Find Weird and Wonderful Books at AbeBooks
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
History cheat sheets


Christopher Contend

Christopher Condent, sometimes referred to as Christopher Contend, was a notorious English pirate active during the early 18th century, during…

By Staff , in Pirates , at October 20, 2024 Tags:

Find Cheap Textbooks - Save on New & Used Textbooks at AbeBooks.com

Christopher Condent, sometimes referred to as Christopher Contend, was a notorious English pirate active during the early 18th century, during the so-called Golden Age of Piracy. He was born in the 1690s in Plymouth, Devon, though his real name remains uncertain—he was known by various aliases, including William, Edmond, and John, as well as by the nickname Billy One-Hand.

Condent’s pirate career began after a violent incident aboard a sloop where he killed an Indian crewmember to prevent him from igniting the ship’s powder magazine. He quickly rose to leadership, taking command of his own vessel after his crew captured the merchant ship Duke of York. Condent went on to lead several successful raids across the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Cape Verde, plundering merchant ships, including Portuguese and Dutch vessels.

One of his most famous exploits was the capture of an Arab vessel off the coast of India in 1720, a prize valued at an extraordinary sum for the time. His operations often targeted highly profitable trade routes, and he became known for his cunning and ruthlessness, as well as for his ability to escape capture by the Royal Navy.

In 1721, Condent chose to retire from piracy, settling on Île Bourbon (now Réunion), where he successfully negotiated a pardon with the French governor in exchange for burning his ships. He married the governor’s sister-in-law and later moved to Saint-Malo, France, where he became a wealthy merchant, one of the few pirates to retire peacefully and live out his days.

Condent died around 1734, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most successful pirates who managed to escape the typical fate of execution or battle death that many of his peers faced.

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. People
  4. /
  5. Pirates
  6. /
  7. Christopher Contend

Advertisement:

Bestseller No. 1
The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths
  • Little, Benerson (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 384 Pages - 02/16/2021 (Publication Date) - Skyhorse (Publisher)
SaleBestseller No. 2
Enemies of All: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Piracy
  • Hardcover Book
  • Blakemore, Richard (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
Bestseller No. 3
The Golden Age of Piracy: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Popularity of Pirates
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 265 Pages - 06/15/2018 (Publication Date) - University of Georgia Press (Publisher)
SaleBestseller No. 4
The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down
  • Woodard, Colin (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 400 Pages - 06/30/2008 (Publication Date) - Mariner Books (Publisher)
Bestseller No. 5
Charleston and the Golden Age of Piracy
  • Downey, Chris (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 128 Pages - 04/23/2013 (Publication Date) - The History Press (Publisher)
SaleBestseller No. 6
The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy
  • Hardcover Book
  • Kingsley, Sean (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

We get commissions for purchases made through links on this website. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. People
  4. /
  5. Pirates
  6. /
  7. Christopher Contend

Comments