Blackbeard: The True Story
The complete story of the dreaded pirate Edward Thatch, AKA Blackbeard, told in 6 minutes with detailed maps of his voyages and notorious deeds.
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David Cordingly, Under the Black Flag http://geni.us/P0A5dl6
Colin Woodard, The Republic of Pirates http://geni.us/eMWfLFE
Peter Earle, The Pirate Wars http://geni.us/AWpCp4
Possibly born in Bristol in England around 1680, Edward Thatch (or Teach) may have served as a sailor or privateer during the War of Spanish Succession (known in America as Queen Anne’s War) before turning to high seas larceny in the last ‘Golden Age’ of piracy.
Blackbeard’s pirate career probably began in 1717 while serving as second-in-command to Captain Ben Hornigold, based in the pirate haven of Nassau in the Bahamas. Together they attacked and plundered merchant ships off the eastern seaboard of colonial America. Blackbeard later met ‘gentleman pirate’ Stede Bonnet, and took over command of his sloop, ‘Revenge’. Blackbeard continued to terrorise the Thirteen Colonies, attacking ships bound for eastern seaports including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, the Chesapeake and Charleston.
Blackbeard then sailed to the Windward Islands, and near St.Vincent captured a French frigate, ‘La Concorde’, which had been converted into a slave ship. Some of the slaves joined Blackbeard’s crew, the rest he put ashore. Blackbeard renamed the ship ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge’ and fitted her with 40 guns, making her one of the most powerful ships in the area.
With ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge’ at the head of his small pirate flotilla, Blackbeard attacked ships and settlements from Guadeloupe to the Gulf of Mexico. Spanish sailors nicknamed him ‘the Great Devil’, and he became the most notorious and feared pirate in the West Indies.
In 1718 Blackbeard sailed to the coast of Florida, where a Spanish treasure fleet had been wrecked three years before. Some pirates had made their fortune searching the wrecks for silver and gold, and Blackbeard’s men spent several weeks diving the wrecks. But they had little success.
Next, in the most audacious move of his pirate career, Blackbeard, with four ships, blockaded the port of Charleston, capital of the British colony of South Carolina. For six days he stopped all ships entering or leaving the harbour, plundered them, and took their passengers and crew hostage to be ransomed back to the town.
Moving up the east coast of America looking for a hideaway, Blackbeard’s flagship ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge’ ran aground entering a shallow inlet, and sank. By now Blackbeard’s crew was over-large and unruly, and some speculate that Blackbeard sank his ship on purpose, to disband his crew and increase his own share of the plunder they were carrying. Now he marooned the most discontent of his men (they were later rescued by Stede Bonnet) and sailed in a spare sloop to Bath with 60 of his best crew. At Bath, then capital of North Carolina, they accepted a royal pardon from the governor, as part of a general pirate amnesty that had been offered by the British government.
Blackbeard was not content with civilian life, and from his new base at Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks, he soon returned to piracy, robbing two French ships out at sea. Alexander Spotswood, Lieutenant Governor of the neighbouring colony, Virginia, was outraged at the prospect of having the infamous, recidivist pirate Blackbeard operating on his doorstep. Although North Carolina was out of his jurisdiction, Spotswood organised a naval expedition to kill or capture Blackbeard. Led by Lieutenant Maynard, Royal Navy, the expedition caught Blackbeard by surprise at Ocracoke Island. In the viscous battle that followed, Blackbeard was finally overpowered and killed.
N.B. There are no precise records of most of Blackbeard’s voyages or attacks. Those depicted in this video are carefully researched but intended to give an accurate impression of his exploits, rather than a precise record of exact routes or attacks. Similarly, there are no accurate contemporary images of Queen Anne’s Revenge, so artistic license has been taken with a ship of similar size and type.
Read more about Blackbeard in this article from Smithsonian.com:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/last-days-blackbeard-180949440/?no-ist=&=&page=1
#EpicHistoryTV #PirateHistory #Blackbeard
Epic History could you do a video about the French pirate Francois l’Ollonais, probably the most savage of the pirates, who fought the Spanish, that would be awesome, loved this video on Blackbeard
He can also command his ship using only his sword. He also has a daughter that looks like a man.
Did not know ben hornigold was a real person
Most english captains were pirates for most of the civilized world, till they robbed the english ships, then they became pirates to the english too.
You know what I am going to do? Start a new Black Flag campaign and follow Black beard’s route, I shall be victorious ☠☠☠☠☠
I’m waiting (impatiently) for a video about the life and times of the Dread Pirate Roberts.
Marshall thatch
Blackberry One piece!
Zehahahaha
Maynard processed him, though
We are in need of more pirate content
I want to find his treasure
Where is Russian subtitles guys?
I just found out that this guy that I saw as a charecter in one piece was a a real person. Along with “captain kid”
Bullet proof
legend
In all honestly I didn’t know he actually existed, thought he was like a cartoon, so cool
One Piece has peaked an interest in me in pirates. The way they just took things into their own hands and risked it all for a mere chance to shake up the world is so cool. Some even succeeded to an impressive degree. That’s the best part.
Zehahahahhaha
Great video👍🏻 But could have skipped the hectic music imo
Johnny Depp should a narrated this
Lose the music.
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🇬🇧🇺🇦🏳️🌈🎩
I am the only thought this video is about blackbeard from one piece
I love these stories!
Tortuga anyone?
Black Sails is a great show about this.
Which is his last name lol
And was his body with his head or what?!
"If a man plays a fool, then it’s only fools he’ll persuade but, appear to be the devil…and all men will submit."
This video contained NO clips from Sid Meier’s Pirates, my disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. 🏴☠
MARSHAL D TEACH
sheeeeeeeeeeesh
Very nice
Blackbeard!
So he was basically an ocean flavoured Rasputin
And now kids dress up as pirates for Halloween. I wonder if in another 200 years those kids will dress up as Bloods and Crips…maybe even lawyers.
Can’t believe that there are people that idolize this man! Like, he literally was a criminal.
We all came here from assassin’s Creed Black flag no argument
The bowsprit is pronounced with a ‘bow’ as in the bough of a tree, not ‘bow’ as in bow and arrow.
You forgot the part where he kills Thatch to steal his devil fruit and find the One Piece.
Heh – Alexander *Spotswood!*
"The name is …. Spotswood." – Team America 🙂
I am him reincarnated… ARRRGGGHHH!!!!
Edward Teach becaming as one of famous pirate in history:
Captain Jack Sparrow and Monkey D. Luffy wants to know his location. 😎😎😎
Edward Tatch born in a beach
Kenway in a world without gold we might have been heros
I need this history
Get rich or die famous
The best blackbeard I have come across is in the TV show dark sails.
https://youtu.be/DZY6KOJZB3M
Welcome to the Cayman Islands, where people who steal from the masses hide. 18th century – 21st century
OFMD, anyone?
As seams to be fashion, the music is way over the top, too loud and not in balance with the story. Bloody Irritating !