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The raid of Cadiz by Francis Drake (1584) -

Sir Francis Drake was an English explorer and privateer, best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580. He also happened to be Queen Elizabeth I's favorite pirate.

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The raid of Cadiz by Francis Drake (1584) -

Drake had a mission to take treasure from the Spaniards, which he brought back to his monarch. She would then get half of the loot.

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The raid of Cadiz by Francis Drake (1584) -

One of his most notorious acts was raiding the Spanish port of Cadiz, where he oversaw the destruction of several ships that were assembled to be launched against England.

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The rich mistress Ching (1810) -

Following the death of her husband, pirate Zheng Yi, the former prostitute Ching Shih took command of several hundred ships. With this, she managed to extort money throughout the South China Sea.

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The rich mistress Ching (1810) -

The region feared her Red Flag Fleet. However, her greatest strength was knowing when to give up. Unable to defeat her, the Chinese government offered her amnesty.

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The rich mistress Ching (1810) -

Ching accepted it and retired with her immense loot as a respectable millionaire. All of her pirates were also pardoned.

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Barbarossa captures Capri (1535) -

Hayreddin Barbarossa was the most famous of four Ottoman brothers, who traveled around the empire and tormented Christian kingdoms.

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Barbarossa captures Capri (1535) -

In 1535, Barbarossa captured the beautiful island of Capri, a very short sail from one of the richest Christian cities, Naples.

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Barbarossa captures Capri (1535) -

On Capri, Barbarossa built a castle, the ruins of which we can today visit on the island.

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Henry Morgan seizes Panama (1671) -

Much of the treasure that Spain was taking from the New World's gold and silver mines passed through Panama. This made it one of the richest areas in the world, and an excellent target for pirates.

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Henry Morgan seizes Panama (1671) -

In 1671, privateer Henry Morgan, licensed by the English government, attacked Panama with 1,400 men.

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Henry Morgan seizes Panama (1671) -

Unfortunately for him, and the English government, the loot was highly disappointing. Most of the treasure had been taken away ahead of his attack.

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Blackbeard's Charleston blockade (1718) -

One of the most terrifying pirates in history, Edward Teach, or Blackbeard, operated out of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. There he harassed ships carrying tobacco, dyes, and sugar of the British colonies.

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Blackbeard's Charleston blockade (1718) -

In addition to plundering and taking the ships' cargo and reselling it himself, he also took on the slave ships.

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Blackbeard's Charleston blockade (1718) -

His most audacious act, however, was the blockade of Charleston, North Carolina, in which he looted several ships. But his main ransom demand was a chest of medicine, in exchange for hostages.

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The kidnapping of Julius Caesar (75 BCE) -

Located in modern-day Turkey, the small inlets in Cilicia were filled with pirates who terrorized the eastern Mediterranean. However, the abduction of their most famous victim proved to be a big error.

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The kidnapping of Julius Caesar (75 BCE) -

A group of Cilician pirates kidnapped a 25-year-old Roman nobleman on the way to Rhodes. He charmed his captors, telling them to double their ransom demand, and he even joked that he would punish them.

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The kidnapping of Julius Caesar (75 BCE) -

This young nobleman turned out to be Julius Caesar. When the ransom was paid, he was released and returned to the head of the Roman fleet. The future leader then captured all of his ex-captors and crucified them.

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Koxinga conquers Taiwan (1662) -

Koxinga was a general and loyalist of China's Ming dynasty, which had fallen to Manchu invaders, who set up the Qing dynasty.

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Koxinga conquers Taiwan (1662) -

Koxinga harassed the Manchus on land and sea from his base in Fujian province. He then took 25,000 men and hundreds of warships to relocate his headquarters to Taiwan, then held by the Dutch.

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Koxinga conquers Taiwan (1662) -

After a siege of 10 months, Koxinga expelled the Westerners. His pirate kingdom on Taiwan lasted for 20 years before falling to forces from mainland China.

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Jean Fleury hijacks Aztec gold (1523) -

Spain's conquests of indigenous land in the Americas produced enormous amounts of loot. And much of it was shipped across the Atlantic.

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Jean Fleury hijacks Aztec gold (1523) -

The slow-moving Spanish treasure ships drew the attention of many individuals, including French privateer Jean Fleury.

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Jean Fleury hijacks Aztec gold (1523) -

Fleury became the first to prey on them, capturing three ships off the coast of Portugal, filled with gold, jewels, and exotic animals.

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Captain Kidd attacks the Cara Merchant (1698) -

The adventures of William Kidd have inspired works of literature, as well as endless searches for buried treasure.

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Captain Kidd attacks the Cara Merchant (1698) -

However, his greatest act of true piracy was conquering the Armenian trading ship Cara Merchant, which he then commandeered off the coast of India.

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Captain Kidd attacks the Cara Merchant (1698) -

Kidd sold most of its treasures, but may have buried much of it after he scuttled the ship off the coast of Hispaniola, in today's Haiti and Dominican Republic.

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The hijacking of the MV Sirius Star (2008) -

From a French cruise liner to a Ukrainian freighter bearing military hardware, pirates off the coast of Somalia have picked some major targets.

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The hijacking of the MV Sirius Star (2008) -

However, on November 15, 2008, the Saudi-owned MV Sirius Star became the biggest ship ever commandeered by pirates.

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The hijacking of the MV Sirius Star (2008) -

With a length of 1,080 feet (330 m), the supertanker was released on January 9, 2009, after payment of a US$3 million ransom.

See also: The real pirates of the Caribbean

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