She was a contemporary of Napoleon and Admiral Nelson, but Europe did not know about her. But on Far East her name was known to everyone. She went down in history under the name of "Lady Jing" - the uncrowned queen of Chinese pirates on turn of the XVIII - early XIX centuries.
Zheng Shi, a Chinese woman, has gained fame as one of the most successful pirates in history. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command. For comparison, famous pirate Edward Teach nicknamed Blackbeard commanded 4 ships and 300 pirates.
"Lady Jing," as she was also called, worked as a prostitute before meeting Zheng Yi, China's most famous pirate of the 19th century. They married in 1801 and traveled to Vietnam, where the Civil War. After marriage, the girl received the new name Zheng Yi Xiao ("Zheng's wife"). Zheng did not have children of his own, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Zheng Shi.
After her husband died in a storm in 1807, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow") inherited a pirate fleet of 400 ships. She soon married her stepson Zhang Bao. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements.
Climbing to the top of power passed quickly enough for Mrs. Jing. It is believed that the opposition still existed, and its leaders had already begun to fight for supremacy among themselves, when Ching entered the scene.
With the decisiveness that has always distinguished her, she told the rebels that, in memory of her beloved husband, she was taking command of the fleet. Anyone who disagrees with this can go anywhere. At the same time, everyone who decides to leave the fleet will receive a junk and four sailors from Madame Jing. Their own ships will remain part of the squadrons, because it will not allow anyone to weaken the power of the fleet.
It is not known whether the new master of the pirates had to defend her position by force, but the fact remains: her supremacy was recognized by all.
It is believed that the iron discipline that reigned on her ships was the key to success. The Jing introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Plunder allied pirates fishing villages and rape of prisoners were punished death penalty. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate's left ear was cut off, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation.
The innovation was met with hostility, but Mrs. Jing did not think of retreating from the reforms: on her orders, the disobedient people were simply pierced in their ears for the first time, and they were executed for repeated violations. Such an effective measure gave quick results.
There were six squadrons, the core of the fleet was the "family squadron" of Jing, whichcarried red pennants on her masts. The rest of the squadrons had black, white, blue, yellow and green identification colors, which helped to direct the operation during the fighting.
View of the Chinese city of Canton in 1800, where Zheng Shi lived.
The Jing then decided that any concealment of booty should be punishable by death.And finally, the robbery of the local population, which set the inhabitants hostile to pirates, was most strictly forbidden. Now, for everything that was confiscated from the population, the pirates paid from their own pockets.
Of course, in this case, too, there was discontent and even disobedience, but the consistency in the actions of the Ching reformer, and most importantly, the inevitability of punishment for failure to comply with the order forced even the most malicious violators and marauders to submit.
The importance of the reforms carried out was confirmed in the very first battle with government troops, or rather, with the government fleet, which took place in the summer of 1808.
The Qing emperor Jia-qing was so deeply hurt by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Lady Jing. And the lady showed herself not only as a talented organizer, but also as an excellent naval commander. Pushing forward a small part of her ships, she and the rest hid in ambush behind the nearest cape. The government squadron, having decided to surround the pirate detachment, upset its ranks, which was what Mrs. Jing wanted. She struck from an ambush, confusing all the plans of the admirals of the government. However, they put up a decent resistance to the pirates. The battle lasted all day and ended in a complete victory for the pirates.
Of course, Beijing could not accept defeat, and Admiral Ling-Fa was instructed to gather all the naval forces of the empire to oppose Lady Jing. Ling-Fa began to carry out the order, but at the decisive moment, when both fleets had already converged for battle, the admiral lost all courage and turned back without a fight.
Lady Jing gave the command to pursue the enemy, but when the pirates caught up with his ships, the wind died down on the sea. The sails hung helplessly on the masts, and the warring parties, being in sight of each other, could only quarrel and show their fists to the enemy, but Mrs. Jing found a way out. And the way out, I must say, is brilliant - she put her people in sampan boats and sent them to board. The commanders of government ships did not expect an attack, and the Peking squadron was defeated.
The Beijing rulers took revenge for this massacre only a year later, when the third fleet was built. Cong Menxing was appointed its new admiral. Once he also pirated, but then switched to public service and proved to be a zealous persecutor of his former comrades.
The very first clash with Cong Mengxing ended sadly for Lady Jing. Her fleet suffered a severe defeat, and only the devotion of the pirates of the "Red Squadron", literally shielding their leader with their breasts, saved her from shameful captivity.
In an effort to capture the enemy at all costs, Cong Mengxing days and nightspursued her, but the help rendered to her by the population (that's when the results of the far-sighted policy of Mrs. Jing had an effect!), destroyed all his plans.
Knowing perfectly well all the shoals and safe passages on the sea, all its secluded, deserted islands and islets, coastal fishermen sheltered Lady Jing on them until the authorities stopped searching for her.
She did not forget the lesson she had learned and soon more than avenged her winners. Gathering the remnants of her fleet, Lady Jing teamed up with two unsubordinated pirate fleets and attacked Cong Mengxing's fleet as it was heading towards the mouth of the Yellow River to the parking lot. Cong Mengxing and his closest assistants were going to leave from there to Beijing to receive rewards for defeating the pirates.
Tsung Menxing did not succeed in decorating his chest with them. Not thinking about anyone's attack, the commander of the fleet lost all caution and paid dearly for it. Lady Jing's squadrons suddenly attacked Cong Mengxing's ships and sank most of them. And all this was the third government fleet, defeated by pirates.
Beijing did not have new forces to immediately oppose Lady Jing, and then the emperor's administration resorted to a trick. She sent the leader of the pirates an official invitation to arrive in the capital of the Celestial Empire, promising her the title of imperial equerry.
The city officials hoped that Lady Jing would not be able to overcome the temptation to become close to the emperor and would come to Beijing. And there they will find a way to get rid of the hated woman forever, but Lady Qing did not believeofficials. The invitation from Beijing amused her. And, of course, flattered pride.
Convinced that they were deceived in their expectations, the authorities launched an attack on the adventurer from the other side. They sent their envoys to the headquarters of the pirates. There was no hope for negotiations, but the emperor's envoys brought with them precious gifts to present to their closest associates of Lady Jing.
The bureaucracy, experienced in such matters, knew that such gifts would not leave anyone indifferent, would make harsh pirates softer and more accessible, and if, in addition, invite them to public service, promise amnesty and ranks, then a split in the pirate environment would be introduced without any doubt.
Beijing was not mistaken in its calculations. Before the truce envoys had time to depart home, the squadron of the “black flag” commanded by Ono-Tae separated from the fleet of Mrs. Qing. He had at his disposal one hundred and sixty large and small ships and eight thousand sailors.
Their departure greatly weakened the pirate fleet, and most importantly, sowed discord among Lady Qing's superiors. Many of them declared that they were ready to follow the example of Ono-Tae, who became an important person in the Qing court (in China then the Qing dynasty ruled). Lady Qing realized that this was the end of her reign. People left her, and punitive measures were taken against those who persisted.Those who did not want to part with criminal activities were caught during raids and sent to Beijing. Demonstrative executions were organized there in order to discourage the population from any desire to rebel and rob.
And Lady Jing went to a truce with the emperor. Under the 1810 agreement, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received a sinecure in the Chinese government. As a result of the agreement, each pirate who decided to quit his craft received the ownership of one pig, a barrel of wine and enough money to start a new life.
After retiring from piracy, Lady Jing, who again became known as Zheng Shi, settled in Guangzhou, where she maintained a brothel and a brothel for gambling until his death at the age of 60.
Thus, the most powerful pirate movement in Chinese history was broken. From the fleet, which numbered hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of sailors, only pitiful remnants remained, which, huddled in the most remote corners, hunted by robbery of coastal villages and petty smuggling. Gold opened doors where power could not pass.
In her honor, the character of the influential Lady Jing was created - one of the nine pirate lords in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Alvilda - The Pirate Queen One of the first pirates is considered Alvilda(Alvilda), who robbed the waters of Scandinavia in the early Middle Ages. Her name is often found in popular books on the history of piracy. According to legend, this medieval princess, the daughter of a Gothic king (or a king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a "marine Amazon" in order to evade a marriage forced on her by Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king. Having gone on a pirate voyage with a team of young women dressed in men's clothes, she became the number one "star" among the sea robbers. Since the dashing raids of Alvilda posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the desired Alvilda was the object of his persecution. Having killed most of the sea robbers, he entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender. How surprised the prince of Denmark was when the pirate leader took off his helmet and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty, whom he dreamed of marrying! Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to brandish a sword. The wedding was played right there, on board a pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never again to go to sea without him. Is the story told true? The researchers found that for the first time the legend of Alvilda was told to readers by the monk Saxon Grammatik (1140 - c. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes”. He drew it either from the ancient Scandinavian sagas, or from the myths about the Amazons.
Jeanne de Belleville - AvengerJeanne de Belleville was the first corsair to gain wide fame. Around 1335 she married a Breton nobleman. Walked Hundred Years War, to which were added internal conflicts. Her beloved husband, involved in the struggle for the throne, was executed by order of Philip VI. The widow vowed to avenge her husband. Together with her two sons, the eldest of whom was fourteen years old, she sailed to England, where she obtained a reception from the king. Edward III gave her three ships, which were named: "The Fleet of Retribution in the English Channel." For several years, her flotilla robbed French merchant ships and even attacked warships. The booty was sent to England, the crew of the ships were exterminated. She herself led her ships in search of prey, was the first to rush to board, led her pirates to attack coastal castles. According to eyewitnesses, she excellently owned both a saber and a boarding ax. In France, she was nicknamed "the bloodthirsty lioness." Parliament ruled on her expulsion and confiscation of property, the French fleet was ordered to comb the English Channel. Jeanne's flotilla was surrounded, and, leaving her sailors, she fled with her sons and a dozen rowers in a small boat. For six days, the sailors tried to row to the coast of England, but they were swept away by the current in the other direction. Having made their escape in a hurry, they did not take food and water. Died on the sixth day younger son Jeanne, then several sailors. A few days later they washed up on the shores of Brittany. There, Jeanne received shelter from the adherents of her deceased husband and soon remarried - to the nobleman Gauthier de Bentley. Lady Killigru About two hundred years after Jeanne de Belleville, a new female pirate appeared in the English Channel: Lady Mary Killigru. This lady has led a double life: in society she is the respected wife of the Governor Lord John Killigre in the port city of Falmet, and at the same time secretly commands pirate ships that attacked merchant ships mainly in Falmet Bay. Lady Kiligru's tactics proved successful for a long time, as she never left living witnesses. One day a heavily loaded Spanish ship entered the bay. Before the captain and crew could recover, the pirates attacked and captured him. The captain managed to hide and with great surprise discovered that the pirates were commanded by a young and very beautiful woman who could compete with men in cruelty. The Spanish captain made it ashore and quickly headed for the city of Falmet to inform the royal governor of the attack. To his new surprise, he saw a pirate sitting next to the governor, Lord Killigre. Lord Kiligru controlled two fortresses, the task of which was to ensure the unhindered navigation of ships in the bay. The captain said nothing about what had happened, and immediately left for London. By order of the king, an investigation began, which brought unexpected results. It turned out that Lady Killigru carried violent pirate blood in herself, since she was the daughter famous pirate Philippa Wolversten from Sofolk, and as a girl she took part in pirate attacks. Thanks to her marriage to the lord, she gained a position in society, and at the same time created a large pirate company that operated not only in the English Channel, but also in neighboring waters. During the process, many mysterious cases of the disappearance of merchant ships were revealed, which until now were attributed to "supernatural forces".
Lord Killigru was condemned to death and executed. His wife also received a death sentence, but later Queen Elizabeth I commuted it to a short sentence. Grace O'Malley (Granual), pirate queen
Grace O'Malley was unusually brave, but at the same time insensitive and cruel woman. She came from the old Irish family O "Meli, known for many corsairs and pirates. A black flag fluttered on the masts of his ships, but not with a skull and crossbones, but with a white seahorse and the inscription: "Strong on land and at sea." According to legend Grace O'Malley was born in the same year as Queen Elizabeth I of England - in 1533, and even met her twice, although they opposed each other. From an early age, Grain had a warlike Amazonian personality. With a group of selected corsairs and pirates, she plundered villages hostile to the O'Malley family. With the sole purpose of getting rich. Later, she became the wife of the brave corsair O'Fleherty, who came from another Irish family. Grain could not devote herself entirely to piracy, as she had to look after three children. After some time, she became a widow, but she did not remain single for a long time. She married Lord Burke, famous in the world of corsairs, nicknamed Iron Richard by the British, because he wore metal chain mail. To them, this proved to be as unusual as the fact that Grain wore trousers. Grain continued her pirate activities, although she became pregnant again. It is said that she left the captain's bridge only to give birth to a daughter, and immediately returned to the deck. Lady Berkey "kept under her heel" both her husband and the crew. After one unsuccessful expedition, she greeted the lord with the statement "Resign", and this meant the end of the connection. (They were never officially married). British Queen tried to attract Grace to the royal service, for this she was invited to the palace twice. This greatly blunted the hatred of the crown, but she refused. Then, for "violating the ban on piracy," Grein was imprisoned, where she spent a year and a half. She was released after she promised not to be a pirate anymore. However, Lady Burke did not change her principles and continued to engage in dangerous fishing. She also died in the same year as the Queen of England - in 1603.
Merciless Ann and Bloody Mary
In the history of piracy, another Irish woman enjoys considerable fame - Ann Bonnie. At the age of five, she was brought to North America father, lawyer William Cormac. It was in 1695 that Anne had grown into a beautiful woman with an unbridled temperament. At the age of 18, she met the sailor James Bonnie, married him against the will of her father and left for the island of New Providence. Soon, however, her husband became boring, and Ann got along with the captain of the pirate sloop, John Rackem, who, in order not to part with his beloved, dressed her in a man's uniform and took her to sea as a sailor. On the sloop "Dragon", cruising between the Bahamas and the Antilles, attacking merchant ships, during the boardings, Ann amazed the team, which consisted of selected thugs, with her desperate courage. She was the first to rush into the fray and was merciless to the enemies. And then she tried to personally deal with those captured and did it with sophisticated cruelty. Far from sentimental pirates, and so disgusted with her sadism. But they did not know that Ann was a woman, and they were afraid of the young sailor, who, on every occasion, grabbed a knife and a pistol. After some time, Ann became pregnant, and Rackham landed her ashore, entrusting the care of his old friend Jim Kron. There she gave birth and, leaving the baby in the care of Kron, returned to the sloop. Now she and the captain decided not to hide her gender, and the crew, although they met such a desecration of pirate traditions without enthusiasm, but, mindful of Anne's frantic temper and bloodthirstiness, did not dare to open rebellion, especially since her advice and behavior more than once rescued the sloop from troubles. In one of the attacks, the "Dragon" boarded an English privateer ship. Among the captives was a young sailor Mack, who immediately liked Ann, she did not kill him, deciding to try him in bed. However, Mac turned out to be an Englishwoman named Mary Reid, whose fate was no less adventurous than that of Ann herself. At the age of 15, she enlisted as a cabin boy on a warship, naturally under male name. In the Dutch harbor she deserted and entered infantry regiment, then became a dragoon, managing not to reveal her gender. But she fell in love with a colleague and married him. They did not live together for long, the dragoon was killed in battle. Mary again changed into a sailor's uniform and enlisted on a privateer ship, the same one that was captured by the Dragon. So Ann got a girlfriend, who, by the way, was quite consistent with her boundless cruelty, for which the sailors soon called her Bloody Mary. In 1720, the sloop "Dragon" was captured by the squadron of the governor of Jamaica. According to the laws of those times, the entire crew of a pirate ship was doomed to execution by hanging. However, since both women were pregnant, their execution was delayed until after delivery. However, Mary died of puerperal fever, and about future fate Ann history is silent. Zheng Shi (Lady Qing)
Zheng Shi (Lady Qing) (1785-1844) - Chinese sea robber, who gained fame as one of the most successful female pirates in history. This short, fragile woman, leading the battle, held a fan in her hand instead of a saber. She was a contemporary of Napoleon and Admiral Nelson, but no one in Europe had heard of her. But in the Far East, in the expanses of the South China seas, her name was known to the very last poor man and the very first rich man. She went down in history as "Lady Qing", the uncrowned queen of Chinese pirates. late XVIII- early nineteenth century. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command.
The history of Zheng Shi has attracted the attention of writers more than once. She is the heroine of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "The Widow of Ching, Pirate" (1935). According to the preliminary script for the film "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" Zhang Bao, stepson-husband Zheng Shi, became the prototype for one of the characters in this film. Zhang Bao's name is also associated with several romantic places in Hong Kong, where they even show the cave where he allegedly hid his treasures. It is said that one of the local attractions, Tunzhong Fort on Lantau Island, was used by a pirate as a transshipment base for the opium trade.
It is believed that the key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen.
* it was forbidden to rob fishing villages allied to pirates and rape of captured women - it was punishable by death;
* for unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate's left ear was cut off (according to some versions, the ears were pierced with a hot iron rod) in the presence of the entire crew, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation. In case of relapse - the death penalty;
* it was forbidden to appropriate any things (small, large) that were obtained by theft, robbery. The pirate received only two parts (20%) from the proceeds of the booty, the rest of the booty (80%) became the common property, which, like any other extracted value, went to the warehouse. If someone tried to appropriate something from the general fund, then he was threatened with capital punishment - death.
A few facts from the life of Zheng Shi:
2. "Madame Jing", as she was also called, worked as a prostitute before meeting Zheng Yi, the most famous Chinese pirate of her time. They married in 1801 and went to Vietnam, where the civil war was in full swing. Madame Jing did not have her own children, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Bao Cai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Madame Jing.
3. This Chinese woman became a real robber after the death of her husband (died during a storm in 1807), who controlled a whole pirate fleet. After his death, two captains came to her to ask the widow to choose a worthy place for the deceased. Listening to them, Qing put on makeup, and when she finished, she suddenly turned around and ... fired at the arrogant visitors with a pistol. They dropped dead. After that, the question of who would be the pirate "admiral" no longer arose.
4. But not all researchers are inclined to think that the ascent to the top of power was painless for Ms. Qing. It is believed that the opposition still existed, and its leaders had already begun to fight for supremacy among themselves, when the Qing entered the scene. With the decisiveness that has always distinguished her, she told the rebels that, in memory of her beloved husband, she was taking command of the fleet. Anyone who disagrees with this can go anywhere. At the same time, everyone who decides to leave the fleet will receive from Mrs. Qing a junk and four sailors at their disposal. Their own ships will remain part of the squadrons, because it will not allow anyone to weaken the power of the fleet.
5. Numerous fleet consisted of six squadrons, each of which had its own flag. And although there were six squadrons, the core of the fleet was the "family squadron" of Qing, which carried red pennants on its masts. The rest of the squadrons had black, white, blue, yellow and green identification colors, which helped to direct the operation during the fighting.
6. She married her stepson Zhang Bao. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The Qing emperor Jia-qing (1760-1820) was so stung by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Jing Shi, but a number of armed clashes with the authorities could not undermine the forces of the pirate coalition.
7. One of the pirate captains rebelled against Madam Jing and surrendered to the mercy of the authorities. Only when her fleet was weakened and her authority shaken did Madame Zheng agree to a truce with the emperor. Under the agreement of 1810, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received sinecure* in the Chinese government. Retiring from piracy, Madame Zheng settled in Guangzhou, where she maintained a brothel and gambling den until her death at the age of 60.
Alternative viewIn history. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command.
"Madame Jing", as she was also known, worked until she met Zheng Yi, the most famous Chinese pirate of her time. They married in 1801 and traveled to Vietnam, where the civil war was in full swing. After marriage, the girl received a new name Zheng Yi Xiao("Zheng's wife"). Madame Zheng did not have her own children, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Madame Zheng. According to another source, the boy was adopted by a pirate before his marriage to Zheng Yi Xiao.
After her husband died in a storm in the year, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow") inherited a pirate fleet of 400 ships. She soon married her stepson Zhang Bao. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The Qing emperor Jia-qing (-) was so stung by the rise of piracy that in January of the year he sent his fleet against Zheng Shi, but a number of armed clashes with the authorities could not undermine the forces of the pirate coalition.
It is believed that the key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Plundering fishing villages allied to pirates and raping captured women were punishable by death. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate was cut off his left ear, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation.
Not everyone was happy with this turn of events. One of the pirate captains rebelled against Madam Zheng and surrendered to the mercy of the authorities. Only when her fleet was weakened and her authority shaken did Madame Zheng agree to a truce with the emperor. According to the agreement of the year, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received a sinecure in the Chinese government. Retiring from piracy, Madame Zheng settled in Guangzhou, where she ran a brothel and gambling den until her death at the age of 60.
The story of Madame Zheng has attracted the attention of writers more than once. She is the heroine of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "The Widow of Ching, Pirate" (1935). Based on Borges' story, a film was made that loses all connection with the real events of The Legend of Vengeance (2003). According to the preliminary script for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Zhang Bao, Madame Zheng's stepson-husband, became the prototype for one of the characters in this film. Zhang Bao's name is also associated with several romantic places in Hong Kong, where they even show a cave where he allegedly hid his treasures. One of the local attractions, the Tunzhong Fort on Lantau Island, is said to have been used by a pirate as a staging post for the opium trade.
Categories:
- Personalities in alphabetical order
- Chinese pirates
- female pirates
- History of China
- Born in 1785
- Deceased in 1844
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See what "Zheng Shi" is in other dictionaries:
Zheng He- whale. trad. 鄭和, ex. 郑和 ... Wikipedia
Zheng Yi- (鄭一, pinyin: Zhèng Yī, died 1807, Great Qing Empire) one of the most famous Chinese pirates of his time. Zheng Yi was a pirate along the Chinese coast during the 19th century. He was married to Zheng Shi. They got married in ... Wikipedia
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Zheng He- (1371 1433) Chinese naval commander and navigator. He made 7 sea voyages to the countries of Hindustan, the Malay Archipelago and East Africa. Zheng He's travels are described in the books of his companions Ma Huan (1416), Fei Xin (1436) and Gong Zhen (1436).… … Marine Biographical Dictionary
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Zheng- Zheng, also Zheng Buddhism, a religious movement, a mystical teaching, conceptually aims to reconcile the Eastern teaching about samsara with Western ideas about eternal life. Zheng imagines the cycle of samsara as a journey between worlds ... Wikipedia
ZHENG HE- (1371 1435) Chinese naval commander, diplomat. In 1405, 33 intermittently led 7 sea voyages to explore the coasts of Indochina, Sumatra, Java, Hindustan, East. Africa and a number of islands in the Indian Ocean ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
ZHENG HE- (1371 ca. 1434) Chinese. naval commander, diplomat and traveler. A native of Prov. Yunnan. In 1404 he received the highest rank among court eunuchs. In 1405, a whale headed the expedition. fleet to the countries of the South Seas and the Indian apprx. 62 large ones went sailing ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia
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Books
- The Tale of the Great Wall, of Zheng Wang and Ching Ke, of Two Sisters and How a Storm Rises, Guryan Olga Markovna. Olga Guryan has written more than fifty books for children. Each of her books is an exciting journey into the past. different countries, whether Ancient Russia or Ancient China, medieval France or…
Lady Zheng (Chinese: 鄭氏, cant. Chin Xi, 1775-1844) is a Chinese sea robber who earned fame as one of the most successful pirates in history.
The real name and origin of the woman who went down in history as "Lady Zheng" is unknown. There is information that she was a prostitute before she met Zheng Yi, the most famous Chinese pirate of her time. They married in 1801 and went to Vietnam, where the civil war was in full swing. After marriage, the girl received a new name Zheng Yi sao ("Zheng's wife"). Lady Zheng had no children of her own, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted a fifteen-year-old boy named Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Lady Zheng's husband. According to other sources, the boy was adopted by a pirate before his marriage to Zheng Yi Sao.
The key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Anyone who arbitrarily gave orders, or did not follow the commands of a senior in rank, was cut off his head. Theft from the general treasury was strictly punished, the loot during the campaigns was required to be presented for a general inspection of the team, the division was made by the fleet commander, the rape of captured women was punishable by death. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate's left ear was cut off, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation. Captured women, as a rule, were released; as wives and concubines, the pirates left only the most beautiful for themselves. Having married, the pirate had to remain faithful to his wife and could no longer engage in promiscuity.
Lady Cheng gained unquestioned authority: her speech could not be interrupted, her words could not be challenged, her orders could not be ignored. However, according to Diane Murray, Zheng understood that in addition to strict rules, a pirate needs a charismatic leader, “ spiritual leader", which would inspire both fear and love. Such a person for the pirates of the Red Fleet was Zhang Baozai - the young lover of the lady. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The Qing emperor Jiaqing (1760-1820) was so stung by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Lady Zheng, but a number of armed clashes with the authorities could not undermine the forces of the pirate coalition.
Not everyone was happy with this turn of events. One of the pirate captains rebelled against Madam Zheng and surrendered to the mercy of the authorities. Only when her fleet was weakened and her authority shaken did Madame Zheng agree to a truce with the emperor. Under the 1810 agreement, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received a sinecure in the Chinese government. In 1813, the couple had a son, Zheng Yulin (Ms. Zheng was 38 at the time). In 1824, after being widowed for the second time, Ms. Zheng settled in Guangzhou, where she ran a gambling den until her death at the age of 69.
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Zheng Shi - a famous Chinese courtesan - managed to become a thunderstorm of the seas, leading a fleet of 1,800 ships and 80,000 people. She led the largest pirate organization in history, winning against the great powers. In a matter of years, this woman achieved power and married her son.
In 1801, the Chinese prostitute "Madame Jing" became the wife of Zheng Yi, a formidable pirate who hunted in the South China Sea.
The story goes that he took this bride for himself because of her reputation as a shrewd businessman. Zheng Shi, using the privileges of her profession, received valuable information, with the help of which she had control over wealthy clients and politicians. The financial and business savvy of a young Chinese woman, of course, became a great help in her future pirate career.
With the help of his wife, the formidable Zheng Yi united many pirates under his control and kept the entire Chinese coast at bay. About 400 junks obeyed his orders. And the most direct part in the "business" was taken by his wife and adopted son.
After six years of marriage, Zheng Yi died at sea. His death left the widow, Zheng Shi, in a difficult position. However, she managed to further increase her powers. A few years later, she commanded a fleet of 1,800 pirate ships and approximately 80,000 men. For comparison, the famous pirate Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard, commanded 4 ships and 300 pirates.
As a result, Zheng Shi is known as the most successful pirate in history.
It was not easy to keep such a number of wayward people in check. Zheng Shi unified her huge pirate fleet with the help of a code of laws. The laws were strict. Any pirate who did not comply with the order was beheaded on the spot. The rules regarding captured women were especially unusual. If a pirate raped a captive, he was executed. If the sex between them was consensual, both were executed.
Zheng Yi and Zheng Shi had no children in their marriage and adopted a 15-year-old boy. For the head of the family, he became not only a son, but also a lover. After the death of Zheng Yi, the former prostitute cohabited with her adopted son, and then married him. For China in those years, this was considered the norm.
Pirate control of the sea coast, looting of passing merchant ships, collection of tribute from the settlements forced the Chinese government to react decisively. All attempts to defeat the pirates, both on their own and with the help of the Portuguese fleet and the East India Company, ended unsuccessfully.
But the pirate fleet under the command of Zheng Shi was invincible. After three years of dominion on the high seas, Zheng Shi finally retired in 1810, accepting the Chinese government's offer of an amnesty for herself and all pirates.
This decision was caused by the brewing conflicts between the leaders of the pirates. Probably, Zheng Shi realized that it was time to give up piracy.
Little is known about Zheng Shi's life after his retirement. It is known that she kept her hotel with a gambling house and a brothel and died at the advanced age of 69, leaving her mark on history and popular culture. In her honor, the character of the influential Lady Jing was created - one of the nine pirate lords in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean".
In addition to Zheng Shi, history knows only a few female pirates, the most famous are the mistresses Ann Bonnie and.
