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Jonathan Wild

1683 - 1725

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Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was an English thief-taker and a major figure in London's criminal underworld, notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled the "Thief-Taker General". He simultaneously ran a significant criminal empire, and used his crimefighting role to remove rivals and launder the proceeds of his own crimes. Wild exploited a strong public demand for action during a major 18th-century crime wave in the absence of any effective police force in London. As a powerful gang-leader himself, he became a master manipulator of legal systems, collecting the rewards offered for valuables which he had stolen himself, bribing prison guards to release his colleagues, and blackmailing any who crossed him. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Jonathan Wild is the 176th most popular extremist (up from 213th in 2019), the 2,577th most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 3,245th in 2019) and the 11th most popular British Extremist.

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Among EXTREMISTS

Among extremists, Jonathan Wild ranks 176 out of 283Before him are Jerry Brudos, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ross Ulbricht, Baby Face Nelson, Ziad Jarrah, and Stefano Delle Chiaie. After him are Viktor Bout, Joaquin Murrieta, Ahmad Sa'adat, Perkin Warbeck, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, and Louis Farrakhan.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1683, Jonathan Wild ranks 18Before him are Johann David Heinichen, Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Edward Young, Burkhard Christoph von Münnich, Antoine Pesne, and Lorenz Heister. After him are Christian Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Giovanni Poleni, Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller, and Mark Catesby. Among people deceased in 1725, Jonathan Wild ranks 8Before him are Alessandro Scarlatti, Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Mahmud Hotak, José Benito de Churriguera, Arai Hakuseki, and René de Froulay de Tessé. After him are Christian August of Saxe-Zeitz, and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani.

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Others Deceased in 1725

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Jonathan Wild ranks 2,578 out of 8,785Before him are William Congreve (1670), Rebecca Clarke (1886), Francis Pym (1922), Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury (1948), John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (1886), and Mick Fleetwood (1947). After him are Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891), Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (1717), Joan of England, Queen of Scotland (1210), Edwin Arnold (1832), Leslie Johnson (1912), and Anne-Marie (1991).

Among EXTREMISTS In United Kingdom

Among extremists born in United Kingdom, Jonathan Wild ranks 11Before him are Harold Shipman (1946), Dennis Nilsen (1945), Fred West (1941), John Adams (1767), Peter Sutcliffe (1946), and Mary Bell (1957). After him are Guy Burgess (1911), Amelia Dyer (1837), Dick Turpin (1705), Mary Ann Cotton (1832), Tommy Robinson (1982), and John Bodkin Adams (1899).