Women in piracy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

While piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...

was predominantly a male activity or occupation, a significant minority of historical pirates have been female. Female pirates, like other women in crime, faced unique issues in practicing this occupation and in punishment for it.

The following are female pirates, who may or may not have lived, that are recognized by historians and the time period they were active.

Early pirates

Name	Life	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Ch’iao K’uo Füü Jëën		600 B.C.	Chinese China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	Possibly mythical
Queen Teuta of Illyria Queen Teuta of Illyria Queen Teuta was an Celto-Illyrian queen of the Ardiaean Kingdom who ruled as a regent to the young Pinnes. The name Teuta "is linked with the Gaelic Teutates, meaning ‘people’, and the Irish-Gaelic tuath - literally the people’s queen". Teuta inherited the strong Illyrian state from her husband,...		232 B.C. to 228 B.C.	Illyria Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....	Adriatic Sea.

Viking Age and Medieval pirates

Name	Life	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Rusila			Norwegian Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...	Fought against her brother Thrond for the thrones of both Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... and Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... . Possibly fictional. Recorded in Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives... ' Gesta Danorum Gesta Danorum Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history... (History of the Danes). Johannes Steenstrup linked her to the Ingean Ruadh (Red Maid) of Irish folklore.
Stikla			Norwegian	Sister of Rusila: Became a pirate to avoid marriage. Recorded in the Gesta Danorum.
Princess Sela		c. 420 A.D.	Norwegian.	Sister of Koller, king of Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... . Horwendil (later to be father of Amleth/Hamlet) was King of Jutland Jutland Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German... but gave up the throne to become a pirate. Koller "deemed it would be a handsome deed" to kill the pirate and sailed to find the pirate fleet. Horwendil killed Koller but had to later kill Sela, who was a skilled warrior and experienced pirate, to end the war. Recorded in the Gesta Danorum.
Alvid			Norwegian	Leader of a group of male and female pirates. Also recorded in the Gesta Danorum.
Wigbiorg, Hetha and Wisna		c. 8th century A.D.	Norwegian	All three are listed in the Gesta Danorum as sea captains. Wigbiorg died in battle, Hetha became queen of Zealand, and Wisna lost a hand in a duel.
Alfhild a.k.a. Ælfhild, Alwilda, Alvilda, Awilda Awilda Awilda, also known as Alwilda, was a female pirate, according to legend.Awilda was the daughter of a 5th century Scandinavian king; referred to in one source as Synardus and a "Gothic king". It is said that the King, her father, had arranged a marriage for her to Alf, the crown prince of Denmark,...		post-850 A.D.	Swedish Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	Existence is disputed. Often wrongly dated to the 5th century.
Ladgerda		c. 870 A.D.		Ladgerda is the inspiration for Hermintrude in Shakespeare's William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... Hamlet Hamlet The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601... .
Æthelflæd aka The Lady of the Mercians	872–918	911-918	English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Eldest daughter of Alfred the Great Alfred the Great Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself... of England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... . Became the military leader of the Anglo-Saxons Anglo-Saxons Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of... after her husband's death in battle against the Danes in 911. Took command of the fleets to rid the seas of the Viking raiders.
Jeanne-Louise de Belleville Jeanne de Clisson Jeanne de Clisson , also known as the Lioness of Brittany, was a feared Breton pirate who plied the English Channel for French ships from 1343 to 1356.-Early life and family:...		1343-1356	French France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	The "Lioness of Brittany". A French woman who became a pirate to avenge the execution of her husband. Attacked only French vessels.

16th century pirates

Name	Life	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Gráinne Ní Mháille aka Gráinne Mhaol, Granuaile, Grace O'Malley, "The Sea Queen of Connaught"	1530-1603		Ireland Irish people The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...	Gráinne Ní Mháille was was Queen of Umaill Kings of Umaill The Kings of Umaill were rulers of Umaill a kingdom or territory located in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland.Its earliest rulers were the semi-historical Tuath mhac nUmhoir. The Umaill, its early historical rulers, were renamed the Uí Briúin Umaill to claim a fictitious relationship... , chieftain Chieftain Chieftain may refer to:The leader or head of a group:* a tribal chief or a village head.* a member of the 'House of chiefs'.* a captain, to which 'chieftain' is etymologically related.* Clan chief, the head of a Scottish clan.... of the Ó Máille clan and a pirate in 16th century Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... . She is an important figure in Irish folklore, and a historical figure in 16th century Irish history, and is sometimes known as "The Sea Queen Of Connaught Connacht Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for... ". Biographies of her have been written primarily in the 20th and 21st centuries by the historian Anne Chambers Anne Chambers (author) Anne Chambers is an Irish biographer, novelist and screenplay writer who lives and works in Dublin, best known for her biography of the 16th century Irish Pirate Queen, Gráinne O'Malley.... .
The Red Lady (Veronica)	1500 – 1534	1528 - 1534	English English people The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...	One of the most cunning pirates of the sixteenth century who never revealed her identity. She commonly disguised herself as a singer or an entertainer to be brought on ships and once the crew ever advance on her or leave her by herself she would take her disguise off having a top, pants and her weapons underneath. She would then immediately kill all aboard the ship and sail to sea.
Sayyida al Hurra Sayyida al Hurra Sayyida al Hurra, , full name Sayyida al-Hurra ibn Banu Rashid al-Mandri al-Wattasi Hakima Tatwan, was a queen of Tétouan and a pirate queen in the early 16th century... (full name Sayyida al-Hurra ibn Banu Rashid al-Mandri al-Wattasi Hakima Tatwan)		1510-1542	Moroccan Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...	Allied with the Turkish corsair Barbaros of Algiers. al Hurra controlled the western Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant... while Barbaros controlled the eastern. Also prefect of Tétouan Tétouan Tetouan is a city in northern Morocco. The Berber name means literally "the eyes" and figuratively "the water springs". Tetouan is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea. It lies a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about 40 mi E.S.E. of Tangier... . In 1515 she became the last person in Islamic history to legitimately hold the title of “al Hurra” or Queen following the death of her husband who ruled Tétouan. She later married the King of Morocco, Ahmed al-Wattasi, but refused to leave Tétouan to do so. This marriage is the only time in Morrocan history a King has married away from the capital Fez Fes, Morocco Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region.... . *al Hurra Alhurra Alhurra is a United States-based Arabic-language satellite TV channel funded by the U.S. Congress that broadcasts news and current affairs programming to audiences in the Middle East and North Africa... is also the name of an American Arab language pirate radio station used as a counter to al Jazeera Al Jazeera Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar... .
Lady Mary Killigrew		1530-1570	English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Mary was the daughter of a former Suffolk pirate. Mary's husband Sir Henry Killigrew, a former pirate himself, was made a Vice-Admiral by Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty... and tasked with suppressing piracy. Whenever her husband went to sea Mary engaged in piracy using the staff of her castle (Arwenack Castle in Cornwall) as crew and possibly with the Queen's knowledge. In 1570 she captured a German merchant ship off Falmouth Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset.... and her crew sailed it to Ireland to sell. However, the owner of this ship was a friend of Queen Elizabeth who then had Lady Mary arrested and brought to trial at the Launceston assizes. Some sources say she was sentenced to death and then pardoned by the Queen but this is due to confusion with another family member. According to sources, her family either bribed the jurors and she was acquitted or Queen Elizabeth arranged a short jail sentence. Whatever transpired, she gave up pirating and took up fencing stolen goods until she died several years later.
Lady Elizabeth Killigrew Elizabeth Trewinnard Elizabeth Trewinnard, Lady Killigrew , was an aristocratic Cornish woman and an accused pirate during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was the wife of Sir John Killigrew of Arwenack, Cornwall. She and her husband received and stored stolen goods at their home, Arwenack House...		1570s-1582	English	Elizabeth and her husband Sir John lived in Pendennis Castle Pendennis Castle Pendennis Castle is a Henrician castle, also known as one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, in the English county of Cornwall. It was built in 1539 for King Henry VIII to guard the entrance to the River Fal on its west bank, near Falmouth. St Mawes Castle is its opposite number on the east bank and... in Falmouth Harbour Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset.... . In early 1581 a Spanish ship, the Marie of San Sebastian was blown down Channel by a storm and was forced, dismasted, to take refuge in Falmouth harbour. Lady Elizabeth led an attack on the ship and then fenced the proceeds. Lady Elizabeth was later arrested and sentenced to death but pardoned. Her husband Sir John was ordered by the Privy Council to restore the vessel and goods to their owners but went into hiding along with the ship which resulted in several warrants for his arrest being issued for acts of piracy committed over the next eight years. It is possible that Lady Elizabeth did not actually board the vessel herself, so it might be incorrect to describe her as a pirate.

17th century pirates

Name	Life	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Elizabetha Patrickson		1634	English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Jacquotte Delahaye Jacquotte Delahaye Jacquotte Delahaye , was a French pirate, or Buccaneer, and together with Anne Dieu-Le-Veut one of very few female buccaneers.She was active in the 1660s, came from Haiti, her father was French and her mother Haitian. She is described as a great beauty who became a pirate after her father was...		1650s-1660s		Caribbean Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north... pirate. Also known as "Back from the Dead Red" due to her red hair and return to piracy after faking her own death and hiding dressed as a man for several years.
Anne Dieu-le-Veut Anne Dieu-le-Veut Anne Dieu-Le-Veut also called Marie-Anne or Marianne was a French Pirate, a so called Buccaneer, and together with Jaquotte Delahaye one of very few female ones.... aka Marie-Anne and Marianne	ca 1650 -	1660s-1704	French	Caribbean pirate and later based in Mississippi after Tortuga was closed down. Dieu-Le-Veut was a nickname meaning "God wills it Deus vult Deus vult was the cry of the people at the declaration of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095... " and given to her as it seemed anything she wanted God gave her. Married to a pirate, Anne challenged pirate Laurens de Graaf Laurens de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf (ca. 1653, Dordrecht, Dutch Republic – probably 24 May 1704, Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue, alias Laurencillo/Lorencillo & El Griffe (Spanish); Sieur de Baldran, alias de Graff (French); or... to a duel after he killed her husband in 1683. He refused and she became his common law wife, fighting by his side and sharing command.

Female Interaction with Pirates in the 18th Century

The first level on which pirates and women interacted was through purely business affairs. We often see, in times of war and other hardship that calls upon the entirety of the male population, that women often step up to work the jobs their fathers, husbands, and sons left behind. This was no less the case during the Golden Age of piracy, when many men were forced to set sail for economic reasons. Many women, as a result, took up important jobs previously filled by men. They were allowed to trade, own ships, and work as retailers. Often they were innkeepers or the heads of alehouses. Some laws in seaside towns were even written to allow widows to keep their husbands responsibilities and property. This was important, as alehouses and other such establishments were spots where pirates congregated and traded with each other and with the people onshore. As heads of these establishments, women had a considerable amount of freedom in business. They boarded and fed pirates, bought illegally pirated goods, acted as pawnbrokers for pirates, and even gave out loans, something many men were cautious of in this time period, nevermind women. In this way, women dealt with pirates and came into possession of pirate goods. When authorities came looking to arrest their clients for piracy, these women even sheltered them from harm.

Some women interacted with pirates on a closer level, not just by trading with them, but by marrying them. However, this was not as advantageous as it seemed. Although their husbands may have been very rich, women often gained very little by their union, as it was difficult for sailors to send home wages and booty earned overseas to their wives waiting back at home. Even though these women were not generally wealthy as a result of their marriages, they were favored by pirates that came to shore and their houses and establishments were used as a safe haven for people who otherwise would be enemies of all nations.

On the third, final, and most intimate level of interaction, women interacted with male pirates by becoming pirates themselves. This seems surprising for quite a few reasons. First, there are very few female pirates documented by name, and the information on them is often shady and filled with speculation and flourishes rather than facts. In addition to this, pirates did not let women on their ships very often. There were not many conveniences of technology on pirate ships, and not many women were up to the physically demanding tasks the crew had to do. In fact, there were not many men who were up to it, either. Women were also often regarded as bad luck among pirates, and it was feared that arguments would break out between the male members of the crew about them. On many ships, women, young boys, and even different acts such as gambling were prohibited by the ship's contract that the crew all signed. Also, many women on pirate ships did not identify themselves as such. Anne Bonny, for example, dressed and acted as a man while on Captain Calico Jack's ship. She and Mary Read, another female pirate, are often credited with this act as if they had been creative and innovative in their cross-dressing. However, that was not the case. Many women dressed as men during this time period, in an effort to take advantage of the many rights, privileges, and freedoms that were exclusive to men.

18th century pirates

Name	Life	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Maria Lindsey Eric Cobham and Maria Lindsey Eric Cobham a pirate in the early 18th century who with his wife, Maria Lindsey, practiced piracy in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from their base in Newfoundland...		Early 1700s		The wife of Captain Eric Cobham and possibly fictional. Pirate operating on the Canadian east coast.
Maria Cobham		Early 1700s		Often listed separately in lists of pirates but is likely to be Maria Lindsey (see above).
Ingela Gathenhielm Ingela Gathenhielm Ingela Olofsdotter Gathenhielm née Hammar, , was a Swedish privateer in service of King Charles XII of Sweden during the Great Northern War.- Biography :...	1692-1729	1710-1721	Swedish	Baltic pirate. Wife and partner of legendary pirate Lars Gathenhielm Lars Gathenhielm Lars Gathenhielm, , before knighthood 1715 Lars Andersson Gathe, aka Lasse i Gatan, was a Swedish merchant and privateer.- Biography :Lars Gathenhielm was born on the estate Gatan in Onsala Parish in Halland... . Took sole control following his death in 1718.
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:... born Anne Cormac, aliases Ann Bonn and Ann Fulford, possibly also Sarah Bonny	1698-1782	1719-1720	Irish Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...	Caribbean pirate. Married to pirate James Bonny, had an affair with pirate John "Calico Jack" Rackham Calico Jack John Rackham , commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas during the early 18th century... , and later joined his crew. Discovered another crew member Mark Read was secretly a woman (Mary Read) and the two became very close.
Mary Read Mary Read Mary Read was an English pirate. She is chiefly remembered as one of only two women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century, at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy.... , alias Mark Read	c.1690-1721	1718-1720	English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Caribbean pirate. As a man Mary went to sea and later joined the British army, fighting in the War Of The Spanish Succession War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have... . Mary married and settled down as a woman but returned to male dress following the death of her husband, later boarding a ship bound for the West Indies Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north... . Captured by "Calico" Jack Rackham, Mary joined his crew. In 1721, she died in prison.
Mary Harvey (or Harley), alias Mary Farlee		1725-1726		In 1725, Mary Harvey and her husband Thomas were transported to the Province of Carolina Province of Carolina The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663... as felons. In 1726, Mary and three men were convicted of piracy. The men were hanged but Mary was released. Thomas, the leader of the pirates, was never caught.
Mary Crickett (or Crichett)		1728		In 1728, Mary Crickett and Edmund Williams were transported to the colony of Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... together as felons. In 1729, along with four other men, both were convicted of piracy and hung.
Flora Burn Flora Burn Flora Burn was a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy. She began her pirate career in 1741 and operated mainly on the East Coast of North America.-External links:*...		1751		Operated on the East Coast of North America.
Rachel Wall Rachel Wall Rachel Wall was an American female pirate, and the last woman to be hanged in Massachusetts. She may also have been the first American-born woman to become a pirate.-Early life:...	1760-1789	1770s		Married George Wall, a former privateer who served in the Revolutionary War, when she was 16. Operated on the New England Coast. Thought to be the first American United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... female pirate. In 1782, George and the rest of his crew were drowned in a storm. She was accused of robbery in 1789 and confessed to being a pirate. She was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.
Charlotte de Berry Charlotte de Berry Charlotte de Berry was a female pirate captain.In her mid to late teens she fell in love with a sailor and, against her parents' will, married him. Disguised as a man, she followed him on board his ship and fought alongside him. Her true identity was discovered by an officer who kept this...		1700s		Possibly fictional.

19th century pirates

Name	Life	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Charlotte Badger Charlotte Badger Charlotte Badger is widely considered to be the first Australian female pirate despite being from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England... and Catherine Hagerty		1806	English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Widely considered to be the first Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... n female pirate. The ship Venus, due to a shortage of manpower, took on convicts including Badger and Hagerty as crew while in Australia. After docking at Port Dalrymple Launceston, Tasmania Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart... , Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart... , the Captain went ashore and the crew seized the ship, sailing for New Zealand. Hagerty along with two other convicts, a woman named Charlotte Edgar and a child were put ashore at the Bay of Islands Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country.... with a supply of stores. Hagerty died shortly thereafter. The two men were arrested for piracy and Edgar remained to become one of the first settlers in New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... . Badger was never seen again.
Margaret Croke (Margaret Jordan)		1809		Following a dispute with investors over his schooner Schooner A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts.... The Three Sisters, Edward Jordan was on his way to Halifax to sort it out. Wrongly assuming his family was being sent to debtors' prison, he killed two crewman then threw the Captain overboard before commandeering the vessel with the help of the remaining crewman. The marooned Captain survived and testified against Jordan claiming Margaret, who was aboard with her son and three young daughters, was also involved. Margaret admitted hitting the Captain after he had hit her husband during an argument in her cabin before he decided to commandeer the vessel; the other crew member testified she was actually in fear for her life from her violent husband and had attempted to escape. Both Margaret and Edward were hanged for piracy.
Johanna Hård	1789 - 18??	1823		Sweden's last pirate; in 1823, recently widowed Hård, a farm owner on Vrångö Vrångö Vrångö is the southernmost inhabited island in the Southern Göteborg Archipelago and it is also a locality situated in Göteborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 379 inhabitants in 2005. A ferry to Vrångö can be taken from Saltholmen.... Island, was arrested along with her farmhand Anders Andersson, farmer Christen Andersson, and one of Christen's farmhands Carl Börjesson and boatman Johan Andersson Flatås of Göteborg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... for piracy after the Danish ship Frau Mette was found beached and plundered with a murdered crew. Evidence was presented that the five had followed the Frau Mette on Flatås fishing vessel the Styrsö and requested water. After boarding her they killed the crew. Johan Andersson Flatås, Anders Andersson, and Christen Andersson were sentenced to death and beheaded. Carl Börjesson was imprisoned in Karlstens fortress Carlsten Carlsten is a stone fortress located at Marstrand, on the western coast of Sweden. The fortress was built on the orders of King Carl X of Sweden following the Treaty of Roskilde, 1658 to protect the newly acquired province of Bohuslän from hostile attacks.... where he died 1853. The evidence against Johanna Hård was insufficient and she was released and subsequently disappeared.
Sadie the Goat Sadie Farrell Sadie Farrell was an American criminal, gang leader and river pirate known under the pseudonym Sadie the Goat. She first came to prominence as a vicious street mugger in New York's "Bloody" Fourth Ward. Upon encountering a lone traveler, she would headbutt men in the stomach and her male...		1869		Operated around New York State as a member of the Charlton Street Gang Charlton Street Gang The Charlton Street Gang was a New York street gang and river pirates during the mid nineteenth century.The Charlton Street Gang was one of the earliest river pirates raiding small cargo ships in the North River of New York Harbor during post-Civil War period of the 1860s... . Named for her habit of headbutting her victims before taking their money.
Gertrude Imogene Stubbs Gertrude Stubbs "Gunpowder Gertie" Stubbs is a fictional pirate, often mistakenly reported as real.Stubbs, the story goes, was born in 1879, in Whitby, England, the daughter of George Stubbs, a train engineer and his wife, Violet, a seamstress. Her family moved to Sandon, British Columbia in Canada in 1895. Her... alias "Gunpowder Gertie, the Pirate Queen of the Kootenays"		1898-1903		Fictional pirate who operated in the Kootenay Lake and river system of British Columbia, Canada. Told as an April Fools April Fools' Day April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness... joke in the local newspaper, so many people believed it that it was later retold as historical fact on the CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster... program, “This Day in History”.

China Sea pirates of the 20th century

Name	Years Active	Country of origin	Comments
Lo Hon-cho alias Hon-cho Lo	1920s	East China	Took command of 64 ships after her husband’s death in 1921. Youthful and reported to be pretty, she gained the reputation of being the most ruthless of all China's pirates. Lo Hon-cho's fleet attacked villages and fishing fleets in the seas around Beihai Beihai Beihai is a prefecture-level city of Guangxi, China. Beihai means "north of the sea" in Chinese, signifying its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin. Between the years 2006 and 2020, Beihai is predicted to be the world's fastest growing city... taking young women as prisoners and later selling them into slavery. In 1922 a Chinese warship intercepted the fleet destroying 40 vessels. Despite escaping, Lo Hon-cho was later handed to authorities by the remaining pirates in exchange for clemency.
Lai Sho Sz’en alias Lai Choi San Lai Choi San Lai Choi San was a 20th century Chinese pirate. She was the most powerful and well-known female pirate leader in Chinese history, rivaled perhaps only by Cheng I Sao of the previous century, commanding a fleet of some 12 junks in the area of Macao and the South China Sea during the 1920s and 30s...	1922-1939	East China	Operated in the South China Sea. Commanded 12 ships.
P’en Ch’ih Ch’iko	1936	East China
Ki Ming
Huang P’ei-mei	1937-1950s	East China	Led 50,000 pirates.
Cheng Chui Ping (nicknamed "Sister Ping Sister Ping Cheng Chui Ping , also known as Sister Ping , ran a notorious Chinese human smuggling operation primarily from her base in New York City from 1984 until 2000, when she was arrested in Hong Kong and subsequently extradited back to the United States.Individuals who conducted such Chinese alien... ")	1970s - 1990s	Fujian province, China	Operated in the South China Sea smuggling thousands of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. and Europe. Was convicted in the U.S. and sentenced to 35 years in prison and is due for release in 2030.

Female pirates in fiction

While most fictional and dramatic depictions of pirates have been male, some notable female pirates have been depicted.

See:

Bêlit from Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....

's Conan
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...

short-story "Queen of the Black Coast" and related media.
Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady (character)
The Dragon Lady, also known as Madam Deal, was a well-known character in the popular U.S. comic strip Terry and the Pirates, created by Milton Caniff, and in the movie serial, comic books, and TV series based on the comic strip. Her real name is Lai Choi San.The Dragon Lady first appeared in 1934...

depicted in Milton Caniff's comic series Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates is the title of:* Terry and the Pirates , the comic strip created by Milton Caniff* Terry and the Pirates , a radio serial based on the comic strip...

was inspired by Lai Choi San
Morgan Adams
Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...

from the 1995 film Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...

.
Mary "Jacky" Faber, from the young adult novel, Bloody Jack, and its sequels.
Elaine Marley
Elaine Marley
Elaine Marley–Threepwood is a fictional character in the Monkey Island series of graphic adventure video games. Created by Ron Gilbert for LucasArts, the character first appears in The Secret of Monkey Island and is one of the core characters in the franchise...

(in Monkey Island series of games)
Multiple fictional depictions of 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:...

and Mary Read
Mary Read
Mary Read was an English pirate. She is chiefly remembered as one of only two women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century, at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy....
Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Swann is a major character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series produced by Walt Disney Pictures. She appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End...

from Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

's Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...

films.
Mistress Ching from Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End film.
Angelica
Angelica
Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...

from Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 adventure fantasy film and the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series...

film.
Nami and Nico Robin among others (from the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

series, One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...

)
Faris from the video game Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V
is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
Isabela from the Dragon Age
Dragon Age
Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise...

video game series.
Fina and Aika, among many others, from the pirate-themed video game Skies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia, released in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Overworks for the Dreamcast and published by Sega in 2000. Skies of Arcadia Legends, a port, was released for the GameCube in 2002. Legends was also in development for the PlayStation 2; however, the PS2 version...
Revy from the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

series Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon
is a manga series written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe, and published in Shogakukan's Sunday GX since 2002. An animated television series based on the manga aired in Japan from April 8, 2006, to June 24, 2006, totaling twelve episodes. A second season, subtitled "The Second Barrage", ran for twelve...
Tetra "Princess Zelda
Princess Zelda
is the name of a fictional character in The Legend of Zelda series of video games. The name has applied to every female member of Hyrule's royal family, which includes several distinct characters in Hyrule legend. Though she is the eponymous character, the player controls the main protagonist, Link...

" from "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, released as in Japan, is an action-adventure game and the tenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released for the Nintendo GameCube in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 24, 2003, in Europe on May 2, 2003, and in Australia on...

"
Ruth from the Operetta Pirates of Penzance
Missee Lee, a Chinese woman pirate captain in Missee Lee
Missee Lee
Missee Lee is the tenth book of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, set in 1930s China. The Swallows and Amazons are on a round the world trip with Captain Flint aboard the schooner Wild Cat. After the Wild Cat sinks, they escape in the Swallow and Amazon but are...

by Arthur Ransome
Ezri Delmastro (Ezrianne de la Mastron) and Zamira Drakasha from the second novel in the Gentleman Bastards Sequence Red Seas Under Red Skies
Red Seas Under Red Skies
Red Seas Under Red Skies is the second novel in Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series.-The Gentleman Bastard Series:#The Lies of Locke Lamora #Red Seas Under Red Skies...

, by Scott Lynch (author)
Scott Lynch (author)
Scott Lynch is an American fantasy author, best known for his Gentleman Bastard series of novels. He resides in Western Wisconsin in the city of New Richmond, Wisconsin. According to his website, he had a variety of jobs including dishwasher, waiter, web designer, freelance writer and office manager...
Elizabeth Ramsey in Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III is a real-time strategy game developed by Microsoft Corporation's Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The Mac version was ported over and developed by Destineer's MacSoft Games and published by Destineer and MacSoft Games...

.
Elena Dugan (Lady Galbraith) in "The Seas of Fionnghuala"
Nancy Kington and Minerva Sharpe in Pirates by Celia Rees
Celia Rees
Celia Rees is an English author of children's literature, including some horror and fantasy books.She was born in 1949in Solihull, West Midlands but now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband and teenage daughter. Rees attended University of Warwick and earned a degree in History of Politics...

.
Seth Balmore from the video game Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey
is a console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and feelplus and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past...

.
Emeraldes from the anime Galaxy Express 999
Galaxy Express 999
is a manga written and drawn by Leiji Matsumoto, as well as various anime films and TV series based on it. It is set in a space-faring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer their minds into mechanical bodies, thus achieving practical immortality.The manga won the...

.