DARK HISTORY: PIRATES!

Ninetoes celebrates the release of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynched by looking back at some of the most notorious pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Hey there, true crime lovers! It is your favorite investigator, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ, and I am on the beat with PIRATES! I have my notebook in hand and coffee in my system, so let’s get to it!

Okay, please bear with me. I have been waiting a long time for this game, and in honor of it I want to go over some of the most notorious pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy (1650s-1730s). The game in question is Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynched, and it dropped today.

Since I am a gentleman, let’s go with ladies first.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were two pirates who defied traditional norms of only male pirates. Make no mistake, these two women fought harder and deadlier than some of their male counterparts. They fired their pistols at will, cut people down with cutlasses, and at times fought with their shirts open, revealing their breasts to distract their opponents. The pair sailed with Captain Jack Rackham, joining his crew disguised as men, and fought with him in the 1720s. Rackham kept the pair on board after their disguise failed due to their fighting ability.

Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer (private ships authorized by a government to attack and capture enemy vessels, often under a letter of marque). The English government gave Morgan his commission during the Anglo-Spanish War. This allowed him to raid Spanish settlements and ships. Morgan’s base was in Port Royal, Jamaica, and at one point he became the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. With his stolen money, he was able to purchase three large sugar plantations.

Captain William Kidd was a Scottish privateer, hired to protect England’s interests in the 13 colonies in North America and the West Indies. His initial commission had him hunting French ships in the Indian Ocean. When he set sail for America, he did not find many ships to attack, and eventually lost some crew and ships. He captured his greatest prize in 1698, a 400-ton ship named the Quedagh Merchant. He would eventually fall out of favor in England and be denounced as a pirate.

Bartholomew (Black Bart) Roberts was probably the most successful pirate of the Golden Age. From 1719 to 1722, he had captured over four hundred ships between America and West Africa. He ruled his crew with an iron fist, prohibiting gambling and excessive drinking. He maintained. a strict code of conduct. He adopted an early variant of the Skull and Crossbones flag.

I saved the most notorious for last…

Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard) terrorized the eastern seaboard of America and the West Indies from 1716 to 1718. He wove slow-burning fuses into his beard, enshrouding him in smoke and giving him a demonic appearance. This worked so well that most ships gave up before a shot was ever fired. Blackbeard’s legendary status was cemented when he was killed during a naval battle with English forces.

No matter how much you can romanticize the Golden Age of Piracy, it is easy to see how these five were the most notorious from that time.

Until the next time, I bid you successful research!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.