Historical Figures Codexery

Blackbeard

The fearsome English pirate who terrorized the West Indies and colonial America.

Blackbeard

Joseph Nicholls (fl. 1726–55).[1] Although James Basire (1730–1802) is attributed as the engraver based on the signature "J. Basire", unless he engraved the it · via Wikipedia: Blackbeard · Public domain

Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard, was a notorious pirate who operated in the early 18th century.[1][2] Lieutenant Robert Maynard commanded a small force that killed Teach during a fight at Ocracoke Inlet.[3]

Last updated 2026-10-02 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name
Edward Teach
Born
c. 1680
Birthplace
Possibly Bristol, England
Died
(aged 35–40)
Place of death
Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina
Cause of death
Killed in action (stab wounds and gunshot wounds)
Rank
Captain
Base of operations
Atlantic, West Indies

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He probably began his piratical career after the Treaty of Utrecht, moving from Jamaica to New Providence.[4] The early years of Blackbeard are poorly documented, though his age at death (between 35 and 40) suggests a birth year near 1680.[1] Edward Thatch or Edward Teach are the names most frequently found in documents from his own time.[1] Teach became part of Captain Benjamin Hornigold's crew, possibly around 1716.[4]

The French slave vessel La Concorde was seized by Teach and rechristened Queen Anne's Revenge.[3][4] That ship was fitted with 40 cannons and manned by more than 300 sailors.[3]

What the cited sources add

The Archaeological Institute of America reports that the Queen Anne's Revenge wreck was discovered in November 1996 in Beaufort Inlet.[5] Historical records and artifact assemblage identified this wreck as Blackbeard's flagship, which ran aground in June 1718.[5]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Blackbeard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Blackbeard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Wood, "Teach, Edward (Blackbeard) (d. 1718)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Blackbeard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Conservation Of The Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck", Archaeological Institute of America, 10 May 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Blackbeard" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Conservation Of The Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck", Archaeological Institute of America, 10 May 2013. facts only, no text reused. archaeological.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Blackbeard (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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