One of the notorious pirates of all time was Blackbeard, or Edward Thatch.
He operated around the West Indies and the east coast of Britains North American colonies,
and he was seen as a feared threat to ships around that area.
Blackbeard was a intelligent leader who carved a fearsome reputation and image for himself,
and he was a skilled naval tactician.
But in one final battle he was defeated as British sailors stormed his ship and Blaxckbeard
was then killed in the following melees and battle.
However following his death, his body was then subjected to a posthumous execution which
was brutal and terrifying in it’s manner.
This was done to show many people that the infamous Blackbeard was dead, and a reward
was collected for his death.
But what is the story of the horrific execution of Blackbeard?
Remember to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Little is known about Edward Thatch or Blackbeard’s early life.
He used the name Blackbeard when engaging in acts of piracy, and there has been debate
as to what his true name was.
It’s believed that he was a privateer for the British during the War of the Spanish
Succession, but around the year 1716 his reputation of being pirate continued to spread.
The following year he converted a captured French merchantman ship into a 40 gun warship
which he named the Queen Anne’s revenge.
This ship then became involved in a number of raids on other vessels and ships around
the Viriginia and Carolina Coasts, and inside of the Caribbean Sea.
Interestingly the remains of the Queen Anne’s Revenge were found offshore of Atlantic Beach
in North Carolina, and it was identified by a number of coins found with it, bearing the
bust of Queen Anne and her successor King George I.
The ship had a crew of around 300, and in 1718 he scuttled the ship and moved his crew
onto a smaller vessel named the Adventure.
He was a fearsome character, and he had a daunting appearance.
His large black beard reached his waste, and he was a crazy man.
He often lit fuses in his long hair to make him seem crazy and frightening, but he had
a reputation even within his own men of torturing prisoners and turning on his own crew at any
time.
Despite this he managed to maintain order and this added to his terrifying character,
and his enemy were feared of him.
His flag showed a skeleton stabbing a heart with a spear and toasting the devil with a
glass in the other hand, showing that Blackbeard had an alliance with the devil, and this flag
would strike fear into any vessels who encountered it, as they knew it was Blackbeard.
He continued his acts of piracy around the coast of America, and he formed a base on
Ocracoke Island just off North Carolina.
But one of the most shocking and brave things he did was to use his flotilla of ships to
blockade the port of Charlestown in South Carolina.
Over a week, 9 ships were stopped and were attacked and plundered as they attempted to
sail out of the harbour where Blackbeard’s fleet was anchored.
Blackbeard told some of his prisoners that the fleet needed medical supplies, and if
none were given then all of the prisoners would be beheaded and their ships would then
be torched and burned.
However when two pirates and a prisoner were sent into the town, they did not return.
This left Blackbeard with no choice but to sail eight ships into the harbour, and this
caused chaos.
The pirates ransacked the town causing panic and they looted what they could, and shortly
after this his supplies were delivered and the local government gave into him.
He then released the prisoners after robbing them of their possessions.
The siege of Charlestown led to Blackbeard’s reputation spreading further and he was seen
as a fierce leader who would come in land and take whatever he wanted when he needed
to.
The news of this attack led to him becoming one of the most feared pirates in History.
However he may have become too bold and brave in his acts, as he angered the governor of
Virginia Alexander Spotswood.
Spottswood then gathered together a group of private pirate hunters who were tasked
with taking out Blackbeard and his crew, and these were paid to hunt him.
The main pirate hunting ships were told to sort out the problem with Blackbeard and to
also overpower his crew and forces.
The main ships used to hunt him were the HMS Pearl and HMS Lyme who were commanded by Leftenant
Robert Maynard.
Maynard found the pirates anchored near to Ocracoke Island, but he waited until the following
morning to attack as he was in unfamiliar waters.
He stopped all traffic going near them, and had lookouts track Blackbeard’s men to make
sure they could not escape out to sea.
Blackbeard was entertaining guests on the island and did not have a lookout.
When Blackbeard spotted them, he quickly cut the anchor and then began to attack the ships
with his cannons.
Within minutes he had taken out a third of the attacking forces.
The broadside shots caused Maynard to lose a third of his men, around 20 on the Jane
were wounded or were killed and 9 on the Ranger were killed.
The second and third officers were killed or injured, but what happened next is debated.
Small arms fire from Jane may have cut Blackbeard’s Adventure’s jib sheet in which she lost
control and ran onto a sandbank.
But then Maynard saw the gap closing between the vessels, and Blackbeard ordered his men
to be ready for boarding.
Several grenades were thrown and as the smoke cleared Thatch led his men aboard and they
noticed the enemy ship was empty.
But then the rest of Maynard’s men burst from the hold firing weapons and shouting.
This surprised Blackbeard and the pirates were shocked by the assault.
Blackbeard rallied his men and he and Maynard shot their flintlock pistols at each other
and then threw them away.
Blackbeard then drew out his cutlass and he managed to break Maynard’s sword.
But the pirates were then pushed back towards th bow of the ship, and the Jane’s crew
surrounded Maynard and Blackbeard.
But as Blackbeard went in to attack Maynard whilst she was reloading, he was slashed across
the neck by one of Maynard’s soldiers.
He was badly wounded and then was attack by others and he was killed, with his crew quickly
surrendering.
Those on the ship were captured but what happened next to Blackbeard’s body was shocking.
His body was examined and it had been shot 5 times and been cut about 20 times by swords.
But then Maynard had Blackbeard’s head struck from his body and he was posthumously executed
and Blackbeard’s head was cut off.
His head was then tied to the bowsprit of Maynard’s ship, and his corpse was thrown
into the inlet and the water around them.
His head was struck off to show people that the infamous pirate was killed, and for Maynard
to then take the reward that he’d been offered.
The site of Blackbeard’s head would have been shocking when he came into port.
When they returned to Virginia, the head was then placed on a spike or a pole at the entrance
to Chesapeake Bay to serve as a strong warning to other pirates and ships with attacking
intent, and it was there for a number of years before it decayed in the elements.
Many of Blackbeard’s crew were also executed and were hanged.
But Blackbeard became one of the most feared pirates of all time, and his actions inspired
many to write books about piracy.
He was not the most successful pirate of all time despite his reputation and infamy, but
he was a man who struck fear into the hearts of sailors and traders around the Americas.
But his posthumous execution was a brutal one, and would have been a terrifying sight
to have seen.
Thanks for watching
To support our channel please make sure to subscribe
Thanks for watching