He was believed to have come from England, though that is not for certain. He began his pirating career in 1713, as a crewman aboard the sloop commanded by pirate Benjamin Hornigold in and around the Caribbean. Hornigold himself retired as a pirate in 1717 after accepting an offer of amnesty by the British crown. Teach took over command of a captured French merchant ship. He increased the guns from 26 to 40 and renamed his ship the ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge.’

This was his flagship and for the next six months he and his fleet of four vessels and over 200 men terrorized the waters of the Caribbean and Southern coast of North America. Teach was the most infamous of pirates of his day, he was said to set fire to his beard during battles to intimidate his enemies. He and his pirate crews were notorious for their cruelty.

During the month of May in 1718, two of his ships including his flagship ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge’ were shipwrecked. He was forced to desert a third ship and many of his men due to a lack of supplies. With his one remaining ship Blackbeard sailed to North Carolina and met with its Governor, Charles Eden. Blackbeard was given a pardon by Eden in exchange for a share of the pirates booty.

After a request for action against Teach by the planters of North Carolina, the Governor of Virginia dispatched a force of the British navy to North Carolina to deal with Blackbeard. On November 22nd Blackbeard’s forces were defeated in a bloody battle at Ocracoke Island. Blackbeard who had captured over thirty ships in his brief but successful career as a pirate received five wounds from hits by musket balls as well as another twenty lacerations from swords before he finally died in battle.