entered paradise before them. The author of the apocrypha gives the following story of Dijman:
... I was a robber, doing all sorts of evil deeds on earth. And the Jews nailed me to the cross along with Jesus, and I saw everything that was done by the cross of the Lord Jesus, on which the Jews crucified Him, and I believed that He is the creator of all things and the Almighty King. And I asked Him: “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom!” And immediately accepting my prayer, He said to me: “Amen, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” And He gave me the sign of the cross, saying: “Carry this, going to paradise.”.
In medieval art, the Prudent Thief is sometimes depicted as accompanying Jesus during the Descent into Hell, although this interpretation is not based on any of the surviving texts.
Cross of the Prudent Thief
There is an apocryphal version of the origin of the tree for the cross of the Prudent Thief. According to legend, Seth received from an angel not only a branch from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but also another one, which he later lit on the banks of the Nile and which burned with unquenchable fire for a long time. When Lot sinned with his daughters, God told him to atone for planting three firebrands from that fire and watering them until a large tree grew. It was from this tree that the cross of the pious robber was then made.
The Cross of the Prudent Robber, according to the traditional version, was installed by Empress Elena on the island of Cyprus in 327. A particle of the Life-Giving Cross and one of the nails with which the body of Christ was pierced were embedded in it. This cross is reported by St. Daniel in his "Walk of Abbot Daniel"(XII century):
Daniil repeats the earliest record about the Stavrovouni monastery, preserved from 1106, which tells about a cypress cross supported in the air by the Holy Spirit. In 1426, the robber's cross was stolen by the Mamelukes, but a few years later, as the monastery legend says, it was miraculously returned to its original place. However, then the shrine disappeared again and remains unfound to this day.
A small piece of the Cross of the Prudent Thief is preserved in the Roman Basilica of Santa Croce in Jerusalemmme. Her appearance in Rome is associated with Empress Elena.
Cross of the Mad Robber
The history of the material for the cross on which the Mad Robber was crucified is contained in the Russian apocrypha “ Word of the Cross Tree» (-XVI century). According to him, the cross was made of a tree planted by Moses at the bitter-salty spring of Merra (Ex.) from three branches of a tree woven together, brought from paradise during the global flood. During the excavations of St. Helena in Jerusalem, three crosses were found for her " one is blessed, on which Christ hung, and the others, on which two thieves were crucified and died". However, the Crazed Robber's cross was not recognized as a relic and its further fate is unknown.
The names of the robbers
The names of the Prudent and Mad Robbers are known from Apocrypha, which, however, call them differently:
Discreet Robber Dismas
Dizhman and Gesta(in the western version - Dismas and Gestas (Dismas and Gestas)) - the most common form of the names of robbers in Catholicism. The name "Dismas" is derived from Greek word"sunset" or "death". Spelling options are Dysmas, Dimas and even Dumas (Dumas).
The feast day of St. Dismas is celebrated on March 25th. A city in California, San Dimas, is named after him. Saint Dismas is the patron saint of prisoners; many prison chapels are dedicated to him.
Prudent Rogue Rach
"Rah"- the name of the robber, most often found in Orthodox iconography. Domestic researchers cannot find literary sources for the origin of this name. Possibly an evolution of the name Barbarian-Varah-Rah. The icon with his image was placed on the northern altar doors of the iconostasis.
Iconography
Art historians note that robbers on the sides of Christ in the scenes of the Crucifixion appeared starting from the 5th-6th centuries (the earliest known image is an icon from the monastery of St. Catherine, dating from the 6th century).
The prudent thief was crucified on the right side of Christ (right hand), so the head of the Savior is often written bowed to this side. This indicates his acceptance of the repentant criminal. In Russian icon painting, the sloping crossbar under the feet of Jesus is also usually directed upwards towards the Prudent Thief. The prudent thief was written with his face turned towards Jesus, and the Mad one - with his head turned away or even his back turned.
Artists sometimes emphasized the difference between Jesus and the thieves on both sides of him, as well as the difference between the two criminals:
| Jesus Christ | Rogues | |
|---|---|---|
| clothes | loincloth | perisoma |
| cross | life-giving cross, clear geometric shapes |
ugly, wild, curved trunks, T-cross |
| fastening | nails | tied with ropes |
| arms | straight, stretched | tied behind the cross |
| pose | peaceful | writhe |
| shins | kept intact | slaughtered by warriors who brandish hammers |
You can also trace the differences between the two robbers, the Prudent and the Mad: in the first centuries of Christianity, when the memory of the ancient beardless ideal of male beauty was still preserved, the Prudent robber had no beard, and the Mad was bearded. But with the development of the Christian worldview, the beard became one of the important signs of the image of Christ in man, and therefore the beard became an attribute of positive characters (Jesus and the Prudent Thief), and the third executed person turned into a beardless one.
In Russian icon painting, the image of the Prudent Robber, in addition to the traditional compositions of the Crucifixion of Christ, is also placed:
- in the scene of the descent into hell (associated with an illustration of the apocryphal tales “The Word about the entry of John the Baptist into hell” and “On the robber who suffered with Christ”). The scene of the dialogue of the Pious thief with the prophets Elijah and Enoch is depicted at the gates of paradise, guarded by a fiery cherub;
- on the north door of the altar leading to the altar. The robber is depicted on a white background, surrounded by paradisiacal attributes (flowers, birds, plant shoots), which symbolically indicates his stay in paradise. A cross is traditionally placed in the hands of the Pious Thief. In the middle of the 19th century, it was widely believed that the placement of this image on the northern doors of the altar was an Old Believer tradition, but this is probably due to the transfer of ancient icons to Old Believer churches and prayer rooms after the reforms of Patriarch Nikon.
veneration
Orthodox Church reveres the Prudent Thief as an example of true repentance (see the "" section for more details). A prudent robber does not have a separate day of remembrance in the month-word. Its history is reflected in hymnography (especially in the hymns of Great Friday; the most famous is the luminary " Thou vouchsafed the prudent thief in a single hour of paradise ...”), and the words of the robber, addressed to Jesus Christ, became a refrain to the troparia on the blessed. Also, the mention of the Prudent Thief is contained in the prayer read before communion, in which the repentance of the robber and his confession of Jesus Christ are contrasted with the betrayal of Judas: “ not for your enemy we will sing a secret, nor kiss thee ladies, like Judas, but like a thief I confess you».
To "dashing people" in Russia has always been special treatment. They were not only feared, but also respected. For their crazy prowess, they often paid a very high price - they ended up in hard labor or lost their lives.
Kudeyar
The most legendary Russian robber is Kudeyar. This person is semi-mythical. There are several versions of his identification.
According to the main one, Kudeyar was the son Basil III and his wife Solomeya, who was exiled to a monastery for childlessness. According to this legend, during the tonsure Solomonia was already pregnant, she gave birth to a son, George, whom she handed over "in safe hands", and announced to everyone that the newborn had died.
It is not surprising that Ivan the Terrible was very interested in this legend, since according to it Kudeyar was his older brother, which means he could claim power. This story is most likely folk fiction.
The desire to “ennoble the robber”, as well as to allow oneself to believe in the illegitimacy of power (and therefore the possibility of its overthrow) is characteristic of the Russian tradition. In our country, every ataman is a legitimate king. With regard to Kudeyar, there are so many versions of his origin that would be enough for half a dozen atamans
Lyalya
Lyalya can be called not only one of the most legendary robbers, but also the most “literary”. The poet Nikolai Rubtsov wrote a poem about him called "The Robber Lyalya".
Local historians also found information about him, which is not surprising, since toponyms reminiscent of this dashing man have survived to this day in the Kostroma region. This is Lyalina Mountain and one of the tributaries of the Vetluga River, called Lyalinka.
Local historian A.A. Sysoev wrote: “In the Vetluga forests, the robber Lyalya walked with his gang - this is one of the chieftains of Stepan Razin ... who lived in the mountains near the Vetluga River not far from Varnavin. According to legend, Lyalya robbed and burned the Novovozdvizhensky Monastery on the Bolshaya Kaksha River near the village of Chenebechikhi.
This may be true, since at the end of 1670 a detachment of Razints really visited here. Lyalya with his gang appeared in the Kostroma forests after the suppression of the Razin uprising.
He chose a place for a robber camp on high mountain in order to have a strategic advantage in the robbery of carts passing nearby along the winter route. From spring to autumn, along the Vetluga, merchants carried goods on ships, and on the way they often stopped in Kameshnik. The main business of the Lyali gang was the collection of ransoms from merchants, local feudal lords and landlords.
Legends draw him, as usual in folklore, strict, harsh and domineering, but fair. His approximate portrait has also been preserved: “He was a broad-shouldered, muscular man of medium height; face tanned, rough; black eyes under bushy, furrowed brows; dark hair."
They wanted to catch Lyalya’s gang more than once, but the detachments sent to catch the robber constantly encountered too loyal attitude of local men towards Lyalya - they treated him rather with respect, Lyalya was warned about the appearance of detachments, some village men even joined the gang. However, over time, the gang nevertheless thinned out, and Lyalya became more and more burdened by his craft. Therefore, he decided to bury his wealth - he drowned it in the lake (it is still called the Pantry) and buried it in the mountain. Where are they still kept? Of course, according to the legend.
Trishka Siberian
Trishka-Sibiryak robbed in the 30s of the XIX century in the Smolensk district. News of him spread to other regions, bringing the nobles and landowners into a state of awe.
A letter from Turgenev's mother, which she wrote to her son in Berlin in February 1839, has been preserved. It contains the following phrase: "Trishka appeared like Pugachev - that is, he is in Smolensk, and we are cowardly in Bolkhov." Trishka was caught the very next month, he was tracked down and arrested in Dukhovshchinsky district. The capture of Trishka was a real special operation.
Knowing about the caution of the robber, he was caught under the guise of pursuing another person. Almost no one knew about the true purpose of the search - they were afraid to frighten them away. As a result, when the arrest nevertheless took place, a message appeared in Smolenskiye Vedomosti about this as an event of extreme importance.
However, until the 50s of the 19th century, the legends about Trishka-Sibiryak continued to excite the nerves of the landowners, who were worried that someday Trishka would get in their way, or get into their house. The people loved Trishka and composed legends about him, where the robber appeared as a defender of the destitute.
Vanka Cain
The story of Vanka-Cain is dramatic and instructive. He can be called the first official thief of the Russian Empire.
He was born in 1718, at the age of 16 he met a famous thief named "Kamchatka" and loudly left the landowner's house, where he served, robbing him, and writing on the manor gates everything he thinks about work: "Work the devil, not me ".
Several times he was taken to the Secret Order, but each time he was released, so rumors began to circulate that Ivan Osipov (that was Cain's real name) was "lucky". Moscow thieves decided to choose him as their leader. A little time passed, and Vanka was already "in command" of a gang of 300 people.
So he became the uncrowned king of the underworld. However, on December 28, 1741, Ivan Osipov recovered to the Detective Order and wrote a "repentant petition", and even offered his services in catching his own associates, became the official informer of the Detective Order.
The very first police operation on his tip covered a thieves' gathering in the deacon's house - a catch of 45 people. On the same night, 20 members of the gang of Yakov Zuev were taken in the house of the archpriest. And in the Tatar baths of Zamoskvorechye, 16 deserters were tied up and the underground with weapons was opened.
However, Vanka Cain did not live in peace. He had a penchant for extravagance and chic, and got burned on the kidnapping of the 15-year-old daughter of "retired serviceman" Taras Zevakin, on corruption and banal racketeering.
The case dragged on for 6 years, until in 1755 the court issued a verdict - flogged, wheeled, beheaded. But in February 1756 the Senate softened the sentence. They gave Cain whips, pulled out his nostrils, branded him with the word V.O.R. and exiled to hard labor - at first to the Baltic Rogervik, from there to Siberia. Where he died.
Mishka Yaponchik
According to the main version, the future "king" was born on November 30, 1891 in Odessa in the family of Meyer Wolf of Vinnitsa. The boy was named Moishe-Yakov, according to the documents - Moses Volfovich.
When Moishe was in his seventh year, his family was left without a father. In order to earn at least some money for food, Moishe got a job as an apprentice at Farber's mattress factory. In parallel with this, he studied at a Jewish school, and managed to finish four classes. At the age of 16, Moisha Vinnitsky went to work as an electrician at the Anatra plant. Moishe's life changed radically in 1905, when, following the publication of the tsar's manifesto on the granting of freedoms, Jewish pogroms began in Odessa.
The police preferred not to intervene too much in the bloody riots organized by the Black Hundreds in Moldovanka, and the local population began to organize Jewish self-defense units. In one of these detachments, the future Mishka Yaponchik received his first combat experience. Since then, he has not parted with weapons. Moishe Vinnitsky joined the anarchist group "Young Will", which became famous for daring raids, robberies and racketeering.
In 1907, the hand of justice nevertheless grabbed Moisha by the collar. The anarchist received 12 years of hard labor. If Moishe were an adult, we would definitely not recognize Mishka Yaponchik. On the basis of all actions the death penalty was provided to him.
Yaponchik returned to Odessa in the summer of 1917. This was no longer the boy who could be sent to carry a bomb to undermine the chief of police - during the hard labor Moisha managed to talk with both "political" and "thieves".
Moishe quickly assessed the situation. Taking advantage of the unrest that is constantly happening in Odessa, Yaponchik quickly puts together his gang, “carries out” cash desks and shops. Moishe also adopts revolutionary rhetoric. Now he not only robs, but expropriates for the needs of the revolution and the working class. He organizes a large revolutionary detachment of Jewish self-defense.
The story of the robbery of a gambling club by his gang became a textbook. Yaponchik's people were dressed in the uniform of revolutionary sailors. The proceeds were notable: 100 thousand from horses and 2000 thousand from visitors. One of the club's visitors literally died on the spot when he saw a crowd of armed people in front of him.
The “bandit-tramp element” played a big role in the life of Odessa. And if it was impossible to suppress it, then it was necessary to lead it, putting your own man in the place of the “king”. Yaponchik secured serious financial and organizational support from the Bolsheviks and became the commander of a detachment of the Red Army.
His regiment was assembled from Odessa criminals, anarchist militants and mobilized students. Before sending the regiment to the front against Petliura, a chic banquet was arranged in Odessa, at which Mishka Yaponchik was solemnly presented with a silver saber and a red banner.
However, reliability and revolutionary awareness from the people of Yaponchik was not to be expected. Of the 2202 people of the detachment, only 704 people reached the front. The thieves also did not want to fight for a long time and quickly "fought". On the way back to Odessa, Yaponchik was shot dead by Commissar Nikifor Ursulov, who received the Order of the Red Banner for his "feat".
Grigory Kotovsky
Kotovsky was born in 1881 into a noble family. His parents were not rich, his mother died when Grisha was only two years old. He did not finish the vocational school, left the agricultural school and worked as an intern on the estate of Prince Kantakouzin.
From here the glorious days of Grishka the Cat began. The princess fell in love with the young manager, her husband, having learned about this, whipped Grishka and threw him into the field. Without thinking twice, the offended Kotovsky killed the landowner, and he himself disappeared into the forest, where he gathered a gang of 12 people.
Glory thundered - Kotovsky was afraid of all Bessarabia, newspapers wrote about him, calling him another Dubrovsky. There is somewhere in Pushkin: “The robberies are one more wonderful than the other, they follow one after the other. The head of the gang is famous for his intelligence, courage and some kind of generosity ... ". The generosity of Grigory Kotovsky, in the end, with all the palette of personal qualities, became the main one for the public audience, creating the halo of Robin Hood for Cat.
However, for that same "people" Gregory was often a "benefactor". So, Kotovsky and his 12 associates saved the peasants arrested for agrarian unrest, persecuted in the Chisinau prison. They rescued loudly, one of the escorts left a receipt: "Grigory Kotovsky released the arrested."
Kotovsky had to visit places of detention twice. And run free twice. For the first time, a woman and bread helped Gregory. The wife of one of the chiefs of the Kishinev prison, who visited the hero at rest, gave Kotovsky a loaf and smoke, in other words, opium, browning, a rope and a file.
Grishka got out, however, he walked for less than a month. Then he went to Siberia for 10 years. Gregory fled two years later. While Kotovsky ran, the myth of his nobility grew stronger. It was said that during a raid on the apartment of one of the owners of the bank, Kotovsky demanded a pearl necklace from the entrepreneur's wife. Mrs. Circassian did not lose her head and, taking off her jewelry, broke the thread. Kotovsky pearls did not raise, smiled at female resourcefulness.
Grigory Kotovsky definitely had an administrative streak, and if it weren’t for a love adventure with Princess Kontaktuzino, Kotu would not be a red commander, but an enemy of the proletariat. Kotovsky liked to manage: after another escape, having taken possession of someone else's passport, Kotovsky again served as the manager of a large estate. Kotovsky had another weakness - he wanted fame. Having given money to some fire-fighter, the manager said: “Build up again. Come on thanking, Kotovsky is not thanked.
In 1916, Kotovsky was sentenced to death. The military field court agreed that there was no revolution in Kotovsky's actions, they condemned him as a bandit nobleman. Bessarabian Robin Hood was saved by a woman and a writer. Nothing is known about General Shcherbakova, and the friendship between the writer Fedorov and Kotovsky continued for a long time. The revolution gave Kotovsky freedom. Somewhere in Odessa, he underwent military training, and then climbed into Romania.
Calling himself exclusively an anarchist, Gregory independently formed cavalry regiments. The regiments of Kotovsky were formed from those who were close in spirit earlier. The former criminal, they say, served bravely, received two award crosses, was reputed to be merciful - he was loved by the Jews and five thousand rescued white officers.
Being at the crosses, at the zenith of glory, preparing the entry of the Red Army into Odessa, Grishka, disguised as a colonel, took out jewelry from the basement of the state bank. It took him three trucks to vacate the premises. However, this feat of Grigory Ivanovich did not destroy his military career.
The luck of the red commander was deceived once, but with extreme fatalism. On August 6, 1925, at the state farm Chebanka, Grigory Kotovsky was shot dead by Meyer (Mayorchik). There was a lot of talk about murder. They said that Mayorchik, in love with Olga Kotovskaya, eliminated his friend, they said that they killed him on orders from "above". The death of the commander gave rise to a lot of rumors, nevertheless, without obscuring the posthumous luck of Grishka Kota. On August 11, 1925, a daughter was born to Grigory Kotovsky.
Lenka Panteleev
Lenka Panteleev (real name Leonid Pantelkin) was born in 1902, at the age of 17 he joined the Red Army, fought with the Whites, after the Civil War he got a job in the Pskov Cheka, from where he was soon dismissed. According to one version, “to reduce staff,” according to another, because he showed extreme unreliability by starting to steal during the search.
Then Panteleev moved to St. Petersburg, where he first tried to find a job, and then set foot on the path of banditry - he put together a gang and began to "rob the loot." The raids by the Panteleev gang were extremely successful and theatrical. The leader flew in first and introduced himself: “Everyone, keep calm! This is Lenka Panteleev!
Of course, there was a hunt for Panteleev, but the operatives over and over again remained with the nose ... Today this is explained very simply - Panteleev was an undercover agent. This indirectly confirms the fact that Lenka's gang included another former Chekist and former commissar of the Red Army battalion, a member of the RCP (b). In addition, Panteleev's gang has never robbed a state institution, private entrepreneurs have always become victims.
In the fall of 1922, while trying to rob a shoe store, the Panteleev gang was ambushed. Lyonka and his accomplices were arrested. The court sentenced them to death, but the next night they escaped from Kresty (the only successful escape from this prison in its entire history). How Panteleev managed to do this - history is silent ...
For a long time, however, Panteleev did not walk free. Already in February 1923, having resisted arrest, he was shot dead by GPU operatives.
People stubbornly believed that Panteleev was alive. To dispel this myth, by order of the authorities, the corpse was put on public display in the city morgue. Thousands of people came to look at the body, but his family and friends did not identify him. Yes, and it was impossible to do this - the bullet hit in the face.
Sea robbers, "trying their luck." These are them, desperate lovers of adventure and sea battles, with an indomitable will in character and a bottle of rum in their hands, everyone imagines at the mere mention of the word "pirates". The best writers of the world wrote about them, the world's most talented directors and actors created vivid masterpieces of cinematography about the difficult and, at the same time, enchanting life of recalcitrant pirates. Seas and oceans, ships and captains, treasure maps and treasure chests - that's it, their life. But each of them had their own special life path, its colorful and complex fate.
"Cruel" Henry Morgan
Henry, who lived in the seventeenth century, became the most famous pirate. The Englishman, who was born into a wealthy family of landowners, was a restless child from childhood, had no interest in continuing his parental work, and in his early youth he was hired to serve on a ship as a cabin boy. When the ship landed on the island of Barbados, Henry was successfully sold into slavery. After working there for several years and paying the owner a ransom, Henry moved to the island of Jamaica, where he made a gang of thugs and a small capital, bought his first ship, on which he was unanimously chosen as the captain. First, the pirates robbed the ships of Spain, the enemy state. Then a brilliant idea comes to Morgan's head - to attack coastal cities. The very first such attack brought him unprecedented fame as a leader, other pirate ships began to join his team. Having such a flotilla with several hundred pirates, Morgan no longer enjoyed plundering single ships at sea.
The capture of cities began, which gave a significant profit to the treasury of the extracted treasures. However, this treasury both replenished and descended instantly. Returning from raids on Jamaica, the pirates spent days and nights, staggering from tavern to tavern, drinking and eating from golden dishes, having fun with the most expensive courtesans. And then they again went to sea, in new raids.
Pirate Admiral Henry Morgan managed to combine not only success in the corsair craft, but also the talent of a military leader, commander in chief navy Jamaica, and the wisdom of a politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. With his help, England gained control of the entire Caribbean. Morgan's whole life was filled with bright victories, no one could defeat him, except for his beloved rum and, as a result, cirrhosis of the liver, from which Henry died. Henry Morgan was buried as a nobleman. However, the sea soon reminded the world that he was, is and remains a gentleman of the sea. After the earthquake, the grave of the Cruel Admiral plunged into the depths of the sea.
Spooky Fiend Edward Teach
Another Englishman who did not know the joys of childhood. Very early Edward had to become an adult and start serving as a cabin boy on a warship. Life in the Navy gave him intelligence and insight, the talent of a navigator, but at the same time an unbridled character, a terrible temper and a love of alcohol. Edward Teach pushed away from him more and more, people did not want to sail with him on the same ship. Thus ended the naval career of Edward Teach and began independent life formidable robber Blackbeard. His beard grew from the very eyes and was an eerie blue-black color. He liked to inspire horror from his appearance, for this he braided ignition wicks into his beard, set them on fire and appeared in front of his enemies in clouds of smoke, like Satan from the underworld.
The robbers, led by Blackbeard, robbed every ship they came across, they were extremely cruel, for which they were soon hunted down and very big money was promised for the head of Edward Tich. The lieutenant of the English fleet sent Tich to the other world during a boarding battle, firing five bullets at him and inflicting twenty stab wounds. Blackbeard's head was cut off, his body was hung on a yardarm, and so ended the short career of the pirate Edward Teach.
Fortune's Favorite Francis Drake
Francis was born into a family of a priest, but instead of becoming an exemplary Christian, at the young age of eighteen he became the captain of a pirate ship. His crew ruthlessly plundered Spanish ships, the most famous capture of the Silver Caravan, which brought 30,000 kilograms of silver, he was in charge. But Francis was more interested in those places in the world where no man had ever set foot before.
Drake has always been drawn to unknown lands and it is no surprise that he went on a secret journey to South America, thanks to which the British recognized and tasted an exotic potato vegetable. After such a voyage, England received for its treasury an income that was three times the annual budget. For this, Drake was knighted and given the rank of admiral right on board the ship. History has no analogues of such a case. All his life, fortune was next to Drake and only once turned away. During the next trip to the shores of America, he so ridiculously caught a tropical fever, which is why he died.
Pirate Woman Mary Reed
And even sea corsairs cannot boast that there have never been women among them. Despite the fact that a woman on a ship is a bad omen, among the fair sex there were desperate pirates who, along with men, are rightfully included in the most famous in the world.
The girl Mary was born later than her deceased brother. The mother was never able to come to terms with the loss of her son, so she saw only him in her daughter, since childhood, Mary did not know dresses and bows, she was always dressed in boyish clothes. Therefore, it is not surprising that from the age of fifteen the young girl served in the army, took part in the fighting in the cavalry regiment, and then, dressed in men's clothes, went on board to serve as a sailor. This ship fell into the hands of the pirates and Mary went over to their side, becoming the captain's traveling wife. But this did not give her absolutely any indulgences and privileges, she participated in battles on an equal basis with men, always wore men's attire and weapons. Once in the life of a girl there was a stormy romance with a craftsman who helped the pirates. She even thought for a moment about women's happiness, family and a child, she wanted to formalize the marriage with her beloved and break with piracy forever. But the pregnant Mary Read was caught by the authorities. They did not hang a woman in this position and she was waiting for her shameful death in a prison in Jamaica. But a strong fever dealt with the beauty earlier, not giving her a chance to be hanged and become a mother even for a moment.
