Jack Ward

Jack Ward
Born
John Ward

c. 1553
Died1622 (aged 68–69)
NationalityEnglish
Piratical career
NicknameBirdy, Sharky, Yusuf Reïs, Jack Sparrow
TypeBarbary Corsair
Allegiance Kingdom of England (until 1604)
Tunisia (from 1605)
Years activefl. 1605–1610
RankAdmiral, Reïs
Base of operationsLa Goulette, Tunis
CommandsGift, Little John, Reniera e Soderina
Wealth£500,000 - £2,000,000

John Ward (c. 1553[1] – 1622), also known as Birdy or later as Yusuf Reis, was an English pirate who later became a Corsair for the Ottoman Empire operating out of Tunis during the early 17th century.

According to writer Giles Milton, Jack Ward was an inspiration for Jack Sparrow of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.[2]

  1. ^ Lamborn Wilson, Peter (2004). Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs and European Renegadoes. Autonomedia. p. 55. ISBN 1-57027-158-5.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sparrow4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).