Jean Lafitte
Jean Laffite, also Lafitte (* 1780 France, † 1826, the U.S. and Yucatán ) was a French privateer.
Life
Laffite was born as the second son of an aristocrat. During the French Revolution his family fled to Hispaniola, where also raged revolts and civil wars. After the slave revolts and the proclamation of the State of Haiti 1804, Jean and Pierre brothers emigrated to the United States.
Four years later, the Laffites as dreaded buccaneers who hijacked American, British and Spanish trade ships with ten ships and 1,000 men in the Caribbean and smuggled the loot from the island of Grande Terre in Barataria Bay to New Orleans were. The attempts of the Governor William Claiborne to sell Laffite from the " Kingdom of Barataria ," failed miserably - as he exposed a premium of $ 750 to Laffites head, this offered for Claibornes life twice. Laffites planned expansion to the coast of Texas was delayed by the attack of the British on the lower Mississippi Territory - 1815 he fought on the side of General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans and thus gained its legality again. The park, which today is at the scene of the battle, bears the name Jean Laffites.
Once was denied in Washington playing his confiscated property, he returned in 1816 returned to New Orleans and completed his brief existence in the law. He started on plans for a landing on the coast of Texas to work, which should serve as a haven for privateers and base for raids on Texas. Laffite drove in 1817 the notorious pirate Louis Michel Aury from the island of Galveston, which was the center of smuggling, piracy and the slave trade. A second time the U.S. had to rely on help from the pirates, as in 1818 George Graham, the Laffite brothers asked on behalf of the President Monroe at the expulsion of the French and Spanish from Texas to support - they refused, and Texas was annexed Mexico.
In 1820 the brothers Laffite left Galveston because jeans intrigue alienated every friend and Pierre's work for the Spanish secret service had become worthless. They burned Galveston and settled on the Mugeres Island, where Jean until his death in 1825 ships raided. Although Pierre Laffite was the older and busier of the brothers, was Jean Laffite hero of many heroic tales.
Movies
The Battle of New Orleans was the model for the film Buccaneer ( 1938) ( German: " The buccaneers of Louisiana" ). It was directed by Cecil B. DeMille; Fredric March played Laffite, Hugh Sothern General Jackson. 1958 should turn a remake of DeMille. Since he became ill, jumped his son Anthony Quinn, who in 1938 had a minor role. Protagonists were Yul Brynner ( Laffite ) and Charlton Heston (General Jackson). A secondary role was played by the later as Ben Cartwright Lorne Greene became known. The remake was a " king of the buccaneers " in German cinemas.