On September 7, 1695, probably the largest pirate robbery in history took place. Namely, the loot was stolen, which at today's prices would be worth maybe up to 400 million dollars.
The English pirate Henry Every, also known as the Pirate King, succeeded. On that day, he plundered the fabulously rich fleet that belonged to the ruler of the Indian Empire, the great mogul Aurangzeb.
That rich fleet was on an annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Namely, the powerful Aurangzeb was an orthodox Muslim, unlike his father Shah Jahan, who built the famous Taj Mahal and who was much more liberal in terms of religion. Aurangzeb by force of arms expanded his Empire, which encompassed almost the whole of India and brought him enormous revenues.
Aurangzeb's fleet was just returning from Mecca to India when it was attacked by the Pirate King with his ship named Fancy. The battle took place in the Arabian Sea. The main ship of the Indian fleet was named Ganj-i-Sawai (Excessive Treasure) and carried a huge fortune. It was not easy prey because it had as many as 80 cannons, a mass of 1,600 tons and about 400 people armed with muskets, and another 600 other passengers. Henry Every was attacked by that huge ship with a salvo from his side cannons, happily hitting the main mast of the Indian ship and thus slowing it down. Lucky for Every was the fact that one of the large Indian cannons exploded when fired and caused confusion among the Indians. The pirates seized the opportunity and boarded an Indian ship. A man-to-man battle began that lasted 2 to 3 hours. Eventually the Indians surrendered.
The pirate robbery of the ship was brutal. They killed and tortured Indians, and raped women and slaves on board. The loot was so large that it made Every the richest pirate in the world. There is also a legend that for Every, the biggest gem on the ship was actually a captured Indian princess, Aurangzeb's daughter or granddaughter.
It is possible that he died in poverty, as some have claimed. Or it could have been that Henry Every was one of the few pirates who ever got away with their crimes and lived enjoying their acquired possessions.
