With the popularity of the HBO Max series, “Our Flag Means Death,” Stede Bonnet has joined Blackbeard as one of the most famous and popular pirates.
But, a question is often raised…”did they really know each other?”
The answer is a resounding, “yes.” Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard really did know each and sailed together off and on between 1717 and 1718.
Bonnet was amongst the most unique figures in pirate history (a history riddled with colorful characters). With his own money, Bonnet bought a sloop from the Barbadian harbor, the Revenge, and modified it to carry a dozen cannons and more than one hundred men.
Bonnet didn’t stop with the mere necessities of a maritime vessel, equipping the Revenge with comforts a man of his status would expect, including a full library of books in his private quarters.
Stede hired 126 men out of the Barbadian port, paid them a wage out of his own fortune (uncommon at the time, for pirates always took a piece of the plunder, not a wage), and in spring 1717 set sail in search of fame, fortune, and adventure.
Bonnet would spend the next several months off the coasts of Jamaica, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, and Florida before making his way to Nassau in the Bahamas (learn exactly why Bonnet and his crew travel to Nassau in my book “The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet“).
It was in Nassau that Stede Bonnet met Blackbeard.
Blackbeard and Bonnet struck up either a friendship or a business arrangement and Blackbeard took over as captain of the Revenge (an upgrade for his current, smaller vessel) while Bonnet stayed aboard as an observer and apprentice to one of the most feared pirates of all time.
I suppose it wasn’t a hostile takeover, more like a trade of assets. Blackbeard had more experience and Bonnet had a better ship.
The working relationship between Blackbeard and Bonnet grew more complicated as the two sailed throughout the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and east coast of the American colonies over the next year and a half, resulting in one of the most interesting tales of friendship, treachery and piracy that history provides…
To learn the full story, pick up a copy of my book “The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet” wherever books are sold…
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