2. B i o g r a p h y
Name: Jean David Nau known as Francois L’Olonnais
Nickname: “Fléau des Espagnols” or Flail of Spaniards
Born: Les Slables-d’Olonne, France (Western Coast)
around 1635
Died: Darien Province, Panama, 1668
Pirate Type: Buccaneers
Nationality: French
Active Year: 1660-1668
Rank: Captain
Place of Operation: Caribbean, Central America
3. E a r l y L i f e
1650s --He used to be a poor man and he worked as an indentured servant
and he was taken to the Caribbean when he was still in young age.
Then he joined the famous buccaneers and lived with them. He also
navigate to Tortuga island where it is the French hideout.
He began his piracy act during the War of Devolution when France and
Spain fought. Since then, he was famous because of his hatred of the
Spanish and known as a bloodthirsty and ruthless pirate.
Firstly, he was hired to attack the Spaniards and he was really efficient in
fighting.
4. As he was able to fight fiercely, the French Government of Tortuga
(Haiti) rewarded him with a ship and made him as a captain.
L’Olonnais was the one of the first buccaneers who organized land
attacks.
1663 – His ship wrecks in Yucatan Peninsula and most of his crews
died but he survived. Then he hide under the dead body and he
changed his outfit same as the Spanish and he even freed some of
French slaves.
5. Place of Operation
He was active in Caribbean Seas.
He cooperated with famous freebooters Michel le Basque, Pierre le
Piccard, Moïse Vauquielin with 8 ships and 400 troops.
1667-- They sacked Maracaibo and Gibraltar Gulf of Venezuela. It was a
victory for them. They torment people there to get treasures also
slaves from that city.
6. D e a t h
1668– It was the final raid that
happened in San Jose River, Nicaragua
when he was going to attack the
Spanish. However his ship was wrecked
so he used small raft to attack. In which
it ended by him was captured by the
native Indian tribes in the Gulf Darien.
Finally he dead because he was burned
alive, cooked, and even being eaten by
those Indian people.
7. T r e a s u r e s
He buried treasure that is worth 4,000 gold.
He also captured 260,000 pieces of eight as well as large
amounts of silver plate, silk and jewels
In Maracaibo, he captured a ship with cocoa beans, gemstone,
and more than 260,000 Spanish dollars.
8. MLA Citation
Minster, Christopher. "Biography of Francois L’Olonnais." About
Education. Latin American History, n.d.Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/Pirates/p/Biography-Of-
Francois-L-Olonnais.htm
Thompson, Ben. "François L'Olonnais." Badass of the Week. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Oct. 2014. http://www.badassoftheweek.com/lollonais.html
Ossian, Robbert. "François L'Olonnais." The Pirate King. N.p., n.d.Web. 14 Oct.
2014. http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/lolonnais_francois.htm
"François L'Olonnais." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 16 July 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_l'Olonnais