Bartholomew Roberts

Its first steps

At the 37 years age, it embarks as a second aboard the ship Princess , intended for the transport of slave, who will be captured in February 1720 by the pirate Howell Davis with Anomabu close to the Coast-with Or (British colony) (become the Ghana today). Six weeks after its capture (some speak 4 weeks rather), the flotilla of Howell Davis is taken in ambush by the Governor of the island of Príncipe (Île of the Prince). During the battle, Howell Davis itself is killed. Bartholomew Roberts, described like a large and black man, had time, in a few weeks, to show its talent and its superiority with the combat; he is then elected captain of the boat pirates Royal Rover by his crew. To this occasion, Bartholomew Roberts would have said to its men:

It is better to be a commander that a normal man, since I plunged my hands in muddy water and must be a pirate.

Later, it will direct successively the Fortune , the Royal Fortune , and the Good Fortune . There remains however of many inaccuracies on the number of ships which bore these names, one thinks that there would have been only one Fortune , two Royal Fortune and only one Good Fortune .

The golden age of the pirates of the Caribbean

Leaving the island of Príncipe (Island of the Prince, become Sao Divide into volumes-and-Principle today), Bartholomew Roberts travels with the Royal Rover towards the Brésil. During this way, it captures a Dutch ship and runs a British ship transporting of the slaves. In September 1720, the Royal Rover crosses the road of a convoy of 42 Portuguese trading vessels, escorted by 2 combat ships (each one equipped with 70 guns). Bartholomew Roberts decides to attack this convoy and captures, inter alia, a ship larger than the Royal Rover , on board of which are an significant amount of gold coins, of a value of more than 30.000 pounds sterling. While Bartholomew Roberts' is on board one of the other captured ships, Walter Kennedy, which was with the orders in the absence of its captain, flees with this ship charged with gold and the Royal Rover . Bartholomew Roberts gives then to the sloop on lequelle it is the name of Fortune , plunders 4 other ships and must flee with what remained of its crew to escape a British ship launched to their continuation.

In June 1720, Bartholomew Roberts foams the coasts of the Nouveau World, capturing 26 sloops and 150 vessels fishing and destroying many constructions and machines. It also captures a galère having 18 guns and the exchange against a French ship having 28 guns, which it would have famous Royal Fortune . Bartholomew Roberts carries on then its road towards the south and plunders at least a dozen British trading vessels.

In September 1720, Bartholomew Roberts reaches the the Antilles where it attacks the port of Saint Kitts. It captures a ship there and runs two others of them. It leaves the port and tries to go back the following day there, but of the shootings of guns damage the Royal Fortune and several other ships, forcing them to go to St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in order to be repaired there. In October 1720, it sets out again with the attack of Saint Kitts, where it will plunder 15 British and French ships.

With the attack of Martinique

In January 1721, Bartholomew Roberts adds to its fleet a Dutch ship intended for the transport of slaves. It uses it to mislead the inhabitants of the Martinique: it passes without encumber near the ports inhabitant of Martinique, announcing to the French his intention to go to St Lucia to make trade of slaves there. Installed incognito with St Lucia, Bartholomew Roberts does not have any more but to await its preys: it captures and destroys thus 14 French ships. The prisoners are savagely tortured, some are killed. One of the ships, a brigantin, then becomes the Flagship of the flotilla, Bartholomew Roberts baptizes it Good Fortune . It captures then a French war building, armed with 52 guns, on board of which the Governor of the Martinique is. After having hung the Governor, Bartholomew Roberts decides to keep its ship and re-elects it Royal Fortune . It then preserves 3 ships in its fleet: the Fortune , the Royal Fortune , and the Good Fortune . It is at this time that it brutally stopped foaming the coast of the News-Spain, after having spent more than one year in the the Caribbean infested by the Royal Navy. It crosses the Atlantique in order to sell its goods of smuggling and to plunder the African coast.

The plundering of the African coasts

In April 1721, Bartholomew Roberts' becomes more tyrannical towards its crew. During its way towards Africa, the Good Fortune is stolen by Thomas Anstis, which directed it then. In June 1721, Bartholomew Roberts reaches Africa where it captures 4 ships (it will keep of them one, which it will name the Ranger ). It puts the course towards the Liberia where it captures the Onslow , ship of the Royal Compagnie of Africa. This ship had on board a cargo of a value of 9.000 pounds sterling, Bartholomew Roberts decides to use it in the place of Royal Fortune . It then takes for target the Ivory Coast, where it captures at least 6 ships and their cargo. The June 11th 1721, Bartholomew Roberts captures 11 ships transporting of the slaves, it will ask for a ransom of 8 gold powder books by ship. The captain of the one of the ships refuses to pay the tribute, Bartholomew Roberts runs its ship and all that it transports on board (crew and slaves included). He then adds a new ship to his fleet: a French war building, armed with 32 guns, which it re-elects the Great Ranger . It then becomes a threat for the British companies of trade, which launch several hunters of pirates to his continuation, of which the Hirondelle , a warship sent in Western Africa by the British crown to the continuation of the pirates, ordered by Chaloner Ogle

The last battle

Its career of pirate captain brutally stops in February 1722 close to the Cape Lopez, with the Gabon. The February 5th 1722, a British war building, the Hirondelle attacks the fleet of Bartholomew Roberts. At this time, the opinions on the end of the adventure diverge. that Bartholomew Roberts would have confused the Hirondelle with a Portuguese trading vessel and decides to attack it. Others tell that Chaloner Ogle would have found the fleet of Bartholomew Roberts anchored on the coast, the majority of the drunk men after having celebrated a victory of the day before; Bartholomew Roberts would have dark then with the Royal Fortune in direction of the Hirondelle , thus trying to take it speed with the assistance of the wind. In a case as in the other, the end of the history is the same one. Arrived at range of shooting, the guns of the Swallow draw a salvo, the Royal Fortune response. Bartholomew Roberts is killed as of the first and last salvo: a flight of chains drawn from a gun breaks the bones of the neck to him.

Before it could be carried by Chaloner Ogle, the body of Bartholomew Roberts is thrown over edge, in accordance with its wish to rest in the sea forever. Its crew hopelessly tries to escape but quickly will be caught up with and made captive: they cannot sail any more so much the masts and the veils of their ships are damaged. They will be judged with Cape Coast, with the Ghana. 74 men are discharged, 70 black pirates turn over to slavery, 54 pirates are hung and 37 are condemned to lighter sorrows. Little time after these events, it was the end of the golden age of the Piraterie.

The mystery remains whole

Bartholomew Roberts was not an ordinary pirate. Here some single facts about it:

It was always well equipped.
It had excellent manners.
It did not divide its cabin with no matter whom.
It did not drink alcohol.
It had an excellent manuscript writing.
It was always shaven of near.
It liked the classical music and had musicians on board his ship.
It had intimated the order to its men to throw his body with the sea if it died in the battle.
It was him which inserted in the history a good part of the famous Code of the Pirates.

So some historians think that Bartholomew Roberts could have been a woman, for example it could have been Anne Bonny after she had escaped with the Pendaison.

See too

It is probable that the character Dread Pirate Roberts in the novel and the film The Princess Bride was inspired partly by Bartholomew Roberts.

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