Blackbeard

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

- Blackbeard to Angelica

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English 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 known to be incredibly cruel to his own crew, more so than the people he held captive. Blackbeard occasionally murdered men, some including members of his crew, just so they could remember who he was. He would sometimes resurrect the few of the men he killed, with the supernatural powers of his sword, into obedient zombies.

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. Through unknown circumstances, Blackbeard had escaped and later met with Angelica, his young daughter. He survived long enough to grow old, around the end of the War Against Piracy. After his quartermaster predicted his death, he became interested in finding the Fountain of Youth. After having Jack Sparrow shanghaied into service aboard the Revenge, the dangerous quest for the Fountain began.

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. It was believed that he was born in Bristol. Teach (or Thatch) went to sea at an early age. He served on an English privateer ship in the Queen Anne's War, sailing from Jamaica and fighting against the Spanish and the French in the Spanish West Indies and along the Spanish Main. At the war's end in 1714, the British government decided to withdraw all Letters of Marque, and Teach found himself unemployed.

Notable crimes
"Blackbeard. Edward Teach. The pirate all pirates fear. Resurrector of the dead in his spare time."

- Jack Sparrow concerning Blackbeard

Like many other former privateers, Teach decided to turn to piracy. He sailed for New Providence where he joined the pirate crew of captain Benjamin Hornigold. Soon, Teach earned Hornigold's trust and became the First Mate on his ship, the Ranger. Not long after, Hornigold placed Teach in charge of a sloop which he took as a prize.

At some point toward the end of 1717, Hornigold retired from piracy. Along with many of the other occupants of New Providence, Hornigold accepted the Royal Pardon from Governor Woodes Rogers. Soon, off the coast of Martinique, Teach captured La Concorde de Nantes, a French frigate on a slave trading voyage from Africa. Teach took her as a prize, converted her into a pirate ship, increased the number of cannons to 38, and renamed her the Queen Anne's Revenge. He began to wear a long beard, eventually becoming known as Blackbeard. "Edward Teach! For crimes committed on the high seas, by the authority granted to me by His Majesty the King, with the goodly amount of personal satisfaction, I hereby place you in the custody of the court, and declare you to be my prisoner." "My trick's out, is that it?" "Such crimes to include but are not limited to piracy, treason, murder, torture of the most heinous sorts, including the brutal theft of one used, twisted, hairy right leg!"

- Hector Barbossa and Blackbeard

Teach's next battle was with the large British merchantman, the Great Allen, off the coast of St. Vincent. After a lengthy battle Blackbeard took the ship. The crew of the captured ship was sent to shore in the longboats, but the cargo was plundered, and the ship burned and left to sink. Shortly after, Blackbeard's small fleet encountered the HMS Scarborough, a 30-gun frigate of the British Royal Navy. The Navy ship engaged the pirates, but after four hours of fighting, the pirates forced the attackers to retreat. The Scarborough escaped back to her home port, and Blackbeard's notoriety increased.

During the next few months, Blackbeard preyed on coastal settlements of the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America. He plundered around forty merchant ships, sparing the crews and ships which surrendered immediately, but burning the ships of those who resisted. The Protestant Caesar, a merchant ship from Boston, was burned by Blackbeard because of a few pirates who were hanged there.

By the beginning of 1718, Blackbeard made his way into Cuban waters where he teamed up with fellow pirate, Major Stede Bonnet. Bonnet was an inexperienced sailor, so Blackbeard placed one of his own officers in command of the Revenge, Bonnet's sloop. Blackbeard now had three ships in his fleet, and he prayed on many more, eventually making his way up into the Florida Keys where he captured a Spanish sloop.

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 was 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, 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, Blackbeard 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 Royal Pardon. The governor preformed the marriage ceremony for Mary Ormond, 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.

Battle of Ocracoke Inlet
"And what of you? The mighty Blackbeard. Beheaded, they say. Still, your body swam three times around your ship and climbed back onboard."

- Jack Sparrow to Blackbeard

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 the HMS Pearl, and twenty-five men and a midshipman of the HMS Ranger. 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 Ranger, 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 Pearl, 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 three times around the Adventure before climbing back on board the ship. 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.

Later years
"And here you are. Running scared." "Scared." "To the Fountain." "The Quartermaster sees things before they happen. He has foreseen my death. And so the fates have spoken. The threads of destiny woven."

- Jack Sparrow and Blackbeard

In the following years, Blackbeard returned to the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge and repaired her to use as his flagship once again. He continued with piracy, capturing and pillaging many ships.

Over a few decades, Blackbeard began to study Voodoo, and he became a master of the dark arts. He learned how to raise the dead, and began to include zombies in his crew. He also assembled other supernatural beings on his pirate ship. One of them, a quartermaster with no eyes, predicted that Blackbeard will be killed by a "one-legged man".

Later, Blackbeard obtained the Sword of Triton, a powerful weapon which was said to be forged in the legendary Atlantis. He used this sword on a number of occasions, including sea battles and to keep members of his crew in line. He also changed his pirate flag from a horned, spear wielding skeleton, to a flaming, red-eyed skull. "Have I mentioned, sir, what a lovely daughter you have?"

- Jack Sparrow to Blackbeard

At some point before 1750, Blackbeard was approached by Angelica, a young girl of Spanish origin. She introduced herself as his daughter, telling him that she's a result of a love affair which he had with one of his many wives. When she revealed the name of her mother, Blackbeard believed her, and took her on his ship. Soon, he trusted her enough to make her his second in command, giving her the rank of a First Mate. Angelica soon proved herself as a great swordfighter and a true pirate.

After growing much older, Blackbeard became interested in the Fountain of Youth, which was said to be discovered by Conquistador Juan Ponce de León in 1523. He began to search for the Fountain a few years after the War Against Piracy. During one of his raids, on a remote island in the Caribbean, his crewmen captured a young Anglican missionary, Philip Swift, in the process. Before Blackbeard had a chance to kill Philip, Angelica stopped him, as she didn't want him to kill a man of God.

During his search, Blackbeard encountered the Black Pearl, a pirate ship of Captain Hector Barbossa. Using his Voodoo powers, Blackbeard brought the rigging of the Black Pearl to life, and used it against Barbossa and his crew. Barbossa's men were eventually defeated and the Black Pearl captured by Blackbeard, though Barbossa managed to escape.

Jack Sparrow
"If I do not make it to the Fountain in time...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. Blackbeard needed Jack because he knew how to get to the Fountain, with the help of his unique compass along with a map, which had the exact location of the Fountain.

In 1750, Blackbeard sent Angelica to London to find Jack. Angelica, disguised as Jack Sparrow, began to assemble a crew in the Captain's Daughter tavern. Attracted by the rumors of "Jack Sparrow recruiting a crew in London", Jack himself too came to London, where he found Angelica in the tavern. After a duel with Angelica, which ended with an escape from King George's men, Jack was forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, and Blackbeard began his quest for the legendary spring.

Mutiny on the Queen Anne's Revenge
"Gentlemen...I be placed in a bewilderment. There I were, resting. And upon a sudden, I hear an ungodly row on deck. Sailors abandoned their posts, without orders, without leave. Men before the mast, and taking the ship for themselves."

- Blackbeard



During most of the journey, while Jack Sparrow was forced to work as a deckhand, Blackbeard stayed in his cabin and never came out. Not satisfied with his new status, and having convinced himself that he's not aboard Blackbeard's ship, Jack persuaded some of the crewmen to join in a mutiny against Blackbeard by telling them the danger which lies before those who sail to find the Fountain of Youth. "Aye. Mutiny. And what fate befalls mutineers? Now we know the answer to that, do we not? Mutineers...Hang!"

- Blackbeard

The mutiny began well for Jack and his co-conspirators, and they almost took control of the ship. However, Blackbeard appeared on the deck and, using his sword and voodoo powers, crushed the mutiny relatively easy. Following the mutiny, Blackbeard punished some of the mutineers, and he had again intended to shoot Philip Swift, but he was again stopped by Angelica.

After the mutiny, Blackbeard had a talk with Jack Sparrow, during which Sparrow tried to convince him that Angelica isn't his true daughter but an imposter. But Blackbeard didn't believe him, and asked him to lead him to the Fountain of Youth. Though Sparrow initially refused, Blackbeard quickly made a voodoo doll of Jack, and stabbed it with a dagger. Sparrow immediately felt heavy pain in his chest, and after Blackbeard put the doll over the fire from a candle, Sparrow instantly agreed to take a look at the charts.

Whitecap Bay
"A gold doubloon to the man who spots the first! Do not be greedy. We need but a single one!"

- Blackbeard to his crew concerning a mermaid

One of the items which Blackbeard required for the Profane Ritual at the Fountain was the mermaid's tear. Following the mutiny, he had the Queen Anne's Revenge sail to Whitecap Bay, a mermaid nesting place on an uncharted island.

After arriving to Whitecap Bay, Blackbeard led the shore party. Some of his men deployed the fishing nets in the shallow water, traps for the mermaids, while he joined the others who made their way to the top of the old lighthouse, where one of his men, Salaman, got it in working condition in order to attract mermaids. Blackbeard launched several longboats in the water, hoping to attract them with live baits, being his own crewmen.

The song from one of the men in the boats, Scrum, soon attracted a group of mermaids. The mermaids, after a few minutes of hesitation, attacked the boats and their crews. The Bay turned into a battlefield, where mermaids attempted to kill all of the men in the boats. Blackbeard then used the powers of his sword to summon his ship, which launched heavy Greek fire cannons on the mermaids, forcing them to swim closer to shore. "Retreat, all! To land! For your lives! Retreat, I say!" "Cowards! Back in the water! There be no refuge on land&mdash;on my word!"

- Jack Sparrow and Blackbeard

Using the long seaweed as whips, the mermaids began to attack the onshore party, pulling them into the sea. As some of the crewmen tried to escape inland, Blackbeard personally shot them, calling them cowards and forcing the rest to stay in the water. Jack Sparrow saw that the mermaids must be driven off, and he climbed to the top of the lighthouse. He burned the whale oil in the lighthouse, creating a big explosion which scared the mermaids and forced them to retreat to the depths.

Though it looked that Blackbeard's attack was a failure, with all mermaids on the shore dead, Philip Swift managed to capture one mermaid, stabbing the end of her tail with his cutlass. Blackbeard, whose hatred toward the young missionary was well known, now personally praised him for capturing the creature.

Search through the jungles
"I need those Chalices." "Shoot. Save me the bother of the fall." "You will go. You will return. Or I will kill her." "You won't kill your own daughter!"

- Blackbeard to Jack Sparrow



After relocating the Queen Anne's Revenge to a protected cove, Blackbeard and his men once again came inland, this time searching for the Santiago, a ship of Juan Ponce de León which was stranded on the island two centuries earlier. The Chalices of Cartagena, another important item which Blackbeard needed for the ritual, were hidden on a ship, and Blackbeard had to find them.

Jack Sparrow guided them with the help of his mystical compass, but the crew soon discovered an insurmountable obstacle; a broken bridge. Blackbeard decided that one of them will cross the river and retrieve the Chalices, while the rest of the crew will continue towards the Fountain. Blackbeard took Jack's compass and ordered him to jump into the river. When Jack refused to jump from the high cliff, Blackbeard threatened to kill Angelica. Though Sparrow didn't believe that he would kill his own daughter, Blackbeard had the Quartermaster place six pistols, with only two of them being loaded, but not knowing which. "If you're so keen on killing her, why don't you just let her jump?" "What?" "If you jump and die, she will have her chance. [gestures at the pistols] Again."

- Jack Sparrow, Angelica and Blackbeard

Forcing Jack to choose one of them, Blackbeard took the pistol from him and pointed it into Angelica, pulling the trigger. The pistol wasn't loaded, but Blackbeard forced Jack to choose again. When Jack fired loaded pistol into air, he knew that Blackbeard is serious, and he asked the Quartermaster about the possibility of survival if he jumps into the river. The Quartermaster took Jack's voodoo doll, throwing it into the river.

Jack screamed, but the Quartermaster assured him that he will survive the jump. When Angelica attempted to jump, Jack jumped before her, falling into the river, and appeared on the surface a moment later. Jack proceeded to the Santiago, while the crew continued to search for the Fountain.

The mermaid's transformation
"You will walk." "I cannot." "Walk or die."

- Blackbeard and Syrena

During the journey, the captured mermaid was carried in a glass tank filled with sea water. But when one of the his zombie crewmen, Yeoman, accidentally tripped, the tank fell to the ground, breaking. The mermaid fell to the ground, and before the shocked eyes of the pirates, her tail transformed into a pair of human legs. Philip Swift quickly gave her his shirt to cover her nudity. Blackbeard, not wanting to wait, told her to walk, but although she tried, her new legs weren't able to stand up. After Blackbeard threatened her, Philip Swift decided to carry her for the rest of the journey.

Personality and traits
"You know when I feel closest to our Maker? When I see suffering, pain, and anguish. That's when the true design of this world is revealed."

- Blackbeard to Philip Swift

Selfish, callous and sadistic, Blackbeard was, by his own admission, a bad man. He had little, if any, sense of morality and didn't care for anyone but himself. He was even willing to sacrifice the life of his own daughter, Angelica, in order to keep himself alive. Angelica appeared to be the only person he had any affection for but he still cared more about himself than he did about her. Even Philip Swift, a man who believed in the goodness of all, believed that Blackbeard was entirely evil and didn't think that he could be redeemed. However Jack Sparrow noted that Blackbeard had sacrificed himself to save Angelica and suggested that he might have redeemed himself. This is unlikely however, since Blackbeard had intended to save his own life rather than his daughters and it was only because of Jack's trickery that he died instead of Angelica.

Blackbeard liked to torture his prisoners. During his life, there was a huge cage hanging outside the back of the Queen Anne's Revenge above a huge lantern on which Blackbeard threw his victims. Blackbeard used that cage to burn his victims while they were still alive. Another example of his sadistic nature was when he left Syrena to die a slow and painful death, even though he had already obtained the tear he needed from her.

Blackbeard showed no respect for mermaids and despite their ability to talk he didn't think they were sentient beings. He taunted Syrena about the deaths of other mermaids and sneered when Philip Swift attempted to defend her. He also appeared to feel some distain for Philip and Syrena's feelings for each other and used their feelings to force Syrena to shed a tear. Blackbeard was manipulative, faking Swift's death in an attempt to get Syrena to cry but, knowing that Swift would return for her, he hoped that Syrena would cry with joy instead of sorrow. This plan succeeded and Blackbeard obtained Syrena's tear.

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

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.

Equipment and skills
"You dare face this sword?" "This far away from your ship? Aye."

- Blackbeard and Hector Barbossa

Blackbeard had many weapons in his possession. He mainly used flintlock pistols, knives, as well as hand grenades. Blackbeard's most prominent weapon was his sword, which he would use to control the ship's rigging and speed, as well as bringing dead men to life where they serve as part of his zombie crewmen.

He was 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 was an excellent swordsman, gaining his fighting skills during the long years of fighting at sea, first as a privateer, and later as a pirate. Combining his skills with the legendary cruelty, Blackbeard was a deadly opponent to any man who had enough courage to challenge him.

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 appearance made Blackbeard the first historical pirate that appears in the 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 &amp; 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. In 2011, Blackbeard returned to the ride, portrayed by Ian McShane, as a temporary replacement of Davy Jones, who appeared in a waterfall projection.
 * 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.
 * In Rick Riordan's fantasy novel, The Sea of Monsters, Blackbeard makes a cameo, where he is revealed to be a son of Ares (Greek god of war). The protagonists then proceed to steal the Queen Anne's Revenge which is used throughout the book.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties
 * Pirates of the Caribbean Online
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Non-canonical appearances

 * The Buccaneer's Heart!
 * Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)
 * LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game