On 7 September 1695, the 25-ship Grand Mughal fleet was returning through the Red Sea after its annual pilgrimage to Mecca when it was attacked by five pirate ships. In the ensuing battle, the pirates’ leader, an Englishman variously known as Henry Avery, Henry Every, the King of Pirates and Long Ben, seized precious jewels and metals worth £600,000 – equivalent to around £97.1 million today.
The British government, hoping to appease the furious emperor, declared Avery ‘an enemy of all mankind’
The furious Mughal emperor Aurengzeb accused Britain of complicity in the raid and threatened to expel East India Company representatives from India. The British government, seeking to appease the emperor, launched the first international manhunt, declaring Avery ‘an enemy of all mankind’. The pirate booty was never recovered, nor, while six of his fellow pirates were hanged, was Avery ever brought to justice. One story has it he was buried a pauper in Barnstaple.
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