Charles Vane

Charles Vane (c.1680 – March 29, 1721) was one of the notorious pirate captains of the New Providence Pirate Republic, an alliance of pirates that for a time dominated the waters of the Caribbean. His piratical gains in today's currency would exceed £1.5 million. Like most pirates of note, Vane was vicious and cruel, showed little respect for the pirate code and cheated his crew on multiple occasions, and killed hostages after promising mercy.
Nothing is known of Vane's early life, but he began his pirate career serving under Captain Henry Jennings. At the end of July 1715, a Spanish treasure ship was wrecked by a hurricane off Florida, and as the survivors attempted to salvage the cargo, Jennings raided the wreck site, making off with some £87,000 in gold and silver.
Vane was not long a captain of his own when Woodes Rogers and his fleet descended on the Caribbean to put an end to piracy. Outnumbered and out-gunned, the majority of the pirates in New Providence, including Captain Jennings, surrendered and accepted the promised royal pardon for their crimes. Vane had other ideas, and in July 1718, as the Royal Navy's Men O' War descended on New Providence to negotiate a surrender, Vane and a crew of like-minded buccaneers who refused the pardon, filled a recently captured French vessel with gunpowder and set it alight, on course for the incoming royal Men O' War. In the confusion, Vane and his crew made their escape on a sloop called the Lark, alongside Blackbeard and his Queen Anne's Revenge, proudly flying piratical colours and firing on the English ships as they fled.
Two days later, Vane captured a Barbadian sloop, and fitted it with 25 hands, commanded by one Mr Yeats. The next day, Vane captured another sloop called the John and Elizabeth laden with pieces of eight. Now armed with three ships and considerable loot, Vane and his men retired to a small uncharted island which they claimed as a base.
From there Vane began several months of successful roving, trading up to a larger sloop called the Ranger, and became one of the most dangerous pirates of the day, collecting a number more ships to add to his fleet. However he neither respected nor trusted his consort Mr Yeats. Vane had hoped to prevent his underling from taking the pardon by fitting his crew with a significant number of ex slaves, for whom the pardon would mean re-enslavement. However, one evening Yeats and his crew made a break for it, and made sail away from Vane's hideout. Vane gave chase in his own ship and fired on them, but to no avail. Yeats and his crew accepted the pardon, the black pirates were returned as slaves to the owner from whom they had originally escaped.

An early 18th Century engraving of Vane

After a time of searching for Yeats, Vane retreated to the Cape Fear river in North Carolina to clean his ships. The governor of South Carolina ordered one Colonel Rhet to take two well armed sloops up to the Cape Fear river in search of pirates. However, upon beginning his voyage, Rhet met with a ship that had been plundered by Vane not long since, one sailor aboard informed the colonel that he thought he had heard one of the pirates say they should clean ships in one of the southern rivers. So Rhet altered his course southward in search of Vane, thereby missing him.Vane meanwhile had met with Blackbeard on Ocracoke Island (where the latter would meet his end later that year) and tried to convince him to join a mounted attack to retake Nassau from the English. Blackbeard refused, having too much to lose.

Deposed

Lacking the firepower to take Nassau alone, Vane returned to roving, and in November 1718, came upon a French Man O' War. Vane felt the ship was too dangerous to attack, and wished to avoid engaging her. However Vane's quartermaster, Jack Rackham, felt the French ship was laden and slow, and would prove easy to take. Vane and his first mate, Robert Deal, along with fifteen or so others, were outnumbered by Rackham and the rest of the crew, however the pirate code allowed a captain to make all decisions regarding fighting, chasing, or being chased, and so the French ship was left unmolested. However, the next day Vane was obliged to stand to a vote, and Rackham called out Vane as a coward, and usurped him as captain of his Ranger. Vane, and all those who had voted with him, were put aboard one of the smaller of the pirate company's ships, with sufficient supplies and ammunition.
Undeterred, Vane continued roving, within three days taking a sloop off Jamaica, and making his loyal mate Robert Deal captain of her. On the 16th of December 1718, Vane and Deal took a third ship, the Pearl, and carried her to a small island called Bonacca, where they made their hideout. In February 1719, Vane's ship was hit by a tornado and he was wrecked on an uninhabited island near Honduras. Most of his men drowned, but Vane himself survived, living on fish for several weeks. Deal's ship survived, and continued to rove for a short time, until Deal and his crew were taken by one of Rogers' Men O' War.
Eventually a ship pulled into the island Vane was castaway upon. The ship's master, one Captain Holford,  was a former pirate and acquaintance of Vane's, however Holford refused to rescue Vane, saying he did not trust him, fearing he would lead his own men against him. So Holford left Vane stranded, and claimed that he would return in one month, and if he found Vane still upon the island he would take him prisoner to Jamaica to be hanged. Fortunately for Vane, he found rescue on a second passing ship some time later, claiming to be another man. However, Vane's luck ended when the ship he was aboard met with Holford's ship, and in coming aboard, Holford happened to cast his eye down into the hold and recognised Vane, and outed him to his new captain. Vane was then arrested, taken to Jamaica and imprisoned. He was hanged on the 29th of March, 1721.