Some known female pirates are:

Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus (in Greece) was a known pirate around 480 B.C. in the Mediterranean region.

Elissa, commonly known as “Dido” was a pirate in 470 B.C., also in the Mediterranean region. She is also the legendary founder of Carthage.

Queen Teuta of Illyria was a pirate in the Adriatic Sea circa 232 B.C. to 228 B.C.

Norwegian Vikings Princess Sela, Princess Rusla, Russila and her sister Stikla pirated the seas between 420 A.D and 800 A.D.

Other female Viking pirates believed to sail the seas post 800 A.D. are Wigbiorg, Hetha, Wisna, Alfhild (a.k.a. Ælfhild, Alwilda, Alvilda), Ladgerda and Æthelflæd, who was known as the “Lady of the Mercias.”

A fairly famous pirate in the 1500’s was Grace O’Malley, who was also know to go by Granuaile, Grainne O’Malley. She commanded three galleys and 200 men in the Atlantic.

Between 1500 - 1800, it is estimated that hundreds of Chinese female pirates roamed the seas. Supposedly whole families of pirates lived at sea, including mothers, wives, daughters, and servant girls. Some were forced, some voluntarily joined and some were born into piracy.

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