Amaro Pargo

Amaro Rodríguez-Felipe y Tejera Machado was born on 3 May 1678 and made his name as both merchant and crown-sanctioned raider during the Golden Age of Piracy. He worked the Atlantic trade routes, hitting enemy cargo vessels while building a commercial empire of his own. The dual ledger defined him: he gave lavishly to religious causes and the destitute even as he seized ships under letters of marque. Spain recognized the service in 1725 with a declaration of Caballero hidalgo, then certified his nobility and granted royal arms two years later. He died on 4 October 1747, a privateer who'd earne…