François l'Olonnais
Jean-David Nau (c. 1635 – c. 1668), better known as François l'Olonnais, was a French pirate famous for his cruelty, and active in the Caribbean around the 1660s.
Biography
L'Olonnais became a pirate in the early 1660s. At one point, while he and his crew were holding a town hostage, the governor of Havana sent a ship to kill the pirates. L'Olonnais captured the crew and beheaded all of them save one, whom he spared so that he could spread the tale of the pirate's cruelty.
In 1667, l'Olonnais sacked Maracaibo, earning thousands of reales. L'Olonnais subsequently travelled south to Gibraltar, sacking it as well. Not long after, l'Olonnais and his crew ran aground in Darién. They were then captured by natives, and l'Olonnais was eaten alive, a golden tooth subsequently the only remnant of the pirate.
In 1717, another pirate, Alonzo Batilla, found several artifacts linked to l'Olonnais.
Gallery
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l'Olonnais' golden tooth
