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Michel de Grammont

Michel de Grammont
Grammon2.gif
Born c. 1645
Paris, France
Died April 1686
near St. Augustine, Florida
Piratical career
Nickname Chevalier de Grammont
Type Buccaneer
Allegiance France
Years active c. 1670 - 1686
Rank Admiral
Base of operations Caribbean
Commands Hardi

Michel de Grammont (c. 1645 – 1686?) was a French pirate. He was born in Paris, France and was lost at sea in the north-east Caribbean, April 1686. His pirate career lasted from around 1670 to 1686 during which he commanded the flagship Hardi. Primarily attacked Spanish holdings in Maracaibo, Gibraltar, Trujillo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Cumana and Veracruz.

Chevalier de Grammont was a nobleman who came into disfavour after killing his sister's suitor in a duel. Forced to leave France, he went to Hispaniola where he was given a French ship and served as a privateer. His first success was the capture of a Dutch convoy, valued at about 400,000 livres (US$4 million). On his next voyage he ran on a reef and sank. Grammont moved to Tortuga where he bought and outfitted a new ship which he used to attack Spanish shipping. When war broke out between France and the Dutch Republic in 1678, he joined a fleet under the command of Comte d'Estrées for an abortive raid on the Dutch island of Curaçao; however, the entire fleet of 17 vessels was wrecked on the Las Aves Archipelago.

In June 1678 he was made commander of the six ships and 700 men salvaged from the Las Aves Disaster. De Grammont landed his men in Spanish-held Venezuela and captured Maracaibo, as well as several smaller towns including Gibraltar, penetrating as far inland as Trujillo. For the next six months the pirates plundered the entire region. This was followed by another successful raid on the Venezuelan port of La Guaira, captured in a daring night attack, though the buccaneers only escaped with difficulty when attacked by a larger Spanish force.


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