20. The Buccaneer Who Earned One of the Most Terrible Nicknames in the History of Piracy
French buccaneer Daniel Montbars (1645 – disappeared 1707), better known as Montbars the Exterminator, richly deserved his terrible nickname. One of the era’s most feared pirates, Montbars earned the Exterminator handle because of the sheer bloody-mindedness and glee he displayed in killing Spaniards. Montbars, born into a wealthy family, was raised and educated in France as a gentleman. As a child, he read about the Conquistadors cruelties towards Native Americans, and developed a hatred of Spain and all things Spanish.
In 1667, Montbars joined his uncle in the French Royal Navy, and accompanied him to the Caribbean. There, his anti-Spanish sentiments grew by leaps and bounds when his ship was sunk in a battle against Spaniards, during which his uncle was killed. Soon thereafter, Montbars left the French Navy and headed to the buccaneer haven of Tortuga, an Island off the Haitian coast. Between his professional expertise as a naval officer, and his seething hatred of Spain, the buccaneers’ main foe, he was welcomed with the open arms. Soon, Montbars captained his own buccaneer ship.
