Interesting Stories-Four Female Pirates     

We might think that women have rarely been found at sea throughout history, but we don't have to take it that way. This is often dependent on time, place, culture and, most importantly, luck. For example, wives of European captains and officers accompanied their husbands on merchant ships. Another group of women, who were betrothed by their husbands to join the Navy, disguised themselves and switched to another ship, and when the ship sailed, they could show themselves freely. There are, of course, many other events in history: for example, a group of women on merchant ships disguised as young men to deceive their peers, or -although it is not uncommon for women to be in the oceans and engage in such things- as well as when they began to engage in fishing and whaling. By contrast, British warships often had female servants. In some cultures, especially in Asia, women were not only sailors but also captains of fishermen and merchant ships.

Grace O'Malley (c. 1530-1603)

Grace O'Malley was born around 1530 in Connaught, Ireland. Grace earned the nickname Granuaille ("the bald one") for using her hair so short—perhaps because the name was better suited to living on a ship—and became an enduring figure in Irish folklore. She was the daughter of a chieftain who ruled around Clew Bay. As a child, birds had gone and raided eagles' nests after attacking her father's sheep, and thereafter the eagles scratched Grace's forehead with their talons, leaving scars that they had worn for the rest of her life.

When Grace was 16, she married Donal O'Flaherty and they lived in her castle in Bunowen. They had three children, but when her husband died, she had to leave the house as the women at that time could not inherit the property. After that, Grace began piracy and commanded a fleet of 20 ships of her father. She raided the cargoes of merchant ships, she. In the battle, the Irish leader personally fought with pistols and a machete. Grace also used her ships for legitimate business.

It was his piracy and extortion from passing ships (or allegations that he did) that prompted the British Royal Navy to send ships against him—ships that Grace had destroyed more than once. Despite this disagreement, Grace's fleet sailed a one-off, or perhaps once more, in the service of Elizabeth I of England (throne 1558-1603), perhaps following the advice of her second husband, Irish chief Richard Burke (c. opened.

Grace was caught attacking the estates of the Earl of Desmond in 1577. Just then, the strife between England and Ireland was escalating. He was imprisoned in Limerick for 18 months. In September 1593, Grace was provided with the possibility of a one-on-one meeting with Queen Elizabeth, perhaps to negotiate the release of one of her sons, and would likely receive regular maintenance in exchange for Elizabeth loaning her ships to assist with her policies in Ireland.

The love between the two was strengthened when Grace's son, Tibbot, was knighted by the English queen and renamed Sir Theobold. In 1597, Grace's fleet was operational again. Grace probably died of old age at Rockfleet Castle in County Mayo in 1603. Legend has it that Grace buried over nine tons of gold treasure, but she protected it with a curse and has still not been found since.

Maria Lindsey (early 18th century)

The legendary Englishwoman Maria Lindsey (aka Cobham) and her husband Eric—when Eric Cobham was already an established pirate—met in Portsmouth and formed a pirate partnership. They roamed the waters around Cape Breton in the western Atlantic in the early 18th century, with a particular focus on ships carrying valuable furs. Notorious for their cruelty towards captured sailors, some of their victims were once tied up in sacks and thrown into the sea.

It is said that Maria stabbed a rival captain and used the prisoners as a target for aiming exercises. Highly successful as pirates, the Cobhams bought a luxury property in Le Havre, owned a yacht, and moved on to a more dignified life. When they set sail one day, the idea of ​​returning to their old ways entered their minds, when things took a turn for the worse. They captured a cell - including a crew in the process - and then sold it in Bordeaux.

The Cobhams calmly continued to wear the cloaks of "respectability", even Eric Cobham became the local magistrate of all things. But after all this came the sad news: Maria had committed suicide by poisoning herself and jumping off a cliff.

Teuta (3rd century BC)

Teuta was the queen of an Illyrian tribe (Ardiaei) located in the Western Balkans. He was known for his connection to piracy. As the second wife of King Agron (231 BC), she reigned as regent to her young stepson Pinnes when her husband died. Teuta continued her husband's aggressive foreign policy, following the siege of Issa in 230 BC and attacking ships in the Adriatic Sea with her own fast, light ships. The Romans sent envoys to Teuta's court to put an end to the piracy and negotiate.

At least the situation It was presented as such by the 2nd century Greek historian Polybius. However, at this time in history there was not a big enough distinction to be problematic between piracy and warfare. Teuta's ships may have attacked his merchant ships, but he had also attacked military targets such as Corfu (Corcyra) and the combined navies of the Achaians and Aitolians.

As a result of one of its ambassadors being killed on the way by Illyrian pirates, Rome was destroyed in the 4th century BC. He declared war in 229. However, there is a fact that it is very difficult to determine the actual events from contradictory sources. The envoys may have met Teuta on the return journey and been killed on his orders. According to Polybius, Teuta had told Roman visitors that there was no way to prevent his subjects from pursuing piracy as usual. Of course, alternatively, it seems possible that none of the ambassadors ever met the queen.

Teuta was then betrayed by Demetrius of Pharos, who eventually negotiated with the Romans, offering his aid and Corfu (Corcyra) as a bargaining chip. B.C. In the First Illyrian War in 228, the Romans were victorious, and Teuta's kingdom shrank considerably as a result. Demetrius had been appointed protector of Pinnes, while Teuta was retreating towards Rhizon (modern Risan in Montenegro). Teuta then signed a peace treaty with Rome, promising to regularly pay tribute and not to allow more than two "pirate" ships to sail south of Lissos (in modern northern Albania) at any time.