Sid Meier's Pirates is hardly the first game to explore the idea of letting players explore the high seas in search of fortune and glory, but it does stand out from other games of its kind in a few ways. Among them is the fact that, despite its light-hearted aesthetic, it does show a degree of research. Players get to explore a pretty accurate, if downscaled, map of the Carribbean and visit real-life ports. The game also includes a mechanic where the player's acts of piracy are ranked against the "Notorious Top 10 Pirates."
The 10 pirates in the game are all based on actual pirates from history. The game is not perfectly accurate in this regard- it mixes pirates from different time periods and all of them can be defeated by the player. But it does instill some curiosity about who these people really were.
9
Blackbeard
Of all the pirates featured in the game, Blackbeard is perhaps the most iconic. He was known to tie his beard into braids, and stuffed it full of fuses. Lighting fuses in his beard and his hat created the effect of smoke swirling around his face, making him look particularly intimidating to his unfortunate targets. This was also reinforced by his large build and a habit of carrying six pistols on his belt.
His real name might have been Edward Teach or Thatch. His career was suprisingly short, only lasting two years. But in that time he terrorized the high seas along the coast of North America. He plundered ships and made a large fortune for himself, to the point of building up a small fleet. He even organized a blockade on Charlestown that prevented any ships coming in or out without being robbed.
In 1718, a British navy ship was sent after Blackbeard. There are differing accounts of exactly what went down, but most of them agree that Blackbeard was unusually durable and took several stab and bullet wounds before finally dying.
There is a popular urban legend that Blackbeard buried a treasure in North Carolina, but this is probably not true.
8 Roc Brasiliano
Unfortunately, information on this pirate is scarce. The name is correctly spelled "Roche Brasiliano" and translates as "Rock the Brazilian. Historians are not 100% sure of his real name, but it migh have been Gerrit Gerritszoon. With such little information about him, it is hard to piece together his full story, but he is said to have held a personal grudge against the Spanish. Supposedly, he also had a strange habit of shooting anyone who refused to drink with him.
It is unknown exactly what happened to Brasiliano. He disappears from all historical records after 1671.
7
Stede Bonnet
Bonnet was originally from a rich family in Barbados. One day, seemingly out of nowhere, he decided to buy himself a sloop he named Revenge and become a pirate. This proved not to be the best choice due to his total lack of seafaring experience. He eventually crossed paths with another notorious pirate, Blackbeard, who took over the Revenge. Bonnet himself was taken aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge as Blackbeard's business partner. That partnership ended when Blackbeard, possibly trying to get a larger share of plunder, ran several of his ships aground and abandoned a large portion of his crew, including Bonnet.
Wanting revenge on Blackbeard, Bonnet returned to piracy as a captain, but his resurgance did not last long. He was captured, put on trial, and eventually hanged.
6
Captain Kidd
The story of Captain William Kidd is actually quite tragic. He never really wanted to be a pirate, and only got mixed up in piracy because of circumstances he could not control. Kidd started off as a sailor, and later became a privateer supporting the English war effort by against the French. Unfortunately, just about everything that could possibly go wrong happened and he got labelled a pirate instead. When it became too much to handle, he tried to leave piracy only to be hanged for it. Captain Kidd's body was later encased in a gibbet, a body-shaped iron cage, and displayed as a warning to other pirates.
Captain William Kidd is one of the few real-life pirates known to actually bury treasure. A portion of his wealth was buried on Gardiner's Island in New York near the end of his pirating career. The treasure was quickly recovered and used as evidence against him.
5 Jean Lafitte
Lafitte started in the early 19th century, well after the Golden Age of Piracy had ended. He began as a smuggler alongside his brother Pierre out of Louisiana, which proved so successful they upgraded to piracy. The two of them raided ships and then sold the cargo back home, which made them very popular. This got him into trouble with the American government, which was not pleased about his habit of smuggling and selling stolen goods- but his favor with the locals made it really hard for anything to stick.
Then the War of 1812 happened, and Lafitte met future president Andrew Jackson. They made a deal- Lafitte agreed to support Jackson in exchange for a full pardon for himself and his crew. That set the stage for the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, during which he played a big part in driving out the invading British forces. True to his word, Jackson issued full pardons.
There is some debate of exactly how Lafitte died, though it is commonly believed to have happened after an engagement with Spanish ships in 1823. Rumors persist of him burying treasure, but no evidence has ever been found of this.
Not to be confused with Lafayette, the French naval commander who supported the American revolution.
4 Henry Morgan
There are conflicting accounts of Morgan's early life, but all of them describe him arriving in the Caribbean and joining a privateer fleet. Eventually, he would become captain and receive a letter of marque that allowed him to attack the Spanish, which he did. Morgan would go on to successfully attack several major Spanish ports and accumulate a huge amount of wealth in the process. This quickly earned him favor with England, and culminated in an assault on Panama in 1671.
The attack was successful, but unfortunately, there was a problem- England and Spain had just signed a peace treaty. Morgan was arrested and brought back to England for trial, but was unexpectedly welcomed as a hero. Charles II personally pardoned and knighted Morgan for his service.
Henry Morgan would later retire from piracy, spending his remaining years living in wealth and luxury.
3 L'Olonnais
- Roronoa Zoro of One Piece was inspired by L'Olonnais
Pirates have a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty, but not even Blackbeard could match the deranged killer that was Francois L'Olonnais. He was a cold-hearted man who was particularly cruel to the Spanish. This is likely connected to his teenage life as an indentured servant in Haiti, during which he was probably abused. When he finally left, a burning hatred for the Spanish consumed him and fueled an insatiable lust for revenge.
L'Olonnais was known to commit brutal atrocities committed against Spanish ships, along with anyone else who got in his way. In one instance, he decapitated an entire boarding party except one, who was released so he could send the message that no Spaniard would be given quarter. Another story claims he made prisoners talk by cutting out and biting a man's heart. He even once escaped a massacre by hiding among the bodies of his crew.
L'Olonnais finally met his end when he ran aground in Panama and encountered a tribe known as the Kuna. Somehow L'Olonnais really upset them. One of the surviving crew members described him being murdered in a manner not unlike he had done to so many:
"...tore him in pieces alive, throwing his body limb by limb into the fire and his ashes into the air; to the intent no trace nor memory might remain of such an infamous, inhuman creature".
2
Jack Rackham
"Calico Jack" Rackham started as quartermaster to the pirate Charles Vane, until the crew became disillusioned with their captain. Vane was let go and Jack Rackham, a man who promised he would bring in a much better haul, was elected in his place. From there, he had a few small victories but made lots of very bad decisions. This included the brilliant idea of conducting piracy right outside Port Royale where he was seen and identified by others.
He briefly accepted a pardon and tried to live a somewhat normal life, but eventually found himself once again drawn back into piracy. Rackham did manage to evade pirate hunters for a time, but eventually, his luck ran out. His ship was found and boarded. Depending on the version, Rackham was either too drunk to fight back or quickly surrendered when he realized he was outnumbered. He and his crew were arrested and hanged.
One detail that did not make it into Sid Meier's Pirates is the fact that his crew included two of the most notorious female pirates in history- Ann Bonny and Mary Reed.
1 Bart Roberts
Bart was first mate on a slave galleon when it was captured by pirates, who pressed him into joining their crew. Shortly after, the captain was murdered and the crew elected Bart in his place. He acquired a number of prizes and build up a small fleet, even taking revenge against the Portuguese governor responsible for his old captain's death.
Roberts' is probably best-known for writing a Pirate Code. Although not the only one of its kind, nor one universally recognized by other pirates, it did offer some strict rules about how his crew were to behave.
Bart Roberts was defeated when a British ship ambushed his fleet. Bart tried to fight back, but took a bullet to the throat before he could put up any resistance. Per his wishes, his crew gave him a burial at sea before surrendering.
Bart's death is often seen as marking the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.