Often, many stories about pirate ringleaders and hidden huge treasures conceal a prototype - 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
In fact, the famous pirate was named Edward Drummond, but he went down in history as Edward Teach. Almost nothing is known about his childhood. Some historical records indicate that he was born in one of the poorest areas of London, while others were in Jamaica, and his parents were very wealthy people.
Jung from Bristol
The biography of Edward Tych is not exactly known, since he himself did not want to remember and did not leave any records about his childhood and youth. According to the most common version, he was orphaned very early and at the age of 12 he entered service as a young man on a warship.
Service in the Navy was very difficult, officers subjected the sailors to severe penalties for the most insignificant offenses, and the lowest ranks had absolutely no rights. However, it was still better than poverty and hunger in the streets of his native city. Over the years of his service, Edward Teach has perfectly mastered the marine craft. However, after some time, the young man was tired of military service and began to look for a job to his liking.
Pirate Apprentice
In 1716, Edward Teach became one of the members of the team of the famous pirate Benjamin Hornigold, attacking 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 rookie was very quickly singled out among all the other team members. Edward Teach thoroughly studied marine science, was hardy, brave and tireless in battle. At the end of 1716, Hornigold gave Teach the command of the boat, captured from the French during the battle. And next year, everyone started 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 granted to Hornigold was immediately canceled. Then he continued to rob ships. His activity was more than successful, and this greatly alarmed the authorities. The Governor of the Bahamas announced the start of the fight against piracy. Those who decide to surrender voluntarily were promised an amnesty.
Hornigold decided to surrender with his entire team, and Edward Teach (Blackbeard) raised a black flag on his ship, which symbolized disobedience to any authorities.
Pirates' ship
The ship of Edward Ticha was called "Queen Anne's Revenge", and the mystery of its name has not been solved until now. Some historians are confident that in this way he made a very tricky move - he pretended to have absolutely no idea about the elimination of piracy and still continues to act with the permission of the queen.
While Captain Edward Teach began to rob ships,
Queen Anne had already died. 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. On a black canvas were depicted a skeleton that pierces a red heart with a spear, and an hourglass.
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 beginning his own robbery, the captain seized the ship, took away the cargo on board and released the whole crew with the ship. No one was hurt in this battle.
A little later, pirates led by Blackbeard captured several more merchant ships. They only took a valuable load. As a result, Teach attacked the Concorde, which he then renamed into his famous Revenge of Queen Anne. The team landed on the island and left them food and boats.
According to eyewitness accounts and records, Blackbeard always tried to avoid bloodshed. If the ships immediately surrendered, then the pirates only took the goods, part of the provisions and released the team.
One day, the legendary captain captured a frigate with officials on board, captured them, and then sent a ransom demand to interested parties. He did not ask for money and jewelry, but only a chest with medications. The requirements were met, but the boat rolled over. When this became known, they sent a second boat with a ransom. However, the pirates did not kill the captives, but patiently waited for a ransom and then released them all.
It is worth noting that Blackbeard released only those who did not resist. If the opponents wanted to accept the battle, then they were killed. And in his team, Teach did not tolerate disobedience. Those who tried to go against the captain or incited the team to riot were sent to feed the fish.
There is information that in a drunken state the captain was almost uncontrollable, which is why he was considered very dangerous and bloodthirsty.
Colorful character
The photo of the pirate Edward Ticha indicates that this is a very colorful character, mainly because of his black beard, which he plaited, bandaged with ribbons and laid over his ears. His appearance was very frightening.
Bloody battles involving Blackbeard were conducted not only at sea, but also on land. In addition, he taught young sailors boarding combat.
Blackbeard Special Effects
The career of the Blackbeard pirate, from the time it began to his death, lasted less than 2 years, but this was enough to make Teach go down in history forever. Boarding attacks brought him fame, accompanied by special effects designed to intimidate their potential victims and suppress their will to resist.
During the battle, he plaited ignition wicks into his long and thick beard and burst aboard the attacked ship all in fire and smoke. At the sight of such a monster, the sailors surrendered almost immediately.
Lieutenant Maynard's Expedition
Captain Teach very very very annoyed the British authorities. In the fall of 1718, the Governor of Virginia announced a reward for the head of a pirate, as well as all members of his team. 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, Teach was practically realized thanks to the bribing of the governor. After some time, he planned to build a house and navy, with the help of which he wanted to control coastal shipping.
On the day Lieutenant Maynard overtook the pirate, Blackbeard did not plan attacks. On the eve of this, he was on his ship and drank with the crew. Less than 20 people remained with Tich, some of them were just black servants.
Head like a trophy
When the enemy ships appeared, Teach decided that he could easily cope with them. Indeed, 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 the ship of Lieutenant Maynard, the soldiers began to leave the hold on deck.
The pirate team almost completely surrendered immediately. However, Teach himself fought very bravely. Physically strong and hardy pirate showed amazing stamina. He desperately continued to fight, even after receiving 5 gunshot and about 2 saber wounds. The cause of Edward Tich's death was a severe loss of blood.
The victorious Maynard chopped off the pirate’s head with his own hands, tied it to a protruding part on the bow of the ship and went home to report on 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, Tych's head was tied in a prominent position at the mouth of the river.
After the battle, Lieutenant Maynard became a famous man, and festivals in his honor are still held in Virginia.
Where are the pirate treasures hidden
Edward Teach was one of the few pirates to rage at the time on the islands of the Caribbean. His career was very vibrant, but short enough, as other pirates managed to rob merchant ships for much longer.
However, it was Blackbeard who became the legend. First of all, this was due to the rather bright appearance of Tich and his tendency to use frightening special effects. Many legends about the life of a pirate were widespread thanks to former team members who were fortunate enough to avoid the gallows. They for a long time told various pirate stories and fables.
The mystery of Blackbeard's treasure still excites many. According to the 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. His contemporaries hunted for the Blackbeard treasure; they are still searching for it to this day.
Not everyone agrees that the pirate's treasure existed, since Teach was a smart enough person. He acquired quite strong ties on the shore, 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 wealth went to Lieutenant Maynard, who, after the capture of the pirate, led a fairly prosperous life.