Many of the most famous pirates had a terrifying reputation, and they advertised this by flying gruesome flags, including the 'Jolly Roger' with its picture of skull and crossbones. Captives were famously made to ‘walk the plank’ – though this doesn’t appear to have been as common in reality as in fiction; in fact, it's likely that most victims of piracy were just thrown overboard.

Pirates have existed since ancient times – they threatened the trading routes of ancient Greece, and seized cargoes of grain and olive oil from Roman ships. The most far-reaching pirates in early medieval Europe were the Vikings.

Thousands of pirates were active between 1650 and 1720, and these years are sometimes known as the 'Golden Age’ of piracy. Famous pirates from this period include Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts and the fearsome Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Though this Golden Age came to an end in the 18th century, piracy still exists today in some parts of the world, especially the South China Seas.Corsairs, buccaneers and privateers

Corsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. Muslim corsairs, such as the Barbarossa (red beard) brothers, had bases along North Africa’s Barbary Coast, while Christian corsairs were based on the island of Malta. Both used to swoop down on their targets in oar-powered boats called galleys, to carry off sailors and passengers. Unless these unfortunates were rich enough to pay a ransom, they were sold as slaves.

Buccaneers lived on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and its tiny turtle-shaped neighbour, Tortuga, in the 17th century. At first they lived as hunters, but later the governors of Caribbean islands paid the buccaneers to attack Spanish treasure ships. Although raids began in this way, with official backing, the buccaneers gradually became out of control, attacking any ship they thought carried valuable cargo, whether it belonged to an enemy country or not. The buccaneers had become true pirates.

Privateers, meanwhile, were privately owned (rather than navy) ships armed with guns, operating in times of war. The Admiralty issued them with 'letters of marque' that allowed them to capture merchant vessels without being charged with piracy.

Why did pirates become pirates?

In England there was social disruption. Smaller farmers were forced off the land by ruthless landowners and smaller tradesmen were challenged by larger businesses. These displaced people flocked to urban areas looking for work or poor relief.

In London especially there was overcrowding and unemployment and funds for the poor could not meet the need. People had to shift for themselves. Distressed people weren't simply worse off, they had no hope of making a better life. Piracy tempted poor seamen because it offered them the chance to take more control of their lives.

In an age when few people travelled and young men might have to work seven-year apprenticeships before they could make an independent living, many were tempted to go to sea anyway, though the life was a tough one.

Adolescents who longed to escape could get a job on a sailing ship before they were fully grown: agility was needed as much as brute strength.

Yet ordinary seamen toiled for modest wages and were subject to strict discipline. In contrast, piracy not only offered them a chance to get rich quick but also a rare opportunity to exert a degree of power over others

https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-do-pirates-do

Drake's exploits were legitimate from an English perspective because the Spanish had claimed the entire New World territory and the English wanted in, but to the Spanish, Drake was a menacing pirate thief they nicknamed "El Draque," or “the Dragon,” Elaine Murphy, an associate professor of maritime and naval history at the University of Plymouth in England, wrote in an article on the university’s website. Drake brought back plenty of treasure from his circumnavigation and shared his riches with Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a leading naval commander who fought against the Spanish Armada, a huge fleet of Spanish ships that was part of a failed attempt to invade England and overthrow the queen in 1588. 

Drake's legacy is further muddied by his involvement in slavery. He helped start the English slave trade in Africa by making multiple trips to Guinea and Sierra Leone with his cousin and naval commander Sir John Hawkins and enslaved up to 1,400 African people, according to Murphy. Drake died of dysentery off the coast of Panama in 1596.

William Kidd, often known as Captain Kidd, is famous for walking the blurry line between privateer and pirate. Born in Scotland around 1645, Kidd was employed as a privateer by the British government in 1689 and was even commissioned to arrest pirates. However, he was ultimately hanged for murder and piracy himself, according to Britannica. 

Kidd famously captured a merchant ship, the Quedagh Merchant, off the west coast of India in 1698. The ship was filled with gold, silver, valuable silks and satins, as well as other Indian merchandise. Learning he'd been branded a pirate, Kidd left the ship in the Caribbean in 1699, traveled to New York to clear his name and was captured. The wreckage of the Quedagh Merchant was discovered in 2007.

Historians disagree on whether Kidd was actually guilty of piracy. Nevertheless, he was executed in London in 1701. Authorities then hung his body in a metal cage in the River Thames for three high tides, supposedly to deter passing sailors from piracy, according to Thurrock Council, a local government authority in England.    

Related: Buccaneer bones: Possible pirate skeleton found under Scotland schoolyard  

Bonny wasn’t alone in her piracy: She had a partner, Mary Read, who was also part of Rackham’s crew. Read was born in London and also dressed as a man. She was working on another ship when it was captured by Rackham, and so she joined Rackham’s crew.

Bonny and Read became friends, pillaging together on the high seas. They wore jackets and long trousers, and fought with a machete in one hand and a pistol in the other. A victim of their piracy testified that they were very active on the ship and "wiling to do any thing," according to Smithsonian Magazine. 

Rackham's ship and crew were captured off Jamaica in 1720 and put on trial, but Bonny and Read avoided the gallows because they were both pregnant. Read died in prison with a fever, while Bonny survived. Her father secured her release from prison and took her back to South Carolina, where she lived until age 84.   

Related: Pirate attacks linked to destructive fishing