Often behind the many stories about the leaders of pirates and hidden huge treasures, the prototype is hidden - Captain Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard. Some facts from the life of this pirate were first published in London in 1724.
What was the name of the famous pirate
Actually, the famous pirate's name was Edward Drummond, but he went down in history as Edward Teach. Almost nothing is known about his childhood. Some historical records say that he was born in one of the poorest areas of London, and others that in Jamaica, and his parents were very we althy people.
Jung from Bristol
Edward Teach's biography is not exactly known, since he himself did not want to remember and did not leave any records of his childhood and youth. According to the most common version, he was orphaned very early and at the age of 12 he went to serve on a warship as a cabin boy.
Service in the Navy was very difficult, the officers subjected the sailors to severe punishments for the most insignificant offense, and the lowest ranks had absolutely no rights. However, it was still better than poverty and hunger on the streets of his native city. Over the years of his service, Edward Teach has mastered the maritime craft to perfection. However, throughfor some time the cabin boy was tired of military service and began to look for a job to his liking.
Pirate's Apprentice
In 1716, Edward Teach became one of the members of the team of the famous pirate Benjamin Hornigold, who attacked French and Spanish frigates near the islands of the Caribbean. Hornigold at that time had official permission from the English king to attack merchant ships of hostile countries.
The recruit was very quickly singled out from all the other members of the team. Edward Teach thoroughly studied marine science, was hardy, courageous and tireless in battles. At the end of 1716, Hornigold gave Teach command of a boat captured from the French during the battle. And the very next year, everyone was talking about a terrible pirate nicknamed Blackbeard, distinguished by courage and cruelty.
After some time, the war between England and France ended and the patent issued to Hornigold was immediately canceled. Then he proceeded to rob ships. His activities were more than successful, and this greatly alarmed the authorities. The Governor of the Bahamas announced the start of the fight against piracy. Those who choose to surrender voluntarily were promised an amnesty.
Hornigold decided to surrender along with his entire crew, and Edward Teach (Blackbeard) raised a black flag on his ship, which symbolized disobedience to any authorities.
Pirate ship
Edward Teach's ship was called "Queen Anne's Revenge", and the riddle of its name has not yet been solved. Some historians are sure that in this way he committedvery clever move - pretended to have absolutely no idea about the elimination of piracy and still continues to operate with the permission of the queen.
While Captain Edward Teach began robbing ships, Queen Anne was already dead. That is why many believe that he named his ship in honor of another Anna, who was unjustly executed by her husband a century and a half before the birth of the captain. The version is quite interesting, but if you do not take into account the fact that the pirate was a practical person and pursued very specific goals with his actions.
When it was no longer possible to ignore the news of the death of Queen Anne, Teach did not raise the Jolly Roger, but took his own flag. The black canvas depicted a skeleton piercing a red heart with a spear and an hourglass.
The character and habits of a pirate
According to some documents, the pirate Edward Teach, who terrified foreign merchants, was never a bloodthirsty and dangerous killer. In 1717, when he was just starting his own robbery path, the captain seized the ship, took away the cargo on board and released the entire crew along with the ship. No one was hurt in this battle.
A little later, the pirates under the leadership of Blackbeard captured several more merchant ships. They only took valuable cargo. As a result, Teach attacked the Concorde, which he then renamed his famous Queen Anne's Revenge. The team landed on the island and left them food andlifeboats.
According to eyewitness accounts and preserved records, Blackbeard has always tried to avoid bloodshed. If the ships immediately surrendered, then the pirates only took away the cargo, part of the provisions and released the crew.
One day, a legendary captain captured a frigate with officials on board, took them prisoner, and then sent a ransom note to interested parties. He did not ask for money and jewelry, but only a chest with medications. The requirements were met, but the boat capsized. When this became known, they sent a second boat with a ransom. However, the pirates did not kill the captives, but patiently waited for the ransom and then released everyone.
It is worth noting that Blackbeard only released those who did not resist. If the opponents wanted to take the fight, they were killed. And in his team, Tich did not tolerate disobedience. Those who tried to go against the captain or incited the crew to rebel were sent to feed the fish.
There is information that the captain was almost uncontrollable when drunk, which is why he was considered very dangerous and bloodthirsty.
Colorful character
A photo of the pirate Edward Teach indicates that this is a very colorful character, mainly because of his black beard, which he braided, tied with ribbons and laid behind his ears. His appearance was very intimidating.
Bloody battles involving Blackbeard were fought not only at sea, but also on land. In addition, he taught boarding combat to young sailors.
Special effects BlackBeards
The career of the pirate Blackbeard, from the moment it began until his death, lasted less than 2 years, but this was enough for Teach to go down in history forever. He became famous for boarding attacks, accompanied by special effects aimed at intimidating his potential victims and suppressing their will to resist.
During the battle, he braided fuses into his long and thick beard and burst on board the attacked ship, covered in fire and smoke. At the sight of such a monster, the sailors gave up almost immediately.
Expedition Lieutenant Maynard
Captain Teach very much very much irritated the British authorities. In the fall of 1718, the governor of Virginia announced a bounty on the head of the pirate, as well as all members of his crew. The expedition against Tich was led by Lieutenant Maynard, under whose command there were 2 boats - "Jane" and "Ranger".
In November, the lieutenant overtook Blackbeard off the coast of North Carolina. The lieutenant did not possess any special military qualities, but he was very lucky. By this time, Tich was practically realized thanks to the bribery of the governor. After some time, he planned to build a house and a fleet with which he wanted to control coastal shipping.
On the day Lieutenant Maynard caught up with the pirate, Blackbeard didn't plan to attack. On the eve of this, he was on his ship and drinking with the crew. Less than 20 people stayed with Tich, some of them were justblack servants.
Head like a trophy
When enemy ships appeared, Teach decided that he could easily deal with them. Indeed, the ships under the command of Maynard were very poorly armed and received significant damage. By order of the lieutenant, most of the soldiers hid in the hold. However, when the pirates landed on Lieutenant Maynard's ship, soldiers began to emerge from the hold onto the deck.
The pirate team almost at full strength immediately surrendered. However, Tich himself fought very bravely. A physically strong and hardy pirate showed amazing endurance. He desperately continued to fight, even receiving 5 gunshot and about 2 saber wounds. The cause of death of Edward Teach was severe blood loss.
The victorious Maynard cut off the pirate's head with his own hands, tied it to the protruding part on the bow of the ship and went home to report the victory. The headless body of the pirate was thrown overboard. The team surrendered without a fight, but this did not save them, and all the pirates were hanged. When Maynard returned to Virginia, Teach's head was tied in a conspicuous place at the mouth of the river.
Lieutenant Maynard became a famous person after the battle, and festivals in his honor in Virginia are still held.
Where the pirate's treasure is hidden
Edward Teach was one of the few pirates who raged around the islands of the Caribbean at that time. His career was very flamboyant, but rather short, as other pirates managed to rob merchant ships for much longer.
However, it was Blackbeard who became a legend. First of all, thiscontributed to the rather bright appearance of Tich and his penchant for the use of frightening special effects. Many legends about the life of a pirate have become widespread thanks to former members of the crew who were lucky enough to avoid the gallows. They told various pirate tales and fables for a long time.
Many are still haunted by the mystery of Blackbeard's treasure. According to history, Tichu managed to capture more than 45 merchant ships during his career. The cost of production is several million dollars. Since the pirate was stingy, he simply could not spend them. It is believed that Teach hid his treasures in a secret place. Blackbeard's treasure was hunted by his contemporaries and is still looking for it to this day.
Not everyone agrees that the pirate's treasure existed, since Teach was a fairly smart person. He acquired fairly strong connections on the coast, had an official wife in 24 ports, so he could share his treasure and entrust it to reliable people. In addition, there is an opinion that all the we alth went to Lieutenant Maynard, who, after the capture of the pirate, led a fairly prosperous life.
