![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Not long after, authorities arrested and hanged him in July 1730. Instead, he stowed it away in the Seychelles. The government ordered him to give up the treasure. However, the conditions set were less than satisfactory. After such an achievement, Levasseur tried to retire legally under an amnesty agreement with the French government. Levasseur and his partners divided the loot among themselves. It carried gold, silver, precious stones, chests of guineas, silks, and the iconic Flaming Cross of Goa, a two-meter-high icon encrusted with precious jewels. In his greatest raid, he seized a Portuguese ship called the Nossa Senhora do Cabo. He worked for a pirate company headed by Benjamin Hornigold in 1716 but went solo and raided off the West African coast as well as Madagascar. He partnered up with other pirates such as Samuel Bellamy, aka Black Sam, as well as Henry Jennings, Edward England, and possibly Edward Teach - the notorious Blackbeard. Stone structures at the Levasseur excavation site on Bel Ombre Beach in Seychelles. His exploits were legendary, earning him the nickname La Buse - “The Buzzard.” He accumulated obscene amounts of wealth along the way. Rather than serve his government, he chose to plunder on his own behalf. During this time, his priorities shifted. He became a privateer during the War of Spanish Succession, raiding enemy ships for the French throughout the Caribbean. He was born in Calais in 1688, was literate, and had a career in the navy. BackgroundĪ few sources paint Olivier Levasseur as the son of a pirate, but most agree that he actually came from well-to-do beginnings. One of these intriguing figures was Olivier Levasseur, who supposedly hid one of the richest pirate stashes of all time in the Seychelles islands. Several notorious names emerged and made their mark by plundering ships and burying treasures in secret locations. The Caribbean Sea, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans saw many years of geopolitical chaos as a result of European conflicts. The Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730) was a tumultuous period in maritime history. ![]()
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