The Pirate King: The Remarkable Story of Henry Avery and His Lost Treasure

Ah, Henry Avery, now here’s a guy who knew how to make an exit. Most pirates go out in a blaze of glory, caught between a noose and a firing squad. But Avery? He pulled off the biggest score in pirate history, vanished without a trace, and left behind one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time.

This guy wasn’t just any pirate, he was the pirate, the one who inspired a whole generation of outlaws. His legendary capture of the Ganj-i-Sawai made him the richest pirate to ever sail the seas, and if the stories are true, some of his treasure may still be out there, waiting for the right person to find it.

So, what happened to Avery? And more importantly, where’s all that gold? Let’s dig in.

Henry Avery

The Rise of Henry Avery: From Sailor to Pirate King

Before he became the most wanted man in the world, Henry Avery was just another sailor trying to make a living. Born around 1659 in Devon, England, he probably spent his early years hopping between merchant ships and naval service. Life at sea wasn’t exactly glamorous, unless you enjoyed rotten food, terrible pay, and the occasional brush with death.

By 1694, Avery was an experienced mariner and found himself aboard the Charles II, a privateering vessel hunting down enemy ships for profit. But there was a slight problem: the crew wasn’t getting paid. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and the money never came.

Avery had a solution.

The Spanish Expedition and Mutiny: The Birth of the Fancy

One night in May 1694, Avery and a group of frustrated sailors decided they were done waiting. They took the ship by force, locked the captain below deck, and set sail for their kind of business. They renamed the ship Fancy, stripped it down for speed, and set their sights on a much bigger prize.

Avery wasn’t interested in small-time raiding. He had a plan, one that would make history.

The Heist of the Century: The Ganj-i-Sawai

In 1695, Avery and his newly assembled pirate fleet made their way to the Indian Ocean, one of the busiest trade routes of the time. There, they spotted something almost too good to be true, a convoy of Mughal treasure ships, fresh from a stop in Yemen and heading back to India.

At the heart of the fleet was the Ganj-i-Sawai, a massive, heavily armed Mughal flagship owned by Emperor Aurangzeb himself. This wasn’t just any merchant vessel, this thing was a floating fortress, loaded with gold, silver, jewels, and high-ranking passengers.

Taking it wouldn’t be easy. But Avery and his men weren’t about to let a few cannons get in the way of history.

The pirates attacked, and after a brutal battle, they boarded the ship. What happened next is still debated, some accounts claim the pirates plundered the treasure and left, others say they committed atrocities against the crew and passengers. Whatever the case, when Avery and his men sailed away, they were carrying an estimated £600,000 in gold and jewels, hundreds of millions in today’s money.

For context? That made Avery richer than most kings of the time.

But here’s the thing: when you rob an emperor, people tend to notice.

The Aftermath: Every Man for Himself

The heist sent shockwaves through the world. In India, Emperor Aurangzeb was furious, and when one of the most powerful rulers in history gets mad, things get messy. The Mughal Empire put massive pressure on England, demanding that Avery be caught at all costs.

Suddenly, Avery was the most wanted man on the planet. Every navy, every governor, and every bounty hunter with a ship was looking for him.

And just like that, he was gone.

The Disappearance of Henry Avery

Unlike most pirates, Avery never got caught. He didn’t go down in a battle, he didn’t get betrayed by his crew, he simply vanished.

Some say he sailed to the Caribbean, bribed a few colonial officials, and retired in peace. Others claim he made his way back to England, only to be cheated out of his fortune and die penniless. Some even believe he took his treasure to a secret hideout, burying a fortune somewhere, just waiting to be found.

And that brings us to the real question: where’s Avery’s gold?

Avery’s Treasure: A Mystery for the Ages

The Ganj-i-Sawai heist was one of the richest pirate raids ever, and yet, almost none of the treasure has ever been found.

Sure, some of Avery’s crew probably spent their shares, but there are enough gaps in the story to suggest that a lot of it was hidden. Over the centuries, treasure hunters have searched everywhere from the Caribbean to England to the coast of North America, looking for Avery’s lost fortune.

And that’s where things get interesting.

Did Avery’s Treasure End Up in America?

There’s a theory that some of Avery’s gold made it to the American colonies, specifically, New England. Sounds crazy? Maybe not.

Here’s why the theory holds water:

1. Pirate Havens in New England – Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, places like Newport, Rhode Island and Marblehead, Massachusetts were crawling with pirates. These towns were perfect for selling stolen loot and laying low.

2. Avery’s Crew Scattered – After the heist, Avery’s men split up. Some of them were caught in the colonies. If they made it there, could their treasure have made it too?

3. Buried Treasure Legends – For years, rumors of hidden pirate gold have swirled around the Massachusetts coast. Some of them even name Avery.

Want to Go Treasure Hunting? Here’s Where to Start

If you’re feeling adventurous, here are some possible locations where Avery’s lost treasure might be hiding:

• Newport, Rhode Island – A known pirate hub, where Avery or his crew might have stashed something.

• Marblehead, Massachusetts – Isolated beaches and rocky shores? Sounds like a pirate’s dream hiding spot.

• Caribbean Islands – Avery reportedly spent time in the Bahamas—maybe his treasure is still there.

• Devon or Cornwall, England – If Avery made it back home, maybe he left a little parting gift behind.

• Historical Records – Sometimes, the best clues are buried in old court documents and ship logs.

Tools of the Trade:

• Metal detectors – Because gold tends to stay buried.

• Ground-penetrating radar – If you want to get fancy.

• Patience – Finding treasure is a marathon, not a sprint.

The Legend Lives On

Henry Avery was the closest thing the real world ever had to a true “Pirate King.” He pulled off the greatest heist in pirate history, became the most wanted man in the world, and then disappeared like a ghost.

Maybe he lived out his days in luxury. Maybe he died broke. Maybe, just maybe, his gold is still out there, waiting to be uncovered.

And the best part? No one’s found it yet.

So, if you’ve got a sense of adventure and a shovel, maybe it’s time to start looking. Who knows? The next great pirate treasure might just be buried beneath your feet.

Wouldn’t be the first time.