3 Twisted Pirates Who Committed Disturbing Acts of Evil

These pirates had a sadistic thirst for violence

An illustration of François l’Olonnais by an unknown artist, 1678 (Wikimedia Commons)

Pirates have been romanticized by modern pop culture for many years now. Children grow up thinking pirates were jovial rebels who enjoyed thrilling adventures on the high seas alongside their crewmates.

But the reality was much darker. Determined to build a formidable reputation, some pirates committed disturbing acts of evil and have gone down in history for all the wrong reasons.

1. François l’Olonnais

A lithograph of François l’Olonnais by an unknown artist, c. 1888 (Wikimedia Commons)

François l’Olonnais was a French pirate who was active during the mid-seventeenth century. After travelling to the Caribbean as a teenager, he received a ship from the Governor of Tortuga and went hunting for Spanish vessels.

Before long, l’Olonnais and his crew had taken plenty of valuable treasure from the Spanish. But l’Olonnais was more than just a plunderer. He also had a sadistic knack for violence.

When l’Olonnais and his crew attacked the city of Maracaibo in the Gulf of Venezuela, they raped, pillaged, and murdered. They then tortured people for…