Image: Wiki Commons, Shutterstock
About This Quiz
Pirates have sailed the world's seas throughout history and have been romanticized in stories, books, and movies. But, do you know what they look like? Are they really handsome, romantic swashbucklers - or are they gaunt, scurvy-sick sailors? Test your knowledge and take this quiz to see how many pirates you can name!
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Who is this pirate?
Edward Lowe
Edward Lowe lived from 1690-1724. He is also known as Ned, Lowe, or Loe and was an infamous English pirate that operated at the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. He was born into crushing poverty. He was responsible for starting the career of Francis Spriggs.
Pierre Bot
Captain Blood
Patchy the Pirate
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Who is this pirate?
Edward Teach
Thomas Tew
Thomas Tew was one of the most famous Red Sea pirates. King William III mentioned him by name in his Royal Warrant issued to Captain Kidd for his pirate hunting, as an especially "wicked and ill-disposed person."
Captain Pugwash
Edward England
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Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
Calico Jack
Calico Jack Rackham never had enough power to attack heavily protected treasure ships. He preferred to attack fishing vessels and local merchants. His fame comes from the fact that two most famous woman pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, sailed under his flag.
John Cooke
Captain Blood
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Who is this pirate?
Pierre Bot
Edward Poe
Edward England
Blackbeard
Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach. He was born in England, likely Bristol, around 1680. Blackbeard was on good terms with many other famous pirates. He worked frequently with Stede Bonnet, and he knew Robert Deal, Charles Vane, and Calico Jack.
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Who is this pirate?
Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. Roberts is known to have used at least four different flags. The one most associated with him was black with a white skeleton and a pirate, holding an hourglass between them.
Captain Pugwash
Edward England
Edward Lowe
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Who is this pirate?
Edward England
Captain Blood
William Kidd
This famous Scottish pirate was very unlucky. William Kidd is mostly remembered for his unlucky fate. He was put on trial in May 1701 and sentenced to death for piracy and killing his gunner. He had a disastrous death. During his execution the hanging rope broke, then he was hanged properly on the second try.
Edward Teach
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Who is this pirate?
Edward England
Edward England's career as a pirate began while he was working on a sloop as a first mate. He died as a really poor man in a short period of time. He may not have deserved this cruel fate, as he was the most generous pirate who had ever lived.
Patchy the Pirate
Edward Teach
Calico Jack
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Who is this pirate?
Blackbeard
John Cooke
Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet was born to a wealthy English family, perhaps around the mid-1680's. He grew up well educated and may have served as a major in the King's Guards during the war with Spain before retiring to Barbados as the owner of a sugar plantation. He began pirating out of boredom with his family life.
Pierre Bot
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Blood
Henry Every
Henry Every had many aliases: John Avery, Long Ben, and Benjamin Bridgeman. He was incredibly popular - there are many books and plays written about him and his adventures. He started his sea career on unlicensed slave ships.
Thomas Tew
Edward Lowe
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Pugwash
Pierre Bot
Francois L'Olonnais
Francois L'Olonnais, whose real name was actually Jean-David Neu, was a very famous Frenchman. He was known not only as Francois L'Ollonnais, but also as "Flail of the Spaniards," due to the terrifying cruelty he displayed to the Spanish people.
Blackbeard
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Who is this pirate?
Cheng I Sao
Cheng I Sao is remembered as one of the most successful female pirates in history. As a pirate lord in the early 19th century, she commanded over the famous Red Flag Fleet that consisted of over 1,800 ships and 80,000 male and female pirates.
Edward Lowe
Patchy the Pirate
Thomas Tew
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Who is this pirate?
Black Caesar
Captain Blood
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake's first expedition was with John Hawkins. He captained a fleet with Hawkins to Africa, where they captured people for slavery. They sold the slaves at a Spanish port, but they were betrayed. Spanish warships attacked the fleet and destroyed many of the ships. Drake was able to escape, but he never forgave the Spanish.
Calico Jack
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Pugwash
Patchy the Pirate
Pierre Bot
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny is famous as one of the few female pirates. She was as tough and fearless as any pirate; she stood alongside her shipmates in battles. In recent times she appeared as a character in the Assassins Creed video game and the US TV series Black Sails.
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Who is this pirate?
John Cooke
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer, landowner and, later, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. From his base in Jamaica, he raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, becoming quite wealthy. With the prize money he bought three sugar plantations on the island.
Pierre Bot
Edward Lowe
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Who is this pirate?
Thomas Tew
Captain Blood
Charles Vane
Charles Vane was one of the most skillful pirate captains. His navigating and ship combat skills were unmatchable, and he successfully plundered numerous vessels. However, he didn't get along with his crew, which ruined him and ended his career.
Calico Jack
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Who is this pirate?
Black Caesar
The story of Black Caesar is unusual because there are many stories that he stashed treasure at various places - estimated between $2 million and $6 million - but there is no clear story about the end of his life. He was born in the 1760s to Haitian slaves owned by a wealthy French planter named Arnaut.
Captain Pugwash
Bartholomew Roberts
Samuel Bellamy
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Who is this pirate?
Blackbeard
Patchy the Pirate
The Barbarossa Brothers
The Barbarossa Brothers, Aruj and his younger brother Hizir, were born in Greece in the 1470s. Aruj began his career by attacking Aegean ships from his home island of Lesbos. After being freed from slavery to the Knights of Rhodes by Egyptian forces, he began working with his brother Hizir.
Edward Lowe
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Wiki Commons
Who is this pirate?
Captain Blood
Samuel Bellamy
The first pirate ship recovered from the sea was Samuel Bellamy's flagship, Whydah, in 1984. He is also known as Black Bellamy. He was a tall, strong, well-mannered, and very tidy man. He liked expensive clothes - especially black coats. His flagship was powerful, with many cannons.
John Cooke
Pierre Bot
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Pugwash
Pierre Bot
Pedro Gilbert
Howell Davis
Howell Davis was a very attractive pirate. He didn't rely on arms and power like other captains. As an intelligent and astute man, he used tricks such as bribery and disguise to get what he wanted. His pirate career was short but exciting. Davis spent his entire youth on the ships.
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Who is this pirate?
Jean Lafitte
Thomas Tew
Pedro Gilbert
Pedro Gilbert was an early 19th-century pirate. He who was one of the few remaining pirates that continued to raid shipping on the Atlantic coast. Gilbert held the distinction of taking part in the last recorded act of piracy in Atlantic waters.
Edward Lowe
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Who is this pirate?
Cheung Po Tsai
Sao Feng, one of the main villains of the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End movie, is based on myth and fact. He was an infamous pirate, most popularly known because of a legend about his hidden treasure in Cheung Po Tsai Cave on Cheung Chau Island.
John Cooke
Captain Blood
Patchy the Pirate
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Who is this pirate?
Jean Lafitte
Captain Pugwash
Pierre Bot
Mary Read
Mary Read was born in the late 17th century. She joined the army and boarded a Dutch ship that sailed to the Caribbean. Mary's ship was attacked and captured by Calico Jack, who took all English captured sailors as part of his crew. Unwillingly she became a pirate, until she learned to like this new way of life.
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Who is this pirate?
Edward Lowe
Blackbeard
Turgut Reis
Turgut Reis was a famous Ottoman admiral and privateer who successfully operated in the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Today he is remembered as one of the greatest Turkish leaders and commanders. He was a huge influence on Turkish expansion to the Northern Africa,
Calico Jack
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Wiki Commons
Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
Christopher Myngs
Christopher Myngs was born in Norfolk around 1625. He joined the British Royal Navy as a young man and served as a sailor with the buccaneers. Soon after Myngs got his own ship, he became a very successful captain. Not wanting to share his prizes with the authorities, he resorted to piracy to keep the loot he had conquered in battle against the Spaniards.
Captain Blood
Calico Jack
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Who is this pirate?
Black Bart
John Cooke
Pierre Bot
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was one of the most successful pirates and privateers of the early 19th century. Operating in the waters of the Mexican Gulf, he organized a fleet of pirate smuggling vessels so as to conduct free and untaxed trade with the city of New Orleans.
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Wiki Commons
Who is this pirate?
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, an American naval officer, is best known for his daring exploits in the Tripolitan War and his command in the war of 1812. He died on March 22, 1820, in a duel near Bladensburg, Maryland, with Capt. James Barron.
Captain Pugwash
Bartholomew Roberts
Thomas Tew
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Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
John Cooke
Pierre Bot
William Dampier
William Dampier was the first Englishman to explore parts of what is now Australia. He was also the first person to circumnavigate the world three times. He has been called Australia's first natural historian. His book, A New Voyage Round the World, allowed Dampier to command a Royal Navy ship which made huge discoveries in western Australia.
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Who is this pirate?
Henry Morgan
Although some of his actions were brutal and illegal, Henry Morgan was not actually considered a pirate. This Welshman was a magnificent buccaneer, the most famous one in fact. His first successful raid was in 1664, when a group of buccaneer captains worked together.
Pierre Bot
Edward Lowe
Captain Pugwash
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Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
Captain Blood
Sadie the Goat
An American pirate of the 19th century, Sadie Farrell earned her unusual nickname, Sadie the Goat, for her violent approach. In New York City, Sadie won a reputation as a merciless mugger by head-butting her victims. Sadie and her crew became pirates who swept the Hudson and Harlem Rivers for booty.
Calico Jack
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Pugwash
Thomas Tew
John Cooke
Jacquotte Delahaye
Daughter of a Frenchman and a Haitian woman, Jacquotte Delahaye stole countless fortunes and captured the imaginations of many sea storytellers. Stories claim this red-haired pirate faked her own death to escape the government, which was closing in on her in the 1660s.
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Who is this pirate?
Edward Lowe
Jeanne de Clisson
Jeanne de Clisson's story is of revenge. She was wife to Olivier III de Clisson, a happy mother of five, and the lady of Brittany, France. Land wars between England and France led her husband to be charged with treason and he was decapitated. She swore revenge on France's King Philip VI.
Captain Blood
Pierre Bot
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Who is this pirate?
Sayyida al-Hurra
Sayyida al-Hurra was a contemporary ally of the Turkish pirate, Barbarossa, and she was a pirate queen. She was the last woman awarded the title of al-Hurra (Queen), following the death of her husband who had ruled Tétouan, Morocco. Her name translates to “noble lady who is free and independent; the woman sovereign who bows to no superior authority.”
Patchy the Pirate
Blackbeard
Captain Pugwash
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Wiki Commons
Who is this pirate?
John Cooke
Long John Silver
Long John Silver is the main villain in the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. He is by far the most colorful and complex character in the book, Restaurants have been named after him and he continues to appear in popular culture today.
Pierre Bot
Edward Lowe
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Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
Captain Blood
Although Captain Blood is a fictional character in the book Captain Blood: His Odyssey, much of the historical background of the novel he is based on fact. Monmouth rebels were actually sold into slavery, just like in the book. The shifting political alliances of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 were depicted in the novel as well.
Bartholomew Roberts
Thomas Tew
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Who is this pirate?
One-Eyed Willie
Calico Jack
Pierre Bot
Dread Pirate Roberts
The Dread Pirate Roberts is a fictional character in the novel, The Princess Bride, and its 1987 film adaptation. He is a pirate of near-mythical reputation, feared across the seven seas for his ruthlessness and sword-fighting. He is also well known for taking no prisoners.
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Wiki Commons
Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
The Black Pirate
A favorite tipple of The Black Pirate was grog. Traditionally, grog was rum diluted with water or beer. It was consumed cold and warm, depending on the circumstances. To give this drink more flavor, sugar, lime juice, or cinnamon would be added to the mixture.
John Cooke
Blackbeard
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Pugwash
Captain Blood
Captain Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow is the main protagonist in the Pirates of the Caribbean. Sparrow used to work for the East India Company but was defamed to be a pirate when he freed a bunch of slaves. He lost everything he had just to save the slaves. This is the story you didn't know about Captain Jack Sparrow.
One-Eyed Willie
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Hook
Captain Hook had two huge fears. He hated the sight of a crocodile because Pan cut off his hand and the crocodile ate it. He also feared seeing his own blood. Hook also had the ability to smoke two cigarettes at once because of his cigar holder.
Thomas Tew
Edward Lowe
Pierre Bot
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Who is this pirate?
Captain Pugwash
Captain Blood
Captain Jack Sparrow
One-Eyed Willie
One-Eyed Willie is a fictional character in The Goonies. The story told about One-Eyed Willie was technically improvised by Sean Astin in the movie. Also, the reaction The Goonies had to One-Eyed Willie's ship was genuine. They weren't allowed to see the massive ship until they filmed the scene.
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Who is this pirate?
Blackbeard
Captain Pugwash
Captain Pugwash is a fictional pirate in a series of British children's comic strips and books, created by John Ryan. The character's adventures were adapted into a TV series, using cardboard cut-outs filmed in live-action.
Pierre Bot
Bartholomew Roberts
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Who is this pirate?
Patchy the Pirate
Patchy the Pirate is a live-action character who is the president of the SpongeBob fan club. He hosts the TV specials and major events related to SpongeBob. Patchy is a traditional pirate, with an eye patch and a hook, which he can use alternately with his left and right hand.
Calico Jack
Thomas Tew
Blackbeard
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Who is this pirate?
Edward Lowe
Pierre Bot
The Pirate Captain
The Pirate Captain believed that wearing pierced earrings would improve his eyesight. The Jolly Roger flag, with its black background and white skull and crossbones, was designed to be scary. This flag was not used by all pirates; usually it was only flown by those sailing in the Spanish Main.
Blackbeard
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Who is this pirate?
Pierre Bot
John Cooke
John Cooke at one point commanded a whole fleet of ships. He became involved in an old French ship called The Revenge. He was most well known for being a privateer that had a legit on-board doctor, which was incredibly rare for ships back in the day.
Captain Jack Sparrow
Dread Pirate Roberts
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You Got:
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