Blackbeard

"If I don't kill a man every now and then, they'd forget who I am."

- Blackbeard to Angelica

Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious pirate in the Caribbean Sea during the first half of the 18th century. His best known vessel was the Queen Anne's Revenge, which he captured from the French in 1717. He was also said to be incredibly cruel to his own crew, more so then the people he held captive. He occasionally murdered men, some including members of his own crew, just so they could remember who he was. According to the Pirate Lore, Teach was killed by Royal Marines during the battle of Ocracoke Inlet in 1718. However, that was only a legend. Blackeard has escaped from the British with Angelica, his young daughter. He survived long enough to grow old, and after the war against piracy, he begun to search for the Fountain of Youth.

Early life
"Meet Captain Edward Teach, better known as 'Blackbeard'!"

- Jack Sparrow to Will Turner

Blackbeard's real name is not definitely known, though he was generally called Edward Teach. Nevertheless, he is referred to in some documents as Edward Thatch or even Edward Drummond. He is thought to have been born in Bristol, but some writers claim New York, California, Philadelphia, or even Denmark as his home. Teach (or Thatch) went to sea at an early age. He served on an English ship in the Queen Anne's War, privateering in the Spanish West Indies and along the Spanish Main. At the war's end in 1714, Teach, like many other former privateers, turned to piracy.

Blackbeard the Pirate
"Curiously, Blackbeard was not as feared as all lent."

- David Cordingly in the Below Deck/Blackbeard DVD(BD) featurette.

Teach began as a pirate under Benjamin Hornigold. In 1718, Hornigold retired, taking advantage of an amnesty offered to former privateers by the British government. Teach then took command of his own ship.

During the next two years, Teach cultivated a reputation for cruelty, repeatedly preying on coastal settlements of the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America. According to Charles Johnson, Blackbeard fought a running duel with the British thirty-gun man-of-war HMS Scarborough, which added to his notoriety. However, historian David Cordingly has noted that the Scarborough's log has no mention of any such battle.

Blackbeard would plunder merchant ships, forcing them to allow his crew to board their ship. The pirates would seize all of the valuables, food, liquor, and weapons. Ironically, despite his ferocious reputation, there are no verified accounts of him actually killing anyone. He generally prevailed by fear alone.

However, colourful legends and vivid contemporary newspaper portrayals had him committing acts of cruelty and terror. One tale claims he shot his own first mate, saying "if he didn’t shoot one or two [crewmen] now and then, they’d forget who he was." Another legend is that having had too much to drink, he said to his crew, "Come, let us make a hell of our own, and try how long we can bear it." Going into the ship's hold, they closed the hatches, filled several pots with brimstone and set it on fire. Soon the men were coughing and gasping for air from the sulphurous fumes. All except Blackbeard scrambled out for fresh air. According to Captain Charles Johnson's A General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates: ''Before he sailed upon his adventures, he married a young creature of about sixteen years of age. . . and this I have been informed, made Teach's fourteenth wife. . . with whom after he had lain all night, it was his custom to invite five or six of his brutal companions to come ashore, and he would force her to prostitute herself to them all, one after another, before his face.''

Teach had headquarters in both the Bahamas and the Carolinas. He lived on the island of New Providence, in the city of Nassau where he was named the Magistrate of the "Privateers Republic". Governor Charles Eden of North Carolina received booty from Teach in return for unofficial protection and gave him an official pardon. He left Nassau to avoid meeting with Royal Governor Woodes Rogers, unlike the majority of the pirate inhabitants who welcomed the governor and accepted the Royal Pardons he brought.

Notable incidents

 * 1) Along with Hornigold he captured the slave ship La Concorde de Nantes, later renamed Queen Anne's Revenge.
 * 2) The HMS Scarborough man-of-war (30-guns) failed against Teach's ship.
 * 3) Teach met the pirate sloop Revenge, commanded by Major Stede Bonnet. Teach joined Bonnet but since Bonnet was an inexperienced seafarer, Teach put one of his own men in charge of his ship and took Bonnet on his crew.
 * 4) Richards (the man Teach put in charge of Bonnet's ship) in the sloop Revenge defeated another sloop the Adventure.
 * 5) Teach took a ship called Protestant Caesar belonging to Captain Wyar and four sloops. The sloops belonged to Jonathan Bernard (of which 3 belonged to him) and Captain James. One sloop was later burned to spite the owner and after she had been plundered, the Protestant Caesar was burned because she belonged to Boston, where pirates had been hung. Bernard's ships were released.
 * 6) On the way to Carolina they had taken down two sloops and a brigantine who had been in their way.
 * 7) Robert Clark's ship, heading for London was taken and a day later another ship and two pinks were struck by the pirate. Another brigantine was also struck. This would cause terror in the town of Carolina which all ships were plundered at. After their demands were later met, Teach allowed all captured ships to leave.
 * 8) Teach manned a ship dubbed "man-of-war". Richard and another man, Israel Hands, manned two sloops along with another sloop. Teach would later break the company up through treachery (Richards sloop was run ashore, for example).

Blockade of Charleston
"He did attack the port of Charleston."

- David Cordingly in the Below Deck/Blackbeard DVD(BD) featurette.



Blackbeard's chief claim to fame is his blockade of Charleston, South Carolina. In approximately late May of 1718, Blackbeard entered the mouth of Charleston harbour with the Queen Anne's Revenge and three lighter vessels. He plundered five merchant freighters attempting to enter or leave the port. No other vessels could transit the harbour for fear of encountering the pirate squadron.

Aboard one of the ships that Blackbeard captured in the harbour mouth was a group of prominent Charleston citizens. Blackbeard held these hostages for ransom, making an unusual demand: a chest of medicines. He sent a deputation ashore to negotiate this ransom. Due partly to his envoys' preference for carousing rather than bargaining, the ransom took some days to be delivered, and Blackbeard evidently came close to murdering his prisoners. Eventually, the medicines were turned over, and Blackbeard released the hostages, sans all their clothing but otherwise unharmed. Blackbeard's whole squadron then escaped northward.

Shortly afterward, Blackbeard ran two of his vessels aground at Topsail Inlet (now Beaufort Inlet), including the Queen Anne's Revenge. He has been accused by many, including his own crew, of doing this deliberately in order to downsize his crew and increase his own share of the treasure. Deliberate or not, he stripped three of the ships of all treasure, beached or marooned most of his crew, and went to Bath, North Carolina, where he finally accepted a Pardon under the Royal Act of Grace. The governor preformed the marriage ceremony for his 14th wife (twelve of his previous wives were believed still alive). However Blackbeard later went back into his old pirate ways. He then went off to Ocracoke Inlet in the last of his four vessels, the sloop Adventure, to enjoy his loot.

Defeat & "Death"
"Blackbeard’s death in Ocracoke inlet has become the most popular and famous pirate battle because it was well published in that time."

- David Cordingly in the Below Deck/Blackbeard DVD(BD) featurette.

Having accepted a Pardon, Teach had apparently retired from piracy. However, Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia became concerned that the notorious freebooter lived nearby. Spotswood decided to eliminate Blackbeard, even though he lived outside of Spotswood's jurisdiction.

Blackbeard operated in coastal waters; it was difficult for ships of the line to engage him in battle. As such, two smaller hired sloops were therefore put under the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard, with instructions from Spotswood to hunt down and destroy Blackbeard, offering a reward of £100, and smaller sums for the lesser crew members. Maynard sailed from James River on November 11, 1718, in command of thirty men from HMS Pearl, and twenty-five men and a midshipman of HMS Lyme, and in command of the hired sloops, the Ranger and Jane (temporarily commissioned as His Majesty's Ships to avoid accusations of piracy themselves). Maynard found the pirates anchored in a North Carolina inlet on the inner side of Ocracoke Island, on the evening of November 21. Maynard and his men decided to wait until the following morning because the tide would be more favourable. Blackbeard's Adventure had a crew of only nineteen, "Thirteen white and six Negroes", as reported to the Admiralty. A small boat was sent ahead at daybreak, was fired upon, and quickly retreated. Blackbeard's superior knowledge of the inlet was of much help, although he and his crew had been drinking in his cabin the night prior. Throughout the night Blackbeard waited for Maynard to make his move. Blackbeard cut his anchor cable and quickly attempted to move towards a narrow channel. Maynard made chase; however his sloops ran aground, and there was a shouted exchange between captains. Maynard's account says, "At our first salutation, he drank Damnation to me and my Men, whom he stil'd Cowardly Puppies, saying, He would neither give nor take Quarter", although many different versions of the dialogue exist. Eventually, Maynard's sloops were able to float freely again, and he began to row towards Blackbeard, since the wind was not strong enough at the time for setting sail. When they came upon Blackbeard's Adventure, they were hit with a devastating broadside attack. Midshipman Hyde, captain of the smaller HMS Jane, was killed along with six other men. Ten men were also wounded in the surprise attack. The sloop fell astern and was little help in the following action. Maynard continued his pursuit in HMS Ranger, managing to blast the Adventure's rigging, forcing it ashore. Maynard ordered many of his crew into the holds and readied to be boarded. As his ship approached, Blackbeard saw the mostly empty decks, assumed it was safe to board, and did so with ten men.

Maynard's men emerged, and the battle began. According to the Pirate Lore, Teach was killed during the battle. Legends about his death immediately sprang up, including the oft-repeated claim that Teach's headless body, after being thrown overboard, swam between 2 and 7 times around the Adventure before sinking. Teach's head was placed as a trophy on the bowsprit of the ship (it was also required by Maynard to claim his prize when he returned home). After the sheer terror of the battle with the pirates, and the wounds that the crew received, Maynard still only acquired his meagre prize of £100 from Spotswood. The naval crewmen each had been given £300 as an reward, however because of his ship had held little plunder they were denied the full bounty on his crew’s heads. His crewmembers were all but two executed. Later, Teach's head hung from a pike in Bath Town.

However, Blackbeard was not killed at all. He escaped with his treasure (probably by making a deal with Maynard and his men) and he went into hiding in some secret place with Angelica, his young daughter. He survived long enough to grow old, and after the war against piracy, he begun to search for the Fountain of Youth on his old ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.

The search for the Fountain of Youth
"If I do not make it to the Fountain...neither will you."

- Blackbeard to Jack Sparrow



The first step in Blackbeard's search for the Fountain was to locate Jack Sparrow, a pirate captain with whom his daughter Angelica had a relationship in the past. Many of Jack's adventures involved the supernatural, and he also possessed a unique compass along with a map which had the exact location of the Fountain. When Blackbeard and Angelica found Jack, they forced him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, and began their quest for the legendary spring. Along the way, they encountered mermaids, zombies, and all sorts of cutthroats.

Personality and traits, equipment and skills
"Blackbeard has become one of the most notorious pirates because he was a great sort of self-promoter."

- David Cordingly in the Below Deck/Blackbeard DVD(BD) featurette.

Blackbeard often fought, or simply showed himself, wearing a big feathered tricorn, and having multiple swords, knives, and pistols at his disposal. It was reported in the General History of Pyrates that he had hemp and lighted matches woven into his enormous black beard during battle. (Another reference claimed he failed to grow it to a great length, however it came up to his eyes across his face). Accounts of people who saw him fighting say that they thought he "looked like the devil" with his fearsome face and the smoke cloud around his head. This image, which he cultivated, has made him the premier image of the seafaring pirate.

Blackbeard is also known as the inventor of a new type of grenades; He filled empty bottles with gunpowder, scatter and small pieces of iron or lead. Such grenades were very useful for pirates as they killed and wounded enemy crewmembers without damaging the ship. Three grenades were thrown on Maynard's men during Blackbeard's battle at Ocracoke Inlet.

Blackbeard is an excellent swordsman, thanks to the long years of fighting at sea. He also taught his daughter Angelica in sword fighting, and made of her a dangerous fighter.

Blackbeard is a great alcoholic, and he was rumored to mix his rum in gunpowder and light it on fire before he drank it.

Behind the scenes
"You've ruined us all."

- Blackbeard to Capitaine Chevalle
 * Blackbeard was portrayed by English actor Ian McShane in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is loosely based on the novel On Stranger Tides. This makes Blackbeard the first historical pirate that appears in POTC film series.
 * In real-world history, Blackbeard was killed at Ocracoke Inlet in 1718. Also, his body had been shot no less than 5 times and around 20 severe cuts around his body.
 * His career as a pirate was made famous by the book, A General History of the robberies & murders of the most notorious Pyrates, which contained detailed accounts of his actions at sea.
 * In non-canonical Disney Adventures comic The Buccaneer's Heart!, Blackbeard's spirit was imprisoned in the Buccaneer's Heart, and was ultimately freed when Will Turner smashed the object.
 * In the first screenplay draft of At World's End, Blackbeard was one of the pirates present at the Brethren Court. He attempted to kill Capitaine Chevalle for losing his Piece of eight, the Magellan's ring, to Lord Cutler Beckett, in the game of cards years ago in the South China Seas.
 * Blackbeard was the featured centrepiece of the famous Disneyland attraction (as captain of the pirate vessel called Wicked Wench) from 1967 to mid-2006, when he was replaced by Hector Barbossa. Blackbeard was voiced by Paul Frees.
 * The characters Jacoby and Black Smoke James are based on Blackbeard; in the commentary, Keira Knightley called Jacoby Blackbeard.
 * Eduardo Villanueva uses the same flag as the one normally attributed to Blackbeard, Captain Edward Teague uses a similar design.
 * The Name Teague is a tribute to Edward Teach, Eduardo Villanueva’s name too. The name Black Pearl might be a tribute to the HMS Pearl.
 * A BBC miniseries about Blackbeard was entitled Blackbeard: The Real Pirate Of The Caribbean as a tribute to Pirates of the Caribbean.
 * Some fans believe that the 1968 Disney movie Blackbeard's Ghost features the same ghost as The Buccaneer’s Heart! making the latter some kind of prequel to this movie. This speculation was proven false by the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
 * Prior to the release of At World's End many fans believed that Blackbeard will be present at the Brethren Court. This is probably because Villanueva's flag, which was seen in the trailer, is similar to the one attached to Blackbeard. However, it is not impossible that Blackbeard once was a Pirate Lord.
 * One of the featurettes on the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD/Blue Ray edition is about Blackbeard.
 * Blackbeard is the main villain in Tim Powers' novel, On Stranger Tides. In the novel, his real name is Johnny Con.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties
 * The Buccaneer's Heart!
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
 * Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)