An outlier among pirates
What kind of image do you think of a pirate? Dressed in tattered clothes, with muskets pinned to his waist, and a black blindfold over one eye, he was drunk and drunk, and he fought for a quarrel when gambling money.
This fierce and savage pirate image was formed in the 18th century, an era when pirates were everywhere.
But Roberts is an outlier in this group. He is like a gentle wind that brings a touch of softness and freshness to the pirate world. He made the world of pirates no longer pure darkness, he changed people's stereotypes about the rudeness and dirtiness of pirates, he made opponents awe-inspiring, and he added many topics of conversation to posterity.
If you are not free, you would rather die
In 1682, Bartholomew. Roberts was born in Wales, England. As a young man, Roberts loved the sea and wanted to devote his life to the vast ocean.
He began working for a merchant shipping company and soon became a co-captain of a merchant ship. Like all merchant ships that pursued profits in the "triangular trade," Roberts's ships were dominated by the trafficking of African slaves.
An accident at sea changed Roberts' fate. One day in 1719, Roberts' merchant ship was being robbed by pirates Howell and Davis while sailing on the west coast of Africa. Davis stole all the belongings from the ship.
But instead of forcing the seafarers on the hijacked ship, he just quietly asked, "Who wants to join me?" Perhaps even Davis himself did not expect that roberts, the vice-captain of the merchant ship, a middle-aged man who looked noble and handsome, like an aristocrat, would cheerfully agree.
Captain Davis was delighted to have joined his fleet, Roberts was a Welshman and Roberts was calm and astute and experienced. Soon after, Roberts became Davis's right and left arm.
Just a month and a half after Roberts joined the company, Davis's ship sailed to the Gulf of Guinea in Africa when it was attacked by a group of local natives, and Davis was killed on the spot. Suddenly, the pirates were leaderless and in a critical situation. Roberts stepped forward and led the pirates to defeat the natives, ransacking their colonies and avenging Captain Davis. Since then, Roberts has become the leader of this group of pirates.
Legendary gentleman pirate
Roberts once said, "To steal a shilling is to go to the gallows, but also to steal, so why not steal greater wealth?"
Roberts' pirate career was only 4 years, but in these 4 years he did things that other pirates could not do for decades, robbed people of unimaginable wealth, and piloted the "Home Wanderer" to become the undisputed pirate king of this era.
Roberts' fleet was mainly active in and around the Indian Ocean, but his first robbery after becoming captain took place in Brazil. A large Portuguese merchant ship is moored in a brazilian port.
Roberts' fleet consisted of only one warship, so he chose one of the Portuguese merchant ships and launched a sneak attack, which resulted in a complete victory. The hijacked merchant ship was piled high with cargo.
Roberts' first command made the pirates windfall. Thereafter, under Roberts' leadership, the pirates looted 15 merchant ships in the Dominican region and sank one of the largest Dutch warships of the time in st. Christopher harbor in 1721. According to statistics, Roberts robbed more than 400 ships in his 4-year pirate career, creating a miracle in the history of piracy.
Ten "Statutes" Within Pirates
Roberts, however, is best known not for his unparalleled legend of plunder, but for his courtesy as a pirate and his famous "Ten Commandments of The Pirates."
The "Ten Commandments of Piracy," hailed as the vanguard of democracy in the 18th century, laid down the following:
(1) Everyone shall have equal voting rights in all matters of daily life, but the captain's orders must be obeyed by the crew as long as they do not violate brotherhood.
(2) Those who steal the property of their companions shall be abandoned on a desert island, and the deceitful accomplices shall also be punished in accordance with the regulations, and in severe cases, they shall also be punished by death.
(3) Gambling on board is strictly prohibited.
(4) Lights off at 8 p.m.
(5) No unclean weapons are allowed, everyone must keep their weapons clean, weapons should be placed in an orderly manner, and weapons must not be damaged.
(6) Women and children shall not be brought on board the ship, or they shall be hanged, and women shall be courteous.
(7) Death of the fleeing fighter.
(8) It is strictly forbidden to engage in private fighting and to kill a companion to death.
(9) Those who are crippled in battle may not work and receive 800 Spanish silver coins.
(10) In the distribution of the spoils of war, the captain took 15% of all the belongings. A sailor, a carpenter and an armed sailor combined were 12.5 percent.
Even from the perspective of modern people, these 10 provisions are quite progressive. It is hard to imagine that those who rob houses and houses will have the strict rules of the army.
These treaties strengthened the fighting power of the fleet and left Roberts' fleet invincible. The regulations full of freedom and equality are not only the embodiment of Roberts's own yearning for freedom, but also the epitome of the embryonic democracy of the 18th century.
Roberts' gentlemanly appearance and strict management of the fleet made him as noble as an aristocrat, so he was called the "Black Baron".
Awe-inspiring for the opponent
In 1721, Roberts' fleet moved to the east coast of North America, wandering among the islands in the north, attacking passing merchant ships with lightning speed and occasionally skimming coastal villages.
The British Navy sent troops to requisition many times, but all of them failed. In February 1722, the British Navy sent Blaineer, who had extensive experience in fighting pirates, to command the warship Swallow to attack Roberts' fleet, and the British navy had been tracking Roberts for 6 months.
Perhaps Roberts was a light enemy, but in the first encounter, the pirates returned home in defeat and fled to the bay. After a short period of rest and observation, Roberts judged that his fleet would be difficult to confront the Swallow, so he decided to lead the fleet back to the high seas and find another way out.
However, the pirate fleet had just set off when it was spotted by Ogle, followed by the Swallow, in full pursuit. Roberts has always been known for his speed, often since the speed of no trace to successful robbery.
This time, however, the Swallow was faster than the Home Happiness, and the pirate ship was quickly caught up. On 27 February, Roberts' fleet and the British Navy engaged in a face-to-face life-and-death duel off the coast of West Africa. Both sides fired enough fire, each with casualties. In the end, Roberts died in a hail of bullets.
Just before Roberts' death, there was a dramatic scene. It is said that the pirates at that time ignored the musket fire of the British Navy and went forward to hold Roberts's body, and some of them even wept in public.
In the face of this situation, Ogle could not help but think that the British Navy tracked Roberts for half a year, launched many attacks, and failed, and the reason why a pirate team could have such a strong fighting force was because they had a strong cohesion, and this cohesion came from their respect and dependence on Roberts.
A pirate who can make people follow so faithfully, can make people cry for his sadness, and his personality charm can be seen.
Thinking of this, Ogle was in awe of Roberts, and he held a solemn sea burial for Roberts. The "Black Baron" has created countless miracles on the vast sea, and finally found his eternal home - the sea!