Better not to come across the ship of these pirates, terrible as these gentlemen!
Piracyoften associated with men with measured faces and sharp eyes, in reality it hides female figures also sprinkle. If men have dominated the seas for centuries, some women have managed to win their place in this merciless world. Defying stereotypes, they took the helm, commanded the crews and struck fear into the hearts of sailors and merchants. The courage and determination of these pirates he placed them equal to, if not above, their male counterparts.
Circa 1300 – Circa 1359: Jeanne de Belleville, Tigress of Breton
We know that we must always be careful with still water. Having had Olivier de Clisson, a Breton nobleman accused of being an English ally, executed, the Valois did not imagine the tornado that would descend upon them. His wife, John of Belleville, see red. Saying goodbye to the peaceful life in the castle and educating the children, the dove becomes a lioness. She raised an army, looted the surrounding castles and massacred her allies King of France. Then he goes to sea, where for a year he will put to the sword everything that even remotely resembles a French merchant, ravaging the coast of Normandy in the process.
1485 – about 1561: Sayyida al-Hurra, a Muslim princess
Expelled from her Andalusian palace in 1492, during Reconquista, this Muslim noblewoman, then seven years old, took refuge with her family in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Later, in 1515, she succeeded her husband as governor of the city of Tetouan. She doesn’t care about this title, she wants her revenge. Under the name al-Hurra, “the free one”, she joined with corsair Turkish Red beard and carried out punitive actions against Spanish and Portuguese ships. Oversees the Eastern Mediterranean; she, the west. His weapon: hostages, whose release is being fiercely negotiated. In 1541, she married the Moroccan king Ahmed al-Wattassi.
1775 – 1844: Ching Shih, Chinese sea pirate
“When Ms. Ching has chosen her prey, she never lets her fangs drop again until victory, until the death of her opponent!” said the English sailor Richard Glasspoole about her. He knew his object: in 1809 he remained a prisoner pirate in four months. The fate of this Cantonese prostitute he had indeed changed a few years earlier, after an encounter with a pirate Ching Yih. She agrees to marry the latter on the condition that she be given command of one of his squadrons. Widowed in 1807, she inherited the entire fleet without any opposition. Mrs. Ching stands out for her quality as a manager, managing sharing the spoils with great strictness. The fleet under his command will reach a considerable size: 1,800 boats and 70,000 men. The rules are strict: it is forbidden to appropriate the loot before sharing it, to go ashore alone or to molest the women on board – unless it is approved by the steward… In case of deviation, it is death.
From Shanghai to Vietnam, no merchant ship – whether Chinese or European – is safe. Saber in each hand, at the head of her troops, she gives no mercy. Fleets of war can do nothing there; their ships were destroyed andchinese empire loses his greatest admirals in battle. After three years of terror, she surrendered in 1810 and was pardoned by the authorities. She inspired the character of Lady Ching in the film pirates of the Carribean (issued in 2007).
3 questions for Marie-Ève Sténuit, underwater archaeologist
I’m interested in History: What was the profile of female pirates?
Some, like John of Belleville, were women of high extraction. Others, like the English Mary Read, on the contrary, tried to escape from poverty. What they have in common is that they wanted to escape from the role assigned to them by society, even if that meant masking. Some sought this freedom by joining the merchant or royal navies, but were dismissed as soon as they were exposed. To last, piracy was safer.
Are they well received there?
on Vikings or in China, have been associated with maritime occupations since childhood. This was not the slightest problem. Especially in the West we find the woman/boat antagonism: a woman on a boat brings bad luck. The pirates were no more enlightened than the others in this matter. Some of codes those preserved state that, even in disguise, they were not welcome. In reality, they might succeed in imposing themselves. After they proved themselves, pirate society certainly became more tolerant.
Were they numerous?
Sources list only those landed or convicted of piracy by the official navy. In any case, to make an impression, a strong character and an excellent physical constitution were needed, not to mention the problems of promiscuity. The phenomenon was certainly marginal, but perhaps not as much as we think.
Marie-Ève Sténuit is an underwater archaeologist and novelist. In particular, she wrote Women Pirates, Foamers of the Sea (ed. du Trésor).
FURTHER
books
> A history of pirates, from the South Seas to Hollywood by Jean-Pierre Moreau (ed. Tallandier). Thanks to unpublished documents, the author traces the true history of pirates.
> The Archeology of Piracy in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of the Daily Life of Pirates from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean under the direction of Jean Soulat. Bringing together 24 international contributions, this work presents the main archaeological sites associated with the Golden Age of Piracy.
> Pirates, privateers and pirates by Alain Blondy (ed. Perrin). In this very detailed study, the academic, known as one of the best experts in the Mediterranean world, traces the history of these skiers at sea.
> Dictionary of corsairs and pirates under the guidance of Gilbert Buti and Philippe Hrodej (ed. CNRS). In 600 entries, this book brings vivid characters to life, from the most colorful, such as Drake, Jean Bart, Surcouf, Duguay-Trouin, Barberousse, to those forgotten by history.
Podcast
> Pirate Queen by Claire Richard (Arte Radio). This podcast, aimed at children, follows the fate of Anne Bonny (born Anne Cormac), an Irish pirate from the 18th century. Proof that there were also women in the filibuster!
You may also be interested in:
⋙ Do pirates like adventure novels?
⋙ 17.-18. century: the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean
⋙ Why was the figure the only woman on the ships?