James Plaintain (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1720–1728, John or James, last name also Plantain) was a pirate active in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. He is best known for using his pirate wealth to found a short-lived kingdom in

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

History

Plantain was English, born in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, and served as a sailor aboard Edward England's pirate flotilla (having once served on Christopher Condent's ''Dragon'') which captured the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

ship ''Cassandra'' from Captain James Macrae in 1720. After looting the ship, the collected pirates sailed to

, divided their plunder, and sailed their separate ways. Plantain and a number of others remained behind, some voluntarily and some not. With two others he moved to Ranter Bay (site of modern Rantabe), spending his plunder and befriending the Malagasy natives to build a settlement. He styled himself "King of Ranter Bay." He organized the locals to make war against their neighbors, using firearms to swing the battles his way. He kept himself and his allies supplied by trading with passing ships, offering food, water, supplies, and slaves taken as captives in wars against his neighbors in exchange for guns, gunpowder and shot, clothes, and other goods. The pirates, Plantain included, took multiple Malagasy wives and lavished them with treasures. He demanded the granddaughter of a neighboring king as his wife; the king refused, setting off a series of wars and counter-raids, from which Plantain eventually emerged victorious. A

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

squadron visited Madagascar in 1722 looking for John Taylor, Olivier Levasseur, and Edward England. Plantain advised them that the pirates had long since departed and invited the officers to visit his settlement. England himself was reportedly present, haggard, and nearing death; he had been deposed from command by Taylor on the grounds of being too kind to the ''Cassandras captain. Having made too many enemies on Madagascar, Plantain took his favored wife and moved to India in 1728, serving in the Maratha Navy under Admiral Kanhoji Angre. Plantain died some time prior to April 1737, still serving the Marathas under Angre. When he left to fight various battle, he generally buried his wealth on the island and dug it up when he returned, but rumors of Plantain's buried treasure persisted.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaintain, James 18th-century pirates Year of birth missing Year of death missing 18th-century Jamaican people British pirates Malagasy pirates Piracy in the Indian Ocean

History

See also

References