Pirates are often glorified as nautical Robin Hoods, heroes of the seas - and some were great navigators, map makers, and discoverers. But they were also thieves and murderers. They were undoubtedly merciless, but their crimes took place in a cruel age when even children might be hanged for stealing pennies. Here, from historian Sam Jones, the likes of Francis Drake, Captain Morgan, Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and even some female pirates, such as Mary Reed and Anne Bonny, spring to life.
