Jack Ward

John Warde, John Ward, Jack Ward or later Yusuf Raïs was a British captain and privateer of the 17th century.

Particulars

Warde began his professional life as a fisherman and began during the last phase of the Government of Queen Elizabeth I with the first successful privateering in the Mediterranean. For the Pillage of a Danish ship in the Caribbean, he was put in jail and after the accession of James I. Warde was forced as a sailor in the Royal Navy, with their strict discipline he did not get along.

It later succeeded him to France to capture sailing ship, with which he again raided a loaded merchant ship near the Scilly Islands with around 30 colleagues at Plymouth. The commercial driver he renamed after the lieutenant of Robin Hood, Little John, and sailed for further raids into the Mediterranean. Once there were more men of his crew in 1605, including better known as Richard Bishop and Anthony Johnson. Warde served with his ship to the Bey of Algiers, but the Wardes offer refused. Then Warde offered his services to Uthman Dey, the Bey of Tunis, who received him with kindness. In the following years, Warde focused on the hijacking of Venetian and Maltese vessels, and thus came to prosperity. In the winter of 1607 Warde took refuge with a French ship that sank with 250 Muslims and 150 British sailors. Wardes request for a pardon from King James I was rejected so that the British privateer to Tunis returned to Uthman Dey, who had forgiven him.

The privateer had to build a magnificent palace in Tunis, took part in the Ottoman citizenship and finished his resume as a honorable man.