March '06 - Henry Morgan

Henry Morgan is rightfully considered to be the most famous – or notorious, as to say, - Caribbean pirate. He faced an incredible deal of life-threatening adventures, yet he always managed to stay alive. He was the man of miraculous luck that always saved his life, no matter how violently he fought to lose it in numerous battles.
A curious tale about him says that once, during one of the pirate-expeditions, Morgan invited several more Captains of other vessels for a Council. A drunken sailor fired a gun, sending the bullet right into the cabin where… gunpowder was held. Surely, there was a powerful explosion that sent the whole vessel on air, everyone was killed. Everyone, except Captain Henry Morgan and his fellow Captains.

Henry Morgan was born in 1635 in Wales, England. A 20-year-old fellow, he decided to move to West India, but had no money for paying, so he had be a slave on Barbados. In 1658 he moved to Tortuga, where he met Mingus, the pirate who became Morgan’s ‘piratical tutor’. But in 1664 Henry’s uncle, Colonel Edward Morgan became the Vice-Governor of Jamaica, and Henry immediately moved to Port-Royal.
Several months later, thanks to his uncle’s protection and help, he became the Captain of his own vessel. Though, using this ship not like a man of honor would, he began raiding the ports, looting and pillaging with several of his friends.
In 1666, Morgan married and settled down in Jamaica for a while, finding many friends among pirates due to his generosity that was surely liked by them.
Though he kept on his pirate-business, raiding numerous ports, engaging in battles with numerous ships and winning all the time… Jamaica got its money thanks to Morgan’s voyages, the island was flourishing.
His fleet was growing rapidly, sailors were more than eager to join him, ‘cause it was the man of an inexplicable luck, he never lost a battle, and sailors knew that by joining him they will surely profit. His fleet had 37 vessels – the largest fleet in the whole history of piracy.
Innumerate adventures, won fights, raided ports – yet, he was not an outcast. He became the Governor of Jamaica in 1680 – though not for long – he wasn’t one of those pirates who were hung or who died in battles…
His life was one huge luck, though he died of tuberculosis and the cirrhosis of the liver, caused be the consumption of too much alcohol. His life ended on the 25th of August, 1688.

Captain Henry Morgan was the one who made Jamaica flourish, who brought gold to the island, the Capital of Pirate-World… yet, several years after his death, the earthquake destroyed Port-Royal… and the Pirate-Capital was gulped by the waters of the Caribbean.