The notorious pirate Blackbeard gained his fearsome reputation in just two years. And he was so hard it seemed he was almost impossible to kill…
BABY BLACKBEARD
We don’t know much about Blackbeard’s early life. He was born Edward Teach, probably in Bristol around the year 1680. It is thought that Teach became a sailor in the Caribbean and the coast of North America during Queen Anne’s War, fought between France and England. He most likely sailed on privateer ships, which were authorised by the government to attack foreign ships during a war, a bit like legal pirates.
PIRATE PARTNERS
After the war, Edward Teach joined the crew of a pirate called Benjamin Hornigold. He became Hornigold’s second in command, and was put in charge of a ship of his own. Hornigold refused to attack British ships, which didn’t go down well with his crew. He soon retired, while Teach went on to lead a life of crime on the high seas.
A REMARKABLE BEARD
Teach captured a French ship, and named it Queen Anne’s Revenge. He became known as Blackbeard because of his long black beard, which he twisted into plaits. The story goes that he stuck burning fuses into it and under his hat to make himself look as terrifying as possible.
AHOY THERE!
Blackbeard’s reign of terror off the coast of Virginia and Carolina quickly became legendary. He captured lots of ships, gained a large fleet and crew, and gave himself the posh title Commodore. In 1718 he blockaded the town of Charlestown and held its people to ransom. He wasn’t very nice to his own crew, either – he shot his first mate in the knee during a drunken party.
PARDONED PIRATES
After two years’ of violence and thievery, Blackbeard accepted a royal pardon from King George I of England – which meant he wouldn’t be caught and hanged, but had to stop being a pirate. But Blackbeard carried on plundering, and so the English Navy was sent to kill him.
BLACKBEARD’S GRUESOME END
The story goes that Blackbeard refused to die until he’d been shot five times and stabbed twenty times with a sword. His head was chopped off and hung from the bowsprit of the English ship. According to legend, Blackbeard’s body swam around the ship before it sank.
