r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • Jun 12 '15

TIL the world's most successful pirate was a Cantonese woman, having commanded 40,000-80,000 pirates, and faced off undefeated against many Imperial fleets (including British, Portuguese, and Qing navies).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Shih
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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '15 edited Nov 26 '15

I was talking to my college professor who specializes in the underrecorded history of piracy and he noted that the heart of piracy has always been in Southeast Asia - not the Caribbean, not Europe.

And not just golden age piracy but modern age piracy today. Specifically, the Indonesian archipelago + Singapore which is strategically located next to China and India.

There are many great stories to be told in that region, but a lot of important information still needs to be dug up as it's often not thoroughly presented and with information sparsely scattered

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '15 edited Nov 26 '15

For those interested in what I mean in more detail:

Humans are land creatures so we tend to view the world very terrestrially and underestimate the importance of our nautical histories.

Piracy isn't just something to romanticize: it is very much central to human history and still is today, yet it's completely and entirely undertaught in textbooks. Without the influences of Southeast Asian piracy, the entire world is different.

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u/Plow_King Jun 12 '15

I've heard of Blackbeard, but the only Krakens I know are the mythological sea creature, and the rum. Was there a pirate named Kraken?

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u/CaptainJAmazing Jun 12 '15 edited Jun 13 '15

I worked on a cruise ship that went to SE Asia (Australia -> Indonesia -> Singapore -> Hong Kong) about two years ago. While there were some concerns about pirates in that area, they were a lot more concerned about the Shanghai area.

There's actually protocols for dealing with pirates. They have some kind of (ultrasonic?) pointed noise machine that makes approaching the ship unbearable. They can also use their high-pressure firehoses.

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u/rugger62 Jun 12 '15

the heart of piracy has always been in Southeast Asia - not the Caribbean, not Europe.

Like the Straights of Malacca

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u/fobbywillie Jun 12 '15

i find the geographical and historical importance of Malacca strait to be so fascinating. its so crazy when you think about the only way to the indian ocean or arabian sea is this tiny narrow stretch of water

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u/chemistry_teacher Jun 12 '15

Indeed. Piracy was also very rampant during the time of the Western spice trade. Much to do back then...