In early 1716, Levasseur was the captain of a pirate sloop called Postillion, and seems to have collaborated with the pirates Samuel Bellamy and Benjamin Hornigold. Whilst Levasseur was a notorious and much-feared pirate during his days, his greatest legacy is the alleged treasure that he had hidden. From Barry Clifford finding of Black Sam Bellamys flagship along with a stockpile of his treasure, to Cliffords finding in 2015 of Captain Kidds treasure. Olivier Levasseur was a French pirate between 1688 and 1730. He lived from 1680-1730, and was nicknamed La Buse or La Bouche (The Buzzard), due to the speed with which he threw himself on and ultimately overcame his enemies. Every incident reported is a blow to the confidence of seafarers serving on board ships around the world. The alliance between the two men would split almost as quickly as it was made. [Online]Available at: http://www.goldenageofpiracy.org/infamous-pirates/olivier-levasseur.php, Mojon, J.-M., 2009. Not bad, Levasseur, not bad. History of Britain from Roman times to Restoration era. Olivier Levasseur was born to a wealthy family in Calais at the end of the 17th century. Olivier Levasseur. If you listened to my episodes on Blackbeard and Black Sam, you should be familiar with Hornigold. Do any of these arrowheada look like theyre of value? After a close shave against HMS Scarborough under Captain Hume, he fled to the Caribbean in a smaller sloop with much of his remaining treasure. Nearly every family now living on those lush green tropical islands, where many other pirate treasures are buried, has a map of one kind or another drawn in blood on parchment or on a piece of dirty old cloth. Perhaps this was a bribe, or maybe a bluff. Cruise-Wilkins searched for and dug in the island of Mahe until his death, but never found anything in a cave except antique rifles, a few scattered coins, and the desiccated bodies of long dead pirates. Here, along the coast of the island now known as Malagasy, hundreds of pirates lurked during the 18th century, awaiting their chance to plunder the heavily laden British, French, Dutch and Portuguese East Indiamen as they lumbered around the Cape of Good Hope on their homeward voyage to Europe. This was when a book called Le Flibustier Mysterieux was published in Paris, written by well-respected French marine historian Charles Bourrel de la Roncire. Henry Everys story deserves an entire episode dedicated to his life story as well. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340732038_The_Identification_of_the_Pirate_and_Shipwreck_MAHSNews_Report_Fall_202, https://escales.ponant.com/en/pirate-la-buse-2/, https://goldenageofpiracy.org/pirates/pirate-rounders/olivier-levasseur.php, https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/french-pirate-olivier-levasseur-left-behind-curious-cryptogram-does-it-lead-021725, https://steemit.com/history/@arrrados/the-tales-of-pirates-olivier-lavasseur-la-buse, Im a historical writer & the host of the Podcast and YouTube series Beyond the Harbor. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Olivier Levasseur (1688, 1689, or 1690 7 July 1730), was a French pirate, nicknamed La Buse ("The Buzzard") or La Bouche ("The Mouth") in his early days for the speed and ruthlessness with which he always attacked his enemies as well as his ability to verbally attack his opponents. Legend has it that when Levasseur was about to be hanged, he tore a necklace from around his neck and flung it into the throng, shouting Find my treasure, the one who may interpret it!. The Story of Olivier Levasseur. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Apart from some old guns, coins, and a pirate sarcophagi, no treasure ever came from his efforts. In one battle during the Spanish Succession, he received an injury to his left eye. Coffers now replenished, work was re-started. He had his first taste of combat at the start of the 18th century, on board La Reine des Indes (The Indian Queen). As always, if you are looking to take a deeper dive into this story, the source material, as well as full transcripts used for this episode can be found on my website. I can just visualise the hands going up, the fight, to meet the paper in the air, John said wistfully. The tree-covered island is one of about 360 small islands in Mahone Bay and rises to a maximum of 35 feet (11 m) above sea level. After William Moody was ejected from command by his disgruntled crew in late 1718, they elected Levasseur as captain in Moody's place. Nr fr en polis rikta sitt vapen mot ngon i syfte att betvinga honom eller henne? According to the ex-guardsman, the instructions on how to find the treasure were based on the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece. John explained that the fascinating tale of the treasure began in 1716, when Frenchman Olivier Levasseur, also known as La Buse (The Buzzard) because of the speed with which he attacked his enemies, received a letter from the Marquis to act as a private. Which would seem to make it more likely that the 1933 translation of the Gold Bug was used as a basis for these lines than Baudelaires 1845 translation. The immediate problem with the second cryptogram is that whereas the first seventeen lines are ambiguous and show numerous signs of miscopying and misinterpretation, the last five lines are almost exactly the opposite, in that they are models of clarity and straightforwardness. Copyrights 2020-2023 Alla rttigheter reserverade. This island chain was located at the Eastern edge of the Somali Sea, and appeared to be the perfect spot for him to lay down his roots. Incidents include 115 vessels boarded, 11 attempted attacks, 5 vessels fired upon and 1 vessel hijacked. This is the true story of two mens life-long search. So, you see, not all legends are made up just to fool people into chasing a rabbits tail. It has been claimed that during this time Levasseur received a scar across one eye, causing him to wear an eye patch over it. The fortress was known as, and forgive me the pronunciation, Fort of Sao Joao Baptista de Ajuda. The treasure had been accumulated over almost 10 years, and belonged to several prominent figures of the time, who were making the voyage at the worst time possible. Levasseur escaped on a small brigantine that escorted his ship, and from there went south to Sao Francisco do Sul, where he robbed a boat full of cassava flour, in order to feed his surviving crew, sailing back to Cananeia.[2]. He was taken in shackles back to Saint-Denis located on the island of modern day Reunion in the southern Indian Ocean, which was the place at which he plundered the Portuguese ship all those years before. In 1720, they attacked the slaver port of Ouidah, Kingdom of Whydah (on the coast of what is now Benin), reducing the local fortress to ruins. Some of them do it in the hope of finding lost Spanish A 1,300-year-old gold and gemstone necklace discovered in central Englands Northampton in the grave of an elite woman has been hailed as of international importance. Levasseur eventually parted ways with Bellamy and Hornigold and conducted raids on his own. Oak Island ( 443100?N, 641757?W) is a 140 acre (570,000 m) island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre received 132 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2021. His bad eye had become completely blind by now, so he started wearing an eyepatch. In what must have been one of the worst honeymoons in history, Attila the Hun, the brutal nomadic warrior of the 5th century AD, was found dead in his nuptial bed, drenched in blood the morning after As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Maps, Mystery and Interpretation Vol 2. ". He is known for allegedly hiding one of the biggest treasures in pirate history, estimated at over 1billion, and leaving a cryptogram behind with clues to its whereabouts. There are many strange mysteries that reside in history, but one of the most unsettling is that of the Octavius ghost ship. In 1947, an Englishman by the name of Reginald Cruise-Wilkins set out to decrypt the message and discover the treasure. Mutually Assured Destruction: Has it Happened Before? The Oregon Meteorite Mystery: Was the Port Orford Incident a Hoax? But there have been many efforts made over the years to locate the missing loot. And so he didnt. Treasure hunters have since tried to decode it. His son John inherited both the nickname and the quest. Levasseur left the crew of the ship on their destroyed vessel to die, and brought the 240 slaves to shore on an island off the coast of Macae near Rio de Janeiro. Though the necklace has been lost through the years, but the cryptogram and copies have survived to this day. His nickname was apparently La Buse (The Buzzard), because he would swoop down with the speed of a bird of prey. But, you must ask yourself, what if the code is real? The Flying Gang was already becoming very famous in the Caribbean. Cicco Simonettas Treatise on Decipherment. The last man to serve as King of Greece, Constantine II, passed away on January 10, 2023 in an Athens hospital from complications related to a stroke. She got a copy of olivers code and began braking it. Accept Read More, Oak Island: Legends of Pirates and Treasure. You see, inside the necklace, Levasseur had hidden a small note that contained a 17 line cryptic message. Treasure hunters have since tried to decode it. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? The alphabet used was easily decoded into plain text, but the message that remains, with its clues as to where Levasseur left his treasure, has never been translated. Whilst attempts have been made over the years to decipher the coded message, and to track down Levasseurs treasure, none of these have actually succeeded. Archaeologists in Sweden have unearthed a rare Viking treasure hoard. ( Public Domain ), Top Image: A typical depiction of a pirate. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? Gravestone traditionally attributed to La Buse (Olivier Levasseur) in Saint-Paul, Runion Olivier Levasseur (1688 or 1690 - 7 July 1730), was a pirate, nicknamed La Buse ( The Buzzard) or La Bouche ( The Mouth) in his early days, called thus because of the speed and ruthlessness with which he always attacked his enemies. The Etruscans, although enigmatic compared to the familiar civilizations of Greece and Rome, had a significant impact on the development of Roman civilization. He renamed the ship Le Victorieux, which is French for The Victorious. Images of a cryptogram allegedly created by the 18th century pirate Olivier Levasseur (often called "La Buse", the hawk) accompanied by sensational claims about hidden pirate booty have been circulating amongst the French treasure hunting community since at least 1934. Levasseur's quartermaster at this time was Paulsgrave Williams, who had been Bellamy's quartermaster and fellow captain until Bellamy was killed in a storm off Cape Cod. For a start, there are actually two cryptograms in existence today. oliver le vasseurs ,"la Buze", treasure is worth 100.000.000 pounds. Dinner Invitations for Famous People from the Past, about 8 Lost Shipwrecks That Still Hold Promise of Treasure and Fame, about Medieval Treasure Unearthed at Internationally Important Womans Burial, about Metal Detected Medieval Love Ring Might Fetch Over $40K, about Rare Viking Treasure Hoard Unearthed In Sweden, about Large Stash of Viking Silver Found in Central Norway, about The Fearsome Attila the Hun Died of a Nosebleed on His Wedding Night, Mother and Child Reunion Of Thetis And Achilles, Seductive Sirens of Greek Mythology and How Heroes Resisted Them, Celestial Goddess Selene: The Ancient Greek Goddess of the Moon, Pegasus of Greek Mythology: Majestic Winged Horse of Mount Olympus, Dreams of Human-Powered Flight: Daedalus and the Story of Icarus, European Monarchies Pay Their Respects at the Funeral of Greece's Last King, 7 of The Most Skilled Sword Fighters in History, Roland the Farter: Medieval Englands Celebrity Flatulist. This brings us to April of 1721. He seized the entire payload from them, but did not rob them individually or kill them. When he was eventually recognized, arrested. For his part, Cruise-Wilkins refuses to believe that anyone else has found and dug up the treasure in the 290 years since La Buse's execution. In 1721, Levasseur and his associates then with 750 pirates over three ships came across a Portuguese galleon flying British colours, Nossa Senhora do Cabo, in the port of La Runion, then called Bourbon Island. He died before he broke the last code in 1977. and it has been thought that how to break the code died with him. He received a letter of marque from the French King, Louis XIV, during the War of the Spanish Succession, and became a privateer in the service of the French Crown. He then abandoned 240 stolen slaves on an island off Macae (next to Rio de Janeiro) before a Portuguese armed boat gave him chase. 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