Welcome, curious minds! Do you know the history of the most famous female pirate of all the times? When the War of the Spanish Succession ended, back in 1714, the seas were filled with pirates.
Why? Because thousands of privateers who had been looting enemy ships commissioned by nations at war suddenly were out of work, but with extensive experience in naval combat, and they made the most logical decision in their situation: become freelance. The pirate trade required to spend more than half a life embarked, boarding ships and living with the worst people.
It was a world almost exclusively for men, but still there were some women who managed to go down in history. It was the case of Mary Read. The English Mary Read had a life worthy of a novel.
Her mother had married very young with a sailor who undertook trip after marriage and left her pregnant. Maybe the man would be shipwrecked, or maybe he would perish during the trip, no it's known. The fact is that he never returned.
The woman gave birth to a child and shortly after got pregnant again by an affair she maintained. For conceal her pregnancy and shame between her husband's relatives, she told them that she was going to live with some friends in the country with his son, who didn't have a year of age. The poor died shortly after.
So gave birth to his second offspring, a girl: Mary Read. After four years, when he ran out of money, Mary's mother decided to return to London, with the goal that the mother of her husband, who enjoyed a good position, take care of the creature. How?
Posing Mary through her deceased brother, the legitimate son. She dressed her as a child, took her to the capital and introduced her to his mother-in-law as his grandson. Amazingly, the deception worked and they got the old woman to pass them one crown a week for child support.
Of course, Mary's mother doesn't there was no choice but to raise her as if it was a boy and when the little girl had old enough to understand it, she explained her the truth about his birth so that Mary was aware of why was necessary for him to keep hiding herr true sex. Mary was bold and physically strong, and shee had an adventurous spirit, so with less than 15 years he got on a ship of war in which she served for some weather. At that time, at the end of 17th century, the European powers were at war and when Mary landed in Flanders enlisted as a cadet in a infantry regiment.
But for more bravery that showed in all military actions, she could not move up, since at that time the promotions were bought. So she enlisted in a cavalry regiment. Too again stood out in him for his bravery and earned the esteem of his superiors and companions.
But then love crossed into her walk. She fell in love with one of his comrades, a handsome Flemish soldier. Every time they sent him on a mission she volunteered to accompany him and stood next to him in the fighting to defend him.
Hers classmates, included the young Flemish, thought she was crazy. Well, HE wes crazy rather. Finally she revealed his true identity to his loved.
He wanted to make her his lover, but she refused: what she wanted was to marry him. So after a while time they got married. You can imagine the surprise face of others when they were invited to the wedding.
The newlyweds left the army and they opened a public house near the Breda Castle, in the Netherlands, to what they called The Three Horseshoes. Them it went very well because many officers went there to eat daily. But nevertheless, happiness did not last long: her husband passed away and when peace came and the armies withdrew from the area, the business also sank.
Ruined, Mary Read decided to get dressed again man and embarked on a ship with destination to the West Indies. English pirates seized the ship that took her to America and, as she was the only English on board, the pirates incorporated her to their own crew, always believing that she was a man. That way so casual began his pirate life, a profession that she didn't like and exercised for pure need.
Mind you, since she had to be a pirate, tried to be the fiercest of everybody. According to several witnesses who had sailed with her, nobody showed up more decided and willing to board or take the biggest risks that Mary Read. It was then the year 1718 and the King of England, George I, with the intention to contain the surge of piracy that harmed the transatlantic trade, promulgated a general forgiveness for everyone who will abandon piracy and will be dedicated to honest life.
The English pirates that Mary Read was browsing with welcomed that real forgiveness, and she too. But after a short time, when money began to run out and heard that the governor of the Island of Providence was building some ships privateers to fight the Spaniards, shee decided to join them. But in how much your ship sailed, the crew mutinied and took control of the ship to sack on their own.
She joined the mutineers and so, of hit, she was again dedicated to the pure and hard piracy. In 1620 Mary joined the ship of Captain John Rackham, also known as 'Calico Jack' because of the elegant shirts and pants he wore, which were made of calico, a cotton fabric. Coincidentally, this captain was traveling with another woman disguised as a man, the Irish Anne Bonny, who was her lover.
Neither knew that Mary Read was a woman until Anne was attracted by Mary, since he considered her a man attractive, and discovered his own sex. Mary, seeing Anne's intentions, was forced to reveal her own secret so Anne wouldn't be excited about her, and they became very friendly. So much that Rackham was very jealous to see that his dear Anne spent so much time with that young man and threatened to cut off his neck.
To placate him, Anne had to confess Mary secret and Rackham, relieved, kept the secret of both of them before rest of the crew. It was common for pirates, every time that captured a merchant ship, incorporate into their own ranks the navigation experts or any other worthy man to find in the ship seized, either voluntarily or by force. One day, Rackham's ship rolled up a handsome young man of good manners.
Mary Read fell in love with him. Just as he had done years ago with his husband, she looked for his proximity and ended up by reveal her true sex. And they fell in love.
On one occasion, this young man had a dispute with another pirate of the crew and, as the ship was anchored near an island, they agreed to go ashore to fight according to pirate custom. Mary was distraught because she knew that her beloved's rival was hard to peel, but she could not ask her partner to give up the duel because he would have been like a coward. So she did the only thing she could: she challenged the same rival, arranged a fight with him a couple of hours before the fight he already was scheduled, they fought with sword and gun and she killed him.
Although they did not get married formally, she and her crush promised each other as husbands, but at the end of that year, 1720, the British captured their ship, they took all the pirates as prisoners and took them to Villa de la Vega, in Jamaica, where they were tried. Catching their ship was not difficult since which, it is said, they caught almost everyone drunk and hidden under the deck. Only Mary Read, Anne Bonny and other sailor stayed to fight on deck.
As one witness stated in the trial, when the British addressed them, Mary Read shouted to those who they were down to go up and fight like men, and seeing that no one moved, even fired his weapons towards the cellar, killing one of the pirates and wounding several. She, however, denied that story at the trial and, like Anne Bonny, she declared to be pregnant so that will postpone their execution. Whether true or not, the court took pity on her just like Anne Bonny and postponed their execution.
Instead, they sent the majority of male pirates to hang. In case you ask, Mary Read's fiance was acquitted with some others. Unfortunately for her, our protagonist died in prison little later, at the beginning of 1721, because of of very serious fevers.
Anne Bonny, on the other hand, had her son and It never got executed. Only know of her who left the prison; then his trail was lost in history. Well, nothing more!
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