Anne Dieu-le-Veut
Encyclopedia
Anne Dieu-Le-Veut also called Marie-Anne or Marianne (born ca 1650) was a French Pirate, a so called Buccaneer
, and together with Jaquotte Delahaye one of very few female ones.
She is believed to have been a criminal deported from France in this manner, as were many of those women. Her deportation to Tortuga
was said to have taken place during the reign of governor Betrand d'Ogeron de la Bouere, which means it must have been in 1665-1668 or 1669-1675. In Tortuga she was married to the buccaneer Pierre Length.
In 1683, Anne's husband was killed in a bar fight by the famous buccaneer Laurens de Graff. She challenged Laurens to a duel to avenge her husbands death (other sources claims she heard him insult her), and while Laurens drew his sword, Anne drew her gun. Laurens then succumbed saying he would not fight a woman; he then proposed to her on the spot in admiration of her courage, and she accepted. In reality, the two were actually not married, as Laurens already had a wife he had abandoned many years ago, but they were from this point seen as man and wife. Others claim this event happened in 1693.
Anne is called a pirate because she accompanied Laurens on his ship and fought on his side during acts of piracy, sharing his work and the command on his ship in the same fashion as Anne Bonny
did with Calico Jack
. Unlike Anne Bonny, she did not disguise her sex, and her acts therefore aroused much attention and fascination. She was talked about as brave, stern and ruthless, and it was in these years that her name "Anne God-Wants" became known. Usually, it was considered bad luck to have a woman on board a ship, but Anne was instead regarded as the bringer of good luck.
In 1693, her husband raided Jamaica
, and was as a thanks rewarded with the noble title of Chevalier, the position of Major Lieutenant and the commission of Ile-a-Vache, but the year after, the English took their revenge on Tortuga, and Anne and her two daughters were taken prisoner by the English and kept as hostages for three years. She was said to have been treated with great respect. In 1698 they were reunited with Laurens.
After this, their fates become blurred; some say they became colonists in Mississippi
, Alabama
or Louisiana, others that they continued their piracy, or at least privateering.
The most famous story of Anne is as follows: as Anne and Laurens attacked a Spanish ship, a cannon ball took the life of Laurens, and Anne took his place as commander of his ship, as she had done before, hurled their crew of pirates on with fury in the fight against the Spaniards. However, the pirates were outnumbered, and they were all captured and taken first to Veracruz
in Mexico
, and then to Cartagena
in Colombia
, both of which were cities earlier sacked by Laurens, to be judged. Anne's fame was so great that when the French Marine Secretary of Pontchartrain heard of this, he wrote to Louis XIV of France and asked him to make the king of Spain intervene. Anne was then freed as a special service between kings, and she was never heard of again.
This story is not confirmed, but it could be at least partially true; if Laurens and Anne settled in Mississippi, it would not have prevented them from continuing their career of piracy, on the contrary, it would make it easier - as Tortuga was closed as a base for the buccaneers in 1697, Mississippi would have been a much better headquarters, and privateering against Spain would have been very possible during the Spanish war of Succession in 1700-1714. The fact that Anne was rescued by the intervention of an official from Pontchartrain in Louisiana confirms this, and she and Laurens were mentioned in Mississippi in 1700- and as one of the rivalling Spanish kings during that period was a French prince, it would have made it easy to receive a Spanish royal pardon from France.
If this truly happened when Laurens died, which is the part of the story that is most unlikely to be true, it could have happened in 1704, which is the traditional guess on Laurens death-year.
Anne’s daughter (she was said to have had two, born in the early 1690s) was said to have lived in Haiti, where she became known for having performed a duel with a man.
Buccaneer
The buccaneers were privateers who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
, and together with Jaquotte Delahaye one of very few female ones.
She is believed to have been a criminal deported from France in this manner, as were many of those women. Her deportation to Tortuga
Tortuga
Tortuga is a Caribbean island that forms part of Haiti, off the northwest coast of Hispaniola. It constitutes the commune of Île de la Tortue in the Port-de-Paix arrondissement of the Nord-Ouest Department of Haiti. The island covers an area of 180 km² and its population was 25,936 at the...
was said to have taken place during the reign of governor Betrand d'Ogeron de la Bouere, which means it must have been in 1665-1668 or 1669-1675. In Tortuga she was married to the buccaneer Pierre Length.
In 1683, Anne's husband was killed in a bar fight by the famous buccaneer Laurens de Graff. She challenged Laurens to a duel to avenge her husbands death (other sources claims she heard him insult her), and while Laurens drew his sword, Anne drew her gun. Laurens then succumbed saying he would not fight a woman; he then proposed to her on the spot in admiration of her courage, and she accepted. In reality, the two were actually not married, as Laurens already had a wife he had abandoned many years ago, but they were from this point seen as man and wife. Others claim this event happened in 1693.
Anne is called a pirate because she accompanied Laurens on his ship and fought on his side during acts of piracy, sharing his work and the command on his ship in the same fashion as Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny was an Irish woman who became a famous female pirate, operating in the Caribbean. What little is known of her life comes largely from A General History of the Pyrates.-Historical record:...
did with Calico Jack
Calico Jack
John Rackham , commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas during the early 18th century...
. Unlike Anne Bonny, she did not disguise her sex, and her acts therefore aroused much attention and fascination. She was talked about as brave, stern and ruthless, and it was in these years that her name "Anne God-Wants" became known. Usually, it was considered bad luck to have a woman on board a ship, but Anne was instead regarded as the bringer of good luck.
In 1693, her husband raided Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and was as a thanks rewarded with the noble title of Chevalier, the position of Major Lieutenant and the commission of Ile-a-Vache, but the year after, the English took their revenge on Tortuga, and Anne and her two daughters were taken prisoner by the English and kept as hostages for three years. She was said to have been treated with great respect. In 1698 they were reunited with Laurens.
After this, their fates become blurred; some say they became colonists in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
or Louisiana, others that they continued their piracy, or at least privateering.
The most famous story of Anne is as follows: as Anne and Laurens attacked a Spanish ship, a cannon ball took the life of Laurens, and Anne took his place as commander of his ship, as she had done before, hurled their crew of pirates on with fury in the fight against the Spaniards. However, the pirates were outnumbered, and they were all captured and taken first to Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and then to Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, both of which were cities earlier sacked by Laurens, to be judged. Anne's fame was so great that when the French Marine Secretary of Pontchartrain heard of this, he wrote to Louis XIV of France and asked him to make the king of Spain intervene. Anne was then freed as a special service between kings, and she was never heard of again.
This story is not confirmed, but it could be at least partially true; if Laurens and Anne settled in Mississippi, it would not have prevented them from continuing their career of piracy, on the contrary, it would make it easier - as Tortuga was closed as a base for the buccaneers in 1697, Mississippi would have been a much better headquarters, and privateering against Spain would have been very possible during the Spanish war of Succession in 1700-1714. The fact that Anne was rescued by the intervention of an official from Pontchartrain in Louisiana confirms this, and she and Laurens were mentioned in Mississippi in 1700- and as one of the rivalling Spanish kings during that period was a French prince, it would have made it easy to receive a Spanish royal pardon from France.
If this truly happened when Laurens died, which is the part of the story that is most unlikely to be true, it could have happened in 1704, which is the traditional guess on Laurens death-year.
Anne’s daughter (she was said to have had two, born in the early 1690s) was said to have lived in Haiti, where she became known for having performed a duel with a man.
External links
- http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/426776