Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts
Born17 May 1682
Died10 February 1722(1722-02-10) (aged 39)
At sea off of Cape Lopez (present-day Gabon)
Cause of deathGrapeshot wound to the throat suffered during naval battle
Resting placeAt sea near Cape Lopez
Known forBeing the most successful pirate in the Golden Age of Piracy
Piratical career
NicknameBlack Bart (Welsh: Barti Ddu)
TypePirate
AllegianceNone
Years active1719–1722
RankCaptain
Base of operationsOff the coast of the Americas and West Africa
CommandsRoyal Rover, Fortune, Good Fortune, Royal Fortune, Ranger, Little Ranger
Wealth400 vessels

Bartholomew Roberts (17 May 1682 – 10 February 1722), born John Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who was, measured by vessels captured, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy.[2] During his piratical career, he took over 400 prize ships, although most were mere fishing boats.[3][4] Roberts raided ships off the Americas and the West African coast between 1719 and 1722; he is also noted for creating his own pirate code, and adopting an early variant of the Skull and Crossbones flag.

Roberts's infamy and success saw him become known as The Great Pyrate and eventually as Black Bart (Welsh: Barti Ddu), and made him a popular subject for writers of both fiction and non-fiction.[5][6] To this day, Roberts continues to feature in popular culture, and has inspired fictional characters (such as the Dread Pirate Roberts).

  1. ^ "Bartholomew Roberts". britannica.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  2. ^ Rediker p. 33.
  3. ^ Conlin 2009, p. 32.
  4. ^ "The Pirate That Hated Literally Everyone..." youtube.com. Gold and Gunpowder. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  5. ^ Sanders, p. 18. "Black Bart" was coined as the title of a 20th-century poem by Welsh poet Isaac Daniel Hooson, who apparently picked that name because Johnson described Roberts as having a "black" complexion.
  6. ^ "Barti Ddu: the Welsh pirate king who ruled the waves". Wales Online. 25 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2021.