In the late 16th century, a young boy living in the poor neighborhood of Kent (southeast London) dreamed of becoming a rich man unlike those around him who practiced banditry and fraud in Britain.

This neighborhood was one of the hottest places in the United Kingdom, as smugglers, pirates and other shady figures in British society sought refuge here.

There lived the ambitious boy, John Ward, whose dreams would come true beyond expectations, become truly rich through the profession of "piracy" and become an example of terror and danger across the seas.

The legend who inspired the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.

When talking about pirates, we must remember the life story of Captain Jack Sparrow, who was played by American actor Johnny Depp in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.

But what many do not know is that this legendary character - who was the inspiration for the book - is an inveterate pirate and a veteran naval officer named Johnny Ward.

Also known as Captain Jack Birdie, he converted to Islam at the end of his life and called himself an Islamic name.

All these names belong to one man whose life was full, and his adventure stories became more exciting than fictional novels, which attracted the attention of Hollywood to quote them in a series of its most famous works.

A life full of dangers and adventures

John Ward was nicknamed "Sparrow" in reference to the sparrow, as a sign of the agility of his lightning operations.

Ward began his career in the 16th century as a pirate, so that the British crown at that time recognized his ingenuity and commissioned him to attack enemy ships at sea, the period that was called the "Golden Age of Piracy" and extended from the year 1650 to 1720 AD.

The idea of ​​pirate collaboration with the British Crown was born when the Empire aspired to defeat the Spanish Armada.

Ward was one of the sailors who converted to legalized piracy, a semi-legal form of piracy in which Queen Elizabeth I issued licenses to anyone intending to plunder ships belonging to the Spanish.

The deal was simple: the Crown gets 5% of the loot, the Lord Admiral's agents get 10% of the spoils, and the rest is divided between the ship's pirate and crew.

However, Ward's naval career was dealt a blow in the summer of 1604, when the Anglo-Spanish War came to an end.

Consequently, King James VI banned all piracy voyages, and Ward found himself out of a job.

He soon heard rumors of a famous merchant who was about to sail a valuable fortune to France, so he persuaded 30 men to join him in his pirate operation.

Although the valuables had been removed from the ship before the arrival of the new band of pirates, Ward commandeered the ship for his next missions, and his crew began searching for easy riches on the seas.

Thus, his career began before the golden age of piracy, but he became one of the most legendary pirates of his time, even after piracy was officially banned.

Working in the Mediterranean rather than the Caribbean

Instead of working the fishing grounds typical of the Caribbean, Ward made his way to the Mediterranean.

At that time, he managed to seize a number of ships sailing in the Mediterranean, loaded with luxury goods exported from the Middle East to Europe, including the huge Venetian "Cadis" ships, which are characterized by sides armed with heavy spears and arrows, which achieved great success for him when he used them. in hacking campaigns.

Meanwhile, the British captain, famous for his successful operations and outrageous wealth, began communicating with Osman Dey (the Ottoman governor of Algiers) and became famous in North Africa as a "pirate of the nobility".

Retire from piracy and convert to Islam

The veteran pirate's success was short-lived and, as is the case with the true stories of many pirates, he soon suffered a crushing blow.

After re-equipping his giant ship with heavier defenses than it could bear, his crew got stuck in a severe sea storm and 350 of his squad drowned at sea, including Arab workers who joined his squad, but Ward survived with a limited number of his assistants.

Ward's reputation did not recover from the disaster when he returned to Tunisia, especially with the state of mourning that prevailed in the capital, mourning its members, whose death he caused because of his recklessness.

He was referred to as bad luck and pessimism, entering a long period of drunkenness and grief over his shattered project and his fleeting reputation.

Ward became close to Osman Dey, and around 1610 he and the rest of his crew decided to convert to Islam and settle permanently in Tunisia, to change his name after entering the new religion, Youssef Rais, and he married for the second time.

Ward's legend flourished even in his lifetime, as he became the subject of plays, pamphlets, poems and books that "demonized his exploits" as a dreamy, unbeatable pirate.