The world’s most notorious pirates terrorized the seven seas and amassed huge riches between the 16th and 19th centuries. Many of these ship plunderers remain famous to this day, but they were very different from the often-friendly pirates seen in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise.
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Many of history's most famous pirates began as privateers — sailors-for-hire on private warships who had been given permission to attack their country's enemies at sea and harass commercial ships in designated zones. Some of these privateers also targeted ships from their own nation when the lure of gold was too great, and they struck out under their own flag to illegally raid merchant vessels.
Some pirates were so successful they became feared around the world and made millions of dollars by today's standards. Here are 10 of the most notorious pirates of all time.
Blackbeard is possibly the most famous pirate in history, but his life is shrouded in mystery. Much of what we know about him and other pirates of his time comes from a 1724 book, published under the name Capt. Charles Johnson, called "A General History of the Pyrates." Charles Johnson is a pseudonym, and the book is often attributed to author Daniel Defoe, who wrote famous novels such as "Robinson Crusoe." Some of the book is backed up by government documents from the time, while scholars have proven other parts to be false, so it isn't an entirely reliable source.
Blackbeard is possibly the most famous pirate in history, but his life is shrouded in mystery. Much of what we know about him and other pirates of his time comes from a 1724 book, published under the name Capt. Charles Johnson, called "A General History of the Pyrates." Charles Johnson is a pseudonym, and the book is often attributed to author Daniel Defoe, who wrote famous novels such as "Robinson Crusoe." Some of the book is backed up by government documents from the time, while scholars have proven other parts to be false, so it isn't an entirely reliable source.