It seems like Bonny and Read were being heavily mythologized even when they were alive, let alone afterwards. What was your approach when it came to peeling away those layers and finding the real people underneath the popular memory?

How multinational were the crew of pirate ships? And how did they communicate with each other?

Thank you for this! I have a couple of questions. First, how were they able to hide their sex on a ship for extended periods where privacy was scarce? And second, is there any sense of how their fellow pirates would have treated them if their sex had been discovered?

Hello and thanks for coming on! I'll try to make this a question rather than a statement.

In the admittedly somewhat cursory reading I've done on the Red Flag pirates of early 19th century China, a theme that seems to have emerged is that the role of Ching Shih (also known by other names) in the fleet was deliberately exaggerated by elite male Qing authors to emphasise the pirates' deviation from orthodox social norms. How did gender affect how female pirates were written about compared to their male counterparts? I suppose a necessary corollary to that is, who wrote about pirates? How strongly do women's voices feature in the source landscape?

I've heard lots of conflicting accounts of how frequent homosexual relationships were aboard ships, and how accepted they were by other crew mates. Could you shed any light on this?

What was the sexual/romantic relationship between Bonney, Reed, and calico jack?

What books would you recommend reading to learn more about the golden age of piracy? I've read black flags, blue waters and I'm currently reading rebels at sea, but I'd love to know what to read next.

I am fascinated by the pirate-owned ports described in Peter Lamborn Wilson's Pirate Utopias, but I have no idea how much his idealized utopias are based in fact. Did you find Anne Bonny and Mary Read sailing to non-colonial ports? Where were their safe havens?

what in your opinion are some of the best representations of golden age female pirates in contemporary media? (if there are any at all)

How common would it be for ships to have female pirates dressed in men's clothes Vs female pirates in female clothes?

Hey this sounds really awesome. I currently work in the National Museum of Bermuda and we're always looking for more connections to the pirate world.

Have you come across any Bermudian female pirates during your research? Or any that used Bermuda as a port of call in their travels? I know we're quite far north from the rest of the pirate republic.

Did pregnancy and piracy ever overlap? Would they go on maritime maternity leave?

I’ve heard about women disguising themselves as men to join crews, but would this gender disguise still be required for a pirate crew during the Golden Age of Piracy?

Hello and thank you for your time today! My partner dreams of writing a story that involves women pirates as some of the central characters so my questions revolve around this interest.

How true is the superstition that a woman onboard was bad luck? Where does this come from?

Were women allowed to be part of the crew or did they have to fool everyone into thinking they were men?

How respected were female pirates? Both by other crews and on their own ships

Are there accounts of majority female crews?

What are some minute facts or details that, if you were to see come up in a story involving female pirates, would clue you in that the author knows what they're talking about?

Finally, besides your previous AMA and your books, what resources can you recommend someone looking to learn more about the subject?

Did you enjoy the portrayal of Anne Bonny in the TV drama Black Sails? What did they do well and not so well?

Thanks for this AMA! What does Bonny and Read's gender non-conformity tell us about pirate ship gender norms? Does their story reveal something distinct about masculinity/femininity at sea compared to on land?

Thank you for this AMA! While not really in the Caribbean, I wanted to ask about Lalla Achia (Sayyida Al Hurra). How was she able to lead a fleet and a city in the predominantly male society of Northern Africa? While her fight against the Christian Western Mediterranean is pretty legendary, was there any big social/political conflict she had to fight back home due to her being a woman? Was she one of the only female pirates of her time period and region? Or were there more lesser known pirate queens of the Maghreb? Lastly (and I'm really sorry if I'm rambling at this point) are there other major female pirates in Islamic History?

I'm sure everyone knows Julius Caesar was captured by Pirates, were there any other big-name hostage situations that people have forgotten over time?

Fellow historian, ancient mythology major: thank you so much for the AMA! I've always wanted to know how much basis there was for the myth that it was 'bad luck' to have women on a ship? I know a lot of myths get their start in some semblance of a truth, even if it's just an explanation for a natural phenomenon, but I've always been curious about the origin of this.

What role did sexual assault or the risk thereof play in the life of a female pirate?

Did you come across pirates who fit the Robin Hood trope?

How did these pirates manage the tension between them and their male crews? Being the only woman on a boat with pirates for months on end sounds hellish when you consider pirate reputation and sailors in general.

What were female pirates like in the Middle Ages, prior to the Golden Age of Piracy? For example, Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359) was a Breton noblewoman-turned-privateer against the French. Were all female pirates in the Middle Ages wealthy and self-funded, or were some "commoners" as well? How common was it to see female pirates prior to piracy's Golden Age?

This is nowhere near as specific as everyone else's questions, but as someone starting my PhD in September, this is my favourite question to ask other people - what's your favourite fact about your research?

I really love to see historical representation in media. So did you finish Black Sails? Do you have any new thoughts on it?

Throughout the show there are representations of many many of the famous pirates of the time, including Jack Rackham, Anne Bonnie, Charles Vane, Edward Low, Blackbeard and Hornigold.

I do not want to spoil the show for you or anyone else here, but I would love to know how accurate some of the depictions of the characters where. Obviously, Flint, Silver, Eleanor, etc. are all fabrications for the show. But did >!Blackbeard see Charles Vane essentially as a son?!< >!Was Blackbeard keelhauled by Woodes Rodgers (or do we know any notable pirates that were keelhauled)?!< >!Was Charles Vane a slave previously?!< >!Did Hornigold retire and become a pirate hunter? Or did he essentially have the role of Eleanor in the show?!< Any other thoughts on the show would be really great to hear.

Hi Dr Simon! Thank you for doing this - I took a class on maritime history ages ago and enjoyed it, although I have no aptitude for history.

What factors incentivised women to take to the waters as pirates/maritime raiders? Did they differ substantially from those of men?

How have female pirates been co-opted as part of national myth-making? I'm thinking particularly of Grace O'Malley and Ching Shih, who are now both closely associated with their national heritage, but I wonder how that comes into play with both of them doing piracy. I also wonder how this contrast with others who lived a more "international" or "my home is the waves" type vibe.

Thank you if you have a chance to answer it!

Did people have romanticized views of pirates during the Age of Sails?

Thank you for doing this!

I have always heard that there were rumors Anne Bonny ended up returning to the United States and living out the rest of her life there. Did you find any truth to this or about her life after being in Prison or what happened to the child she was pregnant with?

What are the most common historical misconceptions about female pirates and pirates themselves as a whole ? Much like the Norsemen of Scandinavia they’ve been poorly represented by media in tv shows and films. Do you think the historical narrative also gets warped by tv shows and films ?

Would women aboard a pirate ship live and sleep in the same quarters as their male counter parts?

Did pirates want to be pirates? Or was it mostly an occupation of convenience that they fell into? How easy was it to "get out of the game," so to speak?

I'm certain you have had some incredibly lively parties with colleagues in a field such as this.

I'm curious if you have any insight as to female piracy as it relates to the Philippines.

Are you aware of any notable female pirates from the region of the archipelago, what would you have any good books I could read on the matter around the history of pirates from the region? I wish I could be more specific but this is a field of which I have little to no insight.

I have recently become very interested in reading all I can about pirate history. I have added your book to my list and look forward to reading it.

Do you have any other book recommendations that you found stood out to you? Or even textbooks you've come across with more information-dense reading?

Thank you for doing this AMA!

How did "regular" contemporary women view female pirates? Did any women romanticize or idolize them? Were they viewed as examples of deep immorality? Feared? Ignored?

Hey thanks for coming on. I would like to ask about someone who is probably the most influencial pirate of all time - Ching Shih (Zheng Yi Sao). And specifically about her legacy. What influence did she and her exploits have on the collapse of the Qing? And specifically the Qing navy. Was she instrumental in weakening the Qing navy to a point where they were so easily defeated in the Opium War?

So, I think this might not strictly be your area of expertise since it's not really related to the pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy (being across the globe and about 40 years after the usual end date of the Golden Age), but your title really piqued my interest because one of those historic figures that's always fascinated me has been Zheng Yi Sao, the pirate queen of the South China Sea, often described as the most successful female pirate in history, and one of the most successful pirates period (she did after all successfully retire and died a rich and peaceful woman).

What kinds of parallels and differences might exist between the life of a female pirate in the Caribbean vs. a Chinese pirate junk? Would it be easier/harder to achieve positions of authority within pirate organizations? What about general freedom and safety (especially sexual) from male members of their crews?

Thank you for the AMA!

I had done some reading that suggested that pirates fairly regularly retired from pirate life and integrated into the colonies to just live fairly normal lives. Do we see any cases of this for female pirates or other pirates who were not British? If you were an escaped slave pirate, was there a "safe" retirement option for you?

Were queer pirates a common occurrence in the golden age of piracy?

One of the most influential female pirate captain I know is Sadiyya Al Hurra.

Has there been any other female pirate that has achieved the same or higher level of fame or influence as she did?

There is a pretty solid record of male homosexuality among pirates that has mostly been ignored by pop culture. What about the women? How did their sexuality play into their pirating and the culture they were a part of?

Do we know what happened to Anne Bonny after she was arrested for piracy? As someone who does genealogy work, it would be interesting to know what happened to her after she falls off the historical record. For example: did she possibly move to the colonies and have a family?

And I know she wasn't a pirate, but I'd also like to know if Maria Hallett actually existed and what happened to her after the death of Sam Bellamy.

Would Ingela Olofsdotter Gathenhielm be considered a Pirate Queen?

She came to be a privateer in the service of Charles XII of Sweden in the early 18th century, and also came from a privateering family in Onsala, and her husband had the same background.

The background here was the Great Northern War, which raged for the first two decades of the 1700s. In it, an anti-Swedish alliance headed by tsarist Russia and including Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland would eventually break the dominance of Sweden throughout the Baltic region.

One result of the war was the end of absolutist monarchy in Sweden, the growth there of parliamentary power, and the burgeoning of civil rights. But in 1710, when Ingela’s soon-to-be husband Lars obtained a privateering license, there were still many years of fighting yet to come. Lars converted his shipping business in part to a privateering fleet, and his ships were not overly choosy about their targets and became a pirate.

When Lars died young in 1718 (reportedly of tuberculosis rather than a sea battle), all of the business ventures—including the piracy—passed to Ingela, who was primed to take over. She made her fortune at it and then retired, investing in other businesses such as ropemaking.

While colorful stories are told about Ingela, it’s doubtful she was actually captaining ships and leading boarding parties. She did, however, run the crucial business side of the practice that enabled the captains and mariners who worked for her to do so.

Is there any really good source material, either biographical or extremely accurate fictionalized portrayals, of Ching Shih, aka Zheng Yi Sao, aka the "most successful pirate in history" who commanded an entire flotilla and retired peacefully in old age?

I would love to know more about her, but there seems to be so little literature!

I once read that Pirates were (by necessity) more diverse racially and on genders, also allowing a multitude of sexualities on board. Also very forward thinking ways of governance like democracy and putting things to a vote.

Is there any weight behind this being a widespread practice?

Was it more "we have several examples of boats with very open minded views but overall pirates were just like their contemporaries"?

I also read that pirate practices of democracy influenced democracy at a government level and voting. Any weight behind this?

Also sorry for all the questions I go to a lot of historical events and pirates are always making this claim or that. Just interested to see if it is true.

How did Bonny and Read’s philosophies and treatment differ from Zheng Yi Sao’s?

Would you recommend doing history degrees & MA & PHD to pursue a niche interest? I had to drop out of BA due to illness, but it seemed like none of the students or the lecturers thought we were working towards careers in historical research, which I found strange. I now wonder if they aren't teaching me how to read manuscripts or find archive sources till after the BA stage, what is the point.

I'm curious what your career is, being an expert in the history of piracy.

How do the depictions of female pirates in popular culture (e.g. movies, TV shows, books) differ from reality?

Pirates are typically represented in popular culture as being unscrupulous, brutal, and cruel. Is there any historical evidence speaking to the inherent nature of pirates on a day-to-day basis? Were they indiscriminately cruel or were they more nuanced, with some scope for compassion and humanity? Any examples you can provide would be fascinating and much appreciated!

To say the least, I would imagine being the only woman on a majority male ship full of criminals at sea for months at a time wouldn't be safe. Was this the case? However they may be criminals, but they are still human. I could also see something where the pirates would all be really nice because she's the only girl. I'm curious about the general attitude and treatment women would have on the ship

Have you listened to the Pirate History Podcast and would you try to get in contact and do an episode with him?

What is your favorite topic to talk about when it comes to pirates?

Were Bonny and Read the only women on the seas in their time or were there women commonly making up some percentage of pirate (or other ships') crews?

Did you ever play AC Black Flag? If so what are your thoughts on the game?

Might be dumb questions, but how often were pirates actually at sea? When going ashore, did they kip wherever they could find some safety? Did they have various hideouts?

I’m sorry I’m sure there’s a more concise way to word this, just trying to wrap my head around what a life was like when not sailing or plundering

Dr Simon, thank you so much for your time today.

We know there were a few women that sailed the seas as pirates, and we know there were enslaved men that escaped and joined crews, but do we know of any enslaved females that escaped and became pirates? Thanks again.

Will you be covering the pirate queen of China sometime soon also? She is absolutely fantastic.

Do they usually prefer direct download, Usenet or Torrent?

Since my research proposal is focusing on public executions as well, I thank you for the opportunity.

My first series of questions is about the modality those capital sentences were carried out: is it true that pirates were usually hanged by their neck until death occurred? Were there different types of execution, other than the noose? Why was hanging the "mainstream" choice? Also, since your focus includes the gender aspect of crime & punishment: were there any differences in killing a female pirate, rather than a male one, from a technical and aesthetic point of view?

The second question is... are there any other Universities which could welcome a study about the forms of "State-sanctioned killing" throughout the centuries? Sadly, my motherland (Italy) doesn't seem to care much about Death Studies, but maybe you could advise us... Thank you so much, and kudos for your PhD!

Gráinne O'Malley is often described as a pirate queen and was also an influencial member of a landed family. What roll do piracy play in the political/social landscape of 16th century Ireland?

Silly question, but how did you feel about the show Black Sails if you saw it? I can only imagine that "artistic liberty" barely begins to cover how fictional Anne Bonny's characterization was, let alone everything else they changed for the show.

Has there been sexualising of female pirates in the past? Aw man, there's a movie I wanna reference but it has 3 more years before being discussed.

But yeah, I just can't remember ever not seeing sexualized representations of female pirates.

Why is it commonly claimed that Anne Bonny and Mary Read disguised themselves as men on board? How do we know that isn’t true?

Is there substance to the story that before their capture, Anne and Mary fought on deck and refused to surrender, while their drunk crewmates (possibly including Rackham?) hid below deck?

Is it true that before he was hanged, Anne Bonny told Rackham “If you had fought like a man, you need not have been hang’d like a dog”?

What do you think of the tale that Anne Bonny had a child with Rackham whom she left behind in Cuba?

One last thing. I’m obsessed with the story of Anne Bonny and I wrote a few songs about it. One was about how Calico Jack had been drawn out of pirate “retirement” to save Anne Bonny from prison, returning to a life of crime, before meeting a tragic fate. And the kind of love that it would take to do that. These songs ended up being cut from my album except an instrumental track Reprise. It’s a pretty abstract idea but it’s meant to be Calico Jack opening his eyes after being hanged and floating down the River Styx, while Anne Bonny and Mary Read and everyone he knew in life sing from the shore. :) If you want to hear it, it’s on the album Travel On by Woodfine.

A bit off topic but still pirate related, What’s your take on Our Flag Means death?

I understand that, in the Golden Age, there were not only women passengers but women sailors as well. There were not very many, but there were probably more than we know about, since at least some of them would have, for a variety of reasons, tried to pass as men.

And with Bonny and Read, they’ve become heavily mythologized within various media so what exactly are our primary sources for Bonny and Read? I assume one would would be the General History of the Pyrates, but is that the only one?

I was recently in Newport, Ireland and saw Grace O’Malley’s Rockfleet Castle (or tower house as it may be). I was struck by its relatively humble size at four room-sized floors.

Would these castles/tower houses have been a home that would need to be defended, particularly after achieving a level of fame or notoriety?

I also read that when Grace met with Queen Elizabeth, their conversation was carried out in Latin as neither English nor Irish was a common tongue between the two women. Would it have been common for a woman like Grace to learn and be conversant in Latin, and not English?

Anne Bonny appears in Netflix' The Lost Pirate Kingdom "documentary" (haven't seen it yet). If you've seen it, is it any good/accurate/realistic?

How long was a pirate's life (or career I guess) on average?

Have you played Sea of Thieves?
If so, did you like it?

Who is your favourite pirate, and why?

Pirates in recent years have gained a reputation for being 'democratic' because the crew was based on their skill and not their background and because looted was shared fairly evenly among the crew. Is this true that were democratic? Are there other examples of democratic practices?

Just want to say that you have the best PhD subject it can exist on earth and I'm glad people like you exist !

How drastically does female involvement and leadership in piracy vary over time and space? What kind of picture do we have of the gender ratios in piracy between say, Liburnian pirates of antiquity, and the barbary pirates of the 16th century? Or even just between different contemporaneous groups of pirates during the age of sail?

Why specifically study the Golden Age of Piracy?

Hi Dr Simon! Quite a broad question but I’m always intrigued: for your subject, how does research usually go? Do you find you have to travel to visit archives or are most things you need digitised?

I've come across heavily fictionalized versions Zheng Yi Sao in media but where would be a good place to start if I wanted to get to know the real woman?

Thank you for the AMA. How were pirates (men and female) treated by the media back in Europe/US during the 18th century? Were they potrayed as adventurous, loveable swashbucklers or more like a terrorist organization?

To tag on r/tg7723 ‘s comment, if one got pregnant how would they give birth on a ship?

What is the history of female pirates and pregnancy to avoid execution? Did any of their children become pirates? Who is the most successful female pirate for wealth, power, and legend? (I expect the Chinese gal probably wins all 3 but I am not an expert just a fangirl of lady pirates.) What are some authentic curses pirates used? Did any cultures actually believe women at sea were bad luck or is that a Hollywood myth?

Thank you for getting to any of these if you do.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, how much overlap was there between smugglers and pirates? I'm thinking about a place like Cornwall where smuggling was a major part of the economy.

What’s the biggest ship a pirate ever captained?

Hi! Fascinating topic! were marriages between crewmates a rare afair? And if not how were they performed? Did they have a priest on most ships? Were same sex marriages a thing?

Any plans for an audiobook? I spend all day in my car, so I have far more opportunity to listen to books than to read them.

I'm struggling to figure out how to write this question so I apologize if it is confusing. I'm wondering if during either your PhD research or your research for the book if you found something that seems to be happening again today. Or if you gained greater insight on how those events shaped society and culture today. They say history repeats itself, and although I'm a total amateur I find that to be true. I love learning that even going back far into ancient Egypt humans are still motivated by the same things - love, power, religion etc. I'm wondering if anything like that struck you when it comes to these subjects. Thanks so much for doing this AMA!

Were there ever Inuit/North American native pirates?

Pirates are often portrayed as sexual degenerates. Lack of women on the sea is also often blamed for sailors becoming gay.

How were female pirates not sexualized? How promiscuous were they? How common/rare was rape on pirate ships of women pirates? Was it less or more than other ships of same era?

When you’re on a ship with (possibly) no women, how did the roles that were considered “women’s work” on land play out? If a woman was on board, would the expectation be that she take over all sewing/mending/laundry/whatever else?

Also, how does one join a pirate ship? I feel like it’s always portrayed like it’s some kid hiding out in the hold until they’re too far from land to be brought back. What would motivate a woman in particular to join that life?

A common stereotype is that male pirates would frequently patronise brothels, do we have any records of female pirates doing likewise or their opinion on their male compatriots visiting those establishments ?

We have a one-eyed "pirate" rescued street cat named Grace O'Malley 😉

What's your favorite fact about Grace?

Thanks for initiating such an interesting thread. How would you assess the scholarship of piracy? Is it on the rise? Has it reached any general conclusion, for example, about the relationship between piracy and other historical institutions such as colonialism, slavery, and globalization? How non-Eurocentric is the literature of piracy compared to other historical debates?

Nowadays, the term piracy also refers to unauthorized distribution of software. I always thought that was a bit odd, because I was under the impression pirates simply stole and kept the loot. Were there any Robin Hood type of pirates whose philosophy might be somewhat consistent with the sharing culture of digital piracy?

Other than Anne Bonny & Mary Read I only know of 2 other female pirates, that of Grace O'Malley and Ching Shih. Have you come across any interesting female pirates who should be just as well known as the previous 4 due to their exploits?

Are there any surviving journals or sketchbooks of female pirates? I’m in any language?

So I've seen some accounts of women being smuggled aboard navy ships of the time was it common for pirates to take women on board during voyages maybe wives or girlfriends or just prostitute

I've got a 12 year old who is into history, and especially kick-ass female history. Would your book be appropriate for her?

Thoughts on the articles of interrogatory and Granuaile?

Seems too much info available for the time period to write this off as legend, or maybe not?

This is well outside the Golden Age of Piracy, but I've always found the story of Awilda, the pirate princess of Denmark, to be quite fascinating. However it also seems quite storybook. Do modern historians believe there is some truth to the story, or is it entirely fictional?

Is any of your research or material going to be featured in future Pirates of the Caribbean Disney movies?

Would you say that the televisions series Black Sails is super accurate, historically, or somewhat less so?

Did you enjoy the portrayal of Anne Bonny and Mary Read in the game Assasins Creed Black Flag ? If not what was the "ok that's just stupid" point ?

Was there honor among pirates? How respected was the hierarchy there ? And did pirates have turf or marked territory if yes to what extent was it respected ?

Pirates in recent years have gained a reputation for being 'democratic' because the crew was based on their skill and not their background and because looted was shared fairly evenly among the crew. Is this true that were democratic? Are there other examples of democratic practices?

Can you talk about LGBTQ+ pirates and possibly pirates with identities outside of male and female?

Have you heard the tale of Gráinne Ní Mháille being turned away from dinner at Howth Castle?

Who's your favorite queer pirate? (Also, you're tiktok is one of my all time favorite accounts, the amount of time I've spent watching your videos than reading about what you talk about is borderline worrisome)

You seem to know a lot about bad ass women in history. Do you have a favorite Rejected Princess(just from history, not necessarily from this collection)?

Are there any historical fiction books that portray female pirates and piracy in general well? With all the movies and such, its hard to tell what really happened. Fiction can sometimes be easier to read for lay people like myself than nonfiction.

I’ve done a cursory scroll through your comments and found no reference to Grainne Úi Mhaille / Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen of Ireland! She was know for harrying & harassing the British forces and became quite infamous for a meeting with Queen Elizabeth I where she demanded the freedom of her brother. Elizabeth was rather taken by her & her boldness and granted the plea along with official papers to the effect of Grainne becoming an agent of the crown or under the crowns protection. Grainne entered piracy at the age of 13 or so, and eventually lead a fleet of 13/14 ships! Urban myths also state Elizabeth took Grainne as a lover during her foray into London,, but that’s most likely historical whoremorgering by the nobles and peers of the crown.

Who would you rather serve under?

Anne Bonny or Ching Shih?

Do you have any good book recommendations about Gráinne Mhaol, the pirate queen of Ireland? (Aka the Sea Queen of Connaught)

I had a driver/tour guide tell me the story once and I’ve been looking for a good book for a deeper dive.

https://historyofyesterday.com/the-pirate-queen-of-ireland-9eaf27af1412

Was there a Moroccan (Granadan) woman who created a pirate fleet to harass the Spanish as revenge for taking over her homeland?

This sort of relies on you having knowledge of the game, but how accurate to history are the Anne Bonny and Mary Read's portrayal in Assassin's Creed Black Flag?

How old were you when you decided pirate history was the career for you?

Did Anne Bonny and Mary Read have any solid nicknames or epithets they were known by?

What role did women typically partake in and were ‘promotions’ an option? How much representation did women get outside slave labor and were there any noteable cool pirate women?

Omg!! I’m listening to the Real Pirates podcast right now!! Really enjoying it! No question, just a quick hello! and thanks for doing this! These questions and answers are great!

We're pirates racist?

Are there any interesting facts about pirates that you have wanted to share, but haven't yet had the opportunity to?

Gah!!! I can't believe I missed this!! I'm writing a fictional story about pirates. This book is going straight to the top of my TBR. If you're still answering, what are some other books you'd recommend that are related to pirates, maritime history, or female pirates?

I thought most pirates were former sailors for trading companies. Why did women decide to be a pirate if they (I'm assuming) didn't even have any experience with sailing?

What was the significance of Anne bonney turning into a pirate back in her home?Also do you know one piece the manga series

If a female pirate was pregnant, how would the rest of the crew treat her?

Will they let her have a day off ?

I have often wondered why Anne Bonny is depicted bare breasted and it might have some basis in fact .

She was from the Kinsale area of Cork anc as Grandpa Simpson says " as was the style at the time " .

A royal visistor in the 16th century observed the practice.

https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T500000-001/text004.html

Have you read Kellihers book ?

https://www.historyireland.com/the-alliance-of-pirates-ireland-and-atlantic-piracy-in-the-early-seventeenth-century/

Is there any estimate of female to male pirate ratio or were female pirates too rare?

What do you think about Sadie the Goat? Real or just legend?

The only class I ever had on piracy was one about pirates of the barbary coast. What I found almost disappointing was seeing how pirates are so romanticized, and the history is so entangled with the myth of pirates that when I actually looked at pirates historically, they almost seemed boring. Are there any stories from the golden age of piracy that truly live up to the myth of the golden age of piracy?

Gah I'm so late! I'd love to hear if you've heard of an ancestor of mine, Granuaile, better known as Grace O'Malley? I've only heard the legends, like her sailing up the Thames and meeting Queen Elizabeth, or her giving birth aboard her ship and joining a battle immediately afterwards. It'd be nice to hear some solid history, rather than admittedly awesome myths.

I've been to one of her strongholds, Rockfleet Castle. She's a big character in my family.

Are there any theories on how Anne Bonny ended up dying? If I remember correctly, she was sentenced to be hung, but she got pregnant causing her sentence to be delayed. Then, there's no records.

Do we just assume she died? Might she have gotten pregnant intentionally to avoid execution?

I remember reading about a Chinese pirate that was so powerful she negotiated with the government and at one point controlled more territory if you include water than anyone in history but I can't remember the name of the lady pirate. I think Chi may have been part of the name. I think she retired and opened a casino which the Chinese government approved of so she would be out of their hair.

do you know of this?

Your favorite one? Or favorite story? I didn't see if anyone else asked yet so sorry if it's a double!

I did 23andme and had a weird result that only seems to fit the path of the Fortune from New Foundland to the hangings off Africa. He seemed to drop DNA at each port through those couple years. Were there any women on board the Fortune?

How did female pirates get started as pirates? Where would they learn the relevant knowledge/get experienced required to command crews?

Between Anne Bonny and Gráinne Ní Máille, it suddenly occurs to me that most of the female Pirates I know of were Irish redheads. Were there more Irish women engaged in piracy than is generally realised? Or were Anne and Gráinne outliers, rather than part of a broader trend in awesome Irish pirates?

What about piracy in European waters? Especially interested in the 17th century, but anytime is cool. I read about the French port of Dunkirk, and also Barbary pirates raiding from the African coast.

Where does the rumor/myth behind if you let a female onto your boat it will sink come from when there were female pirates

Can you tell us anything about pirates as models for alternative social/family structures. I've read a little about pirates embodying fairly radical non-hierarchical ways of being in a time where global capitalism was making things tough on commoners. Women and gender non conforming pirates seem to represent this more than anything and I would love to hear more!

French female pirate rocks ! Prove me wrong !

Were there any pirates that some historians may suspect, but can't prove, was a woman passing as a man? How about any like James Barry who lived whole careers and lives before their sex was discovered?

Hello Dr.Simon, thanks for the AMA!

Did Anne Bonny (and Mary Read if she applies as well) really go open shirt/bare breasted as a power move or is that just lore and the depictions of her (as also seen on the cover of your book)?

Do you have any cool info/trivia about pirates roleplaying trials for fun?

This isn't a female question persay but what would be the average time a pirates crew would plunder? How often would they see or raid a ship and how long would they be ashore? Also who would fence their stolen merchandise? Would pirates plunder other pirates often?

Was there any era or place in the world where female piracy was more prevalent than male privacy?

Hi Dr. Simon! Thanks for doing this AMA. I have two questions that are somewhat related, having to do with entering and exiting pirate life.
First, my understanding is that many sailors became pirates in the first place because the conditions could arguably be considered better than working on a merchant vessel, so men viewed piracy as an improvement in quality of life. I’m guessing women weren’t working on merchant vessels, so what types of situations would women be in where they thought, “yeah, piracy sounds better.”
Second question is based on the pirate stereotype from media that piracy seemed like the end-all be-all for the majority of pirates. Do we know if women pirates saw the job as more of a means to an end or if they similarly saw it as something they’d do until they died?

What are your thoughts on One Piece the Japanese manga?

How did pirates manage their personal imagine. Did they care or did some make it so their personal image was carefully cultivated for Elle for fear them more.

I’ve been half-arsed thinking about writing a historical fiction about Aaron Burrs daughter, Theodosia, as a pirate captain. What can you tell me about where and when she went missing at sea? (January 2-3, 1813 off the coast of Georgetown). And what would distinguish a female pirate captain of the time?

Edit: added in basic details I left off initially

I have done a lot of research on pirates and have to say having an actual historian like you is AMAZING. I do creative writing and even though it’s just shared among friends, I still like to be factual. If you don’t mind I’ve had these questions for a little bit.

1; I know pirates sometimes had their wives on board; what would they do? Average work around the ship, keeping the ‘woman’s role’ or more rough jobs?

2: How would a woman deal with her period? I know based on what time period it was and where they were changed it, and it’s been just pure curiosity. (But you don’t have to answer if it’s weird or anything)

3: Would a female pirate be paid just as much as her male counterparts? I know they often split up profits.

4: If any of these men had a woman with him (be it a wife or prisoner or even fellow pirate) and she became pregnant and gave birth, what would happen to the baby? Would they just raise them on the ship until they could drop them or the mother off somewhere?

5: Would captains even acknowledge if they had daughters and or keep them on the ship? Or really have anything to do with their children in general?

Thank you for your time! Sorry if that was a lot!

What's the gayest pirate you know about?

Bonus points: Any unorthadox weapons used by some lady pirates of note? I'm curious

I'm probably too late but really hoping im not. I'm from Newfoundland. Here Peter Easton is a legend and many think he buried treasure on Kelly's Island. Ive got 2 questions.

1. SO from what I understand pirate treasure is a myth from the book treasure island as people in that lifestyle were unlikely to leave treasure as they may not get back to it. Is this accurate?

2. Know of any other pirates in or around Newfoundland?

Who is your favourite female pirate? And why?

What is the most accurate pirate movie/game?

What's an obscure/under rated fact you'd like to share?

I have read that if pirates were allowed to keep their wealth and join merchant class, they would take it. The reasoning is that they had become pirate in the first place because they were initially marginalized by legal, social and economic conditions.

How true is this generalization?

Have you found the treasure yet?

Thank you very much for doing this!

How difficult would it have been for female pirates (captains specifically) to gain the respect and cooperation of the crew? Were there ever any legendary pirate treasures attributes to female pirates?

Were they're pasifika pirates?

Since they can't get fruits during long travels, how did they cope with vitamin C deficiency?

I'm prolly late but how did exactly go about doing this reaserch and finding such small details?

Black Sails anyone?

How concerned should a potential river cruise patron be regarding modern river pirates?

Im asking later than than the event, so I understand if this gets lost or ignored, but cool of you to take the time (even if it does}:

I'm a woman time traveling with the Doctor. The Doctor gets distracted by some technobable, leaves, and I'm stuck in some colonial port town. The TARDIS accidentally arrives years later and I'm captaining my own pirate ship.

*When would that be be most likely to happen; when & where is the best chance for a woman to make it to captain (or higher in whatever the hierarchy is)? *What are the steps out heroine is gonna have to take to get on a pirate crew? Not just disguising herself as a man; but like also finding a ship, fitting in with the days sensibilities, and not revealing information so far forward thinking it sounds crazy ("No, you guys, seriously, if we just wash up a little the tiny germs we can't see won't get")? *What's gonna be the biggest changes in personality they'll face? Like are you just gonna have to become a murderer? Would it of been possible to run a ship semi-democratically? *Are people (assuming it's an English speaking time & place) even gonna understand you or would you have to learn how to speak English in a whole new way?

How can you be a historian of the Golden Age of Piracy, if you are living through it. No seriously, if we are to believe that copying a movie is equivalent to stealing a vehicle more dollar amounts of piracy occurs today then it has ever in the past.

Were female pirates timelessly hot, or only hot by the standards of the day?

Pirate ship big?

What do we know about trans women pirates, or other pirates who identified outside of cisnormative standards of their time?

I understand it's somewhat complicated by how many might've just presented as men in order to bypass misogyny, but what about those who saw piracy as a path to gender euphoria?