During the "Golden Age of Piracy," the pull of the Seven Seas and its wealth was too good to refuse for many. From noblemen who became bloodthirsty pirate captains to an Irish pirate queen, read on to learn about the infamous pirates who pillaged and plundered their way to a fortune. All figures are recalculated from Forbes data unless otherwise specified. 

Anne Bonny, born in 1697, was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Irish lawyer. She eventually travelled to America and married a sailor in 1718. The couple later sailed to New Providence in the Bahamas, a piracy hotspot, where Bonny met the cutthroat pirate John Rackham and left her husband to join his crew.

Bonny, known for her fiery temper, soon befriended fellow pirate Mary Read. In 1720, the duo led raids against fishing boats and trading sloops. The same year, Rackham's ship was captured and he was hanged with some of his crew. However, Bonny escaped death because she was pregnant. Reports suggest that during her piracy career, she plundered her way to a $1.5 million (£1.1m) fortune. 

Anne Bonny's crewmate Mary Read was another legendary pirate. The bloodthirsty buccaneer had a desire for adventure, so she assumed the identity of a man – Mark Read – and worked as a solider and merchant seaman before joining John Rackham's pirate ship in the late 1710s. 

Like many other pirates, Read met a tragic end. Although she and Bonny, both pregnant, avoided being hanged after the seizure of Rackham's ship, Read eventually died in prison from a fever. Before her untimely death, reports suggest that she amassed $1.5 million (£1.1m) from piracy. 

Born into a life of piracy, the fabled Pirate Queen of Ireland headed a fleet of 20 pirate ships in the 1590s. From raiding English and Spanish vessels to seizing Irish castles, her exploits were legendary – and it's even said that she did battle just hours after giving birth. In 1574, O'Malley was captured and spent 18 months behind bars. 

O'Malley was captured again in the 1590s. Acting as a weak old woman who wished to retire, she petitioned Queen Elizabeth I directly for her freedom and the release of her sons, who were also pirates. Her scheme worked. After her release, O'Malley continued to plunder and loot with her sons until she died in 1603. Her exact fortune is unknown, but it's reported that she stashed a massive nine tonnes of treasure in a hidden location.

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