The pirate city captured and brought under royal control by Woodes Rogers in 1718 was Nassau.
Nassau, on New Providence Island in the Bahamas, had become a major base for pirates because its shallow harbor, weak authority, and position near important shipping routes made it useful for raiding and trading. After the War of the Spanish Succession ended, many privateers lost their legal commissions and continued attacking merchant vessels as pirates.
Woodes Rogers arrived in 1718 as the first royal governor of the Bahamas. He offered a royal pardon to pirates who surrendered and used military pressure against those who refused. His arrival marked a decisive stage in the British campaign to restore government on New Providence.
Nassau is often described as a pirate republic, but it was not an independent state recognized by European powers. The phrase refers to the loose, self-governing pirate community that operated there before Rogers established stronger British authority. Nassau later became the capital of the Bahamas.