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- "We must get to the truth of this. The reputation of the Brethren Court — and my granddaughter — depends on our finding the truth and dealing with those who have flouted the Code. I believe extreme measures are called for. There is one who will know the truth. We must summon him."
- ―Rafael
Don Rafael was a Spanish pirate captain and the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean during the early 18th century. Captaining the frigate Venganza, he fought to avenge the death of his son at the hands of his treacherous countrymen. He was also the grandfather of Lady Esmeralda, who inherited his ship, position, and titles when he was killed while fighting the infamous rogue pirates, led by Christophe-Julien de Rapièr.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "My grandfather was good to the native population. He didn’t enslave them, he allowed them to work his fields for fair wages. And he let his son marry a native girl when they fell in love."
- ―Esmeralda to Jack Sparrow
Little is known of Don Rafael's early life other than that he was the Spanish landowner in the Spanish New World. He treated his Aztec neighbors well, and he even allowed his son to marry a local Aztec girl. That earned him hatred from the neighboring Spanish Dons. His Aztec daughter-in-law gave birth to a girl, whom her father named Esmeralda.[1]
One day, during Don Rafael's absence, his estate was attacked and destroyed by his neighbors. His son and daughter-in-law, were killed. Rafael took his granddaughter Esmeralda with him, and became a pirate. As a promise of vengeance on his traitorous countrymen, he named his frigate-class pirate ship the Venganza. At some point, Don Rafael became a Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, earning the respect of the whole Brethren Court.[1][3]
Pirate Lord[]
- "All the Pirate Lords speak well of him. He's held in great respect."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda
Don Rafael didn't want Esmeralda to become a pirate like him, so he sent her to a convent school in Barcelona, Spain. He wanted her to become a fine lady, so she could serve at the Court of the King of Spain, but she escaped from the school and returned to him. He took her to Shipwreck Island, hoping that the exposure to pirate life will force her to return to Spain. But she liked the pirate life, and she stayed with him. She was fifteen years old when Don Rafael took her to his frigate, the Venganza, to learn some pirating.[1]
At some point during his career, Don Rafael encountered his old friend, James, a pirate captain notorious for his bad temper, in the port of Oporto, Portugal. Before they parted their ways, James told him that he found a sailor whose ship was destroyed by a rogue pirate ship off the coast of India.[1]
Meeting of the Brethren[]
- "Señor Sparrow... Teague dismisses you as a mere boy. But I disagree. Only a man could have stood his ground and heard Davy Jones speak his name."
- ―Rafael to Jack Sparrow
Some time later, Don Rafael met Hector Barbossa, a pirate captain, in Tortuga. Barbossa's ship, Cobra, was destroyed two months earlier by another pirate ship. When he learned of such Code breaking, Don Rafael took Barbossa and his men to Shipwreck Cove, where Barbossa told the tale of his disaster to assembled pirate captains. It was during that meeting that Don Rafael met Jack Sparrow for the first time.[1]
Two years later, Don Rafael was shot in the back by one of the rogue pirates, Christophe-Julien de Rapièr. Esmeralda inherited Don Rafael's title and his ship, the Venganza. Three years later, Rafael's death was avenged by Jack Sparrow, who killed Christophe in a duel.[1]
Equipment and skills[]
- "Don Rafael’s quick with his blade. Even at his age, he’d spit you like a suckling pig, and I wouldn’t lift my little finger to stop him."
- ―Edward Teague to Jack Sparrow
As a Spanish don and a Pirate Lord of the Brethren Court, Rafael owned a sword which he used with great skill. Even when he got older, Captain Teague claimed he could still stab an opponent like a pig.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Don Rafael appears in the 2011 novel The Price of Freedom by A. C. Crispin.[1]
Though this wasn't clearly stated in The Price of Freedom, it is assumed that Don Rafael and Lady Esmeralda were the owners of Jack Sparrow's piece of eight before Jack became a Pirate Lord.
Appearances[]
- The Price of Freedom (First appearance) (In flashback(s))
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 The Price of Freedom
- ↑ Although there is no official date of Rafael's death, the timeline established in the film series and its tie-in materials sets the events of The Price of Freedom circa 1715.
- ↑ Jack mentions in The Price of Freedom that he met Don Rafael when he was nine, and the man was already a Pirate Lord of the Caribbean.
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