Unlike many of his infamous counterparts, Every managed to do it all without getting captured or killed.
An 18th-century depiction of Henry Every, with the Fancy shown Capturing the Grand Mughal Fleet.
Henry Every was born in 1659 in Newton Ferrers, a village near Plymouth, England.
Every likely began his career as a sailor at a young age, serving aboard various Royal Navy ships.
However, much of the narrative surrounding his early years is steeped in myth and speculation.
Not long after this defeat, he was discharged from the Royal Navy.
This forced the vessels to remain docked indefinitely.
As the months dragged on, the sailors found themselves stranded in Corunna, penniless and without alternative employment.
Their repeated requests for wages were denied, as the ships investors feared the men would desert if paid.
Every renamed theCharles IItheFancy, a name symbolizing the crews newfound hope and the ships superior design.
By early 1695, theFancyhad rounded the Cape of Good Hope and was cruising near the Comoros Islands.
There, Every intercepted a French pirate ship.
In August 1695, Every received word of a Mughal fleet returning from Mecca, laden with immense riches.
The convoy was rumoured to be among the wealthiest in Asiapossibly the world.
Every realized that capturing it could result in one of the most profitable pirate raids in history.
His leadership and reputation led to his unanimous election as admiral of the fleet.
Henry Everys pirate flag.
It wasnt long before the pirates prey appeareda convoy of twenty-five Mughal ships.
The convoy was en route to Surat, but its journey was about to take a fateful turn.
On the night of September 67, 1695, Everys crew spotted the Mughal convoy.
However, under the cover of darkness, the fleet managed to evade them.
After four or five days, EverysFancyfinally caught up with theFateh Muhammed.
TheGanj-i-Sawai, armed with eighty cannons and guarded by four hundred musket-armed soldiers, was a formidable target.
It took several days of pursuit before the pirates managed to close in.
Despite the vessels impressive defences, fortune turned against it.
Fires broke out, and panic spread as some defenders fled below decks, leaving the ship vulnerable.
Seizing the opportunity, Everys men scaled the ships steep sides and boarded.
As the pirates swarmed aboard, Captain Muhammad Ibrahim of theGanj-i-Sawaiattempted to rally his defences.
In a desperate move, he armed enslaved women on board and sent them to fight the pirates.
A fierce hand-to-hand battle erupted, lasting two to three hours.
The victorious pirates inflicted several days of terror on their captives, subjecting them to unspeakable atrocities.
Women aboard theGanj-i-Sawaiwere brutally raped, and many of the prisoners were killed in cold blood.
Some women, desperate to escape their fate, committed suicide.
Those who survived the ordeal were taken aboard theFancy.
Everys Fancy chasing the Mughal ship Ganj-i-Sawai .
Photo credit: Peter Newark Historical Pictures
The plunder from theGanj-i-Sawaiwas staggering, estimated at between 325,000 and 600,000.
The East India Company later doubled the bounty to 1,000a massive sum at the time.
This marked the beginning of what historians regard as the first global manhunt in recorded history.
Upon arrival, the pirates sought an audience with the island’s governor, Nicholas Trott.
They offered him a bribe worth three times his annual salary in exchange for allowing them to stay.
However, they concealed their true identities, claiming to be unlicensed English tradersor “interlopers.”
Trott weighed his options carefully.
He reasoned that the presence of the heavily armedFancyin the harbor could bolster the islands security.
Trott agreed to their terms and even met Every, who introduced himself as “Captain Bridgeman.”
Trott assured Every and his crew that they were welcome to come and go as they pleased.
Despite the crews claims, Trott likely suspected their true identity.
TheFancybore the scars of battle, and the ships hold contained a wealth of foreign-minted coins.
However, Trott discreetly tipped off Every and his crew before any action could be taken.
Of the entire crew, only twenty-four were ever apprehended, and five of them were executed.
Every himself was never seen again.
However, none of these claims could be verified.
Speculation about his fate has persisted.
He is thought to have died sometime between 1699 and 1714.
Another theory proposes a less fortunate endingthat Every was swindled out of his fortune by merchants and died penniless.
Everys story resonated beyond the pirate world, weaving its way into literature and folklore.
Every also featured prominently in early literary works.
His exploits were even dramatized on stage, blending fact with fiction to captivate audiences.
In many ways, Henry Every became the prototype for the legendary pirate.
