10 Real Pirates Of The Caribbean More Bad-Ass Than Jack Sparrow

6. Captain William Kidd - Victim Of An Empire

The hidden treasure of Captain William Kidd has inspired musicians, authors and video games alike. From Bob Dylan's '115th Dream', the stories of Mark Twain and the Assassin's Creed franchise, Captain Kidd has made many referential appearances, depicting a thoroughly misunderstood character. Following a successful history of privateering, King William III recruited Captain Kidd to expel a group of pirates from the African island of Madagascar. Having found a vessel and crew, Kidd made perhaps his only mistake, which triggered a cataclysmic chain of events, leading to his ultimate downfall. Upon sailing out of the Thames, Kidd failed to salute a military vessel, instead allowing his crew to slap their arses and mock the vessel. Subsequently, Kidd's crew were punished and pressed into naval service. Kidd, left crewless, was forced to recruit unemployed criminals and pirates as a result, which would prove problematic, as Kidd's cautious, law-abiding approach was undermined by gold-thirsty men with no love for England's laws. Friction with the crew resulted in Kidd relenting to their wishes of piratical acts against the East India Trading Company and French vessels, culminating in his striking and killing the gunner, which would lead to his overthrow. Realising his impending trouble with England, Kidd was said to have buried his treasure to use, but failing, as leverage against any charges - rumoured to have been found off Madagascar.