Blackbeard's last fight
Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina
What happened
Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, was a pirate captain who raided ships in the West Indies and along the American coast. In 1718 he accepted a royal pardon and settled in Bath, North Carolina, but soon returned to the sea. Virginia's governor sent Lieutenant Robert Maynard to capture him, and Blackbeard was killed in a battle at Ocracoke Inlet on 22 November 1718.
Why it matters
Blackbeard became one of the most famous pirates in history, partly because he worked to look frightening. Historians say he relied on that image rather than on violence.
What came next
After his death stories about Blackbeard grew into legend. Ocracoke Inlet is now part of North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Did you know?
According to old accounts, Blackbeard tied lit slow-burning fuses under his hat so that smoke curled around his face.
Timeline
- c. 1716Teach joins the crew of pirate captain Benjamin Hornigold.
- 28 November 1717Teach captures a French ship and renames it Queen Anne's Revenge.
- May 1718His fleet blockades the port of Charles Town, South Carolina.
- 1718He accepts a royal pardon and settles in Bath, North Carolina.
- 22 November 1718Blackbeard is killed in a battle at Ocracoke Inlet.