Random 13 Most Gruesome Ways Pirates Have Killed People Throughout History (12 items)

(#3) A Dutch Pirate Roasted Farmers Alive

Roche Braziliano was a Dutch pirate who lived between 1630 and 1675. He operated mainly near the Caribbean island of Jamaica, where he would come into constant conflict with Spanish farmers and sailors. He was particularly cruel and was described by people at the time as a barbarian, thanks to the aggressive rampages he would routinely go on.

However, he saved the worst punishment for two farmers who refused to tell him where their pigs were located: He cut off their limbs and roasted them alive on a spit over a fire.
(#4) Keelhauling Was A Common Practice

One of the worst ways to perish at the hands of a pirate was through an act known as keelhauling. However, pirates were not the only group to use this method, as several navies also saw fit to punish people using it.

The person in question would be tied to a rope that looped around the entire length of the boat. The crew would then drag the person under the ship and keel several times, leading to loss of limbs and even decapitation as they were torn to pieces by the hard wood and barnacles. Those who did not perish from the impact would undoubtedly drown.
(#11) Captain Morgan’s Crew Tied Men To Stakes And Beat Them

Captain Henry Morgan could be incredibly cruel, and the rest of his crew was not averse to the odd heinous act, either. When they attacked Gibraltar in the mid-17th century, they came across a Portuguese man who was unwilling or unable to hand over the treasure they were seeking.

The men eventually tied up the civilian by his hands and feet to four stakes before beating the rope with planks of wood, causing intense vibrations in his body. When he still didn’t give them the information they wanted, they placed a 200-pound boulder on his stomach and burned him all across his body.
(#2) Captain Morgan Popped Out Captives' Eyes Using A Metal Bar

The Welsh pirate Captain Henry Morgan was never afraid of getting aggressive when he needed to find out valuable information. This is exactly what he did when he sacked Portobelo in 1668, a valuable port that saw all kinds of precious commodities pass through, including a vast amount of gold.

After taking over the city, he and his crew were unable to find all the treasure, so they began to torture officials. The main method was something called woodling. It involved strapping a leather cord around a person’s forehead and then tightening it with a metal bar. Those who didn’t reveal information quickly enough would perish when the pressure caused their eyeballs to pop out of their skulls.
(#8) Black Bart Burned People Alive On Their Own Ships

Bartholomew Roberts, otherwise known as Black Bart, was another pirate who developed a reputation for his horrific methods. His extreme aggression and lack of morals certainly seemed to help him, as he is arguably the most successful pirate of all time. He is estimated to have captured up to 400 ships during his career, which spanned from the late 17th century into the early 18th century.

One of his favorite ways of dealing with ships he had plundered was to simply set them on fire and sail away. Unfortunately, he often did not bother to get passengers or crew off the ships before he set them alight. In one instance, Black Bart burned 80 slaves alive when he didn’t want to waste time unshackling them.
(#12) Pirates Tied Slayers to Their Targets and Threw Them Overboard

People get many things wrong about pirates. Most believe them to be squabbling thugs who were constantly fighting each other, but they were actually a rather sophisticated group of people. Not only did they operate as a democracy, with each crewmember having a vote, but many also did not tolerate inhumane deeds.

Those who took the life of a captive or one of their fellow crewmembers would often be tied to the cadaver as punishment and thrown overboard. This meant the certain demise of the perpetrator as they sank to the bottom of the ocean with their lifeless target.