Nassau

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Nassau
General information
Location	New Providence
Notable inhabitants	Magistrate of Nassau Edward "Blackbeard" Teach "Black Sam" Bellamy "Calico Jack" Rackham Anne Bonny Mary Read
Societal
Affiliation	Brethren of the Coast British Empire
Behind the scenes
First appearance	The Legend of Jack Sparrow
Latest appearance	The Legend of Jack Sparrow

"Nassau. Lovely town. So much to see and do. But I'd picked a rueful time to visit, for the eve of my arrival the town came under siege by Black Smoke James—named for the cloud of black smoke he created to baffle his enemies. He was desirous to appoint himself magistrate of the island—a detail of grave concern to the man who a priori held the position."

―Jack Sparrow

Nassau, originally named Charles Town and sometimes referred to as Nassau Port, was a town and the only port on the island of New Providence. It was the largest commercial center in the Bahamas, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean close to the Caribbean Sea. Prior to becoming a British colony, during the early 18th century, Nassau served as the main base and stronghold of pirates, including such infamous individuals like Blackbeard and Calico Jack Rackham. In one of the many legendary adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, as read about by Elizabeth Swann, the infamous pirate reportedly sacked Nassau Port without firing a shot. An exaggerated version of the story, as told by Jack himself, saw Elizabeth by Sparrow's side as the town of Nassau came under siege by Black Smoke James, who tried to appoint himself magistrate of the island from the man who held the position.

History

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow. You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not?"

―Elizabeth Swann to Jack Sparrow

Originally a privateer anchorage named Charles Town, it was burned down by the Spaniards in 1684 and renamed Nassau in 1695 once it had been rebuilt. Nassau was named in honor of King William III, who was from the House of Orange-Nassau.

Nassau played a larger role throughout the 1700s, where the town became known as a pirate's nest and was the home of many notorious pirates. The ex-privateer Henry Jennings was an unofficial leader of the community. When New Providence became a British colony in 1717, the first governor, a former privateer named Woodes Rogers, established law and order in 1718, when he hunted down and expelled the pirates who had used the island as base. Rogers famously called for the arrest of pirates Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Reade, who were later captured by Jamaican authorities.

In one of his many legendary adventures, Captain Jack Sparrow, reportedly sacked the port of Nassau without firing a single shot. An exaggerated version of this legend had Elizabeth Swann by Jack Sparrow's side as they battled Black Smoke James. This story of Nassau was allegedly told by Jack himself to Hector Barbossa in the captain's cabin aboard the Black Pearl, which itself was also part of a story Sparrow told as "his last words" while facing the gallows in Fort Alvo Grande.

Behind the scenes

• Nassau was first mentioned in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, in which Elizabeth Swann reminds Jack Sparrow that he "sacked Nassau port without firing a shot."
• The 2006 video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow features a version of these events told by Jack Sparrow to Captain Barbossa in the captain's cabin aboard the Black Pearl, as per during The Curse of the Black Pearl, which itself is also part of a story told while facing the gallows in Fort Alvo Grande, telling his adventures as last words. However, it appears to be a more fictionalized retelling due to Elizabeth Swann's involvement.

Appearances

• The Shanghai Tigers (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First mentioned)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (First appearance)

Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow

External links

• Nassau on Wikipedia

Notes and references

Locations in Pirates of the Caribbean
Africa Barbary Coast – Calabar – Egypt – Kerma – Slave Coast – Tripoli The Americas Boston – Florida – Louisiana – Mexico – New Orleans – North Carolina Panama – Peru – Savannah – Virginia – Yucatán Peninsula Asia Bombay – China – Hong Kong – India – Nippon – Shanghai – Singapore The Bahamas Andros – Nassau – New Avalon – New Providence The Caribbean Antigua – Black rock island – Cuba – Devil's Triangle – Dominica – Guadeloupe – Hangman's Bay – Hispaniola Ile d'Etable de Porc – Isla De La Avaricia – Isla Cruces – Isla de Muerta – Isla de Pelegostos Martinique – Padres Del Fuego – Port Royal – Poseidon's Tomb Puerto Rico – Saint Martin – San Silvestre –Shipwreck Island – St. Lucia – Tortuga – Unnamed Island Europe Barcelona – Cádiz – France – Gibraltar – Great Britain – Holland London – Marseille – Paris – Portugal – Scotland – Seville – Spain – Other locations Davy Jones' Locker – Farthest Gate – Ice Passage – Isla Sirena
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