Random 13 Most Gruesome Ways Pirates Have Killed People Throughout History (12 items)

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  (#1) A French Pirate Pulled Out A Victim’s Heart And Ate It

  François l'Olonnais was a French pirate who became well-known throughout the Caribbean for his ruthlessness. He was willing to go to extreme lengths in order to get what he wanted, including torturing captives to extract information.

  This culminated in 1668 when he set sail for Honduras. There, he captured several Spanish soldiers and interrogated them to find the safest route to pass through Central America. Finding that his methods were not working, he cut open the chest of one of the men before pulling out his heart and eating some of it in front of him.
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  (#2) Captain Morgan Popped Out Captives' Eyes Using A Metal Bar

  The Welsh pirate Captain Henry Morgan was never afraid of getting aggressive when he needed to find out valuable information. This is exactly what he did when he sacked Portobelo in 1668, a valuable port that saw all kinds of precious commodities pass through, including a vast amount of gold.

  After taking over the city, he and his crew were unable to find all the treasure, so they began to torture officials. The main method was something called woodling. It involved strapping a leather cord around a person’s forehead and then tightening it with a metal bar. Those who didn’t reveal information quickly enough would perish when the pressure caused their eyeballs to pop out of their skulls.
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  (#3) A Dutch Pirate Roasted Farmers Alive

  Roche Braziliano was a Dutch pirate who lived between 1630 and 1675. He operated mainly near the Caribbean island of Jamaica, where he would come into constant conflict with Spanish farmers and sailors. He was particularly cruel and was described by people at the time as a barbarian, thanks to the aggressive rampages he would routinely go on.

  However, he saved the worst punishment for two farmers who refused to tell him where their pigs were located: He cut off their limbs and roasted them alive on a spit over a fire.
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  (#4) Keelhauling Was A Common Practice

  One of the worst ways to perish at the hands of a pirate was through an act known as keelhauling. However, pirates were not the only group to use this method, as several navies also saw fit to punish people using it.

  The person in question would be tied to a rope that looped around the entire length of the boat. The crew would then drag the person under the ship and keel several times, leading to loss of limbs and even decapitation as they were torn to pieces by the hard wood and barnacles. Those who did not perish from the impact would undoubtedly drown.
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  (#5) Ching Shih Would Nail Her Enemies' Feet To The Decks Of Their Own Ships

  Ching Shih is one of the most famous pirates who ever lived. Having begun her life as an escort, she was able to rise through the ranks of important Chinese pirate factions and eventually take command of hundreds of ships when her husband perished in the early 19th century.

  Her favorite method of dealing with rival crews and enemies was to nail their feet to the decks of their own ships and proceed to beat them until they perished. The only way out of this horrendous situation was to agree to join her ranks and become part the Red Flag Fleet. This not only sent a message to anyone who would stand against her, but also made sure she had plenty of replacement pirates to bolster her crews.
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  (#6) Montbars The Exterminator Nailed His Victims' Intestines To Posts

  Daniel Montbars, who was also known as Montbars the Exterminator for his cruel nature, was a 17th-century pirate. He became one of the biggest enemies of the Spanish Empire during his career and thus developed an intense hatred of any Spaniards he met.

  While he did not like to shed blood without reason, he was merciless to any enemies that fought against him and would brutally punish any surviving soldiers. His favorite method was to cut open the stomach of a captive, pull out their intestines, and nail them to a post while beating them.
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  (#7) Some Pirates Really Did Make People Walk The Plank

  Media often depicts "walking the plank" as the standard means of punishment for pirates. While it was used very occasionally, it was often considered too theatrical for common use.

  The actual method of making someone walk the plank was also much more horrific than films generally make it out to be. Pirates would bind their captives with rope so that they could not swim and weigh them down with cannonballs to ensure they would sink.
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  (#8) Black Bart Burned People Alive On Their Own Ships

  Bartholomew Roberts, otherwise known as Black Bart, was another pirate who developed a reputation for his horrific methods. His extreme aggression and lack of morals certainly seemed to help him, as he is arguably the most successful pirate of all time. He is estimated to have captured up to 400 ships during his career, which spanned from the late 17th century into the early 18th century.

  One of his favorite ways of dealing with ships he had plundered was to simply set them on fire and sail away. Unfortunately, he often did not bother to get passengers or crew off the ships before he set them alight. In one instance, Black Bart burned 80 slaves alive when he didn’t want to waste time unshackling them.
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  (#9) Edward Low Liked Burning Captives' Hands Down To The Bone

  Often called the most vicious pirate to have ever lived, Edward Low has become infamous for the maniacal punishment he liked to inflict on his victims in the early 18th century. Though he had a rather short career, he quickly acquired an enjoyment from carrying out extreme punishment.

  One of the cruelest acts he developed saw him tie up the hands of his captives with rope. He would then insert lit matches between the fingers so that the rope would burn. The flames would strip away the flesh and eventually burn down to the bone, ending the person from blood loss and shock.
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  (#10) Some Pirates Forced Captives to Run Until They Perished From Exhaustion

  One sadistic form of punishment that usually ended up with the target perishing was known as sweating. It was often used as a form of psychological as well as physical torture, as it was done in front of the entire crew of a ship. This also made it perfect for setting an example to anyone else who thought of crossing the pirates.

  The captain would force the captive to run up and down the deck of the ship. At the same time, the rest of the crew would be poking and piercing the man with swords and other instruments, causing lacerations that would eventually lead to loss of life.
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  (#11) Captain Morgan’s Crew Tied Men To Stakes And Beat Them

  Captain Henry Morgan could be incredibly cruel, and the rest of his crew was not averse to the odd heinous act, either. When they attacked Gibraltar in the mid-17th century, they came across a Portuguese man who was unwilling or unable to hand over the treasure they were seeking.

  The men eventually tied up the civilian by his hands and feet to four stakes before beating the rope with planks of wood, causing intense vibrations in his body. When he still didn’t give them the information they wanted, they placed a 200-pound boulder on his stomach and burned him all across his body.
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  (#12) Pirates Tied Slayers to Their Targets and Threw Them Overboard

  People get many things wrong about pirates. Most believe them to be squabbling thugs who were constantly fighting each other, but they were actually a rather sophisticated group of people. Not only did they operate as a democracy, with each crewmember having a vote, but many also did not tolerate inhumane deeds.

  Those who took the life of a captive or one of their fellow crewmembers would often be tied to the cadaver as punishment and thrown overboard. This meant the certain demise of the perpetrator as they sank to the bottom of the ocean with their lifeless target.

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