We all love a good mystery, and whats better than a treasure hunt? But more than likely, it was in fact true based on what we knew about his massive treasure haul. [Online]Available at: http://www.goldenageofpiracy.org/infamous-pirates/olivier-levasseur.php, Mojon, J.-M., 2009. One of them has been established to be a fake. Carved onto the necklace was seventeen lines of text in an unfamiliar script. Some of the earliest pirates of note did temporarily bury their, The Whydah sank in 1717 carrying hundreds of thousands of gold coins and other artifacts. In 1947, an Englishman by the name of Reginald Cruise-Wilkins set out to decrypt the message and discover the treasure. While the cipher is not directly linked to Oak Island, the activity in which it may be involved shares certain characteristics and there is a possibility that some of the elements of the story come from that other famous supposed cache of treasure. The legend that has become of Olivier Levasseur and his hidden treasure, has grown with global reach over the years. In the cryptogram it was written that strange things would be found. In 1724, the king of France, Louis the 15th, would extended an offer of amnesty to all pirates operating in the Indian Ocean. The work continued slowly, and expensively. EMINILFAUTQOEUTTOITANOITIECOUUE One of the most remarkable is that of the so-called Spotted Lake in British Columbia, Canada. These legendary riches turned out to be real, and are still waiting to be found. The pirate then disappeared and is believed to have hidden his treasure on the Seychelles island of Mah. $ 22.41 - $ 44.91. JavaScript is disabled. She got a copy of olivers code and began braking it. It wasnt because he felt the need to accessorize though. His is a story of hope and of never giving up, despite the odds. Not just gold, but garnets and An English metal detectorist has unearthed a medieval love ring made of gold and diamonds. He had his first taste of combat at the start of the 18th century, on board La Reine des Indes (The Indian Queen). The fortress was known as, and forgive me the pronunciation, Fort of Sao Joao Baptista de Ajuda. The treasure is rumoured to be in the Bel Ombre area on Mahs northern coast (Credit: Helen Soteriou). [Cocos Islands: Sharks of Treasure Island, a documentary film starring Jacques Cousteau and crew. His execution was scheduled for July 7th of 1730 at 5pm so that everyone could witness it. The government owns the land, so they are entitled to 50%, which is the law, he said. Levasseur began his new career as part of the Flying Gang, a group of pirates who were based in Nassau, on the island of New Providence, in the Bahamas. Numerous ships were captured, and Levasseur was voted to be captain of a ship again in 1719. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2022Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. 1 Blackbeard. 100 million worth of pirate treasure is reportedly is buried in Seychelles (Credit: Helen Soteriou). My plans are to recover the treasure. But La Buse didnt leave the Flying Gang empty handed. With the noose draped around his neck, the executioner asked if he had any final words. There are certain oddities in the story which invite skepticism, such as the loss of the original necklace, or the 200 year gap between Levasseurs death and Cruise-Wilkins picking up the thread of the tale. He then abandoned 240 stolen slaves on an island off Macae (next to Rio de Janeiro) before a Portuguese armed boat gave him chase. But thats the beauty in the fascination that drives us to continually try to find the answers, to what we have yet to lay our hands on. During the War of the Spanish Succession (17011714), he procured a letter of marque from King Louis XIV and became a privateer for the French crown. This was when a book called Le Flibustier Mysterieux was published in Paris, written by well-respected French marine historian Charles Bourrel de la Roncire. Does New Evidence Prove Noahs Ark Is Buried on a Turkish Mountain? However, the French government wanted a large part of the stolen loot back, so Levasseur decided to avoid the amnesty and settled down in secret on the Seychelles archipelago. His son John inherited both the nickname and the quest. 1920 a woman, on the isle of mahe in the indian ocean, found a rock with markings on it. Ready for a BIG treasure hunt? There Levasseur was informed of a rich French merchantman in the nearby bay of Paranagua. But it is illegal to dig up government land without a permit, and despite searching continuously since 1988, John was shut down by the government in 2009 until he can pay 250,000 rupees to get a license. Before she died, Berthe met a one-time Grenadier Guardsman, whose sole claim to military glory was mounting guard outside Buckingham Palace on one occasion. Incidents include 115 vessels boarded, 11 attempted attacks, 5 vessels fired upon and 1 vessel hijacked. If you enjoyed this story as we explored the fascinating history of Olivier Levasseur and his hidden treasures, please be sure to like, rate and subscribe. The two captains combined forces; Levasseur with his mostly French fleet, and Hornigold with his fleet, known as the Flying Gang. Raid the port city of Ouidah, take all the the gold and gems they could find, and kill anyone that would dare get in their way. Ive used all sorts of equipment: water pumps, rockdrills, jackhammers, hand tools, even excavators and blasting at certain times, [as well as] the latesttreasure detection equipment from Germany, he said. Whilst Levasseur was a notorious and much-feared pirate during his days, his greatest legacy is the alleged treasure that he had hidden. Though later on in life, he expressed deep remorse over acts that had taken place under his command: Inhumane treatment and merciless tortures inflicted on the poor Indians and their women still affected his soul". After skirmishes with the Brazilian and Portuguese at Ilha Grande and Ubatuba, where ten pirates were killed, La Louise took shelter in Cananeia for some days. The story of Levasseur's treasure was featured in the comic book series, Nelson, Laura "Samuel Bellamy and Olivier Levasseur Two Pirates Just Kickin' Around the Caribbean" in Pirates and Privateers, This page was last edited on 7 September 2022, at 15:43. Does he have the code? In June of that year, barely two months after the loss of La Louise Levasseur resurfaced in the Caribbean in a smaller vessel that he had managed to steal on his way back from Brazil. IVEUTSEFAIREDUNHMETSEDETESUDRE He received a hoity toity education and then became a naval officer. In 1716, he met Benjamin Hornigold who was a founder of the Pirate Republic of Nassau. Before his execution, Levasseur supposedly revealed the whereabouts of his buried loot through a cryptogram. When we in the modern world picture pirates of the golden age of sail, much of what comes into our heads is purest fantasy. Picture by. If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newslettercalled "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". They started to hunt down the pirates in earnest; yet it took five years to catch Levasseur. He persuaded Berthe to let him have a copy of the documents to see if he could decipher them. Him and his band of pirates were known to be ruthless on the seas, slaughtering, torturing, and raping people to lead them to their hidden loot. Levasseur and Taylor eventually got tired of England's humanity and marooned him on the island of Mauritius. His eyes twinkled and his smile was infectious. (Brave Heart/ CC BY NC ND 2.0 ). An art collector from New Mexico, who had a bright idea in 2010. He lived from 1680-1730, and was nicknamed La Buse or La Bouche (The Buzzard), due to the speed with which he threw himself on and ultimately overcame his enemies. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? To this day, his son John, is still actively seeking the treasure. From 1720 onwards, Levasseur launched his raids from a base on the island of Sainte-Marie, just off the coast of Madagascar, together with pirates John Taylor, Jasper Seagar,[5] and Edward England. Buoyed up by famous novels such as Treasure Island, or the more recent cinematic Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, our brains are filled with exciting nonsense about daring adventures, hidden treasure and X marking the spot. While La Buse was no saint by any stretch of the imagination, he was inspired by Every and wanted to get his piece of the loot for himself and crew. Found beneath what was a wooden floor, the collection of silver jewellery and coins tell a story of international trade almost A rare collection of silver objects believed to be from the Viking Age (8th-11th century) has been discovered in central Norways Stjrdal, near Trondheim. Levasseur took sole possession of the incredible solid gold cross, as the entire plan was in fact his idea. The sentencing was even faster. When the conflict ended in 1714, Versailles no longer needed its privateers. Together they plundered and pillaged, becoming the most hated and feared men on the high seas. After a few more years of piracy, which included joining forces with an English pirate named John Taylor, Levasseur made the most lucrative capture of his pirating career: the Nossa Senhora do Cabo. Also it is to be approached from the North.. The trial was a quick one as you might expect. He received a top education and trained as an architect. In 1947, an Englishman named Reginald Cruise Wilkins, Mrs.Savoy neighbors began to study the documents. According to the ex-guardsman, the instructions on how to find the treasure were based on the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece. Olivier Levasseur was a French pirate between 1688 and 1730. A pirates life was short and brutal. And that what he did for the next couple of years. in a cave he found a pirate sarcophagus. It's still there. John has searched more than 40 acres around the Bel Ombre area, exploring crevices and caverns, and uncovering what he thinks are pirate markings on rocks. In reality, the pirates of old were lawless thugs who terrorized merchant shipping, taking advantage of the relatively unexplored and unpoliced seas around the Caribbean, reaching upwards towards Florida. In early 1716, Levasseur was the captain of a pirate sloop called Postillion, and seems to have collaborated with the pirates Samuel Bellamy and Benjamin Hornigold. He reappeared in the Caribbean in June of 1718, roughly 3 months after his run in that left 80 of his men dead. The tree-covered island is one of about 360 small islands in Mahone Bay and rises to a maximum of 35 feet (11 m) above sea level. ( Public Domain ), Top Image: A typical depiction of a pirate. We known he was born between 1688 and 1697 to a wealthy family in Calais (Kal-aY), which was a major ferry port city in Northern France. The crew didnt know where the treasure chamber would be. For John, who inherited his fathers quest, the search has become his life (Credit: Helen Soteriou). He seized the entire payload from them, but did not rob them individually or kill them. Levasseur and his men found themselves off the coast of West Africa and decided to carry out their piratical activities there instead. step by step he broke the code. Eventually, probably tired of his life as it was, he joined the Benjamin Hornigold pirate company in 1716. Cruise Wilkins, for that was the name of the one-time guardsman, made an agreement with the owners permitting him to prospect for the treasure on their land. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. He quickly put a plan together, but with a lack of meteorologist in 1718, the crew was engulfed in a severe storm. Olivier Lavasseur and forty of his men would retreat to Antongil Bay, near Nosy Bohara, Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar. While giving it chase, La Louise was caught in a storm off Cotinga Island and sank on 9 March 1718, with the death of about 80 of its crew. . POVRENPECGERUNEFEMMEDHRENGTVOUSNAVE Did the Yuan Dynasty's Use of Paper Money Cause Hyperinflation? Later that year, he was shipwrecked in the Mozambique Channel and stranded on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros. According to researchers and historians, the hoard contains more than 50,000 gems such as diamonds, sapphires, and ancient artifacts. In 1724, Levasseur sent a negotiator to the governor on the island of Bourbon (present-day Runion) to discuss an amnesty that had been offered to all pirates in the Indian Ocean who would give up their practice. In his ship Le Victorieux, he met and joined forces with an equally disreputable Englishman named Taylor and his band of cutthroats on their vessel Defence. Even after all these years of searching, he was still the storybook boy hero armed with his backpack and treasure map, trying to piece together the puzzle. What if the pirate Levasseur truly left a clue to his very real and very missing treasure, one which has remained undeciphered to this day? The skirmishes had taken their toll and his crew were reduced in number with a further ten being murdered at Ubatuba. And the verdict? In 1730, Levasseur was captured and sent to Saint-Denis, on the island of Runion, where he was hung for piracy. Some of these stories may have inspired Forrest Fenn. #2. Except for a sprinkling of gold dustless than one ounce so farno treasure has been found aboard the vessel likely piloted by Edward Teach, the British-born pirate known as Blackbeard. More Info On- Famous Italian Explorers, Female Pirates, Ports, Ships. They thought my father was crazy. He died on 3 May 1977 before he broke the last piece of code. The Oregon Meteorite Mystery: Was the Port Orford Incident a Hoax? This episode was written and produced by me, Bradley Hall. I didnt expect a warm welcome; John is constantly hounded by writers and locals who stop him wherever he is, asking if he is looking for buried treasure. We know that he amassed a ton of treasure over the years. No, he had sort of a prominent member tag along with him that you may have heard of. Our virtual escape room/mystery series will test you with quite a few riddles along the way. Stay tuned for the release of Part 1: The Missing Detective in early summer! The finding of the tunnels caused the Seychelles Government to take a mild interest in the venture by contributing a modest sum of money towards the mounting cost of the search. He decided to pack up his talents, and head to the Bahamas. Seated Silver Coins Galore! You must log in or register to reply here. In recent years, images of a previously unknown second version of the cryptogram began appearing on the Internet: Even though this contains broadly the same seventeen line cryptogram (though with a number of minor differences), it also has an additional five lines that were written using the same cipher system, which can be decrypted to read: Elsewhere on the picture are the words LA BUSE (again enciphered using the same system), along with a drawing of a pirate (presumably La Buse) about to be hanged in front of a church (La Buse was taken to Runion and hanged there for piracy on 7th July 1730), along with a number of pirate-style features a copy of a map of the Caribbean, various pirate ships and prize ships, treasure, powder kegs, and numerous stylized details. To date, Levasseurs treasure has yet to be found. Legend tells of a pirate named Olivier Levasseur who, while standing on the scaffold to be hanged, threw a necklace containing a 17-line cryptogram into the crowd while exclaiming: "Find my treasure, he who can!" The necklace has been lost, but the cryptogram has lived on. On board was the Count of Ericeira, Viceroy of Portuguese India, and its hold had ~10 years of accumulated treasures - gold, diamonds, jewellery, spices, cloth, fine wood and more. She tould her friend, Reginald Herbert Cruise-Wilkins, in 1949. and he continud the hunt. He raced from safe harbor to safe harbor, at Cananeia, at Ilha Grande and at Ubatuba, always driven on by the relentless Portuguese. Had some earlier searchers planted these things there? The Dramatic True Story Behind Disney's Mulan, The Legendary Powers of a Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions. This brings us to April of 1721. During the period when Levasseur was operating off the coast of West Africa, he was working together with such pirates as Howell Davis, Thomas Cocklyn, John Taylor, and Edward England. The story, which reads like a Hollywood script, has been passed down through generations on the islands of the Seychelles and La Runion. It was located off of what is now modern day Benin in West Africa. Background on La Buse. The Great Mughal's heavily armed but also heavily laden pilgrim ships to Mecca sailed these seas. Wilkins had no difficulty in finding subscribers to the venture when he issued a prospectus. It would appear, that escaping justice, wasnt in the hand he was dealt. It was so heavy that it required three men to carry it to Levasseur's ship. And so he didnt. Top Image: Can you find Levasseurs hidden treasure? He grew up with the treasure hunt and its all hes ever known. Here is one version of many that are floating around the Internet, with spaces guessed at to help make it a little more readable:-. He concluded that instead of using advanced technology to locate the treasure, he needed to go back to the old method of getting into Levasseurs mind. Eight years later, La Buse, already thought forgotten, is captured and taken first to Saint Denis and later to Saint Paul by order of the new governor Pierre Benot Dumas, a former pirate himself. Funds again started to run low when the final blow came: the spring tides rushed in and flooded the workings before any treasure was found. 'S ship that year, he joined the Benjamin Hornigold who was French... English metal detectorist has unearthed a medieval love ring made of gold and.! Who had a bright idea in 2010 may 1977 before he broke the last piece code! They are entitled to 50 %, which is the alleged treasure he! Also heavily laden pilgrim ships to Mecca sailed these seas, that escaping justice, in! 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