Women in piracy

Although the majority of pirates in history have been men, there are around a hundred known examples of female pirates, about four of whom were active in the Golden Age of Piracy. Some women have been pirate captains and some have commanded entire pirate fleets. Among the most powerful pirate women were figures such as Zheng Yi Sao and Huang Bamei, both of whom led tens of thousands of pirates.
In addition to the few that were pirates themselves, women have also historically been more heavily involved in piracy through secondary roles, interacting with pirates through being smugglers, lenders of money, purchasers of stolen goods, tavern keepers and prostitutes, and through having been family members of both pirates and victims. Some women also married pirates and turned their homes or establishments into piratical safe havens. Through women in these secondary roles, pirates were strongly supported by the agency of women. Some influential women, including monarchs such as Elizabeth I of England, have also acted as powerful patrons of pirates. Although they have received little academic attention, women still occupy these important secondary roles in contemporary piracy. Piracy off the coast of Somalia is for instance supported to a large extent by on-shore women who participate in transportation, housing and recruitment.
Seafaring in general has historically been a highly masculine-gendered activity. Women who became pirates at times disguised themselves as men in order to do so since they were otherwise rarely allowed on pirate ships. On many ships in the Golden Age of Piracy, women were prohibited by the ship's contract due to being seen as bad luck and due to fears that the male crew members would fight over the women. Many famous female pirates, such as Anne Bonny and Mary Read, accordingly dressed and acted as men. Since the gender of many pirate women was only exposed after they were caught, it is possible that there were more women in piracy than is otherwise indicated by surviving sources.
In addition to historical female pirates, women in piracy have also frequently appeared in legends and folklore. The earliest legendary female pirate is perhaps Atalanta of Greek mythology, who according to legend joined the Argonauts in the years before the Trojan War. Scandinavian folklore and mythology, though the tales themselves are unverified, includes numerous female warriors who command ships and fleets. Female pirates have had varying roles in modern fiction, often reflecting cultural norms and traditions. Beginning in the 20th century, fictional pirate women have sometimes been romanticized as symbols of female liberty.

List of named female pirates

Ancient pirates

Name	Lifespan	Active	Culture	Notes
Dido a.k.a. Elissa		~800 BC	Phoenician	The legendary founder of Carthage. Sometimes considered a pirate since her legend involves her leading a sea expedition, raids, and the kidnapping of a large group of women.
Tchiao Kuo-fu-ja'' a.k.a. Ch’iao K’uo Fü Jên		~600 BC	Chinese	Identified as a pirate in the cited western sources, but this appears to be a misidentification of the historical 6th-century military leader Lady of Qiaoguo. There is no record in Chinese historiography suggesting she was a pirate, nor any evidence of her activity around 600 BC.
Queen Artemisia I of Caria		480 BC	Greek	Queen of the city-state of Halicarnassus. The earliest historical female pirate, Artemisia captained a fighting ship and led the most famous pirate fleet in the Mediterranean. She participated in the second Persian invasion of Greece, fighting alongside Xerxes I of the Achaemenid Empire.
Queen Teuta of the Ardiaei		231–228 BC	Illyrian	Queen regent of the Ardiaei tribe, active in the Adriatic Sea. Sanctioned a number of pirate attacks against the Roman Republic and fought against the Romans in the First Illyrian War.

Vendel and Viking Age

Name	Lifespan	Active	Culture	Notes
Princess Sela		420	Norwegian	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. Sister of the Norwegian king Koller, with whom she quarreled, and led her own raids both in sea and land. Killed by the Jutish king-turned-pirate Aurvandill after she attempted to avenge her brother.
Alf and Alfhild a.k.a. Alvid; Altilda; Atwilda; Alvilda		550	Geatish	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. Her story is akin to a fairy tale and she consequently appears to be a mythical figure. Daughter of the Geatish king Synardus. Turned to piracy to escape an enforced marriage and led an all-female pirate crew. Eventually tracked down and defeated by her intended spouse, whereafter she married him on account of his prowess in battle.
Groe		550	Geatish	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. One of the women accompanying Afhild.
Stikla		8th century?	Norwegian	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. Shield-maiden and pirate who alongside her sister Rusila fought against the Norwegian ruler Olov for control of his kingdom. Defeated and killed by Olov's forces who were aided by the Danish king Harald Wartooth.
Rusila		8th century?	Norwegian	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. Sister of Stikla, fought with her against Olov and Harald.
Veborg		770	Danish	Briefly mentioned in the Gesta Danorum. Longship captain who was killed in battle. Participated in the legendary Battle of Brávellir.
Hetha		770	Danish	Briefly mentioned in the Gesta Danorum. Longship captain who became the ruler of Zealand. Participated in the legendary Battle of Brávellir.
Wisna		770	Danish	Briefly mentioned in the Gesta Danorum. Longship captain who became a standard-bearer and lost her right hand in battle. Participated in the legendary Battle of Brávellir.
Rusla, "Red Daughter"		8th/9th century?	Norwegian	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. Sometimes conflated with Rusila but appears to be a distinct figure. Sister of the Norwegian ruler Tesondus, who had been deposed by the Danish king Omundus. Angered at the Danish conquest and her brother being content with it, she fought against both but was ultimately defeated.
Lagertha		9th century	Norwegian	Appears in the Gesta Danorum. Viking shield-maiden who accompanied and later married the legendary hero and king Ragnar Lodbrok.

Medieval and Renaissance pirates

Golden Age of Piracy

Name	Lifespan	Active	Culture	Notes
Charlotte de Berry	1636–?	17th century	English	Reportedly kidnapped and forced to go to sea, whereafter she organized a mutiny, took control of the ship and began a pirate career of her own. She is likely fictional since her earliest known mention in a literary work dates to 1836.
Jacquotte Delahaye	1656	Mid-17th century	Haitian or Spanish	Legendary pirate whose story differs between accounts, sometimes said to have been motivated by revenge and other times said to have wished to earn wealth to support her family. Supposedly rose to command a hundred pirates. Depending on the account said to have either continuously dressed as a man or to have taken a male alias after faking her death. Likely fictional as she first appears only in accounts written significantly later than her purported lifespan.
Christina Anna Skytte	1643–1677	1657–1668	Swedish	A baroness who is said to in 1657 have joined her brother Gustav Skytte, who secretly owned a pirate ship. Together they assaulted ships in the Baltic Sea. Fled the country to escape the authorities in 1663 but returned and retired from piracy in 1668. Her role in the piracy is somewhat disputed since the relevant court documents do not explicitly mention her.
Neel Cuyper a.k.a. Cornelia; Nellie Cowper; Santa Rubia	1655–1695	Late 17th century	Dutch	Served on Dutch merchant ships masquerading as a man. Captured by pirates who recruited her on account of her experience. After some time with the pirates, Cuyper was discovered to be a woman, whereafter she was disembarked together with her share of the loot at Tortuga. Later founded a resort for pirates at Labadee in Haiti, eventually becoming known as the "Queen of Labadee Bay". Killed during a 1695 raid by English and Spanish forces.
Mrs. Beare	1684–1689	Late 17th century	English or Jamaican	Full name unknown. Wife of the pirate John Phillip Beare, Mrs. Beare, originally from Jamaica. She joined him on pirate voyages, frequently donning men's clothing. She is described as a woman with a promiscuous reputation.
Anne Dieu-le-Veut	1661–1710	Late 17th century	French	According to legends the wife of the Dutch pirate Laurens de Graaf, whom she is said to have accompanied on pirate raids. Her legend conflicts with known historical information on Laurens de Graaf's life; although documentary evidence confirms her as a real person, she only married de Graaf after he is believed to have left his pirate life behind him.
Ingela Gathenhielm	1692–1729	1711–1721	Swedish	Married the shipowner and privateer Lars Gathenhielm, who also operated a pirate business. Ingela was deeply involved in her husband's business and took charge of it after Lars died in 1718.
Maria Lindsey		1740s–1760s	English	Prostitute who married the pirate Eric Cobham. Thought to have been insane, she joined Cobham and they assembled a pirate crew together. They conducted pirate attacks together in New England and Newfoundland; Cobham's memoirs portray Lindsey as ruthless in how she dealt with captives.
Anne Bonny a.k.a. Ann Fulford	d. 1733	1720	English	Primarily known through Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates; though much of her story is of uncertain veracity, contemporary records confirm her existence and that she was convicted for piracy. According to limited documentation, Bonny joined the pirate John Rackham in 1720. Also part of Rackham's crew was another female pirate, Mary Read. Captured and convicted in late 1720 but escaped execution through claiming to be pregnant. She likely died in Jamaica in 1733.
Mary Read	d. 1721	1720	English	Primarily known through Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates; though much of her story is of uncertain veracity, contemporary records confirm her existence and that she was convicted for piracy. According to Johnson's story, she turned to piracy after a ship she was on was captured by pirates. Joined the crew of John Rackham in 1720, of which Anne Bonny was also part. Captured and convicted in late 1720 but escaped execution through claiming to be pregnant. Died in prison around April 1721, perhaps related to childbirth complications.
Martha Farley a.k.a. Mary Farley; Mary Harvey; Mary Farlee	1726	Early 18th century	English?	Tried for piracy in Virginia alongside three men in 1726; whereas all men were executed, Farley was spared by the court. Though Farley does not appear to have taken an active militant role alongside the men, she was present during at least one capture of a ship and is thought to have aided in eavesdropping on the conversations of the prisoners.
Mary Critchett a.k.a. Mary Crickett; Mary Crichett	fl. 1729	Early 18th century	English	Tried for piracy in Virginia alongside a crew of five men in 1729 and executed. Critchett and the others had been felons who escaped and stole a ship in the Rappahannock River before making their way into the Chesapeake Bay, where they captured another ship.
Martha Herring	1714–1735	1714–1715	English?	Daughter of a captain killed in 1714 a mutiny by her lover Sandy Gordon, who turned to piracy. Herring continued to follow Gordon aboard the Flying Scot. Gordon was killed in 1715 and Herring then stayed behind on the island on which the two were married.
Flora Burn	1741	18th century	American	She served as one of the 35 sailors aboard the American privateer ship, HMS Revenge, during the year 1741. The ship was operating on the eastern coast of North America. She held a one-and-three-quarter share of the bounty within the crew.