Wonder Woman of the Week: Anne Bonny

Anne Bonny, born around 1697 in Ireland, was one of the most notorious female pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy. The illegitimate daughter of a lawyer and his maid, she emigrated to the American colonies with her family and grew up in the Province of Carolina. Known for her fiery temper and independent spirit from a young age, Anne rejected the expectations of a conventional life. After marrying a poor sailor named James Bonny—much to her father’s disapproval—she relocated to the pirate haven of Nassau in the Bahamas. There, she became immersed in the pirate culture thriving under the unofficial protection of corrupt colonial governors. Dissatisfied with her marriage and lured by the freedom and danger of pirate life, she eventually joined the crew of the English pirate John “Calico Jack” Rackham, becoming his lover and partner at sea.