Morgan, Sir Henry

Morgan, Sir Henry (about 1635-88), pirate, b. Glamorganshire, Wales.

Henry Morgan went to sea as a young man and became a pirate in the West Indies.

He not only attacked Spanish ships at sea but also raided Spanish settlements.

In 1668, the Governor of Jamaica decided to use pirates to defend the island against attack by the Spaniards. One of the pirates was Morgan and from Jamaica, he led attacks on many Spanish towns.

In 1671, he captured Panama City and Spain protested to King Charles II about this. Morgan was arrested and sent to London for trial but he was found not guilty and the King knighted him.

Morgan went back to Jamaica as Deputy-Governor and lived the rest of his life there in a splendid house on a large estate.

See Stephan Talty Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign