![]() ![]() As a result, the pirates took the city with relative ease. Instead of attacking the city from the strait, l’Olonnais and his men decided to approach the city from land, which was undefended. This city is located on the strait connecting Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela, and was guarded by a fort with 16 cannons. This strategy served l’Olonnais well during his famous attack on the city of Maracaibo. He is best known for being one of the first buccaneers who conducted land raids. In the following years, l’Olonnais continued terrorizing the Spanish. Once the troops left, the pirate disguised himself as a Spaniard, made his way to Campeche, persuaded some French slaves to aid him, and made his way back to Tortuga. By smearing his face and body with blood, and lying still amongst the corpses of his comrades, l’Olonnais tricked the Spanish in to thinking that he was dead. It was due to his cunning that l’Olonnais survived the attack. According to one source, l’Olonnais was the only survivor. A battle ensued and most of l’Olonnais’ crew lost their lives. Although the buccaneer and his men survived, they had the ill fortune of encountering Spanish troops. In 1663, l’Olonnais was shipwrecked on the Yucatan Peninsula. As a comparison, it has been pointed out that Blackbeard, another famous pirate, is not recorded to have killing anyone that he took captive.īlackbeard. L’Olonnais gained a fearsome reputation during his career as a buccaneer, as he would mercilessly kill everyone on board the ships he captured. de la Place, the French governor of Tortuga, who gave him a small ship to command. l’Olonnais’ talent as a buccaneer was recognized by M. Together with other buccaneers stationed in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, l’Olonnais robbed and killed Spanish colonists in the Caribbean. l’Olonnais was no exception to this rule. The buccaneers were mainly from France and England, and often targeted the Spanish. ‘The Buccaneer was a Picturesque Fellow.’ ( Public Domain ) Later on, this word was used to denote the pirates / privateers operating in the Caribbean during the 17th and 18th centuries. As the meat was cooked over a special fire called a ‘boucan’, they became known in French as ‘boucaniers’, which then became ‘buccaneers’ in English. Originally, these were men who made their living by hunting wild game in the jungles and selling the meat. Instead, he decided to stay in the Caribbean and joined the buccaneers. Whether l’Olonnais gained his freedom by serving his indenture to the end, or by escaping, it is clear that he did not return to France. 600-Year-Old Skeleton found beneath Edinburgh School Playground thought to be Executed Pirate.Aruj Barbarossa: Most Notorious Pirate of the Barbary Corsairs.Port Royal and the Real Pirates of the Caribbean.According to another source, however, l’Olonnais escaped from his master three years into his service. The future buccaneer apparently served his indenture for 10 years, from 1650 to 1660. Little is known about the early life of l’Olonnais, except the fact that as a young man, l’Olonnais was taken to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean as an indentured servant. His place of birth was Les Sables-d'Olonne, a seaside town in the Vendée, in the western part of France, hence his demonym, ‘Olonnais’. The Young Buccaneerįrançois l’Olonnais was born as Jean-David Nau in 1635. The Spanish were often the victims of his cruelty, and hence he acquired the nickname ‘Flail of the Spanish’. ![]() He is still often considered to be one of the most ruthless and barbaric pirates to have lived. During this period, he succeeded in establishing a fearsome reputation for himself, which is echoed even till this day. l’Olonnais’ career as a pirate lasted about 10 years, from 1660 till his death in 1668/9. François l’Olonnais was a notorious French buccaneer who lived during the 17th century. ![]()
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