Complete information on the topic "what was the name of the black beard ship" - all the most relevant and useful on this issue.
In 1717, quite a lot sailors lost the mercy of the Queen of Britain. For the Royal Navy, they were not needed, but over time, Britain regretted this. These people knew the maritime business 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 was born in 1680 in Bristol. For those who sailed the seas with him, he was a captain, for those who got in his way - Pirate "Blackbeard"". He was not one of those people who are easy to meet and forget. Nature has not cheated Edward Teach physical data: with a height of 190 cm, he weighed almost 120 kilograms, and with his appearance alone he could inspire fear in anyone. His legendary beard reached him - to the waist. In battle, he did not know fatigue and easily wielded his cutlass when everyone else was already falling exhausted. Pistols were his favorite toy. He usually stuck seven or eight pistols in his belt, but this was a method of intimidation.
« Blackbeard» differed from other sea pirates in intelligence and cunning, and he also knew where the cruelty line 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 to the East Coast of America did not leave the field of view 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 looking for him in order to destroy him.
Pirates of the century First of all, sailors. They were representatives of different strata of society: noble origin and from the bottom. At sea pirates had a code. The captain was chosen by the whole team. He must be strong in spirit, fair and successful. If a pirate captain did not succeed, a rebellion could easily break out. As soon as life on the sea acquired meaning for a sailor, life on land lost all interest for him.
Pirate ship « Blackbeard"was a single-masted sloop, unlike other corsairs. These sailing vessels are very maneuverable and fast, especially when it was necessary to pursue the victim, the skill of navigation was manifested here. Once the target was overtaken, the pirates seized the ship in two ways: by persuasion or brute force. They resorted to weapons when necessary. Pirates fought for tobacco, paints, sugar, spices, what the Caribbean was rich in. Sea pirates could sell the captured goods to less wealthy colonies.
Pirate Edward Teach knew about the constant threat of rebellion. After all, among his crew there were people who especially bothered him. Therefore, he came up with various tricks in this regard. One of them was a visit to the "bath", where instead of steam there was smoke from burning coal. Whoever left him nothing, who stayed with him, got everything. Probably, sea pirate « Blackbeard» had to be in hell, as almost everyone left the smokehouse.
One day " Blackbeard" met on the sea route three-masted French ship "La Concorde". By pirate standards, an attack of such ship was insane. 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 tactics of intimidation bore fruit. Despite its formidable reputation Blackbeard knew that it was often better not to kill. The pirate ship "La Concorde" has been renamed "Queen Anne`s Revenge" . Never been captured like this ship lossless. Reputation Caribbean Pirate"Blackbeard" has risen sharply. Then several more ships were captured, which lowered the flag after the first warning shot.
At this time, the Governor of Virginia declared war on piracy and prepared an operation to capture pirate ship Edward Teach. Captain Edward Teach colluded with the governor of North Carolina. The sea pirate was supposed to deliver the extracted goods to the province, in return, the governor of Carolina, using the channels, received forgiveness for Edward Teach from the King of Great Britain himself and Teach was no longer considered a pirate. The cunning pirate came up with a new way of robbery at sea - he spread the legend that he met sailing ships that had no crew. According to the laws of the sea ship completely belonged to him. Pirate Edward Teach called his occupation trade.
However, surprises lay in wait for even the most well-thought-out plans. The governor of Virginia tried in various ways to find out where he was pirate ship Edward Teach. And he succeeded. " Blackbeard» understood that his days were numbered, and he allowed those who did not value risk more than life to leave the ship. The waters in which they were sea pirates they knew 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 inflict some losses on the sloops and that he would have time to take other methods of naval combat. The King's ships ran aground. Pirate ship came close to them and the boarding began. The pirates fought bravely. The captain also died in battle. Edward Teach. His last words were: "You will definitely be remembered in the pages of history." Sea pirates fell in an unequal battle - their enemies had muskets. On the body of a Caribbean pirate "Blackbeard" counted five bullet and twenty stab wounds. But there were also survivors who regretted that they had survived, they were tortured. The governor wanted to know where the treasures of the Caribbean pirate "Blackbeard" were. They all ended their days on the gallows. After a few years, piracy came to an end. But the story about sea pirate Edward Tiche, nicknamed "Blackbeard" has remained in the memory of sailors to this day.
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History is the memory of short moments.
Blackbeard's real name
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6 stories about the most terrible and famous pirate in history - Blackbeard
Blackbeard, described by his contemporaries almost as a creature of hell, was an English pirate who lived in the early 18th century. In addition to his sharp mind and outstanding courage, the pirate mastered the art of creating the “right image” - his very appearance was so terrifying that it gave rise to terrible legends and made brave sailors tremble with fear at the mention of his name. It is known that before the attack, Blackbeard weaved wax wicks into his hair and set fire to them - and then appeared to the enemy in clouds of smoke and blazing flames, like the Devil himself from the underworld.
1. Blackbeard's real name is Edward Drummond
True, the famous pirate went down in history as Edward Teach (from the English word teach - “teach”). Nothing is known for certain about the pirate's childhood and adolescence. Some historians say that he was born in one of the poorest quarters of London, others that Jamaica was his homeland, and his parents were wealthy people.
In his youth, Edward joined the team of Captain Benjamin Hornigold and fought in the war between Britain and France on the side, of course, of Britain. The team had official permission from the British monarch to seize and plunder French ships. The earliest references to Blackbeard are in the archives of the logbook on this ship, where the young, brave, strong and enterprising Edward quickly rose to the rank of boatswain.
But the war is over. The guy never received any money, no fame, no career growth, because he was just a boatswain, and in those days the maritime laws were extremely simple: half of the booty - to the captain, a third of the rest - to the crown, and the rest was divided equally between all members of the team . But Captain Hornigold gave the future pirate a ship that had previously been taken from the French in the battle. Edward could have taken up trading, but instead recruited his own crew and became a pirate. He equipped the ship with 40 military cannons and set off to sea.
2. Blackbeard became a pirate because he couldn't do anything else.
Piracy appeared almost at the same time when the first ships were launched. However, it was legalized much later, in the period after the Crusades, because the Muslim rulers had a big grudge against Europeans, and there was no other way to take revenge. The capture of ships and slaves among the "infidels" was strongly encouraged. The Europeans quickly adopted this "useful" experience from the enemies.
All that the enterprising sea wolf needed was to obtain a robbery license from his state. Anne, Queen of Great Britain, issued such licenses to everyone. Part of the booty had to be given to the crown, but the team still got their own, since the true size of the “income” was easy to hide. The Blackbeard had experience in naval battles, but there was no experience of peaceful trade at all. Add to this a romantic halo - victory over enemies, rivers of blood and a daring sea brotherhood. So, when the war ended, Tich, who by that time had his own ship, did not want to stop. He was respected for his skill, leadership qualities, courage and sharp mind, so it was not difficult to recruit a team of sailors and part-time thugs. In addition, after the war, licenses for piracy were no longer issued, and then the excitement and risk appetite came into play - paradoxically, the sailors followed Tich with even greater willingness.
There may be psychological reasons that influenced the choice of the life path of the honest boatswain Edward Drummond, for example, the habit of impunity and the experience of bloody battles. In addition, Tich's appearance was suitable - tall, face weathered by sea winds, disheveled black hair and common speech, replete with strong expressions.
3. Blackbeard's pirate ship was called Queen Anne's Revenge.
By the time the "Blackbeard" began to rage at sea, Queen Anne had already died. In addition, England, despite losses in the war and the naval peace alliance of France and Spain, remained an influential power and had many colonies, in particular, the country got rich lands in North America - Acadia (current Maine), the Hudson Valley and vast territories in Canada. So there was nothing for Queen Anne to take revenge, in general.
Some historians believe that Teach named his ship in honor of another Anna, a noblewoman from the Boleyn family, who was unjustly executed by her husband Henry VIII a century and a half before the birth of the Blackbeard. The version is interesting, but Teach was, apparently, a practical person, his actions pursued very specific goals, so an experienced pirate simply could not succumb to sentimentality.
The most interesting version seems to be the version of the writer and historian Alex Safir: Tich could thus pretend that he had no idea about the end of the war and still performs legal actions with the permission of his queen and for the good of his country. The fact is that news reached the North American colonies slowly - in order to tell the American settlers about the state of affairs in England, it was necessary to cross the Atlantic Ocean, resisting storms and corsair attacks along the way. Anna's successor on the throne was a man - George the First - but orders for several years after her death were still issued on behalf of "Her" and not "His Majesty." And the English colonists did not like the Spaniards and the French and called the fighting "Queen Anne's War." By naming his ship that way and not otherwise, Teach received the appearance of the legality of robberies and the sympathy of the colonists (and, therefore, could count on cooperation).
By the way, when it was no longer possible not to “know” about the queen’s death, Teach did not raise the traditional Jolly Roger over his ship, but used his own flag - an hourglass and a skeleton were depicted on a black field, piercing a bright scarlet heart with a dart. Depressing, right?4. "Blackbeard" was not at all such a villain as is commonly thought
Let's turn to the facts. From some documents it follows that Blackbeard, who terrified honest foreign merchants, was not a bloodthirsty maniac. For example, in 1717, at the very beginning of his career, he captured a ship sailing from Bermuda, took away the cargo from the sailors and sent the crew home with the ship. No one died in this skirmish.
Later, pirates led by Tich attacked several more merchant ships. They always took the cargo, but did not touch the team. In the end, Teach captured the Concorde frigate - this was his famous Queen Anne's Revenge, which was later re-equipped into a filibuster ship. The team landed on the island of Bequia in the Grenadines and left them boats and food.
According to documents and eyewitness accounts, Blackbeard, a scoundrel and a scoundrel, always tried to avoid bloodshed. If the ships surrendered without a fight, the pirates took away their cargo and part of the provisions (less often the ships) and let them go.One day, Blackbeard captured a ship with high-ranking officials, took them prisoner, and sent a ransom demand to interested parties. He did not ask for gold, spices or silk, but only a chest of medicines. The demands were met, but the ransom boat capsized. When this became known, they immediately collected and sent the second one, but time was lost. However, the pirates did not kill the captives, but with understanding they waited for the ransom, albeit a few days later than expected, and then they released everyone.
But this is true only for those who did not resist. If the opponents risked taking the fight, they were killed and their ship was burned. And in his own team, Tich did not tremble with disobedience: those who tried to go against him or incited the sailors to rebellion went to feed the fish.
There is evidence that in a drunken stupor, Blackbeard was extremely eccentric. For example, once, due to a petty quarrel, he put a bullet in the knee of his friend and ally Hands, as a result of which he remained disabled for life. Another time, he decided to show the team that hell awaits them after death - he locked the sailors in the hold and set it on fire. Some were burned, others suffocated.
5. There was a £100 bounty on Blackbeard's head.
Blackbeard raged at sea for more than five years. It may seem that this is not so long, but the profession of a pirate is fraught with many risks - the persecution of the authorities, the strong temper of sailors, sea storms, finally. And Blackbeard was, firstly, practically invincible, and secondly, elusive. He caused significant harm to the economy, and the authorities of the state of South Carolina indulged him: there is evidence that an agreement was concluded with the governor: the pirate received a stable market for the loot, and the governor received considerable profits in his own pocket. Moreover, the pirate captain was able to acquire land in the state for personal property, got married and lived like a decent person. True, not for long - soon he again went to sea, captured huge booty and arranged a grandiose holiday for the team at his own expense, on which more than two hundred pirates walked for almost a week. The authorities swallowed this too, and then Teach began to build his own fort.
I must say that by that time he had become somewhat lazy - he stopped going out into the open sea, and hunted predominantly in the internal waters of the mainland, riverbeds and bays. The merchants, tired of tyranny and the governor turning a blind eye to everything, turned to their neighbor, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, for help. He tried to intimidate Tich, but this did not lead to anything. Stopwood's intervention in the affairs of a neighboring state could not be considered lawful, and he could not give orders bypassing his immediate superiors, the governor of Virginia, George Hamilton.One way or another, Stopwood somehow managed to negotiate with Lieutenant of the Royal Navy Maynard. On November 22, several ships under the leadership of Maynard went to sea, met with Tich and ... won the battle quite easily. After that, absolutely all the pirates from the Teach team were executed. The victory is even more surprising due to the fact that Maynard for some reason forgot to load cannons on his ships before going to sea, while the pirates had heavy long-range guns on board.
Before the battle, Maynard ordered most of the team to go down into the hold in order to avoid the consequences of the volley. Blackbeard realized that there were no guns, saw that only a dozen sailors remained on the deck, and ordered a boarding. And five dozen people suddenly came out of the hold. For some reason, the pirates were confused, and Maynard's soldiers dealt with them without much loss. Tich, according to the testimonies, took the fight alone and was shot from guns.
6. Legends say that Blackbeard hid a huge treasure that no one has yet been able to find.
For a pirate who had robbed more than fifty merchant ships in his career, Blackbeard lived modestly. Neither his house, nor the land allotment, nor other property struck with special luxury - for example, the possessions of a middle-class landowner. The stolen good could not disappear without a trace - however, it disappeared. There is a legend that the countless treasures of the pirate captain are hidden in some place, on a certain “Treasure Island” (it was about him that Stevenson wrote his novel). This theory, although romantic, is not supported by anything. Teach was a public figure, he was in full view all the time and he could hide money on the island so that none of the team or closest associates could see, he had no opportunity. So, most likely, the pirate, being a smart person, simply invested all his money “in the business” - perhaps he gave loans, sold something to resellers, hid something from trusted persons.
After the death of Blackbeard, his houses and islands, where he visited especially often, were explored by treasure hunters far and wide. Nobody found anything.
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There was no pirate in the world that could compete in popularity with this man.
Pirate career of the legendary Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, took only five years. In such a short period of time on the scale of human life, he managed to become the most famous pirate in history. Teach served as the prototype of the captain Flint from the novel Stevenson"Treasure Island". What did Teach do to gain such immortal fame?
Another noble killer
Blackbeard, like most prominent historical characters, is an extremely controversial figure. According to some sources, he was a cruel and merciless murderer, according to others - he had the glory of a noble robber who had refined manners and was tactful and courteous with everyone, including the victims of his crimes.
Not a single case has been described when Teach and his team would kill an unarmed prisoner or mistreat hostages. This indirectly confirms the version of the nobility of Blackbeard.
Teach was born in 1680 in the port city of Bristol, located on the southwest coast of England. Little is known about his childhood. According to some sources, he was an orphan, according to others - an illegitimate and unwanted child. There is also a version that he is the son of wealthy parents, who despised the well-fed and contented life that he inherited, and fled from his home. His childhood was over before it could begin. At the age of 12, the boy ended up as a cabin boy on a Royal Navy warship.
Edward became a brave soldier and served the British crown faithfully for over 20 years. He showed heroism more than once in the Queen's War Anna, which lasted from 1702 to 1713 in North America. Then England divided the spheres of influence on the continent with France and Spain, who joined their efforts.
Indian tribes also fought on both sides. Even when the warring parties agreed, dividing North American lands among themselves and distributing control over the tribes, the 33-year-old Teach refused to lay down his arms. He joined the pirate crew Benjamin Hornigold and proceeded to plunder and destroy French and Spanish ships.
Soon he took possession of his own ship and named it Queen Anne's Revenge, thus declaring that the war was not over for his crew. The glory of Blackbeard spread far beyond the Caribbean, where he hunted with his team. His name terrified sailors. He willingly used the image of a sea villain and not only did not refute the rumors about his cruelty, but also fueled them.
Fear served as a tool for enrichment. Even the outnumbered ships in horror surrendered without a fight to the mercy of the pirate. Tich robbed them without spilling a drop of blood, and if noble and wealthy passengers were found on board, he took them hostage and released them in exchange for an expensive ransom. As a result, not even the most minimal physical damage was caused to any of the hostages.
On fear alone, Blackbeard's authority was built among the members of his team. He never showed cruelty towards the guilty sailors, but all his subordinates, of whom there were about three hundred people, were in awe of their famous captain.
Roger vs Rogers
In 1717, the flamboyant and charismatic Woods Rogers. He declared a relentless war on piracy. The former leader and mentor of Tich Hornigold surrendered to the mercy of the British authorities and received the promised royal amnesty, turning from a pirate into a peaceful navigator.
Blackbeard refused to give up and had absolutely no intention of abandoning his craft. He raised a black flag over Queen Anne's Revenge, thus declaring himself an outlaw. The flag depicted a devil holding an hourglass in one hand and a spear in the other, aiming at a human heart. By this, he hinted at the fact that human life is fleeting, and death is irreversible.
Later, the devil was replaced by a skull and crossbones, which was nicknamed the "Jolly Roger" in honor of the Bahamian governor, who decided to put an end to piracy.
Blackbeard did not resist the system for long. It flew under its original flag for only a year. In 1718 Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood announced a reward for the head of a robber in the amount of one hundred English pounds - huge money for those times. A large naval detachment was sent to capture the pirate on two ships under the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard.
Edward Teach was taken by surprise in his lair at the mouth of the Ocracoke. Most of the pirates were on leave. Tich had only 60 people at his disposal. The enemy forces outnumbered them by several times. Blackbeard tried to get away on the fast sloop Adventure at his disposal, but Maynard overtook him.
A fierce battle ensued, as a result of which Teach and Maynard met in a saber battle. Maynard killed and beheaded the famous pirate. He hung his head on the prow of his ship. Thirteen pirates, captured alive in battle, were taken to the port of Williamsburg, located in what is now New York. They were convicted and sentenced to hang. Thus ended the story of the most famous pirate in history.
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 the 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. This is a British pirate, remembered for illegal activities in the Caribbean in the early 18th century. Presumably, the hero of the tale was born in Bristol. His youthful years are shrouded in a veil of secrecy, although it is assumed that the guy could work 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 harsh sea villain. The bandit acquired his nickname thanks to the blue-black thick beard, which almost completely hid his face. The owner of luxurious hair decorated it with ribbons.
The formidable pirate was excellent with 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 barbarically, but showed courage in battle. Edward Teach did not honor the pirate code, was the real leader and leader of the pirate gang. The extravagance of the pirate emphasized his extraordinary and individuality.
Legend
The history of the origin of Edward Teach, made public, is hardly reliable. His biography is based on conjectures 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. Fighting for Queen Anna, he showed courage and courage, but at the end of the battles he was left without a permanent income.
Piracy has become the main source of income for men. In 1717, he received a sloop called the Revenge. The former owner of the ship died and Teach began to rob cargo ships on it.
The first ship to be robbed was the frigate Consent, 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 the rumor 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 disdain attacks on the 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, all the ships of the British flotilla have been hunting for Blackbeard's ship. "Queen Anne's Revenge" was overtaken and defeated. The entire crew was on board, except for the captain. Teach managed to escape. Years later, he repaired the ship and again went to the expanses of the seas.
There is an opinion that all this did not happen without the magical support of the sword of Triton. Wandering, its owner learned the power of voodoo and witchcraft, so the usual flag on the ship was replaced by the image of a burning skull. No ship could escape Blackbeard.
Tich's daughter, born in union with his wife Angelica, inexplicably appeared on the ship and became his faithful assistant.
Screen adaptations
Edward Teach is a curious person for directors, so his image has been repeatedly used in films. The first film in which his personality was given attention was released in 1952 under the title Blackbeard the Pirate. The main role in the film was played by Robert Newton.
In 1968, the audience saw "The Ghost of Blackbeard", where the actor appeared in the image of a terrible tyrant.
The 2006 series "Pirates of the Seven Seas: Blackbeard" presented in the image of the cruel conqueror of the seas Angus MacFadyen.
The pirate also appeared in non-thematic projects. So, in "Doctor Who" he was played by Gerry Wayne.
In 2011, the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was released. In the role of Blackbeard, father, he acted.
It is curious that Hollywood celebrities also appeared in this image. In 2014, he played Edward Teach in the movie "Skull and Bones", and in 2015 he turned into a formidable pirate in the "Pan" project.
Ray Stevenson in Black Sails In 2016, millions of fans gathered at the screen the series Black Sails, in which Ray Stevenson played the main role.
The image of Blackbeard was used in the computer game Assassin's Creed.
- Although all sources indicate that Edward Teach was a brilliant robber, in reality this looks doubtful. He appears to be an impulsive individual, unable to control his anger and emotions. It is known that the captain shot the pirates on his ship to remind who their leader was.
- The Queen Anne's Revenge could easily accommodate more than 300 people. They were not easy to put together, as the sailors were constantly drinking and rowdy. Only a man with an iron character could manage them.
Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean - The captain liked to tempt fate. Once he set fire to the ship, setting hell on earth for everyone who was on it. The team endured terrible torment until the captain allowed the fire to be put out.
- Blackbeard was passionate and periodically held competitions on the ship, revealing the strongest or most courageous. So, he launched people into the hold, setting fire to barrels of sulfur, and kept the pirates inside until they started to die, asking for mercy. The reward was a night with the captain's women.
- According to legend, the pirate was married 14 times. He easily fell in love and strictly adhered to the tradition of celebrating the wedding on a grand scale. The deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge was polished, decorated with flowers, and a bridal arch created. The first romantic feelings disappeared when he invited his wife to share the bed with the crew members in front of him.
Edward Teach, nicknamed "Blackbeard" (Blackbeard) - the famous English pirate who operated in the Caribbean in 1716-1718. Born presumably in 1680 in Bristol or London. The real name remains unknown. According to one version, his name was John, according to another - Edward Drummond (Eng. Edward Drummond). Nothing is known about childhood and adolescence. There is a hypothesis that before piracy, he was an instructor in the English fleet, as evidenced by the pseudonym "Teach" (from the English teach - to teach). But in most primary sources, his pseudonym is indicated as "Thatch", which is not strange, given the characteristic appearance of "Blackbeard" (English thatch - thick hair).
Teach served as a prototype for the image of the pirate Flint in R. Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. It will be quite interesting to say a few words about his beard and his terrible face, which played a significant role in the fact that the captain was considered one of the most terrible villains in these places. Plutarch and other historians have long noticed that many of the great Romans got their nicknames from some particular feature on their faces. So, Mark Tullius received the name Cicero from the Latin word "cicer", an ugly wart that "decorated" the famous speaker's nose. Teach was nicknamed Blackbeard because of his lush beard, which almost completely covered his face. This beard was blue-black; the owner allowed her to grow where she liked; it covered his entire chest and rose on his face to the very eyes.
The captain had a habit of braiding his beard with ribbons and wrapping them around his ears. On battle days, he usually wore a kind of scarf that was draped over his shoulders with three pairs of pistols in belt-like cases. He tied two lighted wicks under his hat, which hung to the right and left of his face. All this, coupled with his eyes, which were naturally wild and cruel, made him so terrible that it was impossible to imagine that even more terrible furies lived in hell.
His disposition and habits were to match his barbaric appearance. Among the pirate society, the one who committed the greatest number of crimes was regarded with some envy as an outstanding, extraordinary person; if, moreover, he stood out among the others by some skill and was full of courage, then, of course, he was a big man. Teach, according to all pirate laws, was suitable for the role of leader; he had, it is true, some whims, so extravagant that he sometimes seemed to be the whole devil. Once at sea, being a little drunk, he suggested: "Let's make our own hell here now and see who can last longer." After these wild words, he went down into the hold with two or three pirates, closed all the hatches and exits to the upper deck, and set fire to several barrels of sulfur and other flammable materials that stood here. He silently endured torment, endangering his life and the lives of other People, until the pirates unanimously began to shout to be released from this "hell", after which he was recognized as the most courageous.
Early in his pirating career, Teach undertook many sea raids with Jamaican corsairs during the last war against the French. And although he always stood out for his fearlessness in battle, he never managed to get a command post until the end of 1716, when, having already become a pirate, he received command of a captured sloop from Captain Hornigold.
Early in 1717, Teach and Hornigold departed New Providence, heading for the American mainland. On the way they captured a barque under Captain Turbart of Bermuda, with one hundred and twenty casks of flour, and a ship's dinghy. The pirates took only wine from the barge and let them go. Then they managed to capture a ship loaded in Madera for South Carolina, from this ship they took rich booty. After putting their ships in order on the coast of Virginia, the pirates set off on their way back to the West Indies.
North of the 24-degree latitude, they appropriated a French ship that sailed from Guinea to Martinique. The booty from the ship turned out to be very rich, among other things, it turned out to be a fair amount of golden sand and precious stones. After the division of the booty, Teach became the captain of this ship with the consent of Hornigold, who returned to the island of New Providence, where, with the arrival of Governor Rogers, he submitted to the authorities and was not executed in accordance with the royal decree of pardon.
Edward Teach. (Old engraving)
Meanwhile, Teach armed his new ship with forty guns and named it "Queen Anne's Revenge" (Queen Anne's Revenge). Frankly, for historians, this name of the ship sounds very mysterious. In addition, Tich's contemporaries testify that he often called himself the "Avenger of the Spanish Seas." For whom did he avenge the British? For the executed Queen Anne, the second wife of King Henry VIII? And thereby hinted that he was the bearer of the old English surname Boleyn? The French historian Jean Merien suggested that his real name was Edward Dammond. Perhaps this is so, perhaps not, while this is another blank spot in history.
On the "Revenge" Teach went to cruise around the island of St. Vincent, where he captured a large English merchant ship under the command of Christoph Taylor. The pirates removed everything that they could need from this ship, and, having landed the crew on the island, set fire to the ship.
Defoe writes that a few days later Teach met the forty-gun ship Scarborough, with which he entered into battle. The battle lasted several hours and luck began to bow to Teach. Realizing in time that they would lose in an open battle, the captain of the Scarborough decided to take advantage of the speed of his ship. He stopped the fight and, raising all the sails, turned to Barbados, to the place of his anchorage. Significantly inferior to Scarborough in speed, Tich's ship stopped pursuing and headed towards Spanish America. Unfortunately, neither in the ship's log nor in Teach's letters about the collision with the Scarborough does anything, so the reliability of this information lies entirely on Defoe's conscience.
In December-January 1718, having replenished the crew (now there were about three hundred thugs on board the Revenge), Teach, plying the islands of St. Kitts and Crab, captured several British sloops. And at the end of January he arrived in Ocracoke Bay, to the city of Bath (North Carolina). The cunning captain understood that this town (at that time its population was a little over 8 thousand people) is an excellent refuge for ships sailing from the Atlantic to Pimlico Bay, and the fighting colonists were willing to pay Tich for pirate booty more than professional buyers in the Bahamas .
In March 1718, having sailed to the Gulf of Honduras, Teach stumbled upon the pirate sloop Revenge with ten guns under the command of Major Steed Bonnet. Teach overtook the sloop and, after some time being convinced of Bonnet's inexperience in maritime affairs, entrusted the command of the vessel to a certain Richards. At the same time, he took the major on board his ship, telling him that he was “not meant for the difficulties and cares of such a trade and that it would be better to part with him and live at his pleasure on a ship like this, where the major can always follow habits, without burdening yourself with unnecessary worries.
Soon the pirates entered the waters of the Gulf of Honduras and anchored near the low-lying shores. While they were at anchor here, a barque appeared in the sea. Richards quickly cut the ropes on his sloop and gave chase. But the barque, noticing the black flag of Richards, lowered its flag and swam right under the stern of Captain Teach's ship. The barque was called "Adventure", belonged to the English pirate David Harriot and arrived in these waters from Jamaica. His entire crew was taken on board a large ship, and Israel Hands, a senior officer from the Tich ship, with several of his comrades, was appointed commander of a new trophy.
On April 9, the pirates left the Gulf of Honduras. Now they turned their sails towards one of the bays, where they found a ship and four sloops, three of which belonged to Jonathan Bernard of Jamaica, and the other to Captain James. The ship was from Boston, called the Protestant Caesar, and was under the command of Captain Viard. Teach raised his black flags and fired one volley from the cannon; in response to this, Captain Viard and his entire crew quickly left the ship and reached the shore in a skiff. Teach and his people set fire to the Protestant Caesar, after completely plundering it. They did so because the ship came from Boston, where many of their comrades had been hanged for piracy; meanwhile, the three sloops that belonged to Bernard were returned to him.
Thence the pirates set their course for Grand Cayman, a small island about thirty leagues west of Jamaica, where they captured a small barque; from here their path lay to the Bahamas, and then, finally, they set off for the Carolinas, capturing a brigantine and two sloops along the way.
A joint booze of the Teach and Wayne teams. (Old engraving)
In May 1718, Teach, with his already overgrown flotilla, blockaded Charleston, a city in South Carolina, where he remained for several days at the exit from the strait, seizing immediately upon arrival a ship under the command of Robert Clark, carrying 1,500 pounds in coins and other cargo to London, as well as several wealthy passengers. The next day the pirates captured another ship leaving Charleston, as well as two long boats that wanted to enter the channel, and a brigantine with fourteen blacks on board. All these conquest operations, taking place in full view of the city, caught up with such fear in civilians and plunged them into even greater despair, considering that shortly before the events described, another famous pirate Vane had already paid them a similar visit. Eight ships stood in the port, ready to set sail, but no one dared to go out to meet the pirates for fear of falling into their hands. Merchant ships were in the same position, fearing for their cargo; we can say that trade in these places was completely stopped. An additional misfortune was brought to the inhabitants of the city by the fact that they were forced to endure a war against the natives, from which they were all exhausted, and now, when that war had just been ended with difficulty, new enemies appeared - robbers who came to ravage their seas.
From the governor of Charleston, Teach demanded that he be given a first-aid kit and some medicines, totaling less than 400 pounds. When the boat with Tich's envoys capsized, delaying the fulfillment of the conditions for five days, the captives fell into despair. In the end, they did return home. Teach released the ship and the captives without causing them any harm. The Charlestonians wondered why Teach was satisfied with such a small ransom. It is also not clear why he demanded medicine, which he could well have obtained in Bath. Some historians claim that the sailors of Tich needed mercury to treat syphilis.
From Charleston, Teach headed to North Carolina. While passing through Topsail (now Beaufort), both the Queen Anne's Revenge and the Adventure ran aground. It seems that Teach deliberately destroyed the ships so as not to share the booty. Several dozen sailors rebelled, and they were thrown aground. Teach himself, on his nameless sloop, sailed away with forty sailors and almost all the loot.
In June 1718, Teach undertook a new sea expedition, sending his sails to Bermuda. On the way, he met two or three English ships, from which he took only provisions and some other things he needed. But when he was near Bermuda, he met two French ships sailing for Martinique, one of which was loaded with sugar and cocoa, and the other empty. Teach ordered the crew of the first to surrender and board the second, after which he brought the ship with the cargo to North Carolina.
In Bata, Tich was greeted kindly. As soon as they arrived at the place, Teach and four robbers from his detachment went to visit the governor; they all swore that they found this ship in the sea, on which there was not a single person; in response to these statements, a decision was made to "consider this ship a good prey." The governor received his share of sixty cases of sugar, and a certain Mr. Knight, who was his secretary and tax-collector in the province, received twenty cases; the rest was divided among the pirates. Governor Eden "forgave" his piracy. The Vice Admiralty assigned a ship to him. Teach bought a house obliquely from the governor's house and put his ship at the southern tip of Ocracoke Island. He married the sixteen-year-old daughter of a planter, was generously treated to the local nobility, and he arranged receptions for them in gratitude.
According to the English custom, marriages are held in the presence of priests, but in these parts the function of the church is taken over by the magistrate: therefore the marriage ceremony of the pirate and his chosen one was performed by the governor. It is known for certain that this was the fourteenth wife of Tich and that in total he had twenty-six wives.
It should be said that, according to contemporaries, Tich was, as they say now, a sexual pervert. The life he led with his wives was extraordinary in the highest degree. He stayed with his wife all night, and the next morning he had the habit of inviting five or six of his companions to his place and in his presence forced the poor girl to satisfy them all in turn. In addition to its own wives, this animal often used the "services" of the wives of its captives and friendly planters (judging by the descriptions, the latter differed little from the captives, except that they were not connected).
Teach in front of his ship.
Teach feared, not without reason, that the deceit would sooner or later be revealed; the ship could be recognized by someone who moored to this shore. Therefore, he turned to the governor, telling him that this large ship had holes in several places and that it could sink at any time, and there was a danger that, having sunk, it would block the exit from the bay. Under this fictitious pretext, Teach received permission from the governor to take the ship to the river and burn it there, which was immediately done. The upper part of the ship blazed above the water like a bright flower, and meanwhile the keel sank into the water: thus the pirates got rid of the fear of being put on trial for deceit.
Captain Teach, spent three or four in Bath: sometimes he anchored in the bays, sometimes he went to sea to cruise from one island to another and trade with oncoming sloops, to which he gave part of the booty from his ship in exchange for food , (of course, if he was in a good mood, it often happened that he took everything that came his way without asking permission, quite sure that no one would dare to ask him for a fee). Several times he went inland, where day and night he had fun with the owners of the plantations. Teach was fairly well received among them; there were days when he was very kind to them, giving them rum and sugar in exchange for what he could get from their plantation; but as to the monstrous "liberties" which he and his friends took with respect to their wives and daughters, I cannot be sure that the pirates paid the real price for it.
The owners of the sloops that sailed back and forth along the river were so often victims of robberies and violence from Blackbeard that they began to look for ways to stop this lawlessness. They were convinced that the governor of North Carolina, who they thought was supposed to restore order in the area, would not pay any attention to their complaints and that until they found help elsewhere, Blackbeard would continue his robberies with impunity. Then the truth-seekers secretly turned to the governor of Virginia with persistent requests to send a significant military force to capture or destroy the pirates. The governor negotiated with the captains of the two warships "Pearl" and "Lima", which for ten months were in the port, but, for an unclear reason, did not agree.
It was then decided that the Governor would hire two small sloops to man the crews of the warships, and give command of them to Robert Maynard, first officer of the Pearl. The sloops were supplied in large quantities with all kinds of ammunition and small weapons, but they did not have cannon weapons.
The governor also called a council, at which it was decided to publish a proclamation, which provided for the payment of a reward to whoever could capture or kill a pirate within a year. Below I give its verbatim content:
« On behalf of Her Majesty's Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony and Province of Virginia. A proclamation promising rewards for those who capture or kill pirates.
By this Act of the Council at Williamsburg, November 11, in the fifth year of Her Majesty's reign, called the Pirates' Destruction Act, among other provisions, it is stipulated that any person who, between November 14, 1718, and November 14, 1719, between the 33rd and 39 degrees north latitude and in an area extending one hundred leagues from the continental border of Virginia, including the provinces of Virginia, including North Carolina, seize or, in case of resistance, kill a pirate at sea or on land in such a way that for the governor and the Council it will be obvious that the pirate is really killed, will receive the following awards from the public treasury and from the hands of the treasurer of this colony: for Edward Teach, popularly nicknamed Captain Teach or Blackbeard - 100 pounds sterling; for each pirate in command of a large warship or sloop, 40 pounds; for each lieutenant, senior officer, senior non-commissioned officer, foreman or carpenter - 20 pounds; for each junior officer - 15 pounds; for each sailor taken on board a similar large warship or sloop - 10 pounds.
The same rewards will be given out for each pirate who is captured by any large warship or sloop belonging to this colony or North Carolina, according to the qualifications and position of this pirate.
Wherefore, in order to encourage those who are glad to serve Her Majesty and this colony, to take part in such a just and honorable cause as the extermination of that part of the people, which can justly be called the enemy of the human race, I found correct among other documents with the permission and consent of the Council Publish this Proclamation: I hereby declare that the above awards will be paid on time and in the money circulating in the territory of Virginia, in accordance with the amounts established by the above Act.
And I command, moreover, that this proclamation be published by all the sheriffs and their representatives, and also by all the priests and preachers of churches and aisles.
Done in the Council Chamber at Williamsburg, November 24, 1718, in the fifth year of Her Majesty's reign.
A. Spotswood.
pirate flag
A few days earlier, on November 17, 1718, Lieutenant Robert Maynard set sail, and on November 21 in the evening arrived at the small island of Ocracoke, where he found the pirates. This expedition was kept in the strictest secrecy and was carried out by a military officer with all the care necessary for this; he arrested all the ships that he met on his way in order to prevent Teach from receiving a warning from them and at the same time getting information about the location of the hiding pirate himself. But, despite all the precautions, Blackbeard was informed by the governor of the province himself of the plans plotted against him.
Blackbeard had often heard such threats, but had never seen them carried out, so this time too he did not heed the governor's warnings until he himself saw the sloops approaching his island with a determined air. As soon as he realized the reality of the danger hanging over him, he put his ship on alert, and although his crew numbered only twenty-five people, he spread the word everywhere that he had on board forty inveterate robbers. Having given all the necessary instructions for the battle, he spent the night drinking wine with the owner of the merchant sloop.
During this feast, since everyone knew that tomorrow they would be attacked by enemy sloops, someone asked the captain if his wife knew where his money was hidden, because anything could happen during the battle. The captain replied "Only me and the devil know this place and the last one left alive will take everything for himself." Later, the pirates from his squad, who were captured as a result of the battle, told an absolutely incredible story: when they went to sea in order to engage in sea robbery, they noticed an unusual person among the crew, who for several days either walked along the deck, then descended into the hold, and no one knew where he came from; then the stranger disappeared shortly before the ship was wrecked. The pirates believed that it was the Devil himself.
Meanwhile, the morning of November 22, 1718 came. Lieutenant Maynard anchored, as there were many shoals in this place and he could not come closer to Tich at night; but the next day he weighed anchor, and, having launched a skiff in front of the sloops to measure depth, he finally arrived at the distance of a cannon shot, which was not long in coming. In response to this, Maynard raised the royal flag and ordered all sails to be raised and oars to rush forward to the island. Blackbeard, in turn, cut the ropes and did his best to avoid boarding, firing from the cannons for a long time. Maynard, who had no cannons on board, fired his musket incessantly, while most of his men leaned on the oars with all their might.
Tich's sloop soon ran aground, but since Maynard's ship had a greater draft than the pirate ship, the lieutenant could not approach him. Therefore, he had no choice but to drop anchor at a distance less than the distance of a shot from an enemy cannon, with the intention of lightening his ship in order to be able to board. To this end, he ordered to throw all the ballast into the sea and pump out all the water that could fill the hold, after which he rushed at full sail to the pirate ship.
Tich, seeing that the enemy was already on the way, decided to embark on a trick. He asked Maynard who he was and where he came from. To which the lieutenant replied: "You can see from our flags that we are not pirates." Blackbeard, trying to play on the nobility of Maynard, asked him to transfer to the skiff and swim up to him so that he could take a closer look with whom he was dealing. Maynard replied that he could not rely on the yawl, but would arrive himself aboard his sloop as quickly as possible. To which Blackbeard, having taken a glass of liquor, shouted in response that let the devil take him to himself if he spares the enemy or asks for mercy himself. Maynard replied, "I don't expect mercy from you, and you won't expect it from me either." The ploy failed.
While these "friendly" negotiations were going on, a strong wave and the beginning of the tide removed the sloop of Blackbeard from the shallows and he again rushed to the open sea, trying to get away from Maynard. The royal ship struggled to catch up with the pirates. When he got close, the pirate ship fired buckshot at him from all its guns, which led to heavy losses among the lieutenant's crew. Maynard had twenty men killed and wounded on board, and nine men on the other sloop. And since the sea was calm, he was forced to use only oars to prevent the pirate ship from hiding.
The lieutenant forced all his men to descend into the hold for fear that another such volley would end the entire expedition and completely destroy his ship. He was left alone on the upper deck, except for the helmsman, who tried to hide as much as possible. Those who were in the hold were ordered to keep their rifles and sabers ready and go up on deck at the first command. Stairs were prepared at the deck hatches. As soon as the lieutenant's sloop boarded the sloop of captain Tich, the pirates threw several homemade grenades onto its deck: bottles filled with gunpowder, pieces of iron, lead and other components that caused incredible destruction on the ship, plunging the crew into extreme confusion; fortunately, the grenades did not cause much harm to people. The main part of the lieutenant's team was, as was said, in the hold, so Blackbeard, not seeing anyone on the deck, shrouded in smoke, turned to his people: “All our enemies have died, with the possible exception of three or four. Let us cut them to pieces and throw their corpses into the sea."
Immediately after such a short speech, under the cover of thick smoke from one of the bottles, he and fourteen of his robbers jumped onto the deck of Lieutenant Maynard's sloop, who noticed the intruders only when the smoke cleared a little. Nevertheless, he managed to give a signal to those who were in the hold, and they jumped out on deck at once and attacked the pirates with all the courage that could be expected from them in such a situation. Blackbeard and the lieutenant fired pistols at each other, and the pirate was wounded. Then they began to fight with sabers; unfortunately, Maynard's saber broke, he retreated a little to reload his pistol, and at that time he would certainly have been pierced by Tich's huge broadsword if one of the lieutenant's men had not had time to discharge his pistol into the pirate's neck; this saved Maynard, who escaped with only a slight scratch on his hand.
Maynard's fight with Tich.
The fight was hot, the sea reddened with blood around the grappling ships. Maynard, who had only twelve men around him, fought like a lion against Teach, surrounded by fourteen pirates. Blackbeard took another bullet from the lieutenant's pistol. However, he continued to fight with mad fury, despite his twenty-five wounds (so the eyewitnesses claimed), five of which were from firearms, until he fell dead while reloading his pistol. Most of the pirates were also killed; the survivors, almost all of the wounded, begged for mercy, which only extended their lives for a short time. The second royal sloop at the same time attacked the pirates who remained on board Teach's ship, and they also asked for mercy.
So Captain Teach died. There was a legend according to which the headless corpse of Tich, thrown into the water, circled around Maynard's ship for a long time and did not sink ...
One might say that Maynard and his men would have suffered less casualties if they had been aboard a warship equipped with guns. Unfortunately, they were forced to use sloops with modest weapons, since it was impossible to approach in large or heavy ships to the place where the pirates were hiding.
The lieutenant ordered that Blackbeard's head be cut off and placed on the end of his sloop's bowsprit, whereupon he proceeded to Bath, where he wished to heal his wounded. Letters and other papers were found on Blackbeard's sloop, which revealed to everyone the agreement concluded between the pirate, Governor Eden, his secretary and some merchants from New York. It is safe to assume that Captain Teach, in the event of losing all hope of salvation, would burn all these papers so that they would not fall into the hands of his enemies.
Tich's head on the bowsprit of Maynard's sloop. (Old engraving)
As soon as Lieutenant Maynard arrived at Bath, he took sixty crates of sugar from the Governor's stores and twenty crates from Knight's stores, which were part of the booty from the French ship captured by pirates. There was a loud scandal, the documents were submitted to the court as evidence of a dastardly collusion. After such a shameful exposure, Knight did not live long, as the fear of being judged and answering according to the law for his act threw him into bed with a terrible fever, from which he died some time later.
When all wounds were healed, Lieutenant Maynard set sail to the wind to rejoin the warships stationed on the St. Jacques River in Virginia; Blackbeard's head still protruded from the bowsprit of his sloop, and fifteen prisoners were on board, thirteen of whom were later hanged.
According to some documents, one of the captives, named Samuel Odell, was captured aboard a trading sloop the night before the battle. This unfortunate man paid too dearly for his new place of residence, since during the described fierce battle he received about seventy wounds (it is hard to believe in such a number of wounds, but this is how the documents are interpreted). The second prisoner who escaped the gallows was Israel Hands, already known to us, a senior officer from the ship Tich and at one time the captain of a captured barque, until the large ship Queen Anne's Revenge was wrecked near the small island of Topsel.
Hands took no part in the battle, but was captured at Bath. Shortly before that, he was badly crippled by Tich. It happened as follows: at night, when Blackbeard was drinking in the company of Hands, the pilot and another pirate, he quietly pulled two pistols from his pocket, loaded them and put them beside him. The pirate noticed these actions of the captain and considered it best to leave the "fun" company; he went up to the upper deck, leaving Hands and the pilot with the captain. At that moment, Blackbeard, having extinguished the candle, fired two pistols, although no one gave him the slightest reason for such an act. Hands was shot in the knee and crippled for life; the pilot escaped with a fright. When Blackbeard was asked what was the reason for this act of his, he replied: "If I do not kill one of my people from time to time, they will forget who I really am."
So Hands was also captured and sentenced to the gallows; but at the time when the execution was to be carried out, a ship arrived with a royal decree, which guaranteed pardon to those pirates who obey the orders of the authorities and stop robbery. Hands received a pardon.
Recently, American underwater archaeologists found Edward Teach's ship at the bottom of a small bay at the mouth of the James River in North Carolina. If this is true, then this is the ship called Queen Anne's Revenge, sunk by Captain Maynard.
So, almost 270 years later, Tich's ship was found under a meter layer of silt. The expedition was led by Wilde Remsing. For more than six months, he managed to hide his find from the press, rightly fearing that amateur scuba divers and treasure hunters, as well as just lovers of "pirate souvenirs" would instantly steal not only the contents of the holds, but the ship itself. Finally, when the press and television reported on the discovery of Remsing at the bottom of the bay in North Carolina, crowds of tourists in cars and boats clung to the entire coast. Their interest in Teach can be understood: according to the latest archival data, his navigator Billy Bones was a real person, whom Stevenson so vividly described in his novel, and most importantly, he was the author of the famous pirate song "Dead Man's Chest" about fifteen pirates landed without water and provisions on a tiny island.
According to Remsing, Tich's ship was badly damaged by time, but it is quite subject to restoration if it is carefully raised to the surface and subjected to careful conservation. This will require large expenses, but, as they say, "the game is worth the candle" due to the fact that people of our time are by no means indifferent to history.
Examination of the 18-meter vessel by underwater archaeologists showed that a lot of all kinds of items and utensils of great archaeological value were preserved in the holds, such as: dishes, a great many bottles of rum, curved sabers, pistols with expensive notches, a copper sectarian, many cannons and all the signs of a hot boarding battle ...
Remsing categorically denied the rumors about the innumerable treasures plundered by the insidious Tich, allegedly available on the ship, however, he noted that the exact location of the ship was kept secret.
“Historians are well aware,” Remsing said, “that Teach safely hid the stolen jewelry and money on the uninhabited island of Amelia, and removed witnesses, which was not a very difficult task for a pirate who had monstrous physical strength. Judging by the surviving old engravings, Teach always carried a good musket, a long dagger and many pistols in special leather pockets. All this set of weapons he wielded excellently.
The members of the Remsing expedition are sure that when Tich's ship is raised, restored and becomes a museum exhibit, it will attract many tourists, for the glory of Tich and his literary counterpart, Captain Flint, is great.
And I have something else to remind you on the topic, read it or you know who he is ? . And here's another