Bartholomew Roberts was arguably the most successful pirate of the Golden Age, capturing over 400 ships—far more than Blackbeard or Kidd. Known for his 'Pirate Code,' he enforced strict rules including no gambling for money, lights out at 8 PM, and a form of early health insurance for injured crew members. Unlike the drunken pirate trope, Roberts was famously teetotal, preferring tea to rum. His death in 1722 at the hands of the HMS Swallow marked the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. The Royal Navy began a systematic campaign to clear the seas of outlaws to protect the burgeoning Atlantic slave trade and merchant shipping, leading to the mass execution of pirates in the years following his death.