The Most Daring Pirate Raid in History ✨
Imagine the harsh, rocky coastlines of England, where storms rage and legends are born. One such legend is Henry Every, known as "Long Ben," a pirate whose exploits echoed across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Although his name doesn't ring as loudly as Blackbeard's or Captain Kidd's, Henry Every stands out as one of the most successful pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy. In just two years, he and his fearless crew captured about a dozen ships, amassing a fortune. However, his most audacious triumph was the plundering of the Mughal fleet—a heist that historians still call "the richest pirate trophy."
What set Every apart from his infamous colleagues was his remarkable escape from justice, ending his career without facing the chopping block or a bullet.
Henry Every's story began in 1659 in the quiet village of Newton Ferrers near Plymouth. He is believed to have descended from the noble Avery family, landowners in Devon. From a young age, the sea called to him, and he embarked on a maritime career early. Legends speak of his involvement in the 1671 bombardment of Algiers by the English fleet, his adventures as a buccaneer in the Caribbean, and his command of a mahogany transport ship in the Bay of Campeche. Yet, these early years are shrouded more in legend than verified facts.
His life took a more documented turn around 1689. At about thirty, Every served as a midshipman on HMS Rupert, later promoted to mate on HMS Albemarle, participating in the disastrous Battle of Beachy Head. After the defeat, he was dismissed from the Royal Navy.
Following his dismissal, Henry worked for the Royal Governor of Bermuda, transporting enslaved people from West Africa to America. Here, he earned a reputation for ruthlessness and treachery, using deceptive tactics like flying friendly flags to lure traffickers onto his ship, then capturing them and locking them in the hold with the captives.
In 1693, fate brought Every aboard the Charles II, a British vessel hired by the Spanish government for trade, arms delivery, and attacking French ships in the Caribbean. Avery was appointed chief mate, with sailors promised monthly wages and the first month paid in advance before sailing.
The expedition began in August 1693, but the journey to La Coruña, Spain, dragged out to five months. Upon arrival, delayed documents from Madrid left the ships idle in port. The crew, deprived of money and hope, repeatedly demanded their wages, but their pleas were ignored, fearing the sailors would desert if paid.
By May 1694, Avery and his comrades had had enough. One night, exploiting the captain's drunkenness, Avery and twenty-five accomplices mutinied. The ship's capture was bloodless, and Henry soon convinced the remaining crew to abandon their mission and embrace piracy.
Renaming the Charles II to Fancy, reflecting their aspirations and the ship's excellent construction, Avery and his crew set sail for the Cape of Good Hope. They ventured into the open ocean, seeking adventure and untold riches, leaving behind a coast where their dreams no longer had a place.
The first chapter of Henry Every's pirate saga unfolded off the West African coast. Here, Fancy attacked three English merchant ships, capturing their valuable cargo and recruiting several dozen sailors to his crew, which grew to about a hundred. Continuing along the African coast, Fancy reached the island of Principe, capturing two Danish privateers carrying ivory and gold. Seventeen crew members joined Every.
By early 1695, Fancy had crossed the Cape of Good Hope and was cruising near the Comoro Islands. Here, Every encountered a French pirate ship, capturing its cargo and adding forty pirates to his crew, now numbering around 150.
In August 1695, Avery's career reached a turning point. Hearing rumors of a wealthy Mughal caravan returning from Mecca, laden with treasures like gold, silver, and precious stones, he headed for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow 26-kilometer stretch of water ideal for an ambush.
At the strait, Avery joined forces with five other pirate captains, forming a powerful flotilla of six ships with a combined crew of 440 men. Elected admiral of the fleet due to his reputation and charisma, Avery led this formidable alliance toward their fateful encounter with the Mughal fleet.
The Raid of a Lifetime: The Epic Tale of Pirate Henry Every 🏴☠️
Picture this: a pirate flotilla on the prowl, with twenty-five Mughal ships looming on the horizon. Among them, two colossal vessels stood out: the Ganj-i-Sawai, known as "Excellent Treasure," with a staggering 1,600-ton displacement, 80 guns, and 1,100 passengers, and her even mightier sister, the Fateh Muhammed, weighing in at 3,200 tons, armed with 94 guns, and carrying a crew of 800. Their journey to Surat would soon take a fatal turn.
On the night of September 6-7, 1695, the pirates spotted the caravan, but under the cloak of darkness, the Mughal ships slipped away. The next day, however, Ganj-i-Sawai and Fateh Muhammed reappeared. The chase was on, lasting four to five days. The Fateh Muhammed fell first, her crew surrendering with little resistance. The pirates seized treasures worth around 40,000 pounds sterling before setting their sights on the Ganj-i-Sawai.
The battle for the Ganj-i-Sawai was intense. Despite its formidable 80 cannons and 400 soldiers armed with muskets, fortune favored the bold. A cannon exploded onboard the Ganj-i-Sawai, throwing everything into chaos. Fires erupted, and panicked defenders fled below deck, leaving the ship vulnerable.
The Fancy's crew seized the moment. They scaled the massive vessel, engaging in a brutal hand-to-hand fight for two to three hours. Captain Muhammad Ibrahim of the Ganj-i-Sawai, in a desperate bid to organize resistance, even armed the women onboard. But his efforts were futile—the pirates triumphed.
This victory, however, was marred by unspeakable cruelty. The Fancy's crew terrorized their captives for days. The women were violated, and captives were killed. Under torture, the crew revealed hidden treasures, while some women chose death over captivity, leaping into the sea. The surviving prisoners were taken onboard the Fancy.
Rumors swirled around Henry Every, including one that he captured a woman from Emperor Aurangzeb's family—possibly his daughter or granddaughter. Though unverified, this tale added to Every's notoriety.
The treasure from the Ganj-i-Sawai was immense, valued between £325,000 and £600,000, including half a million gold and silver coins, jeweled ornaments, and silver cups. Each crew member received about £1,000 in cash—a fortune for a sailor—and a share of the jewels, vastly increasing their wealth.
The plunder of Aurangzeb’s treasure ship had wide-reaching repercussions. The tales of pirates attacking pilgrims and raping women enraged the emperor, leading him to close five major ports to English traders, demanding Henry Every's capture and execution.
To mend relations, the East India Company agreed to compensate the emperor. Meanwhile, the English government placed a £500 bounty on Every's head, later doubled to £1,000, sparking the first global manhunt in history.
After the plunder, Every and his crew sailed to the Bahamas, nearly circumnavigating the globe. They paused at Ascension Island for supplies before heading to New Providence. There, they met Governor Nicholas Trott, bribing him with gifts like 50 tons of ivory and 100 barrels of gunpowder. Trott, tempted by the bribe, assured Every and his men they were "free to come and go as they pleased."
Despite the pirates' claims of being independent merchants, Trott likely suspected their true identity. News of the Royal Navy and East India Company searching for Every soon reached him, confirming Captain Bridgeman was, in fact, the infamous pirate Henry Every.
When the order for Every's capture arrived, Trott faced a dilemma. He had to issue a warrant for Every's arrest but feared the pirate might expose their bribe arrangement. Warned by Trott, Every and his crew fled swiftly into the open sea. Of Every's over 100 crew members, only twenty-four were captured, and five executed. Every himself vanished without a trace.
Years went by, but the hunt for Henry Every continued. Rumors of his whereabouts surfaced occasionally, but none were confirmed. Some believed he returned to Devon to live out his days peacefully, while others thought he was cheated by merchants and died in poverty.
Regardless of his fate, Henry Every's legacy is deeply ingrained in history. His audacious capture of the Mughal fleet set a high bar for future pirates, proving piracy could yield unimaginable riches. Every's mysterious disappearance only added to his legendary status.
Stories of his exploits transcended the pirate world, entering literature and folklore. A 1709 account by a Dutch captive portrayed Every as both a ruthless robber and a romantic hero. It claimed he escaped with Aurangzeb's daughter and founded a utopian pirate state on Saint Mary Island.
In 1720, Every was immortalized in Daniel Defoe's "The Pirate King" and "Captain Singleton," becoming a cultural icon. These tales, blending fiction with reality, captivated audiences and cemented Henry Every as the embodiment of pirate freedom and adventure. His true exploits and enigmatic fate continue to inspire imaginations centuries later
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