Forum > Middle Ages
Medieval Pirates
Karl Helweg:
Captain John Crabbe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Crabbe_(died_1352)
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2016/10/14/portrait-of-a-pirate-john-crabbe-c-1290-1352/
Flemish pirate/adventurer best known for his successful use of a ship-mounted catapult. Once won the favor of Robert the Bruce and acted as a naval officer for England during the Hundred Years' War (after being captured by King Edward III.)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2854616?seq=1
https://historycollection.co/pirates-life-6-swashbuckling-medieval-pirates/3/
This link has some other lesser known English pirates of the 1400s: https://historycollection.co/pirates-life-6-swashbuckling-medieval-pirates/
Karl Helweg:
Eustace the Monk ( Eustache le Moine; c. 1170 – 24 August 1217)
Eustace was born a younger son of Baudoin Busket, a lord of the county of Boulogne. According to his biography, he went to Toledo, Spain, and studied black magic there. The author of the Histoire des Ducs de Normandie wrote in Eustace's own day, "No one would believe the marvels he accomplished, nor those which happened to him many times." He later returned home to become a Benedictine monk at St Samer Abbey near Calais, and then left the monastery to avenge his murdered father. Other evidence, however, suggests that his father's death occurred soon after 1190. That evidence proves that by 1202, Eustace was the seneschal and bailiff of the count of Boulogne, Renaud de Dammartin, and that in c. 1204, the two quarrelled and, accused of mishandling his stewardship, Eustace fled and was declared an outlaw. Renaud confiscated his lands and fields; Eustace burned two mills in retaliation.
http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/eustace_the_monk.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ_C1nlqJBA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustace_the_Monk
Karl Helweg:
Grace O’Malley, The 16th Century Pirate Queen of Ireland
Grace O'Malley was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the O Maille clan, a rebel, seafarer, and fearless leader who challenged the turbulent politics of 16th century England and Ireland. While Irish legends have immortalized Grace as a courageous woman who overcame boundaries of gender imbalance and bias to fight for the independence of Ireland and protect it against the English crown; to the English, she was considered a brutal and thieving pirate, who controlled the coastlines through intimidation and plunder.
Through the course of her life, Grace raised and led armies, commanded a fleet of ships, was captured (twice), imprisoned, faced execution, secured her freedom (twice), fought pirates, was a master of political negotiation, and struck fear into one of the most powerful countries of the era – England. Yet, despite her accomplishments, Grace O’Malley was not remembered in Irish history . In The Annals of the Four Masters , the seminal source of Irish history compiled just a few years after her death and in a region where Grace was active, there is not one mention of her name. The only explanation for such an enormous omission from Ireland’s historical records is that Grace’s power was uncomfortable for the men of her era and in Catholic Ireland. Fortunately, thanks to the work of biographer Anne Chambers, Grace’s life has been pieced back together, largely from English state records, and she is now a much loved hero in Ireland.
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/grace-o-malley-16th-century-pirate-queen-ireland-001773
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_O%27Malley
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/grace-o-malley-the-fearless-16th-century-irish-pirate-queen-who-stood-up-to-the-english?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Karl Helweg:
Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, aka Murat Reis the Younger
Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Murat Reis the Younger (c. 1570 – c. 1641), was a Dutch born fighter in the Ottoman Navy who converted to Islam after being captured by a Moorish state in 1618. He began serving as a Navy fighter, one of the most famous of the 17th-century "Salé Rovers". Together with other corsairs, he helped establish the independent Republic of Salé at the city of that name, serving as the first President and Grand Admiral. He also served as Governor of Oualidia.
https://www.geni.com/people/Jan-Janszoon-van-Haarlem-aka-Murat-Reis-the-Younger/6000000005017619142
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Janszoon
http://zeerovery.nl/history/janszoon.htm
Karl Helweg:
John Callis
(also known as John Callice) became a pirate in Britain where the Welsh coastline became his domain.
Born in the 1500’s in Monmouthshire, Callis moved to London when he was young and became a retailer. Soon afterwards, his professional ambitions changed and he joined the Navy. It was in this role that he would first start seizing and selling cargo. As he became more confident in his abilities, his piratical activities escalated.
This sixteenth century Welsh pirate was particularly active in the region of South Wales, between Cardiff and Haverfordwest. He would spend his time selling his stolen cargo in the villages along the way such as Laugharne and Carew.
His piratical career lasted for decades before pressure from neighbouring countries forced to English government to take action and managed to capture him in 1576.
The elderly pirate attempted to assist authorities in tracking down other pirates in exchange for his release, however the authorities refused his offer and he was hanged in Newport later that year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Callis_(pirate)
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/John-Callis-Callice-Welsh-Pirate/
https://mathewlyons.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/john-callis-pirate-and-the-elizabethan-ambivalence-about-his-trade/ This article gives an interesting account of piracy at the time.
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