Ching Shih

One of the most famous pirates of all time was a woman named Ching Shih, occasionally known as Zheng Yi Sao or Cheng I Sao. According to a case study by the University of Oxford's Global History of Capitalism project, Shih Shih, who was born into poverty as Shih Yang in Guangzhou, China, in the late 18th century, worked as a sex worker until she wed a pirate named Ching I in 1801 and adopted the name Ching Shih, which meant "the wife of Ching."

According to a 1981 article by Dian Murray in the journal Historical Reflections, the two started uniting power over the area's competing pirate groups into a confederation. Ching passed away in 1807, and his wife Shih assumed sole command of the pirate alliance. Murray claims that Shih established control over the pirates by strategic alliances and a stringent set of regulations. "The rules were strict. Anyone found issuing his own orders or disregarding those of a superior was decapitated right away "Murray composed.

Shih, also known as the "Pirate Queen," commanded a fleet of 1,200 ships with a crew of roughly 70,000 pirates at the height of her dominance. In 1810, Shih dismantled the confederation and worked out a favorable surrender arrangement with the Chinese government. The pirates were not only absolved of their crimes, but some of them were also permitted to keep their ships and enlist in the Chinese military. According to Murray, some even held positions in the government.