Henry Every's 1695 capture of Mughal ships triggered the first recorded global manhunt and severely strained Anglo-Mughal relations.
Key Facts
- Date of capture
- 7 September 1695
- Loot value (contemporary)
- £600,000 in precious metals and jewels
- Loot value (2025 equivalent)
- ~£108 million
- Bounty offered for Every
- £1,000 combined by Privy Council and East India Company
- Pirate squadron size
- 6 vessels including Every's 46-gun frigate Fancy
- Mughal convoy size
- 25 ships bound for Mecca
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In August 1695, English pirate Henry Every sailed the 46-gun frigate Fancy to the Mandab Strait, joining five other pirate vessels to intercept the annual Mughal pilgrim convoy of 25 ships sailing toward Mecca. A 25-ship Mughal fleet had initially evaded the pirates during the night, but two stragglers — the Ganj-i-Sawai and her escort Fateh Muhammed — fell behind near the strait en route to Surat.
On 7 September 1695, Every's pirate squadron engaged and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai and the Fateh Muhammed, seizing up to £600,000 worth of precious metals and jewels. The Fateh Muhammed, though carrying 94 guns and larger than the Ganj-i-Sawai, was undermanned and unable to resist the pirates, making the capture of both vessels possible.
Every's raid severely damaged England's diplomatic relations with the Mughal Empire. The Privy Council and the East India Company jointly offered a £1,000 bounty for his capture, initiating what is considered the first global manhunt in recorded history. Every was never apprehended, and the fate of his treasure remains unknown to this day.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Henry Every, Thomas Tew.
Side B
1 belligerent