When you think about pirates you usually think of a man, maybe with an eye patch or wooden leg sailing with his crew as they rob ships on the high seas. However, the most powerful and successful pirate ever does not fit that stereotype at all. Her name is Zheng Yi Sao, and the fleet of pirates that she led owned the South China Sea and were so fearsome that Chinese and European powers feared her enough to let her retire in peace.
That’s right, the most successful pirate is actually a Chinese woman who not only amassed lots of power and riches but was so powerful and feared that she was able to negotiate her retirement from piracy with the Chinese government, allowing her to live out the rest of her life in peace and in possession of all of the riches she had stolen as a pirate.
Who Was Zheng Yi Sao?
Little is known about Zheng Yi Sao’s early life, but it is assumed that she was born in the present-day Chinese province of Guangdong on the South China Sea. What is known is that in 1801, when she was in her early to mid-20s, she married a man named Zheng Yi. At the time Zheng Yi was a well-known privateer and pirate who operated in the South China Sea. Zheng Yi Sao accompanied her husband on raids and quickly became an important member of the crew who proved her bravery in battle and her ability to organize pirates to accomplish goals.
The Rise of Zheng Yi Sao
At the time, China was ruled by the Qing Dynasty, which lasted from 1636 until 1912. In the early 1800s, groups of pirates competed against each other, but Zheng Yi Sao’s husband, Zheng Yi allied with various groups to work together and share the profits of the items they stole. The pirates working together meant that they could fend off the Qing navy as well as European navies that were operating in the South China Sea.
Unlike in the West, women were not seen as bad luck charms on ships in China. This allowed women to become pirates and even rise through the ranks to command ships and groups of pirates. The pirates only cared about two things: being brave enough to enter battle and greedy enough to get as much booty as they could. Over a few years, the husband/wife duo led hundreds of ships that formed a fleet of pirates called the Red Flag Fleet that terrorized the coast of China and Vietnam.
The Female Leader of the Red Flag Fleet
In 1807, Zheng Yi died which left Zheng Yi Sao in charge of the fleet of pirates. She immediately got to work to consolidate her position as leader and to make the Red Flag Fleet the most powerful group of pirates to ever sail the seven seas. At the time there were six large groups of pirates, each represented by different colored flags.
The Red Flag Fleet was the biggest and was now controlled by Zheng Yi Sao. The Black Flag Fleet was the second-largest group of pirates and also the biggest competition for Yi Sao’s fleet. Zheng Yi Sao negotiated with the Black Flag Fleet’s leader, Zhang Bao, and was able to convince him to not only join forces with her fleet but agree to let her lead both fleets. She was now the most powerful pirate ever to exist.
With the Red Flag and Black Flag fleets under her control, it meant that she led over 1,800 junks (a type of ship used in Qing Dynasty China) and between 40,000 and 60,000 pirates who were loyal to her. Once she consolidated her power, she used her large fleet to raid any ship they could including European ships.
The Most Fearsome Pirate Ever to Exist
The Qing navy sent warships to attack the pirates, but although they had some successes here and there, they were always either defeated by the pirates or the pirates were able to get away. Chinese government officials could not allow this large fleet of pirates to roam free without any consequences. The stolen goods meant a huge loss in business and especially taxes that funded the government.
The Europeans in the area, especially the Portuguese who controlled Macau and British ships of the East India Company were being raided and put pressure on the Qing government to do something about it. The strained relationship between the Chinese and the European powers was getting worse and all because of the pirate woman who was so far unstoppable.
Zheng Yi Sao had a code of laws that governed the thousands of pirates under her command. The code was simple and clear: any pirate giving his own orders or disobeying those of a superior was to be beheaded on the spot. If a pirate raped a female captive, he would be put to death. If the sex between the two was consensual, both would be put to death. If the pirates followed these rules, then they could get rich and live well, but if they broke a rule, then Zheng Yi Sao made sure they suffered the consequences.
A Peaceful Retirement
By 1810, the pirate fleet was doing very well, but the Qing, Portuguese, and British were attacking them more often and putting more pressure on them, which complicated their mission. Zheng Yi Sao had two options: fight until she won, lost, or was killed in battle or a mutiny, or get out while she could. She chose to retire early. She had plenty of leverage and knew that she could set the terms of her surrender and come out on top.
Zheng Yi Sao negotiated with the Qing government to allow her and her pirates to keep all of the booty and riches they had accumulated over the years, avoid any jail time or punishment, and receive the promise that the government would leave them all alone if the pirates renounced their piracy.
Astonishingly enough, all parties agreed and followed through with their promises. The pirates stopped raiding ships, and Zheng Yi Sao lived a comfortable life thanks to the wealth she had amassed as a pirate and died peacefully in 1844 at 69 years old. Her legacy will be remembered for generations.
