THE HISTORY LOCKER · PIRATE PROFILE

Michel le Basque

The Buccaneer Who Led the Men Ashore

Michel le Basque was a French Basque buccaneer who joined forces with François L’Olonnais in 1666 to raid the Spanish settlements around Lake Maracaibo. In Alexandre Exquemelin’s account, the two men divided the command. L’Olonnais took charge of the fleet, while Le Basque led the men ashore.

The Major of Tortuga

We know little about Le Basque before the Maracaibo expedition. The original Dutch edition of Exquemelin’s account identifies him as the major of Tortuga. That detail matters because another writer, the French chronicler Jean-Baptiste Du Tertre, names the island’s major, the sieur d’Artigny, in connection with the same expedition. Historian Raynald Laprise identifies the two men as the same person.

The identification is persuasive. Two accounts place a man holding the same post on the same expedition, and both connect him with the command ashore. It also gives us a clearer picture of the man behind the nickname. If Laprise is right, Le Basque already held a position of responsibility on Tortuga before he sailed with L’Olonnais.

QUICK FACTS

Known as:
Michel le Basque

Possible identity:
Michel d’Artigny, major of Tortuga

Origin:
French Basque

Active:
Documented in connection with the 1666 Maracaibo expedition

Base of operations:
Tortuga

Known for:
Leading the buccaneers ashore during the raids on Maracaibo and Gibraltar

Associated with:
François L’Olonnais

Died:
Date and place unknown

Dates and details are approximate; much of Le Basque's life remains undocumented.

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HISTORY MEETS FICTION

Le Basque in The Pirate’s Wake

Le Basque appears briefly in The Pirate’s Wake among the buccaneer captains gathered on Tortuga. His presence gives a sense of the company Jacob Penjerrick has fallen into, where L’Olonnais must deal with captains accustomed to making their own decisions.

DISCOVER THE PIRATE’S WAKE