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From Caper to Pirate
The necklaces that supposedly engraved a cryptogram indicating where the famous pirate’s huge treasure was hidden were long lost, if they existed at all. The authenticity of the pirate Olivier Levasseuro (1688-1730) is beyond doubt. His life and adventures are well documented. He was a famous French pirate who was active in the 18th century. in the first half.
He was born in Calais to a wealthy family and received an excellent education. This helped him become an officer and captain in the French navy. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), which took place between the great European states, King Louis XIV granted him a patent for capers. It was the official permission of the authorities to attack and rob ships that transported cargo to countries hostile to the French crown.
Former captains got used to a predatory lifestyle, becoming true pirates who were not subject to any laws. Captain O. Levasseur did not resist such a temptation. At the end of the war, he was ordered to return home, but a former subordinate of the King of France chose another path.
Symbol: Pirate flag of O. Levasseuro – black human skeleton on white background. / Editorial file photo
1716 Levevaseur joined the company of the English pirate Benjamin Hornigold. Their “business” relationship was short-lived, but it was enough for Levassuer to ignite a passion for piracy.
Levasseur soon settled on St. Mary’s Island near Madagascar with pirate leaders John Taylor, Jasper Seagar, and Edward England. From there, they organized many successful raids, attacking British ships from East India and the Mughal Empire. Some of them transported valuable goods to Europe, others transported wealthy worshipers to Mecca.
A huge treasure
Once upon a time, O. Levasseur and his friend J. Taylor smiled with incredible success. Early in the morning of Sunday in 1721. On April 20 they arrived at the port of Saint Denis on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean without even feeling the pleasant surprise that awaits them here.
At that time, a huge Portuguese galleon, Nossa Senhora do Cabo, was in port. She brought home the Portuguese Vice Queens of India and their entire entourage after a 10-year mission to India, as well as the fabulous fortunes accumulated during that period. On the way, the ship was hit by a storm and severely damaged, causing it to suddenly find itself in the port of Saint-Denis.
That morning most of the Portuguese sailors and the ship’s honorable passengers disembarked. When they saw the two English flag ships arrive, they were ready to receive them.
Location: tomb of the pirate O. Levevasseur in the cemetery of Saint Paul on the island of Reunion. / Editorial file photo
To their great surprise, those ships stopped on either side of Nossa Senhora do Cabo and suddenly raised the pirate flag.
A few cannon shots were heard, but the Portuguese had nothing to respond to. During the storm, the crew threw all 72 guns overboard to prevent the ship from capsizing. The pirates hijacked the treasure ship.
His loot consisted of dozens of gold and silver ingots, dozens of boxes with gold coins, diamonds and pearls, works of art and silk fabrics. Among the most valuable items in the documents is a heavy gold cross from the Goa Cathedral encrusted with diamonds and rubies. It was the largest capture in the history of piracy. According to experts, it is worth more than a billion euros.
After the renovations, Nossa Senhora do Cabo was renamed Le Victorieux (“Winner”). Under the leadership of Taylor and Levasseur, the pirates set out in their new ship to continue the “hunt” in the Indian Ocean.
End of career and life
After a long and incredibly successful career as a pirate, Levasseur decided it was time to retire. Before that, he tried to appeal to the French government in hopes of an amnesty, which was offered to all pirates in the Indian Ocean to surrender. Unfortunately, the deal was only valid if the pirate gave away a larger portion of the seized property. Mr. Levasseur did not want to share the treasure with the state, so he decided to secretly settle in the Seychelles.
Pirate: O. Levevasseur based on a drawing by Michael Faure. / Editorial file photo
By 1729 the former pirate had already worked as a pilot in Antongil Bay in Madagascar, offering services to passing ships. He once boarded a ship belonging to the British East India Company, Le Meduse, which had to be brought into port. The ship’s captain recognized them and handed them over to the authorities. The former iron-legged pirate was brought to the town of Saint-Denis in Reunion, where he stole a Portuguese ship many years ago. The trial was speedy and the verdict was ruthless.
1730 July 7 5 pm after the south, the pirate was executed by hanging. It is said that then before the execution he shouted those enigmatic words.
Pirate treasure hunt
Somewhere hidden, the treasure of O. Levevasseur, despite many attempts, is still not found, although there are those who have dedicated their lives to its search and are not willing to give up.
The upheaval began in 1923 with the appearance of references and documents that may have been related to the Levasseur treasure. Naval historian and curator of the National Library of France Charles de La Ronciere, as, 1934. On July 15, in an interview with a magazine, he stated that he had been consulted in eighteenth-century research. cryptogram. It allegedly belonged to a young woman whose name he kept secret at the time.
Imagination: this was the pirate ship Nossa Senhora do Cabo, which was the greatest treasure of all time. / Photo from Pirate-ship-of-seychelles.com.
It is already known today that it was Rose Savy from the Seychelles archipelago. In 1923 on her private property on Mahé Island, she found several stones with carved symbols reminiscent of a cryptogram. This document could not be deciphered, but it triggered a veritable treasure hunt for Mr. Levasseur, which continues to this day. It was further driven by the historian Le Flibustier Mysterieux (The Mysterious Flibustier), later published by the aforementioned historian.
Mahe is a small island in the Indian Ocean where everyone knows each other. Savy’s neighbor, Reginald Cruise-Wilkins, excavated Mahe Island for more than 30 years until his death (1977), sparing no effort. Except for two old pistols, some coins, and probably the pirate skeletons found in the cave, he found nothing else.
His son, Seychelles history teacher John Wilkins, is still searching for a mysterious treasure. Today, he is known as the “treasure man” and offers tourists tours of the famous Bel Ombre treasure park, where Savy discovered strangely shaped stones.
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