Captain Henry Every was the most successful pirate ever known, though he only made one voyage as a pirate captain! He plied his "trade" in the late 1600's and most of his wealth came from only two conquered ships--the Arab ship the
Gang-j-Sawai, and its escort the
Fateh Mohamed.
The
Mohamed put up little fight, but yielded treasure valued at 50,000 pounds sterling. The
Gang-j-Sawai had 62 cannons, 500 musketeers, and 600 passengers! After a fierce 2-hour battle the "Great Mogul's" ship surrendered.
Its treasure was a pirate's dream: 500,000 pieces of silver and gold, many jewels, and a saddle set with rubies meant as a gift for the Great Mogul.
After this great plunder Captain Every tried to retire in the Bahamas, but the Great Mogul used his power to put a bounty on all of Every's men and threatened to cut off all trade with the East India Company. The result was they were not welcome.
Purchasing a small sloop, they made their way back to Ireland where Every slipped away and retired a wealthy man. It is also told that he Every was cheated by the merchants he was dealing with, and he was soon reduced to begging for food and dying without the price of a coffin.
Whether he died rich or poor, it is certain that the taking of the
Gang-i-Sawai and Every's resulting celebrity inspired quite a few to turn to a life of piracy.
This item is double-sided, and is identical on each side. Included is a black neck cord with pewter accent bead.
Measurements: Please note image is not to scale. This item is just under 1" in diameter (23mm). The neck cord is 34" long.
Added to catalog May 21, 2009.
