In the annals of piracy, few names evoke as much intrigue and mystery as Henry Avery, also known as “The King of the Pirates.” Long before the notorious figures like Blackbeard and Calico Jack came to dominate the seas, Avery etched his name into history with one of the most audacious and lucrative piracy raids ever recorded. His attack on the Mughal ship Ganj-i-Sawai not only brought him unimaginable wealth—estimated at $125 million in today’s money—but also led to the world’s first international manhunt. Yet, despite the massive effort to capture him, Henry Avery disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a legacy that continues to baffle historians and thrill seekers alike.
An 18th-century depiction of Henry Avery and his ship Fancy.
The Rise of Henry Avery: From Navy Officer to Pirate King
Born between 1653 and 1659 near Plymouth, England, Henry Avery’s early life remains shrouded in mystery. What is known, however, is that he began his seafaring career in the British Royal Navy, where he gained the skills and experience that would later serve him well as a pirate. During the Nine Years’ War, Avery reportedly served as a midshipman on the HMS Rupert, participating in key naval battles against France. But by the early 1690s, Avery had left the Navy and turned to the slave trade, operating along the Guinea coast with a reputation for ruthlessness.
Henry Avery may have fought in the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690, when a French fleet defeated a combined force of English and Dutch ships.
In 1693, Avery joined the Spanish Expedition Shipping voyage, an English venture aimed at plundering French vessels in the Caribbean. However, the mission quickly turned sour as the crew found themselves stranded in Spain without pay. Sensing an opportunity, Avery led a mutiny in May 1694, seizing control of the ship Charles II and renaming it the Fancy. With Avery as captain, the newly christened Fancy set sail on a path of piracy that would soon become legendary.
The Greatest Heist in Pirate History: The Raid on the Ganj-i-Sawai
Captain Avery set off on a piracy career along the coast of Africa, where he’d condemned countless people to slavery after leaving the Royal Navy.
Avery’s most infamous act came in the summer of 1695, when he and his crew of 150 men sailed to the Red Sea with the intent of attacking the Mughal Empire’s fleet. The Mughals, led by Emperor Aurangzeb, were one of the wealthiest empires in the world, and their fleet included the Ganj-i-Sawai, a massive ship rumored to be laden with treasures worth £600,000—equivalent to about $125 million today.
On a warm August night, Avery’s crew, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, launched a daring attack on the Ganj-i-Sawai. After a fierce two-hour battle, the pirates boarded the ship and overwhelmed the Mughal defenders. What followed was a brutal and ruthless plundering, with the pirates torturing the Mughal men and sexually assaulting the women onboard, including an elderly relative of Emperor Aurangzeb. The sheer brutality of the raid would haunt history, and some of the women reportedly threw themselves into the sea to escape further dishonor.
A woodcut of pirate Henry Avery from Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates (1724).
When the pirates finally left the Ganj-i-Sawai, they did so with a fortune that would make them all incredibly wealthy. Henry Avery, now the richest pirate in the world, had pulled off the most lucrative heist in piracy history. But the consequences of his actions would be far-reaching, triggering a diplomatic crisis between the Mughal Empire and the British Crown.
The International Manhunt and Avery’s Disappearance
The aftermath of Avery’s raid on the Ganj-i-Sawai was swift and severe. Enraged by the attack, Emperor Aurangzeb retaliated by seizing the East India Company’s factories and detaining several Englishmen in India. Desperate to restore relations, the East India Company offered to pay reparations and launched a concerted effort to capture Avery. The British government even issued a royal bounty for the pirate, marking the first time in history that an international manhunt was conducted.
Although some writers have suggested that Henry Avery was cheated out of his treasure and died a pauper, his true fate remains unknown.
But Henry Avery was no ordinary pirate. After fleeing the scene of his crime, he and his crew made their way to the Bahamas, where they bribed the governor of New Providence, Nicholas Trott, to allow them safe harbor. Despite the massive manhunt, Avery and most of his crew managed to escape, scattering across Europe and America. In total, 24 of Avery’s men were captured, and five were executed. But the Pirate King himself vanished without a trace.
Theories and Legends: What Really Happened to Henry Avery?
To this day, the fate of Henry Avery remains one of the greatest mysteries in pirate history. Some believe that he made his way to Ireland, where he lived out the rest of his life in peace. Others suggest that he fled to Madagascar and established a pirate enclave, while another theory posits that he returned to England and died penniless after being swindled out of his treasure.
A coded letter from “Avery the Pirate.”
In 2024, a tantalizing clue emerged when two shipwreck explorers discovered a coded letter in the Scottish archives, purportedly written by “Avery the Pirate.” The letter, dated December 1700, was addressed to a Reverend James Richardson in London and hinted at Avery’s involvement in a secret spy ring alongside notable figures like Daniel Defoe and Thomas Tenison. While this theory has yet to be proven, it adds another layer of intrigue to the already enigmatic story of Henry Avery.
The Enduring Legacy of the Pirate King
Regardless of what became of him, Henry Avery’s legacy as one of history’s most successful and elusive pirates endures. His daring raid on the Ganj-i-Sawai not only made him a legend but also set a precedent for the high-stakes, high-reward nature of piracy in the years to come. Avery’s story is a testament to the allure and danger of the pirate’s life, a tale of unimaginable wealth, ruthless ambition, and a mysterious disappearance that continues to captivate the imagination of historians and adventurers alike.