This was in cooperation with the English pirate John Taylor. 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Based on what he uncovered, he believed the bounty was buried according to a complex riddle inspired by the 12 Labours of Hercules, and, after many years identified the treasure to be in the stunningly beautiful area of Bel Ombre on Mahs northern coast, surrounded by turquoise sea, lush vegetation and huge smooth granite boulders sculpted by the waves. Taken at face value, this plaintext would appear to have nothing at all to do with piracy or treasure or indeed Olivier Levasseur himself: rather, it looks much more like a scrambled (and multiply miscopied) recipe for a traditional folk remedy, or perhaps even a folk magic love spell. 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. Olivier Levasseur (known also by his nicknames 'La Buse', meaning 'the Buzzard', or 'La Bouche', meaning 'the Mouth') was a French pirate who was active during the 1st half of the 18th century. His nickname was apparently La Buse (The Buzzard), because he would swoop down with the speed of a bird of prey. Under this system, two fleets sailed each year from Seville (Cdiz from 1707), consisting of galleons, heavily armed with cannons, and merchant carracks, carrying manufactured goods (and later occasionally slaves). This he claimed to have done. The Etruscans, although enigmatic compared to the familiar civilizations of Greece and Rome, had a significant impact on the development of Roman civilization. However, some still find the lure interesting and containing a small nugget of truth. He broke up his crew in groups of 20 men, my father thought. Can you decipher the cryptogram he left behind ? In 1923 a certain Mrs. Savoy found some documents, describing Levasseurs treasure on a southern island of the Seychelles group. [Online]Available at: http://www.goldenageofpiracy.org/infamous-pirates/olivier-levasseur.php, Mojon, J.-M., 2009. The sentencing was even faster. He was sentenced to a death by hanging. Olivier Levasseur was born to a wealthy family in Calais at the end of the 17th century. In 1718, Levasseur narrowly avoided capture by Captain Francis Hume of the HMS Scarborough off the coast of La Blanquilla in the Eastern Caribbean. Gravestone traditionally attributed to La Buse (Olivier Levasseur) in Saint-Paul, Runion Olivier Levasseur (1688 or 1690 - 7 July 1730), was a pirate, nicknamed La Buse ( The Buzzard) or La Bouche ( The Mouth) in his early days, called thus because of the speed and ruthlessness with which he always attacked his enemies. Later that year, he was shipwrecked in the Mozambique Channel and stranded on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros. There was also a map from 1729 and she found out that the northern parts of Mahe belongd to "la Buze". He agreed to quit his piracy operation, however he was not about to give up his fortune. Levasseur survived the storm, narrowly escaping on a small brigantine ship that sailed in his fleet. 21 Royal Han Tombs Unearthed in China. His story is also a very complexing one, but he made a lasting impact on Levasseur. Needless to say, this peculiarity of Levasseurs has become one of the most iconic features in todays popular imagery of pirates. Olivier Levasseur (Calais, 1680 or 1690 - Runion, 7 July 1730), was a pirate, nicknamed La Buse or La Bouche (The Buzzard) in his early days. Before the execution, he suddenly threw a note with a cryptogram into the crowd, shouting: "Find my treasures if you can !" The treasure has still not been found.<br>Wow ! Olivier Levasseur was born in Calais, France, circa 1688 to 1690. LENENDELAMERDEBIENTECJEETSURRU You must log in or register to reply here. Cruise-Wilkins claimed to have discovered a connection with the Zodiac, the Clavicles of Solomon, and the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Does anyone know the current update situation on Levasseur's treasure quest in the Seychelles Islands? Then he leaves on Friday. By this time he was every inch a pirate, with years at sea and a rakish scar across one eye, later covered with a patch. 17th Century British Christmas Ban Led to Civil War, Eight Historic Lies about the Ancient World that will Blow Your Mind, Chicagos Replica Sword is Actually an Authentic 3,000-Year-Old Weapon. Available at: https://cipherfoundation.org/older-ciphers/la-buse-cryptogram/, Bath G.J. Wilkins had no difficulty in finding subscribers to the venture when he issued a prospectus. Does he have the code? In 1729, despite trying to lay low at the end of a nice little piracy career, Levasseur was captured. Tarchon and Tyrrhenus: The Etruscan Romulus and Remus? The two captains combined forces; Levasseur with his mostly French fleet, and Hornigold with his fleet, known as the Flying Gang. He quickly put a plan together, but with a lack of meteorologist in 1718, the crew was engulfed in a severe storm. Lost and Found Evidence of Extreme Size Life Forms Everywhere! If so, join our officialMystery Nibbles Facebook group and our officialSubReddit. The pirate then disappeared and is believed to have hidden his treasure on the Seychelles island of Mah. The Crown of Spain took a fifth of the wares and precious metals of private merchants, a tax known as the Quinto real. 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. Further, the treasure chamber must be reached at a certain point at low tide, with the water being dammed to prevent flooding. He stays 3 days. 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. It is unclear, however, if this was indeed the cryptogram that Levasseur had thrown into the crowd watching his execution, as the deciphered text seems to have little to do with either Levasseur or his treasure. Although his primary interest is in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, he is also interested in other geographical regions, as well as other time periods. Read More. Eventually he was captured near Fort Dauphin, Madagascar. During that time he hid his treasure, reputed to be 90,000,000 gold French francs and a hoard of other valuables. , Levasseur made the most lucrative capture of his pirating career: the Nossa Senhora do Cabo. And this brings to the actual main originators of the legends of buried treasure: Pirates. 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. He was famous for supposedly burying one of the worlds largest caches of treasure, and leaving behind a coded message as to where it is. DANSDUUI OOUQNDORMIRUNHOMMR The alliance between the two men would split almost as quickly as it was made. We know that he amassed a ton of treasure over the years. If you are thinking this all seems too good to be true, then there are some who would agree with you. Having recieved a rich education he became a naval officer and consequently a privater for the French crown. He attacked several ships in route, most notably a slave ship coming from Angola. These were the dramatic words shouted out to the crowd by the pirate Olivier Levasseur, also known as La Buse as the noose tightened around his neck at the gallows on Bourbon Island ( now called Reunion island). Bellamy did not want to leave the Caribbean, so he decided to stay behind. [Online]Available at: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170425-the-island-with-100-million-hidden, The Cipher Foundation, 2017. But that theory is highly improbable, seeing that he was trying to fly under everyones radar, and not raise any flags by selling bulk gold and gems, not to mention a solid gold cross covered in gems. Unfortunately, as if it might of made a difference, to avoid capsizing on the sandbar, the crew of the of the vessel dismounted and threw their 72 cannons overboard. The treasure chamber is somewhere underground and must be approached carefully, to avoid being flooded. What was the Deadly Cocoliztli Disease that Decimated Aztec Society? Olivier Levasseur. Spanish ships had brought treasure from the New World since Christopher Columbusfirst expedition of 1492, but a system of convoys started to be developed in the 1520s in response to attacks by privateers. One of them has been established to be a fake. Of course, the cryptogram could be just another fake committed around the same time when the Palmer-Kidd maps and Guayacn ciphers appeared, both forgeries. Most people accept the fact that there arent millions of dollars worth of pirates booty buried on beaches across the world. Hang around a minute, and we will discover what sealed Olivier Levasseurs legacy in the history books, forever. After so many obstacles placed in our way had been overcome, the bond was the final straw. 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. On the day of his execution, at the gallows, with the rope around his neck, he gave the world a mystery. The search was abandoned, and Wilkins died a few years later. In 1721, Levasseur and his associates then with 750 pirates over three ships came across a Portuguese galleon flying British colours, Nossa Senhora do Cabo, in the port of La Runion, then called Bourbon Island. I can just visualise the hands going up, the fight, to meet the paper in the air, John said wistfully. Pssst. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), he procured a Letter of Marque from king Louis XIV and became a privateer for the French crown. La Buse and John Taylor spotted a Portuguese great galleon ship called the Nossa Senora Della Cabo - translated as The Virgin of the Cape - that had anchored off Reunion Island to undergo some repairs for storm damage. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Up until this point in Levasseurs life, he had a widely successful career as a pirate. An old jar, which bore the name of a Bordeaux chemist, a rusty flint-lock pistol and a broken wine glass were amongst the many odd things which turned up deep below the surface. In 1729, 7 years after the capture of the Nossa Senora, La Buse was recognized by someone in port at Fort Dauphin in Madagascar. So, what are your thoughts? They landed 250 men on board and killed the crew. Until his death at Runion, Cruise-Wilkins sought and dug in the island of Mah. Posted in Adventure, Historical articles, History, Sea, Ships on Thursday, 2 June 2011. His vision continued to deteriorate until his vision was completely lost. His execution was scheduled for July 7th of 1730 at 5pm so that everyone could witness it. With a stolen merchant ship outfitted for warfare and heavily armed, Levasseur roamed Brazils Atlantic coast attacking any ships he felt he could take. . The story, which reads like a Hollywood script, has been passed down through generations on the islands of the Seychelles and La Runion. After a year of successful looting, the Hornigold party split, Levasseur partnering briefly with Samuel Bellamy[1] before deciding to try his luck on the Brazilian Coast aboard a stolen 22-gun merchant frigate named La Louise. They started to hunt down the pirates in earnest; yet it took five years to catch Levasseur. They pillaged and took every last piece of treasure they could get their hands on. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Belmez Faces: Mystery of the People in the Floor. He hurled a piece of parchment into the air, shouting 'My treasure for he who can understand. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. Surprisingly though, he managed to escape and make it back to the Caribbean with most of his looted fortune in hand. [Online]Available at: http://cipherfoundation.org/older-ciphers/la-buse-cryptogram/, www.levasseur.org, 2004. His son, Seychellois history teacher John, is currently still seeking the treasure, concluding that after using state-of-the-art equipment, he needs "to go back to the old method, [getting] into this guy's mind, [claiming he is] ten down, two to go in his Herculean Labours. Could he really be that close to Levasseurs hidden fortune, or is it all a myth, made up in the final moments of the legendary pirates life? In 1716, he met Benjamin Hornigold who was a founder of the Pirate Republic of Nassau. Did the Yuan Dynasty's Use of Paper Money Cause Hyperinflation? Please, Legend tells of a pirate named Olivier Levasseur who, while standing on the scaffold to be hanged, threw a necklace containing a 17-line, After a few more years of piracy, which included joining forces with an English pirate named. 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. All rights reserved. 1 Blackbeard. Source: phopsak / Adobe Stock. The Cryptogram of Olivier Levasseur. This ended the twos reign together on the seas. Various tasks, reflecting Herculess Labors, were to be completed in a precise order to access the treasure chamber.