Captain Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard. Blackbeard Blackbeard biography
Pirates are attractive characters. Their negative charm wins the interest of the public of any era. The love of freedom and fearlessness of these heroes is immortalized by legends that have evolved over centuries. The Storm of the Seven Seas Blackbeard is a terrifying character whose biography is described in the novel “Treasure Island”.
History of creation
Blackbeard's real name is Edward Teach. He was also known as Captain Flint. He is a British pirate remembered for his illegal activities in the Caribbean in the early 18th century. Presumably, the hero of the tales was born in Bristol. His teenage years are shrouded in mystery, although it is assumed that the guy could have worked as an instructor in the British Navy.
The personality of Edward Teach is shrouded in rumors and gossip. Having become the hero of the novel “Treasure Island,” this character attracted the interest of readers. The pirate was known as the most bloodthirsty and severe sea villain. The bandit acquired his nickname thanks to his thick blue-black beard, which almost completely hid his face. The owner of luxurious hair decorated it with ribbons.
The formidable pirate was excellent at handling firearms, carrying pistols in cases. In battle, he threw a wide scarf over his shoulders and tied two wicks under his hat. His gaze in a fit of anger was wild and terrifying. Blackbeard behaved barbarously, but showed courage in battle. Edward Teach did not respect the pirate code; he was the real leader and leader of a pirate gang. The pirate's extravagance emphasized his uniqueness and individuality.
Legend
The publicized origin story of Edward Teach is unlikely to be reliable. His biography is compiled on the basis of guesses and assumptions. It is believed that as a youth he was hired on a merchant ship, but a few years later he signed a letter of marque and became a pirate. While fighting for Queen Anne, he showed bravery and courage, but at the end of the battles he was left without a permanent income.
Piracy became the main source of income for men. In 1717, a sloop called "Revenge" came into his possession. The ship's former owner died and Teach began robbing cargo ships on it.
The first ship to be robbed was the frigate Soglasie, which transported slaves. Teach named the ship "Queen Anne's Revenge" and chose the image of the Jolly Roger as the flag. By this time, the nickname Blackbeard had stuck to the pirate, and rumors about him spread throughout the coastal cities. His crew gained notoriety by terrorizing ships passing through the Caribbean. Treasures and slaves regularly became the property of Tich. The captain did not hesitate to attack ships of other gangs. In one of the attacks, Blackbeard stole Triton's sword, which according to legend had magical properties.
Pirate flag "Jolly Roger" Since 1724, Blackbeard's ship was hunted by all ships of the British flotilla. "Queen Anne's Revenge" was overtaken and defeated. The entire crew was present on board except the captain. Teach managed to escape. Years later, he repaired the ship and again went out into the open seas.
There is an opinion that all this happened not without the magical support of Triton’s sword. While traveling, its owner learned the power of voodoo and witchcraft, so the usual flag on the ship was replaced by an image of a burning skull. Not a single ship could escape Blackbeard.
Tich's daughter, born in union with his wife Angelica, inexplicably appeared on the ship and became his faithful assistant.
Film adaptations
Edward Teach is a curious person for directors, so his image has been repeatedly used in films. The first film in which attention was paid to his personality was released in 1952 under the title “Blackbeard the Pirate.” The main role in the film was played by Robert Newton.
In 1968, viewers saw “Blackbeard’s Ghost,” where actor Peter Ustinov appeared as a terrible tyrant.
The 2006 series “Pirates of the Seven Seas: Blackbeard” presented Angus MacFadyen as the cruel conqueror of the seas.
The pirate also appeared in non-thematic projects. So, in Doctor Who he was played by Gerry Wayne.
In 2011, the premiere of the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” was released on movie screens. He played the role of Blackbeard, the father.
It is curious that Hollywood celebrities also appeared in this image. In 2014, he played Edward Teach in the film “Skull and Bones”, and in 2015 he played a formidable pirate in the project “Pan”.
Ray Stevenson in the series "Black Sails" In 2016, the TV series “Black Sails”, in which Ray Stevenson played the main role, gathered millions of fans in front of the screen.
The image of Blackbeard was used in the computer game Assassin Creed.
- Although all sources indicate that Edward Teach was a brilliant robber, in reality this seems doubtful. He appears to be an impulsive person, unable to control his anger and emotions. The captain was known to shoot pirates on his ship to remind them who their leader was.
- The Queen Anne's Revenge easily accommodated more than 300 people. It was not easy to put them together, since the sailors were constantly drinking and rowdy. Only a person with an iron character could control them.
Blackbeard in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" - The captain liked to tempt fate. One day he set fire to a ship, causing hell on earth for everyone on it. The crew endured terrible torment until the captain allowed the fire to be put out.
- Blackbeard was passionate and periodically held competitions on the ship, identifying the strongest or bravest. So, he launched people into the hold, setting fire to barrels of sulfur, and kept the pirates inside until they began to die, begging for mercy. The reward was a night with the captain's women.
- According to legend, the pirate was married 14 times. He fell in love easily and strictly adhered to the tradition of celebrating the wedding on a grand scale. The Queen Anne's Revenge deck was cleaned, decorated with flowers, and a bridal arch was created. The first romantic feelings disappeared when he invited his wife to share the bed with the crew members in front of his eyes.
From the book: Daniel Defoe (Captain Charles Johnson) “A General History of Pirates.”
Edward Teach was a Bristolian by birth. At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1713), he spent some time near Jamaica as a privateer, and although he was distinguished by courage and personal courage, he was still unable to rise to a commanding position until he went on a piracy. It is believed that this happened at the very end of 1716, when Captain Benjamin Hornigold gave him a sloop captured as a prize. With Hornigold himself, Teach continued to swim as partners almost until the day he gave up.
Let us note here that Hornigold graced the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea with his presence in 1716–1717. He surrendered under amnesty to Woodes Rogers in July 1718, after which he participated in the pursuit of John Auger and other pirates. Benjamin Hornigold died around 1719 in a shipwreck.
Now let's get back to Mr. Teach.
Blackbeard. Artist David Geister.
In the spring of 1717, Teach and Hornigold set off from Providence to the American coast and captured along the way a billop from Havana with one hundred and twenty barrels of flour and the sloop of the skipper Terbar from Bermuda, from which they took only a few gallons of wine, and then released them. A little later, they met a ship sailing from Madera to South Carolina, from which the pirates took booty worth a significant amount.
Having repaired the ship on the coast of Virginia, they returned to the West Indies and, at latitude 24° (? 14°), took as a prize a large French Guinean heading for Martinique, which, at Hornigold's instructions, Teach took over as captain and continued sailing on it. Hornigold returned with his sloop to Providence and surrendered to Captain Rogers, the royal governor, hoping for an amnesty.
Teach installed forty cannons on board the Guinean and named it Queen Anne's Revenge. While sailing off the island of St. Vincent, he captured the large ship "Great Allen" under the command of Christopher Taylor. The pirates took from it everything that they considered suitable, landed the crew on the island and set the ship on fire. A few days later, Teach encountered the thirty-gun warship Scarborough, and it fought with him for several hours, but, finding that the pirate had enough men and forces, he stopped the battle and returned to Barbados. Teach went to Spanish America.
Following his chosen course, he met a pirate sloop with ten guns under the command of a certain Major Bonnet. He was formerly a gentleman of good reputation and worthy position, and Teach joined him. But a few days later, Teach, seeing that Bonnet knew nothing about sea life, with the consent of his people, appointed another captain, a certain Richards, to the sloop, and took the major on board his ship, explaining what was happening by saying that Bonnet was not used to difficulties and worries captain's post.
At Turnef, ten leagues from the Gulf of Honduras, the pirates took on fresh water. While standing at anchor, they saw a sloop approaching, after which Richards, in his sloop Revenge, cleared the anchor rope and went out to meet it. The same, seeing the black flag, lowered the sails and dropped anchor under the stern of Commodore Teach. It turned out to be the Adventure ship from Jamaica, skippered by David Herriot. The pirates took the skipper and his men aboard a large ship and sent several sailors and Israel Hands, the navigator of Teach's ship and second in command, to man the sloop for pirate purposes.
Having stood at Turnefs until April 9, the pirates weighed anchor and headed into the bay, where they found another ship and four sloops: three of them belonged to Jonathan Bernard from Jamaica, and the captain of the fourth was James; the ship was from Boston and was called the Protestant Caesar, commanded by Commander Wyar. Teach raised the black flag and fired a salvo from the cannons, after which Captain Wyar and all his people left the ship and headed to the shore in a boat. Coxswain Teach and eight of his crew took possession of Wyar's ship, and Richards captured all the sloops, one of which they burned to spite its captain. The Protestant Caesar was also burned, having previously been plundered, and three sloops belonging to Bernard were released.
Next the robbers went to Terquil, then to Grand Cayman, a small island thirty leagues west of Jamaica, where they took a boat of turtle hunters, then to Havana, from there to the Bahama Wrecks, and from the Bahama Wrecks they, capturing along the way a brigantine and two sloop, went to Carolina, where they lay on the sandbar off Charlestown for five or six days. Here they captured a ship under the command of Robert Clarke as it left the harbor bound for London. The next day they captured another ship leaving Charlestown, and two pinches going to Charlestown, as well as a brigantine with fourteen blacks on board. All this happened in sight of the city, so the entire province of Caroline was gripped by horror, because they had recently been visited by Vane, another notorious pirate. Civil authorities fell into despair, unable to resist the pirates. There were eight sailing ships in the harbor, ready to go to sea, but not one dared to do so - it was almost impossible to escape from the hands of sea robbers. Ships heading to the harbor faced the same unenviable choice, and trade in these places was completely paralyzed.
Teach detained all the ships and prisoners, and since he had a shortage of medicine, he decided to demand a box of medicine from the provincial government. Richards, captain of the sloop Revenge, and with him two other servants, were sent ashore with Mr. Marks, one of the prisoners who had been captured on Clark's ship. They decisively announced their demands, threatening that if they were not provided with medicine and were not given the opportunity to return unhindered, the pirates would kill the captives, send their heads to the governor, and set fire to the captured ships.
While Mr. Marks was addressing the Council, Richards and the rest of the pirates were openly walking the streets. The government did not think long about the message, although it was the greatest insult that could be given. However, for the sake of saving the lives of many people (including Mr. Samuel Wragg, one of the members of the Governor's Council), they yielded to necessity and sent on board a medicine chest worth from three to four hundred pounds, and the pirates returned unharmed to their ships.
Blackbeard (as Teach was usually called), as soon as he received the medicine and saw his fellow craftsmen sent unharmed, he released the ships and prisoners, taking, however, about one and a half thousand pounds sterling from them in gold and silver, not counting provisions and other goods.
From the Charlestown shoal they headed for North Carolina: Captain Teach on a ship they called a warship, Captain Richards and Captain Hands on sloops they called privateers. There was another sloop in their squadron, which served as an auxiliary vessel. Teach had already begun to think about disbanding the team, keeping the money and the best property for himself and several of his comrades. Under the guise of going into Topsail Bay to clean himself, he ran the ship aground, and then ordered Hands' sloop to come to the rescue and take her off. Teach boarded the auxiliary sloop with forty sailors and left the Revenge aground, and landed seventeen people from her on a sandy island about a league from the mainland, where there was no food and where they would have died if Major Bonnet had not taken them two days later didn't take it off.
Teach, and with him about two dozen men, presented themselves to the Governor of North Carolina and surrendered by order of His Majesty, and they all received certificates from His Excellency. But it turned out that they took this step only to wait for a favorable opportunity and start the game over. In addition to the fact that Teach began his fishing, he also managed to make friends with Governor Charles Eden, Esq.
The first service that this good governor rendered to Blackbeard was to establish his title to a vessel which he had captured while piracy in a great ship called the Queen Anne's Revenge. For this purpose, a court of the Vice-Admiralty was convened in Bastown: even though Teach never had a license, even though the sloop belonged to English merchants and was captured in peacetime... However, the court declared this sloop a prize taken from the Spaniards by Captain Teach.
Before setting off on new adventures, he married a young creature about sixteen years old. And it was the governor who performed the ceremony. So Teach, as I was informed, received his fourteenth wife, despite the fact that of all his wives about a dozen were still alive.
In June 1718, Teach went on another campaign and headed for Bermuda. He met two or three English ships on his way, but took from them only provisions and other supplies necessary for current needs. On the leeward side of the island, he encountered two French ships, one of which was loaded with sugar and cocoa, and the other, empty, was heading for Martinique. He released the ship without cargo, putting on it all the sailors from the loaded ship, and brought the other ship along with the cargo to North Carolina, where the governor and the pirates divided the loot.
Teach and four others of his crew went to His Excellency and declared under oath that they had found a derelict French ship at sea. The governor convened a court, and the ship was seized. The governor received as his share sixty hogsheads of sugar, and a certain Mr. Knight, his secretary, and the provincial tax collector, twenty, the rest being divided among the pirates. The matter, however, did not end there: there was still the ship itself, which someone could identify and expose the fraud. But Teach figured out how to prevent this: under the pretext that the ship was leaking and could sink and thereby close the entrance to the bay where it stood, Teach obtained an order from the governor to take the ship into the river and set it on fire. The ship burned down, hiding under the water fears that it would someday surface at a trial to testify against the pirates and their good patron.
Captain Teach, or Blackbeard, spent three or four months on the river, either anchoring in the backwaters, or sailing from one bay to another, selling the loot to the sloops he met, and, if he was in a good mood, often gave them gifts for what they had taken from them. them supplies and food.
The skippers of the sloops trading up and down the river, and so often attacked, began to consult with the merchants and the most reliable of the planters about doing something against Blackbeard: they clearly saw that it was pointless to appeal to the governor, he would certainly will protect his “friend”. It was decided to send a petition to the governor of the neighboring province, Virginia, so that he would send the ships and armed forces located there to pacify Blackbeard.
The governor conferred with the captains of two warships, the Pearl and the Lime, which had been moored on the St. James River for about ten months. It was decided that the governor would hire a couple of small sloops and the warships would provide men for them. The command of the sloops was given to Mr. Robert Maynard, first lieutenant of the Pearl, an experienced officer, and a gentleman of great courage and determination. The sloops were well equipped, but no guns were installed on them.
On November 17, 1718, the lieutenant sailed from Kikwetan, which stood on the James River in Virginia, and on the evening of the 21st he came to the mouth of Okrekok Bay, where he saw pirates. The expedition was carried out with all imaginable secrecy, and the officer took the necessary precautions, stopping all boats and ships that came across the river, so as to deprive Blackbeard of the opportunity to obtain any information, and at the same time receive from everyone information about the place where the pirate was hiding. Despite his precautions, Blackbeard was notified of the plan by His Excellency, his "good friend," the governor of the province.
Teach had previously received warnings that later turned out to be false, and little believed it, not bothering to verify its authenticity. Only when he saw the sloops with his own eyes did he give the command to prepare the ship for defense. He had only twenty-five people on board. Having prepared for battle, he went ashore and spent the night drinking with the skipper of a merchant sloop, who was believed to have had more business with Teach than he should have.
Lieutenant Maynard dropped anchor: the place was shallow and the strait was difficult, and that night it was impossible to get to where Teach was standing. But already in the morning he weighed anchor, sent a boat for reconnaissance and, approaching the pirate within a cannon shot, took the volley upon himself. Next, Maynard raised the royal flag and rushed at Teach as quickly as the sails and oars allowed. Blackbeard, continuing to fire from the cannons, cut the anchor and tried to escape. Maynard, in the absence of such, conducted continuous fire from hand weapons, and some of his people worked at the oars. After a short time, Tich's sloop ran aground. Since Mr. Maynard's sloop had a deeper draft than the pirate's, it could not come close. Then the lieutenant anchored at half a cannon shot and, in order to lighten his ship and be able to board, ordered all the ballast to be thrown overboard and the bottoms of all the water barrels knocked out, and then raised the anchor and headed towards the pirate. Blackbeard called out to him indignantly:
- Damn it, who are you? And where did you come from?
– You can see from our flag that we are not pirates.
Teach said that he was inviting him on board to see who was in front of him.
To which Maynard replied:
– I don’t have any extra boats. But I will come aboard to you as soon as I can from the side of my sloop.
“Curse on my soul if I spare you or accept mercy from you!”
In response, Maynard shouted that he did not expect mercy from him and did not promise him mercy.
By that time, Blackbeard's sloop had run aground. As Lieutenant Maynard's sloops were rowing towards him before he had yet surfaced a foot, every man on them was in danger, and when they came close (and up to that time both sides had received very little or no damage), the pirate gave broadside salvo, loading the cannons with all kinds of small shot. It was a fatal blow! On the sloop on which the lieutenant was, twenty people were killed and wounded, on the other sloop - nine: nothing could be done about it, because there was no wind and they were forced to row, otherwise the pirate would have left, which is why, Apparently, the lieutenant was determined to interfere.
After this unfortunate blow, Blackbeard's sloop hit the shore with its side. Maynard's second sloop, the Tramp, was disabled. The lieutenant, discovering that his sloop would soon be side by side with Teach, gave the order to his men to go down into the hold: he feared another broadside, which would mean the destruction of the expedition. Lieutenant Maynard was the only one left above, not counting the helmsman, whom he ordered to lie down on deck. The sailors in the hold were ordered to keep pistols and sabers ready for hand-to-hand combat and, on command, to go upstairs, for which two ladders were attached to the hatch. When the lieutenant's sloop boarded the pirate, Captain Teach's men threw several grenades onto the deck, that is, braided bottles with gunpowder and shot, bullets and pieces of lead or iron, with a burning fuse in the neck. Blackbeard, seeing that no one was visible on board, ordered his men to complete the rout by jumping aboard the sloop and using their sabers.
After which, hiding behind the smoke of one of the mentioned bottles, Blackbeard with fourteen sailors climbed to the bow of Maynard's sloop. As soon as the air cleared, the lieutenant signaled to his men. They instantly rose from the hold and attacked the pirates. Blackbeard and Maynard fired a pistol at each other, and the pirate was wounded. Then the opponents fought with sabers until the lieutenant's saber broke. He was forced to retreat to cock the hammer, but the moment Blackbeard raised his cutlass to strike, one of Maynard's men inflicted a terrible wound on his neck and throat, so that the lieutenant escaped with only a small cut on his fingers.
Now they came close and fought tooth and nail - the lieutenant with twelve sailors against Blackbeard with fourteen - until the sea around the ship was stained with blood. Blackbeard was wounded by Lieutenant Maynard's pistol, and yet did not retreat until he received twenty-five wounds, five of them from gunshot. Finally, having already fired several pistols and cocked another, he fell dead. By this time eight more of the fourteen pirates had died, and the rest, repeatedly wounded, begged for mercy, which was granted, although it only prolonged their lives by a few days. The sloop "Tramp" arrived in time and attacked the pirates on Blackbeard's sloop so decisively that they begged for mercy.
Such was the end of this brave scoundrel, who might have been known in the world as a hero if he had engaged in a good deed. Its destruction was only possible thanks to the courage of Lieutenant Maynard and the bravery of his men. Tich could have been defeated with much less losses if they had a ship with heavy guns: but the military was forced to use small ships, because ships of greater draft could not pass into the bays where he was hiding.
Nowadays it seems somewhat strange that some of those who behaved so bravely in the battle against Blackbeard subsequently went into piracy themselves, and one of them was even captured along with Captain Roberts. But it is not known that any of them suffered punishment, with the exception of this gentleman.
Captain Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard.
The lieutenant, having ordered Blackbeard's head to be separated from his body and hung at the end of the bowsprit, sailed to Bastown to attend to his wounded.
During a search of the pirate sloop, several letters and documents were discovered, which revealed the correspondence of Governor Eden, the secretary and tax collector, as well as some New York merchants with Blackbeard. The pirate was attentive enough to his friends and simply did not have time to destroy these papers in order to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, because such a discovery would not benefit the interests or reputation of such fine gentlemen.
Arriving in Bastown, the lieutenant allowed himself to confiscate those same sixty Hogsheads of sugar from the governor’s warehouse, and another twenty from the most honest Mr. Knight. Mr. Knight did not survive this shameful revelation for long: in anticipation that he might be called to account for these “sweet little things,” he fell ill from fear and died a few days later.
After the wounded had recovered, the lieutenant sailed back to Virginia with Blackbeard's head still hanging at the end of the bowsprit, and fifteen prisoners, of whom thirteen were hanged. At the trial it turned out that one of them, Samuel Odel, was taken from the merchant sloop only on the night before the battle. The poor fellow was unlucky with his first touch of the new craft - after the battle, no less than seventy wounds were found on him, but he survived and was cured. The second man to escape the gallows was one Israel Hands, the navigator of Blackbeard's sloop, which he had formerly captained until the Queen Anne's Revenge was lost in Topsail Bay.
This same Hands did not take part in the battle, but was captured later in Bastown: shortly before, Blackbeard crippled him, wounding him with a pistol in a drunken shootout. When Teach was asked what this meant, he replied that if he didn’t kill one of them from time to time, they would forget who he was.
Hands was tried and found guilty, but just as he was about to be executed, a ship arrived in Virginia with a decree extending His Majesty's amnesty to those pirates who would surrender before the expiration of the time specified in the amnesty. Despite the sentence already passed, Hands asked for clemency, which was granted to him. He moved to London and, while he remained in the public eye, begged for alms.
One cannot help but remember Teach’s beard, since it contributed a lot to his fame. This beard was black, and he grew it to an incredible length; As for the width, it reached his eyes - he usually braided it into pigtails, intertwining them with ribbons, and twisted these braids around his ears. During the battle, he clung a gun belt over his shoulder in the manner of a bandalier, from which hung three pairs of pistols in holsters, and tucked lighted matches under the edges of his hat - when they illuminated his face from both sides, his eyes seemed incredibly ferocious and wild. All this, taken together, gave him such an appearance that human imagination could not give birth to a monster whose appearance would be more frightening.
If Teach's appearance resembled a mythical monster, then his quirks and passions matched his appearance. Here are just two touches to his portrait.
Once he had drunk enough, Teach suggested:
“Come on, let’s create hell and see how long we can endure it!”
Having carefully thought through this “fun,” he and three other pirates went down into the hold and, having battened down all the hatches, filled several pots to the top with sulfur and other flammable substances and set them on fire. They almost suffocated, but in the end Teach opened the hatches, quite pleased that he had held out longer than anyone else.
On the day before his death, Blackbeard, already having information about two sloops that had come against him, drank until the morning with several of his men and the skipper of a merchant ship. When asked if his wife knew where he buried his money if something happened, Teach replied that no living creature except himself and the devil knew where it was, and the one of the two who lasted longer , will take everything.
Those of his crew who were captured alive told a story that may seem incredible. One day during the voyage they discovered that there was one more person on board, besides the crew: for several days he was seen sometimes below, and sometimes on the deck, and yet no one on the ship could say who he was or where he came from. The pirates said that he disappeared shortly before the big ship was wrecked, and they seemed to seriously believe that he was the devil himself.
These scoundrels spent their lives in very dubious pleasures, possessing what they had taken from others by force. They were fully confident that they would have to pay for it in the end, but even a shameful death did not frighten them.
Here are the names of the pirates killed in the battle:
Edward Teach, captain
Philip Morton, gunner
Garrett Gibbens, boatswain,
Owen Roberts, carpenter
Thomas Miller, Chief Coxswain,
John Husk
Joseph Curtis
Joseph Brooks (1),
Nat Jackson.
The rest, except the last two, were wounded and later hanged in Virginia.
John Carnes
Joseph Brooks (2),
James Blake,
John Gills
Thomas Gates
James White,
Richard Stiles
Caesar,
Joseph Phillips
James Robbins,
John Martin
Edward Salter
Stephen Daniel
Richard Greensale
Israel Hands, pardoned,
Samuel Odel, acquitted.
In the pirate sloops and in the camp on the shore near where the sloops were moored, twenty-five hogsheads of sugar, eleven barrels and one hundred and forty-five bags of cocoa, a barrel of indigo and a bale of cotton were found. All this, together with what was seized from the governor and secretary, and what was received from the sale of the sloop, amounted to two and a half thousand pounds sterling - besides the rewards paid by the governor of Virginia in accordance with the promise. Everything was divided between the crews of two ships, the Lime and the Pearl, stationed on the James River. The brave men who were in charge took their usual share along with the ordinary sailors, which money was paid to everyone within three months.
You can't make it up on purpose.
Halloween decoration: Blackbeard's head.
The image of Blackbeard in the demonic interpretation of Captain Johnson (Daniel Defoe) gained enormous fame, and to this day attracts the attention of writers and filmmakers. Stevenson moved the time of his “deeds” three decades later and on the pages of “The Owner of Ballantrae” he depicted a crazy scoundrel who smeared his face with some kind of black rubbish and twisted his sideburns into rings. “He ran around the deck, raging and yelling that he himself was Satan and his ship was hell.” In Chloe Gartner's novel Anne Bonney, Teach is endowed with such a repulsive appearance and smells so disgusting that even the seasoned heroine prefers to stay away from him. Famous films "Blackbeard the Pirate" (1952) with Robert Newton, "Blackbeard's Ghost" (1968) with Peter Ustinov, "Blackbeard: Terror at Sea" (2005) with James Purefoy and "Pirates of the Seven Seas: Blackbeard" (2006) with Angus Macfayden and Richard Chamberlain as Governor Eden paint images of an absurd "eternal wanderer" burying treasures in secluded places and doing all sorts of outrages, or a terrible villain who terrifies sailors.
Film “Blackbeard the Pirate”, USA, 1952
However, we see that behind the grotesque character, who seemed to personify universal evil brought to the point of absurdity, there is historical evidence that largely deprives the literary and artistic image of an ominous aura. Speaking about the historical tradition that interpreted Teach as an irrepressible killer and bloodthirsty rapist, American researcher from the North Carolina Maritime Museum, David Moore, emphasizes: “I think this is all a bluff.” According to this famous biographer Teach, “there is no document that provides evidence to show that Blackbeard anyone(Moore's italics) killed except in the final fight, and even then it can be proven that he was primarily defending himself."
In November 1996, a Florida wreck salvage company discovered the remains of an ancient ship at the bottom of Beaufort Bay, believed to be the earliest archaeological discovery in its waters. Intensive diving work was carried out in the bay over several years, culminating in the discovery of a bronze ship's bell dating from 1709, broken gin bottles and several large cannons. Some researchers believe that Queen Anne's Revenge lies at the bottom of the bay. Another center associated with the name of Teach is the city of Bath, where the pirate received an amnesty from Governor Eden in the winter of 1718 and where he settled, temporarily retiring from pirate affairs. Is it any wonder how much here is connected with the figure of the local “landmark”: the cape and the bay are named after Blackbeard, the local sports team is called “Pirates”, and the sign of the central store proudly displays the inscription “Pirate’s Treasure”. Piracy is the calling card of the city, the source of the tourist industry, which plays on the attractiveness of the vice whose name is sea robbery. Truly, betting on people's interest in crime history is always a win-win.
Film "Blackbeard's Ghost", USA, 1968.
BLACKBEARD (Blackbeard) - legendary literary character, British pirate; from 1724 to the present day. The book A General History of Pirates by Daniel DEFOE intertwines truth and fiction about the life of Edward TEACH, known as Blackbeard. Stories about Tich's campaigns made a strong impression on the writer. Defoe supplemented them with his own Fantasy and presented readers with a terrifying monster. The fictitiousness of Defoe's image is confirmed by the fact that such evidence is not found in official sources and newspaper reports of those years. Notable is Teach's appearance in Defoe's portrayal, his beard and manner of dressing. None of those who actually met Teach mentioned such signs of the famous pirate.
“The beard was black, incredibly long and went up to the eyes; he usually braided it into small braids, tied them with ribbons and wrapped them around his ears. During the battle, he hung a sling with three bundles of pistols in holsters on his shoulders, just like the bandaliers did He put the wicks under his hat, and they hung on both sides of his face. His eyes shone with such a wild and fierce fire, so that he seemed like a fiend.”
Dafoe's character loved to play cruel jokes on his team members. During one of these pranks he seriously wounded Israel HANDES, his first mate. During another, he turned his ship into hell: he ordered to batten down all the hatches and burn sulfur. This performance lasted so long that the sailors almost suffocated.
When it came to booze or women, Blackbeard's hunger was insatiable. In total, he had 14 wives, and his adventures did not stop even after he married the daughter of aristocrats from North Carolina in 1718. Defoe wrote that Blackbeard often invited five or six friends to his home, forced his wife to give herself to each in turn, and enjoyed the spectacle.
Defoe created a memorable image. However, do not confuse a fictional character with a real person. In reality, Edward Teach was engaged in piracy and fraudulently appropriated the crew's share of the spoils. But no evidence was found that he killed, maimed or tortured captives or his accomplices, or raped his wife or other women. On the contrary, in the ballad “THE DECLINE OF PIRACY” written at that time, he appears as a man afraid of women and, probably, impotent. Later, various authors used Defoe's fictional character in their works, sometimes embellishing it. This is how the nickname Blackbeard became legendary.
In THE LORD OF BALLANTRAE by Robert Louis Stevenson (1889), James Dury joins Blackbeard's gang. Stevenson, like Defoe, talks about drunkenness and debauchery, but his pirate is not likened in his sins to “an evil child or a feeble-minded person.” According to the book, the drunken leader was no longer able to rob ships, and Dury took his place, seizing command of his ship.
The series “Pirates of the Seven Seas: Blackbeard” (Blackbeard, USA, 2006).
Howard Pyle also believed that a drunkard was unable to succeed as a pirate captain. In The Account of the Fortunes of Jack Ballister (1895), Pyle neglected the image that Defoe created of his hero being brave and resourceful. Peter Pan (1904) makes a passing reference to Blackbeard. The heroine of Anne Bonny (1977) rejects the love of a black-bearded pirate because he has never washed.
In the film "THE ROUTNER", filmed in the 30s of the 20th century, Dafoe's bearded monster looks too bizarre. Blackbeard could not compete with such movie heroes as Captain Blood, who won the love of the audience because their enemies were scoundrels much worse than themselves. Blackbeard's parade began after several comedies that parodied "THOUGHT".
The grotesque villains were played by Thomas Gomez (in the film INDIAN ANNA (1951) and Luis Bacigalupi in
film "CROSSED BONES" (1952). But Robert NEWTON gained the greatest love from critics in the film
"THE PIRATE BLACKBEARD" (1952). Too ridiculous to be scary, the charming scoundrel Black
Beard often appeared in children's films such as THE BOY AND THE PIRATES (1960) and THE GHOST OF THE BLACK
BEARDS" (1967).
From the book: Jean Rogozhinsky “Encyclopedia of Pirates.”
Movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
(Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, USA, 2011).
Ian McShane plays Blackbeard.
Several films have been made about the famous pirate.
Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard - Movies.
"The Pirate Blackbeard" (eng. Blackbeard, the Pirate, USA, 1952).
“Blackbeard’s Ghost” (eng. Blackbeard’s Ghost, USA, 1968).
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Blackbeard" (Blackbeard, Germany-France-UK, 2011).
The series “Pirates of the Seven Seas: Blackbeard” (Blackbeard, USA, 2006).
In the television series Doctor Who, the role of Blackbeard in the episode "The Mind Thief" (1969) was played by Gerry Vane.
In May 2011, the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” was released, in which Ian McShane played the role of Blackbeard.
Edward Teach, nicknamed "Blackbeard", appears in the fourth Pirates film as captain of the ship Queen Anne's Revenge. He struck fear into all pirates with his ability to wield magic: with the help of a Voodoo doll he could control a person and cause him pain and suffering, with the help of the Sword of Triton saber he could control any ship, and zombies also obeyed him. Jack Sparrow points out that Captain Blackbeard was beheaded, his body floated around the ship three times, and he re-boarded. Edward Teach and his daughter Angelica (possibly not his daughter) assemble a new team to search for the source of eternal youth, since the quartermaster (one of the zombies on the ship Queen Anne's Revenge, who can foresee events) predicted the death of Blackbeard from a one-legged man (Hector Barbossa). The crew also included Jack Sparrow, as a pirate who knew the way to the source. Although Jack Sparrow believes that Blackbeard will not be able to cause any pain to Angelica, Jack has to make sure that Blackbeard is ready to raise his hand even against his own daughter (he tried to drink from the fountain of youth and take away his daughter’s years with her permission, but Sparrow was expecting a trick and the victim turns out to be not Angelica, but her so-called father).
In the 2014 TV series Skull and Bones, the role of Edward Teach is played by John Malkovich.
In the 2015 film Pan, the role of Blackbeard was played by Hugh Jackman.
Two characters in the One Piece anime and manga are named after Edward Teach: the pirate Marshall "Blackbeard" Teach and the pirate Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate.
In the 2016 TV series Black Sails (season 3), the role of Blackbeard was played by Ray Stevenson.
TV series “Black Sails” 2016, Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson).
Caribbean p Ira
Nowadays, these times are usually called “ golden age of piracy" The mighty British Empire was torn apart by intrigues and intrigues, but for those who gave such a name, these were the times of a completely different life.
Britain was the ruler of the seas, but the sea was ruled corsairs. Pirate ships posed a danger to traders, for all of whom were called representatives of the blue bloods of London, Turkey and France. The secluded bays of countless Caribbean islands served as a safe haven pirate ships. One of these refuges, Nassau Island, was the base of a pirate whose name caused fear - “
In 1717 quite a lot sailors lost the favor of the Queen of Britain. The Royal Navy did not need them, but over time Britain regretted it. These people knew maritime affairs well, in less than two years they became pirates of the century. At one time, having served under the banner of the Queen of England, Edward Teach began his career under Captain Hornigold. Soon Teach already had his own crew.
Edward Teach born in 1680 in the city of Bristol. For those who walked the seas with him, he was a captain, for those who came across his path - pirate "Blackbeard"" He was not one of those people who is easy to meet and forget. Nature did not deprive Edward Teach physical characteristics: with a height of 190 cm, he weighed almost 120 kilograms, and with just his appearance he could instill fear in anyone. His legendary beard reached his waist. In the fight, he did not know fatigue and easily wielded his cutlass when everyone else was already falling exhausted. Pistols were his favorite toy. Usually he tucked seven or eight pistols into his belt, but this was a method of intimidation.
sea pirate Edward Teach
“He was different from other sea pirates in his intelligence and cunning, and he also knew where the line of cruelty was. More than anything, he wanted to be remembered. He was not interested in money and power. Sea pirate "Blackbeard" really terrified the sea. Neither of ships from the Caribbean until the East Coast of America did not leave the sight of the corsairs. Sea pirates captured about forty sailing ships. Edward Teach became the most famous pirate of the distant seas. It is not surprising that the authorities were searching for him in order to destroy him.
This is what the Caribbean looked like in the 17th century
Pirates of the Century- first of all, sailors. These were representatives of different strata of society: noble origin and from the bottom. U sea pirates had its own code. The captain was chosen by the whole team. He must be strong-willed, fair and successful. If pirate captain did not succeed, a rebellion could easily break out. As soon as life at sea acquired meaning for a sailor, life on land lost all interest for him.
sloop
pirate flag "Blackbeard"
Pirate ship « Blackbeard"was a single-masted sloop, unlike other corsairs. These sailing ships are very maneuverable and fast, especially when it was necessary to pursue the victim, here the skill of navigation was demonstrated. Once the target was overtaken, the pirates captured the ship in two ways: through persuasion or brute force. They resorted to weapons when necessary. Pirates fought for tobacco, paints, sugar, spices, which were rich in the Caribbean. Sea pirates could sell the captured goods to less wealthy colonies.
Pirate Edward Teach knew about the constant threats of rebellion. After all, among his crew there were people who especially worried him. Therefore, he came up with various tricks in this regard. One of them was a visit to the “bathhouse”, where instead of steam there was smoke from burning coal. Whoever dropped out got nothing, whoever stayed with him got everything. Maybe, sea pirate“I had to be in hell, as almost everyone left the smokehouse.
Ocracoke Bay
One day " Blackbeard" met on the sea route three-masted French ship "La Concorde". By pirate standards, an attack like this ship it was crazy. However, for a man like Edward Teach, there were no rules. And he hit the jackpot. One successfully captured ship pulled another. The pirate "Blackbeard" wanted to be known in all waters. The intimidation tactics bore fruit. Despite his formidable reputation, "" knew that it was often better not to kill. The pirate ship "La Concorde" was renamed "Queen Anne`s Revenge" . I've never been captured like this before ship no loss. Reputation Caribbean pirate"Blackbeard" has increased sharply. Then several more ships were captured, lowering the flag after the first warning shot.
The sailing ship "La Concorde" became a pirate ship and was named "Queen Anne`s Revenge"
Technical characteristics of the sailing vessel “Queen Anne`s Revenge”:
Length - 49 m;
Width - 7.6 m;
Displacement - 200 tons;
Crew - 125 people;
Weapons:
Ordiy - 20;
the pirate "Blackbeard" had a presentiment that something was wrong
Ocracoke Bay
At this time, the governor of Virginia declared war piracy and prepared an operation to capture pirate ship Edward Teach. Captain Edward Teach conspired with the governor of North Carolina. The sea pirate was supposed to supply the extracted goods to the province; in return, the governor of Carolina, using the canals, received a pardon for Edward Teach from the King of Great Britain himself, and Teach was no longer considered a pirate. A cunning pirate came up with a new way of robbery at sea - he spread the legend that he met a ship that had no crew. According to maritime laws ship belonged entirely to him. Pirate Edward Teach called his occupation trading.
pirates fight in battle
However, surprises await even the best-laid plans. The governor of Virginia tried various ways to find out where pirate ship Edward Teach. And he succeeded. “understood that his days were numbered, and he allowed those who did not value risk more than life to leave the ship. They knew the waters they were in better than anyone.
His Majesty the King of England's fleet of two sloops "Ranger"" And " Adventure" found pirates in Ocracoke Bay on November 22, 1718. Captain Edward Teach knew that a lightning attack would cause some losses to the sloops and would give him time to try other methods of naval warfare. The king ran aground. Pirate ship came close to them and the boarding began. The pirates fought bravely. The captain also died in the battle Edward Teach. His last words were: “You will definitely be remembered on the pages of history.” Sea pirates fell in an unequal battle - their enemies had muskets. Five bullet and twenty stab wounds were counted on the body of the Caribbean pirate. But there were also survivors who regretted that they had survived; they were tortured. The governor wanted to know where the treasure of the Caribbean pirate "Blackbeard" was. They all ended their days on the gallows. After several years, piracy came to an end. But the story is about sea pirate Edward Teach, nicknamed “Blackbeard,” remains in the memory of sailors to this day.
Edward Teach (English) Edward Teach) nicknamed "Blackbeard" Blackbeard; 1680-1718) - a famous English pirate who operated in the Caribbean in 1716-1718.
Probably the most famous pirate, Blackbeard became a legend thanks to his biographer, Johnson. If we abandon the demonized portrait created by Johnson and turn to other sources, then we will be able to fairly reliably recreate his image.
One of Blackbeard's victims described him in 1717 as "a tall, lean man with a long black beard." Teach apparently had broad shoulders, and according to the testimony of Lieutenant Maynard, who killed him, he tied his beard with black ribbons.
Johnson reports that Blackbeard carried a sling over his shoulder with three pairs of pistols, apparently the author is telling the truth here, given how limited the capabilities of firearms were at that time.
A natural leader, Blackbeard was intelligent and cunning.
Because of Teach's extraordinary appearance and eccentric behavior, history has made him one of the most famous pirates during the "Golden Age" of Caribbean piracy, despite the fact that his "career" was quite short, and his success and scale of activity were much smaller than that of many of his pirate contemporaries. Subsequently, many rumors and legends arose related to the name of Teach, which are no longer possible to confirm or refute.
Teach served as the prototype for the image of the pirate Flint in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. 
Born presumably in 1680 in Bristol or London. Blackbeard's real surname is not exactly known; the most common name is Edward Drummond. Edward Drummond). Nothing is known about childhood and adolescence either. There is a hypothesis that before engaging in piracy, he was an instructor in the English fleet, as evidenced by the nickname “Teach” (from the English. teach- teach). But in most primary sources his pseudonym is indicated as “Thatch”, which is not strange, given the characteristic appearance of “Blackbeard”. thatch- thick hair).
The first documentary mention of Tich dates back to October 1717 (newspaper Boston News-Letter), when he was already a pirate under the command of Captain Benjamin Hornigold (eng. Benjamin Hornigold), who robbed Spanish and French ships, first as a privateer (a private person who received a license from the state (letter, patent, certificate, commission) to capture and destroy ships of enemy and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer), and then as his own fear and risk. Historians suggest that Teach participated in the War of the Spanish Succession (also known as Queen Anne's War) as a privateer, and after the signing of the Peace of Utrecht, not wanting to give up his favorite profession, he joined the Hornigold filibusters. This indirectly confirms the name that Teach later gave to the flagship of his pirate fleet - "Queen Anne's Revenge"(English) Queen Anne's Revenge).
While in Hornigold's command, Teach took part in a large number of privateering operations against the French. Taking advantage of the fact that England was at war with France, the filibusters freely used the island of Jamaica as their base.
At the end of 1716, Hornigold gave Teach personal command of a sloop captured from the French during one of the raids. By this time, Teach already had a reputation as a fearless and furious pirate.
At the beginning of 1717, Teach (possibly in company with Hornigold) set off for the shores of North America. After leaving New Providence Island, the pirates captured a bark under the command of Captain Thurbar from Bermuda. There were 120 barrels of flour on board the bark, but the pirates took only wine from it and released it. Then they managed to capture a ship with rich booty, sailing to South Carolina from Madera. After repair and maintenance of their ships on the coast of Virginia, the pirates returned to the West Indies.
In November 1717, Teach's sloops attacked and, after a short battle, captured a large French ship near the island of St. Vincent. At this point, Blackbeard's fleet consisted of two sloops: one with 12 guns and 120 crew members, the second with 8 guns and 30 crew members. The captured ship turned out to be a sloop of slave traders "Concord"(fr. La Concorde), sailing from Guinea to Martinique under the command of Captain Dosset. Pirates brought "Concord" to the island of Bequia in the Grenadines, where the French and African slaves were put ashore. French cabin boy Lewis Arot and several other crew members voluntarily joined the pirates and pointed out to them the valuable cargo that was secretly transported on the ship. As a result, the loot from the ship turned out to be very rich; among other things, a fair amount of gold sand and precious stones were found on it.
The pirates gave the smaller of the two sloops to the French, and they themselves switched to "Concord", which Teach strengthened, equipped with 40 cannons and renamed "Queen Anne's Revenge".
In 1717, the new governor of the Bahamas, Woods Rogers, announced the beginning of a merciless fight against piracy. Hornigold and part of his team decided to surrender to the mercy of the British authorities and receive the amnesty promised by royal decree. Teach refused to stop his craft and raised above "Queen Anne's Revenge" black flag, thereby finally placing himself outside the law.
Turning his ship's guns towards the victim, Thatch was usually in no hurry to shoot. His main weapon was not made of steel. First, he raised a pirate flag on the yardarm, demonstrating his predatory intentions. Blackbeard understood and relied on the strong effect that he would thereby have on the enemy team. Therefore, I thought through the details of the grave color background and the image on the flag.
Traveling along the Lesser Antilles, Teach attacked and robbed all oncoming merchant ships (attacks were recorded near the islands of St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Nevis, Antigua). In the vicinity of the island of St. Vincent, pirates captured a large English merchant ship under the command of Christophe Taylor. Having taken everything of value, the pirates landed the crew on the island, and set the ship itself on fire.
In December 1717, Teach's fleet sailed from Puerto Rico towards Samana Bay on the island of Hispaniola.
By January 1718, Tich’s team already had about 300 people. Cruising in the vicinity of the islands of St. Christopher and Crab, the pirates captured several more British sloops. In the end of January "Queen Anne's Revenge" anchored near the town of Buttown. Bathtown) in North Carolina. This small town, whose population at that time did not exceed 8 thousand people, was a good refuge for ships coming from the Atlantic. The settlers happily bought up the cargo looted by the pirates, so Teach liked Bathtown as a rear base, and he returned to it several times.
In April 1718, in the Gulf of Honduras, Teach captured a sloop "Adventure"(English) Adventure) and forced its captain, David Harriot, to join the pirates (according to another version, Harriot, himself a pirate, voluntarily joined Teach's fleet, but was subsequently removed from command of his ship).
The pirates went further east, passed the Cayman Islands and captured a Spanish sloop coming from Cuba, which they also added to their flotilla. Turning north, they passed the Bahamas and approached the shores of North America. 
In May 1718 "Queen Anne's Revenge" and three smaller pirate sloops approached the city of Charlestown in South Carolina. They dropped anchor off the coast of Charlestown and set up an ambush. Thus, in a few days, 9 ships were captured, the most influential passengers were selected as hostages. Having received a huge ransom of money and medicine for them, Teach went to North Carolina. He bribed the governor of North Carolina, Charles Eden, and continued to engage in robbery.
Blackbeard liked to strike terror into his enemies. During the battle, he wove wicks into his beard and, in clouds of smoke, like Satan from the underworld, burst into the ranks of the enemy.
Then Teach returned to Bath Town, but at the same time lost Queen Anne's Revenge, which ran aground. Teach sold his loot, bought a house, and received another pardon from Governor Eden.
The governor even took the trouble to register ownership of the captured ships in Tich's name. However, discontent with pirates grew everywhere, and merchants began to avoid the dangerous area. In October, Teach was visited by Charles Vane. This caused a new surge of discontent. 
In the fall of 1718, Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood issued a proclamation entitled "An Act for Promoting the Extermination of Pirates" in which he promised a reward of 100 English pounds for anyone who captured or killed Teach, as well as smaller amounts for ordinary pirates.
English Lieutenant Robert Maynard, hired by Spotswood. Robert Maynard) went to destroy Teach.
On November 22, 1718, a boarding battle took place between the crews of Teach and Maynard, during which Blackbeard and most of his pirates were killed.
Events developed as follows...
Edward Teach (Blackbeard) was surprised in his lair at the mouth of the Ocracoke by a naval detachment consisting of two sloops and led by Lieutenant Maynard. Many pirates were on leave in Bath Town. Only 60 people remained at the disposal of the Black Head. Government troops had a threefold numerical advantage.
Teach still had the sloop Adventure, armed with nine cannons, at his disposal. This sloop had at least some kind of crew, so Teach decided to break into the sea on it, abandoning the other two ships. Maynard's sloops began pursuit, taking advantage of the tide. Teach turned and fired a broadside with grapeshot, killing a midshipman on the sloop Ranger and killing and wounding several sailors. Lieutenant Maynard's sloop lost speed.
Teach, underestimating the number of crew on the second sloop, decided to board it. Maynard, however, prudently hid most of the crew below deck, and when the battle began, the British easily defeated the pirates, thanks to their numerical superiority.
During the battle, Maynard fought with Teach. They exchanged pistol shots (this is the moment shown in the picture below), and then took up sabers. Both fencing for some time in the middle of the battle, until a certain Scot came to Maynard’s rescue. 
Behind Teach's back, one of his pirates, nicknamed Black Caesar, tried to blow up the ship's hook chamber by throwing a grenade into it. This attempt failed: Black Caesar lost consciousness before he could throw the grenade.
When Blackbeard’s body was discovered after the battle, they counted five bullet wounds and twenty-five saber wounds on it...
Maynard cut off Teach's head and ordered it to be hung on the yardarm of his ship. All thirteen pirates captured alive were tried in Williamsburg and executed by hanging.
Maynard headed to Bath Town, repaired his ships, and headed back to Williamsburg.
For a long time, there were rumors among pirates and simply adventurers that shortly before his death, Teach hid a large amount of gold and other riches on a certain uninhabited island. Perhaps it was the legend of Blackbeard's treasure that prompted R. Stevenson to write the famous novel.
According to modern data, Teach’s team actually kept their savings on the uninhabited Amelia Island, but no significant valuables were subsequently found there.
But to this day, Thatch is a popular character in many books and films. There is a museum dedicated to him on the picturesque island of St. Thomas, and a local brewery produces a dark, thick beer named after him. And in the Virginian city of Hampton, a festival is held annually in November on the warship Ranger, dedicated both to the pirate Blackbeard himself and to the memorable day of his final defeat. In honor of the revered event, a religious mass and banquet is held for the general public.
A source of information:
1. Wikipedia website
2. “12 Mysteries of the Pirate Blackbeard”
3. magazine “New Soldier” No. 105
This British corsair became famous for his raids in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Truly one of the creepiest characters among pirates. Daniel Defoe, the enlightened author of Robinson Crusoe, was simply obsessed with the topic of pirates and even created an entire study (A General History of the Pirates) dedicated to them; according to his authority, Blackbeard was a devil in the flesh, not a man. Defoe writes: “During the battle, he clung a gun belt over his shoulder in the manner of a bandalier, from which hung three pairs of pistols in holsters, and tucked lighted matches under the brim of his hat, and when they illuminated his face from both sides, his eyes seemed truly ferocious and wild, and all this taken together gave him such an appearance that human imagination could not have given birth to a hellish fury whose appearance would have been more frightening.” Most likely, Daniel Defoe is exaggerating to some extent. Edward Teach was a man, to say the least, but he was distinguished by his tall stature, great strength and incredible power, truly terrifying the pirates who were under his command. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that Blackbeard had almost the most well-trained crew, who sacredly respected discipline and unquestioningly obeyed any order of their captain. Apparently, this also affected the results: despite a very short career (only 15 months!), a significant amount of booty allowed Edward Teach to enter the top ten most successful pirates in history.
Edward Teach (1680 - 28 November 1718) was born in Bristol. It was a mediocre port city in Britain. This circumstance, as well as the fact that his father himself was a corsair and had proven himself very well in the Caribbean, affected young Tich’s choice of his field of life. Of course, he dreamed of becoming a pirate! His father's residence was located in Port Royal (Jamaica). This city still exists - however, already at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. Port Royal had 36 years of earthly life - from 1656 to 1692. It was literally the pirate capital of the world. It grew with lightning speed, wealth flowed into it from everywhere. More than one and a half thousand pirates were permanent residents of the city (Blackbeard’s father was among them). The Catholic Church has identified Port Royal as the most wicked place on earth. And on June 7, 1692, a monstrous earthquake suddenly occurred, and the city, including its inhabitants, was almost completely swallowed up by the raging water elements...
Edward Teach began serving on the ship from an early age. And although the beginning of his service took place on warships of the Royal British Navy, for Teach there was always hope of realizing his cherished dream of a pirate destiny. After all, the captains of some ships were given special licenses that turned them into privateers and allowed them to stop and rob Spanish ships. From here it was just a stone's throw from the deck of a real pirate ship!
Edward Teach, in fact, did just that. He left the Royal Navy and moved to a small ship that made regular voyages to Jamaica. In Jamaica, Teach managed to make acquaintance with the famous and influential pirate captain, Benjamin Hornigold. Teach fervently begged Hornigold to take him on the team. He, looking at the stately figure of Teach, thought that such a fine fellow, who also had real experience of sailing on the sea, could be useful on his ship, and gave his consent. His choice turned out to be damn good. Teach's official entry into the pirate path took place in 1716.
Edward Teach, with all the enthusiasm of his youth, devoted himself wholeheartedly to his favorite work. He proved himself so convincing in the case that Hornigold almost on the next trip appointed Teach as captain of the newly captured sloop. Hornigold and Teach subsequently made joint raids, usually successful. The year 1717 turned out to be especially good for them. Apart from a whole series of ships they boarded near the Caribbean coast and off the coast of America, the pirates got the gigantic merchant ship Concorde, sailing between Martinique and Africa. The size of the booty that the pirates got this time could shake anyone's imagination! There was everything here: mountains of golden sand, bags of gold and silver coins, jewelry.
The incident had significant consequences. Hornigold, considering that Teach was quite ready to act on his own, seriously thought about the fact that it would be more expedient for them to separate. For his part, Teach himself, although he had great gratitude to Hornigold for his recent inclusion in the pirate crew, felt inside that the time of apprenticeship had passed, and it was time for him to become the leader of the pirates. And then, in parallel, as if by order, there was a change of power: instead of the overly cautious and calculating Hornigold, rejected by the majority of the team, the squadron was led by the frantic Samuel Bellamy. A fair division of the spoils took place (and the conquered giant ship went to Tichu!), a farewell friendly party took place, and after that each of the pirates followed their own path.
Edward Teach rechristened his new, now truly his ship: “Queen Anne’s Revenge”; There were 40 guns installed on board, which made the ship a formidable opponent for most ships that could meet on the way. Teach's first trophy as captain was a British merchant ship; careless British fell into the hands of pirates near the island of St. Vincent, located 320 kilometers north of the coast of Venezuela. Teach emptied the holds, moved the crew on board, and burned the ship itself without regret. He subsequently landed the prisoners on land, without burdening himself with a ransom demand.
In the winter of 1717-1718, Queen Anne's Revenge made active raids in the Caribbean; however, the profit was not too big - a few sloops, and that’s all. The weather was becoming bad for further navigation, not to mention hunting for ships. It was necessary to park and inspect the vessel. On uninhabited or little-visited islands, all this could be done quite safely, but it could not be carried out properly. Therefore, Teach, figuratively speaking, decided to stick his head into the lion’s mouth. He brings his ship to Bath (a city on the coast of North Carolina, famous for its winter mooring conditions) and throws himself at the feet of Governor Eden, repenting of previously committed sins and asking for forgiveness for himself and the crew. Eden, touched to the depths of his soul, believed Tich, graciously granted his forgiveness and allowed him to wait out the winter in Bath. The pirates solemnly vowed to quit their shameful activities, and they were even allowed... to keep all the booty for themselves!
Having waited until spring in comfort, and at the same time made good capital on the colonists of Bath, who were happy to acquire many valuables from Teach’s treasury, the well-rested pirates set out to sea on their completely renovated ship, heading towards the Strait of Honduras. It’s clear that they not only didn’t think about observing the oath given to the governor, but completely forgot about it. The fellows missed work so much that they were ready to rob even their own. This is by no means an exaggeration! Queen Anne's Revenge captured a 10-gun ship that belonged to the then not very famous pirate Stede Bonnet. Bonnet's ship, by a strange coincidence, was called "Revenge" and had 70 people on board. It was impossible to compete with Teach, so Steed Bonnet surrendered and in an instant turned from a captain into a forced prisoner. However, Teach promised that he would then share the spoils with him. He added “Revenge” to his squadron, placing a certain Roberts as its captain. Subsequently, in June 1718, Teach returned his unsightly “Revenge” to Steed Bonnet. There was no talk of the promised share of the production. Bonnet got angry and decided to improve his affairs. He surrendered to the governor of North Carolina and asked him for a charter of marque, giving him the right to attack Spanish ships with impunity. And then, when his request was granted, he went out to sea and tried to overtake Teach’s flagship in order to get even, taking his share by force. However, he failed to catch up with Queen Anne's Revenge.
By the way, Teach, who had already grown lush facial hair by that time, was called pirates Blackbeard. In his General History of Pirates, Daniel Defoe gives an interesting description: “This beard was black, and he grew it to an incredible length; as for the width, it reached his eyes; he usually braided it into pigtails, intertwining them with ribbons, in the manner of our branchy wigs, and twisted these braids around his ears.”
He soon captured the beautiful sloop Adventure; the sloop's crew unanimously sided with the pirates, and the well-known Israel Hands, Teach's right hand, was appointed captain over them.
Then the pirates paid a visit to the Gulf of Honduras.
There, Tich's squadron captured many ships over several months; one of them, assigned to the port of Boston, was completely burned by him. The reason is revenge: Teach became aware of the execution of several pirates. At the end of May, the formidable captain of Queen Anne's Revenge with his squadron, which now consisted of 4 ships (including the flagship) with a crew totaling over 400 people, decided to move to the coast of South Carolina, where already in June he dared to boldly blockade the city of Charleston . Some historians see the reason for the blockade in the syphilis epidemic that suddenly broke out on Tich's ships. Having demanded medications, Teach initially received a refusal from the city. Then he began to capture ships that were in the process of entering the harbor or leaving it. The total number of ships that became victims of pirates was eight or nine; One of them was attended by prominent citizens of Charleston, and among them was Samuel Wragg himself, a prominent member of the city council, with his four-year-old son. The pirates again approached the mayor of Charleston, offering a mutually beneficial exchange. The defenders of the city and the mayor had no choice but to satisfy the demands of the pirates; necessary medications were provided. However, the transfer procedure was somewhat delayed (for two whole days!); Teach was beginning to lose patience and was ready to kill the prisoners, but then the skiff with medicine finally arrived. Edward Teach, as promised, released the important prisoners in peace (albeit, having stolen their clothes, so that they were practically naked!) and even returned the ship on which they were located before the pirate attack. And then Queen Anne’s Revenge and other ships of the pirate squadron left the harbor.
Charlestonians were subsequently perplexed for a long time (by the way, this incident still baffles historians of piracy): the cost of the requested medicines was a little more than ‡ 400. Why did the pirates suddenly accept such a meager ransom? After all, they could subject the city to severe shelling, or even burn it to the ground. Fortunately for the townspeople, there was little bloodshed. But everything could have gone differently, and then the damage could have been enormous. Apparently, there was a reason, but what we will most likely never know.
Teach, with his small squadron of four ships, decided after this to return to the coast of North Carolina. And there, in June 1718, another incident occurred that still makes one wonder. In fact, it so happened that in the Beaufort Strait, Edward "Blackbeard" Teach proved himself to be such a "skillful navigator" that his main ships (Queen Anne's Revenge and Adventure) ... ran aground! What's more interesting is that he ordered almost all the treasures to be transferred to an unnamed sloop; he returned the fourth ship, previously owned by Steed Bonnet, to the owner, releasing him in peace (albeit without a single penny). Some of the crew died in this incident, but for the most part he forcibly brought the rest ashore. They cursed him bitterly, knowing full well that Blackbeard had decided in the most original way to get rid of the need to divide the captured goods among all members of the team, which by that time had grown considerably. Needless to say, their assumption could well be true...
And Blackbeard, with a small team of the most selected and loyal pirates, raised the sails and rushed in the direction of Bath, where he once vowed to Governor Eden to behave diligently and not to commit robbery at sea. The governor greeted him as a good friend. Blackbeard again fell on his face, asking for forgiveness. And, surprisingly, he got it again. The sloop on which Teach came to Bath, taken from English merchants, was officially given to him as a gift! So all of Blackbeard's movable property was legalized. And he himself amazed his pirates with an unheard of act, deciding to buy himself property in Bath. Teach's choice fell on a luxurious mansion, located diagonally from the palace of Governor Eden himself. His legalized sloop bobbed proudly on the waves in the harbor of the coastal island of Ocracoke. The Darling Governor made a fuss and immediately found Blackbeard a young beauty to wife. By the way, Edward Teach was 38 years old at the time - not such an old age at that time. Moreover, Eden introduced him to the court, and Teach made acquaintance with almost all the noble and influential families of Bath. They liked each other so much that in the future they mostly did nothing but pay each other visits! Teach, according to contemporaries, simply loved to organize parties for the nobility; the nobles, in turn, did not remain in debt.
However, a small cloud appeared on the cloudless horizon. A Philadelphia court issued a warrant for Tich's arrest. The governor promised the pirate to use his connections and recommended that he definitely appear in court in order to end all charges at once. Having shot himself in the Philadelphia court, Blackbeard was serenely moving home to Bath, and suddenly, not far from Bermuda, he ran into two French ships; the hold of one would be loaded with sugar, and the other would travel light. Blackbeard captured a ship with sugar, and his entire crew was transferred to another ship. After this, he happily continued on his way and by September dropped anchor in Bath harbor.
Governor Eden instantly realized how everything should be arranged so that Teach’s trophy would not cause him trouble. The Vice Admiralty Court was urgently convened. Tobias Knight himself, the chief judge of the colony, arrived to preside over this trial. The ruling of the court, carried out with enchanting swiftness, was amazing: according to it, Edward Teach, having accidentally encountered a ship with sugar abandoned at sea for some unknown reason, decided to bring it to the colonies. The court verdict ordered Tich to immediately unload the ship and immediately burn it, which he did. For completing the judicial procedure, the officials were awarded Blackbeard with small souvenirs: the governor received 60 barrels of excellent sugar, and Chief Justice Knight received 20.
After that, Teach just had to live for his own pleasure. He was alternately in his mansion and on a sloop in the harbor at the southern tip of Ocracoke Island. There he was visited by some noble pirates, for example Charles Vane, who was distinguished by his luck. The pirates and their crews came together and created such a “jam session” on the island that the entire neighborhood shook. The noise of the revelry is said to have been so loud that Governor Eden could not sleep a wink. However, he was glad that his friend took his soul to glory. Everything went on serenely, and no one guessed that trouble was already close.
And this misfortune could easily be personified. The man who wanted to destroy Blackbeard was named Alexander Sportswood. He was governor of Virginia. Despite the fact that Ocracoke and Bath were outside his jurisdiction, Sportswood decided to send a punitive expedition there. He ordered Lieutenant Robert Maynard to head it, promising him ‡ 100 as a bonus for the successful outcome of the enterprise; in addition, small incentives were promised to all the sailors of his team.
What, exactly, prompted the Governor of Virginia to launch this operation?
The answer is simple.
Several former members of Teach's team fell into his hands, having been abandoned on the shores of Beaufort Bay (among them William Howard, a former quartermaster). They informed the governor about the huge treasures with which Teach had disappeared. Sportswood was a greedy man and immediately became obsessed with the idea of appropriating these treasures for himself, believing that he was much more worthy of owning them than some vile pirate. In addition, his pride was hurt to some extent here: the governor of Virginia also could not come to terms with the idea that, albeit not directly in his possessions, but relatively close to them, a famous pirate who had ruined many ships had settled with impunity. The insidious Sportswood correctly assessed the capabilities of Teach’s small vessel, capable of entering any waters and, among other things, not getting stuck even in shallow water. Therefore, he did not equip large military frigates, but limited himself to a pair of small, maneuverable sloops. To these, upon reflection, two more were eventually added. Everything was financed with the personal funds of Alexander Sportswood, since he did not want any of the officials to get wind of his idea. And he hoped to cover all the costs after he managed to get Blackbeard’s treasures.
The punitive expedition sailed on November 11, 1718, and on the evening of November 21 it already approached Ocracoke Island, where Edward Teach was located with a team of nineteen people; six of them were black. Robert Maynard, according to documentary sources, had 30 people on the Pearl, 25 on the Lime; about the same number of crew were on the Ranger and Jane. Maynard, an experienced warrior, decided not to attack immediately. It was already getting dark, and the pirates, who were much more familiar with the fairway than the Virginians, had a clear advantage over them. Maynard decided to wait until dawn. The fact that the pirates were drinking heavily on their ship, clearly not expecting an attack, also played into his hands. However, when Maynard sent out a reconnaissance boat (and it was already completely dark!), she was fired upon and was forced to return.
So the surprise attack plan failed miserably. Edward Teach, having instantly sobered up, did not close his eyes all night, waiting to see what Maynard would do. The day has come. As Maynard waited and waited, Edward Teach decided to make the first move. He ordered the anchor to be cut and quickly moved into the narrow channel. Maynard immediately gave the order to move in pursuit, which was done. However, trying to use the speed of his ships in unfamiliar waters, Maynard could not protect himself and ran them aground. Teach rejoiced, and a shootout ensued. Blackbeard's threats and curses reached the Virginian ships; Teach shouted at the top of his lungs that he would never surrender to cowardly puppies - that’s how he called Maynard’s sailors. Meanwhile the tide began to rise. Maynard's ships refloated safely and were able to continue the pursuit. When the Virginia sloops came close to Blackbeard's ship (the closest was the Jane), they were met by a monstrous gun salvo. Captain Hyde, who was on board the Jane, was killed instantly. His team also lost six more people; more than a dozen sailors were seriously wounded. "Jane" could now be discounted.
The pirates rejoiced.
Maynard continued to pursue the Ranger. He directed his ship in such a way that he forced the pirates to make a mistake, and they washed ashore. The Ranger quickly approached; Maynard gave the order for everyone to be ready for hand-to-hand combat. However, Blackbeard was difficult to embarrass. After waiting until the Virginians approached, he ordered a bunch of “grenades” to be thrown onto the deck - these were bottles generously filled with gunpowder, small shot and pieces of lead; all this deadly contents were diluted with rum, and at the neck there was a special instant igniter. Their widespread use by pirates began thanks to Edward Teach, but he was by no means the inventor of grenades, as many mistakenly believe. Similar “shells” were in use already in the 17th century, and they were especially often used during the siege of fortified forts. Edward Teach, thus, only paid tribute to tradition. True, the grenades that landed on the Ranger’s deck for some reason did not explode, but only emitted a cloud of bluish smoke, briefly disorienting the attackers. In addition, the entire deck of the Virginia sloop was covered with shards of glass. But Maynard’s fighters came to their senses, and a battle ensued. And on board the Ranger! Blackbeard and Robert Maynard personally engaged in a duel with sabers (by the way, there are several descriptions of this duel; one is compiled from eyewitness accounts, and the other is contained in a personal letter from Maynard; we find it necessary to introduce you to both options).
Maynard made a quick lunge, but the tip of his blade pierced Teach's bandoleer. (By the way, Blackbeard was simply obsessed with weapons. He always had several different pistols tucked into his belt.) Parrying Maynard's blow, Teach with a powerful blow demolished Maynard's blade almost at the very hilt, seriously damaging several of his fingers. But Maynard jumped back and, throwing away the useless handle, pulled out a pistol and fired a shot, seriously wounding Teach. And then a certain Abraham Demelt from Maynard’s team stuck his head between them and cut Teach’s cheek with a blow of his saber, though not too seriously. A heated fight between the crews brought a pause to the duel between the captains; While Teach, using it, tried to load his pistol, he died from heavy loss of blood.
According to another version, when Teach injured Maynard’s hand, he rushed forward, intending to finish him off completely. It was at this moment that a certain Virginian meanly attacked him from behind, wounding him in the neck. Blood gushed profusely from the wound; however, this did not at all dampen Blackbeard’s courage. Without even thinking about letting go of the saber, he attacked his enemies. Since he spoke openly, he unwittingly became a convenient target. Five bullets hit him; The triumphant Virginians surrounded the weakening leader of the pirates and inflicted about twenty cut wounds on him. And then Teach’s strength finally left him, and he fell.
The descriptions of the fight, as you can judge, are for the most part radically different, but they are similar in their ending. Maynard approached the unconscious Edward Teach and cut off his head, later placing it on the bowsprit of the Ranger.
According to eyewitnesses, although this is rather a pure legend, when the headless body of Edward Teach was thrown overboard, it swam around the pirate ship seven times and only then sank. The fight had not yet ended, and Maynard, hastily bandaging his hand, rushed to the ship of Teach, whom he had killed, because he perfectly remembered the task entrusted to him by the governor of Virginia. When he reached the captain's cabin, he discovered ‡ 2238.
But only!
There were no other valuables on the ship... The main goal of the expedition launched by Alexander Sportswood was not achieved. In fact, he didn’t even manage to recoup his expenses.
The captured pirates from Blackbeard's crew were taken to Williamsburg; their execution was scheduled for March 1719. The decree applied to all fifteen prisoners. However, only thirteen pirates were hanged. One (it’s almost impossible to imagine) was... acquitted! And just before the execution was completed, a personal royal decree was suddenly delivered, which saved the lives of all the pirates. At that time, only the bloodthirsty Israel Hands, Edward Teach's closest assistant, remained alive.
Teach's head and ‡ 2238 were delivered by Maynard to the Governor of Virginia. Maynard was confident that Sportswood, appreciating his courage and honesty, would significantly increase the size of the bonus. However, his calculations did not come true. Having learned that Maynard had failed to discover the pirate cache with the main loot, the governor dryly thanked Maynard, accepted his money and head, and then, handing over the promised ‡ 100, noted that he would not detain him any longer.
You can guarantee that when Maynard left the governor's chambers with a bag of guineas in his hands, his soul was not at all overwhelmed with delight. And the governor, gloomily admiring the head of Edward Teach, ordered it to be put on public display on the north bank of the Hampton River - as an edification to those madmen who cherish in their souls the absurd dream of standing at the helm of a pirate brig.
Time has put everything in its place.
Who remembers Governor Sportswood now?
And in Virginia, in the Hamptons, the Blackbeard Festival is held annually. The staged scenes depicting the most significant events in the life of Edward Teach are incredibly popular among tourists and locals.