Sayyida al-Hurra: This famous pirate was a woman to be reckoned with. (Oxygene Tetouan /
)
Sayyida al-Hurra (Iberian, 1485-1561 AD) was a notorious female pirate who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries AD. Her father was a tribal chief, and her mother was a Christian who converted to Islam. As the child of a nobleman, Sayyida al-Hurra was provided with an excellent education, being tutored in such subjects as mathematics, theology, and languages. The title
Sayyida al Hurra means "noble lady who is free and independent; the woman sovereign who bows to no superior authority." At some point, she became a pirate. Some have speculated that she never forgot the fall of Granada and vowed to avenge this loss, as well as to retake Andalusia from the Christians. Although she was not able to take the Spanish and Portuguese head on, she instead wreaked havoc on their sea trade via piracy. In time, she formed an alliance with the infamous pirate Oruç Reis (one of Redbeard’s brothers). Although she was hated by her European enemies, her fall from power wasn’t from outsiders but was an inside job. She was overthrown by her son-in-law and stripped of property and power.