Cheng I Sao, History’s Greatest Pirate
Cheng I Sao (1775 – 1844) was a Chinese pirate who terrorized South China in the early 19th century, and was arguably history’s most successful pirate, of either gender. A former prostitute, she married a powerful pirate and participated fully in his illicit activities, and inherited his outlaw realm upon his death. However, she was no mere widow who lucked into an inheritance: her own piratical legacy far exceeded that of her departed husband. Cheng commanded tens of thousands of outlaws, and despite challenging the British Empire, the Portuguese Empire, as well as the Chinese Qing Dynasty, she survived to end her days in peaceful retirement.
She was good at choosing capable subordinates, the most formidable woman of whom was Cheung Po Tsai (1783 – 1822), a poor fisherman’s son who was kidnapped at age 15 by Cheng and her husband. Pressed into their crews, the teenager excelled in the new career suddenly thrust upon him, and rose swiftly through the ranks. Before long, Cheung had become the Chengs’ favorite protege and subordinate, and was adopted by them. When Cheng’s husband drowned, the widow took over his pirate fleet, selected Cheung as her right-hand man, and eventually married him.
Cheng’s scale of piratical activities far exceeded anything seen in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. At the height of her power, she controlled over 300 sailing ships, and commanded up to 80,000 outlaws. To put that in perspective, the Caribbean Age of Piracy’s most notorious villain, Blackbeard, never commanded more than 4 ships and 300 men.
With her massive armada, Cheng became de facto mistress of the shipping lanes around southern China, and held them for ransom. Her depredations finally compelled the Chinese authorities to launch a massive campaign to eradicate piracy and restore order. In 1810, seeing the writing on the wall, Cheng accepted a pardon. She abandoned piracy, and returned to her hometown, where she opened a gambling house and brothel. She died peacefully in bed in 1844, surrounded by her family.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources & Further Reading
Amazing Women in History – Sayyida al-Hurra, Islamic Pirate Queen
Ancient Egypt Online – Queen Ahhotep I
Ancient Origins – Ching Shih: From Prostitute to Pirate Lord
Archive, The, October 20th, 2017 – 30 Important Women in History You May Not Have Heard Of
Changing the Face of Medicine – Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee
Encyclopedia Britannica – Artemisia I, Queen of Halicarnassus
Encyclopedia Britannica – Teuta, Queen of Illyria
History of American Women – Anna Smith Strong
National Public Radio, November 18th, 2017 – The Tiny, Murderous World of Frances Glessner Lee
Ohio History Central – Mary Ann Bickerdyke
Physical Culture Study – Katie Sandwina: The Strongest Woman in the World
Rejected Princesses – Wu Zetian: China’s Only Female Emperor
