François l'Olonnais

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François l'Olonnais (Jean-David Nau) was a French pirate who roamed the Caribbean in the 1660s. He was born around 1630 in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, and began as an indentured servant before gaining his freedom and turning to piracy in the Caribbean.

After wandering the islands, he arrived in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) and began preying on Spanish shipping. He was shipwrecked near Campeche, Mexico, and survived by hiding among the dead with help from escaped slaves. He then went to Tortuga, where he and his crew held a town hostage to demand a ransom from the Spanish rulers.

In 1666, l'Olonnais sailed from Tortuga with eight ships and about 440 pirates to sack Maracaibo in present-day Venezuela. They captured a Spanish treasure ship and looted the city, torturing residents to reveal hidden wealth. They also attacked San Antonio de Gibraltar on the lake’s eastern shore, killing many soldiers and holding the city for ransom. The raids brought him a fearsome reputation, and he earned the nickname "The Bane of Spain."

Following further plundering of nearby villages, a large pirate force joined him. In 1667, he was ambushed near Puerto Cavallo by Spanish troops but managed to escape with heavy losses to his crew. He continued raiding inland towns, moving toward other Spanish settlements, before being killed by the Guna people in Darién Province, Panama.

l'Olonnais left behind a name associated with brutal violence at sea, making him one of the most infamous buccaneers of his era.