Blackbeard


 * "If I don't kill a man every now and then, they forget who I am." - Blackbeard

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate in the Caribbean Sea during the early 18th century. He appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, played by Ian McShane, as the first historical pirate to appear in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Biography
Edward Teach was most likely born in Bristol, England. Little is known about his early life, but in 1716 he joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold, a pirate who operated from the Caribbean island of New Providence. He quickly gained his own ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, and from 1717 to 1718 became a notorious and feared pirate. His cognomen was derived from his thick black beard and fearsome appearance; he was reported to have tied lit fuses under his hat to frighten his enemies. He was a giant of a man for the times, close to six and a half feet tall and the fuses would create a halo of smoke around his head.

It is said that Blackbeard had over 14 wives but only his last marriage to Mary Ormond was considered legitimate.

After separating from Hornigold, Teach formed an alliance of pirates, and with his cohorts blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina. After successfully ransoming the port's inhabitants, he ran his ship aground and then accepted a royal pardon. He was soon back at sea however, and attracted the attention of the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood. Spotswood arranged for a party of soldiers and sailors to find and capture the pirate, which they did on November 22, 1718. According to the pirate Lore, Teach was killed by a small force of sailors led by Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard after his ship ran aground.

Movie Biography
Blackbeard, a name uttered in terror by all who sail the sea, or any unfortunate enough to encounter him on dry land. His flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, is manned by zombies, festooned with the bones of his victims and spits fire from its bow to incinerate enemy ships, or the occasional crew member fallen out of favor. Blackbeard dabbles in the Black Arts and wields a sword imbedded with one of the three sapphires of Triton. But Blackbeard lives under the shadow of a prophesied death, his only hope the restorative waters of the Fountain of Youth. Whatever it takes, no matter who is crushed beneath the weight of his heartless ambition, Blackbeard will get there, by any possible means.

Game Terms
Blackbeard does NOT currently appear in Pirates of the Caribbean Online, however his sword, the Sword of Triton does.

With the release of the sword into the game, the developers released a riddle found on a parchment uncovered near the Sword:

"This sword holds far more power than meets the eye, for when a royal bow breaks water, ye shall know her name and that of her enslaved crew."

This hints at Blackbeard, his ship and his crew of zombies arriving into the game.