Edward Teach and the Legend of Blackbeard’s Treasure Explained

External Banks season 4 introduces the Pogues – John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ and Cleo – in search of the treasure of Edward Teach, also known as the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Netflix’s action-adventure teen drama series, created by Josh Pate, Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke, follows a group of Pogues in the Outer Banks, which means they are working class (Kiara’s parents are Kooks). ) but she identifies as a Pogue, and Cleo is an honorary Pogue after External Banks season 3). The characters find themselves on a treasure hunt, and their adventure in season 4 involves Blackbeard.

External Banks The season 3 finale flashes forward 18 months after the Pogues found El Dorado, and a man named Wes Genrette approaches John B., Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ and Cleo at the ceremony honoring his discovery. He has a proposal for them: partner with him to find Blackbeard’s treasure. Genrette has Blackbeard’s logbook from 1718, and, as seen in season 4, the Pogues agree to help him. As a result, Season 4 revolves around the External Banks characters in search of the pirate’s treasure. More specifically, they search for the missing amulet of Blackbeard’s wife, Elizabeth.

Edward Teach’s real story as the pirate Blackbeard explained

Teach acquired Queen Anne’s revenge around 1717

According to Greenwich Royal MuseumsEdward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was born in 1680, probably somewhere in Great Britain. Blackbeard’s legacy is that of one of the most fearsome pirates in history, making him one of the most popular inspirations for fictional pirates in books, films, and TV shows. However, Blackbeard has also been portrayed by actors on screen, with Taika Waititi playing the pirate in Our flag means death and Ray Stevenson in Black Sails like some of the more recent representations.

Unfortunately, Not much is known about Blackbeard’s life before he was a pirate, which in a way allows the Netflix TV series to have some creative freedom during development External Banks season 4 story. During the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 1700s, Teach was a privateer, meaning he plundered Spanish ships for the British in the West Indies. After the war ended, Teach was not ready to give up the pirate life, so he worked for Captain Benjamin Hornigold until he earned the rank of captain.

Around 1717, Teach captured a ship and gave it a name Queen Anne’s Revenge. With his new ship, the captain sailed to the Caribbean, where he continued plundering, terrorizing citizens and embracing the pirate life with his crew of 300 men. Teach became a renowned figure in the pirate community, and he soon earned the nickname Blackbeard because of his distinctive black beard and overall menacing appearance. He also reportedly lit fuses in his hair to make him look even scarier. However, Blackbeard’s adventures on the seas were not meant to last forever.

How Blackbeard died and what is said to be in his hidden treasure

Blackbeard died in North Carolina

Blackbeard moved his operations to the North and South Carolina coasts, where he caught the attention of Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood. The governor made it his mission to capture the pirate, and with his team of hunters, Spotswood managed to find Blackbeard and his men near Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Blackbeard resisted, but when he and his crew boarded Lieutenant Robert Maynard’s ship, they were ambushed by Maynard’s troops. The notorious pirate was killed during fighting on November 22, 1718, and Maynard allegedly hung Blackbeard’s head from his ship’s mast.

After Blackbeard’s death, rumors began to spread about his supposed hidden treasure. Reports stated that the treasury included significant fortune in the form of gold. Of course, many have tried to find it, but to this day no one has discovered Blackbeard’s treasure. But if anyone has managed to find him (at least in the fictional world of TV), it’s John B., Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ and Cleo in External Banks season 4.

Blackbeard may have buried his treasure on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks

Blackbeard and his crew retreated to Ocracoke after their ship sank

Many believe that Blackbeard buried his treasure on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, near the Outer Banks. According to Smithsonian MagazineBlackbeard commanded the Queen Anne’s Revenge on a sandbar off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina, in June 1718, forcing them to abandon it when it sank at sea. The pirate and his crew reportedly retreated to Ocracoke Island aboard the Adventure, where Lieutenant Robert Maynard and his troops found and killed Blackbeard. Consequently, some believe that Blackbeard buried his treasure on Ocracoke during his stay. However, no one has ever proven this theory to be true.

What is believed to be the sinking of Queen Anne’s Revenge was discovered off the coast of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, in November 1996. Of course, the wreck has been partially excavated and searched since then, and no treasure has been found on board (although External Banks season 4, the release of part 1 suggests otherwise). Artifacts including a flare gun, window glass, a sword and cannons were discovered, many of which have led archaeologists to believe that the wreck is in fact that of Queen Anne’s Revenge (even if nothing can be completely confirmed).

Edward Teach’s Outer Banks Story Explained

Outer Banks Season 4 Explores Blackbeard’s History in North Carolina

Taking into account Blackbeard’s history and time spent near the Outer Banks after the sinking of the Queen Anne’s Revengeit is no surprise that the External Banks The writers are crafting Season 4 around the infamous pirate and his supposed buried treasure. Each season of the Netflix teen drama series has focused on different mysteries. It only makes sense that the Pogues would hunt for treasure in and around their hometown in External Banks season 4. The search for Blackbeard’s treasure also allows writers to establish more connections between characters and historical figures.

Blackbeard spent several months off the coast of North Carolina, meaning the possibilities regarding his (and his men’s) exploits during this period are endless for External Banks‘ history. Blackbeard’s involvement in the Blockade of Charles Town (also known as Charleston, South Carolina) is also mentioned and used to deepen the mystery. Overall Netflix Part 1 External Banks Season 4 takes advantage of the pirates’ movements through North and South Carolina to develop the story of the treasure hunt. However, the show’s depiction of Blackbeard’s history is based more on fiction than reality.

What Outer Banks Gets Wrong About Blackbeard’s True Story

There are no reports that a woman named Elizabeth was Blackbeard’s last wife.

Perhaps when reporting on the history of Blackbeard, one should not make reference External Banks season 4. Unfortunately, the writers invent most of the pirate’s backstory to move the narrative forward, including his marital status. According to reports, Blackbeard was not married to a woman named Elizabeth at the time of his death, and she was not executed along with him. His last wife was reportedly Mary Ormond, but it is unclear what happened to her. Consequently, Elizabeth’s amulet that Wes Genrette asks the Pogues to retrieve External Banks Season 4, Episode 2 is fictional.

The Blue Crown that Lightner and Dalia are looking for is also fake. Because there are many rumors about Blackbeard’s treasure, the writers of Netflix’s teen action-adventure drama had to come up with their own highly valuable objects that the pirate hid in and around North Carolina. So, Blackbeard’s wife’s amulet and the Blue Crown in External Banks season 4 is not real. Additionally, the story behind Blackbeard’s death in External Banks is also false.

Who Really Killed Blackbeard and Where His Ship Wrecked Near the Outer Banks

Robert Maynard and his crew killed the pirate (not Francis Genrette)

Wes Genrette explains to the Pogues in External Banks season 4 that he is a direct descendant of Francis Genrette, the British officer who captured and killed Blackbeard. However, in real life, this is not true. Francis is a fictional character created for the show. However, Francis is apparently based on Blackbeard’s real enforcer – Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Wes also reveals that after Francis decapitated Blackbeard (which is true because Maynard cut off the pirate’s head), he also killed Blackbeard’s wife, Elizabeth. As mentioned above, Elizabeth is not a real person, so this part of the story is also false.

As for where Blackbeard was shipwrecked the AdventureIt is unclear what happened to the ship to this day. The Coast Guard located and excavated the Queen Anne’s Revenge near Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, which is about 94 miles from the Outer Banks. However, the location of the Adventurewhich is the sunken ship that JJ and Kiara search for to locate Elizabeth’s amulet External Banks Season 4, is apparently unknown.

Blackbeard isn’t the only true story Outer Banks used

The Real OTX, Denmark Tanny and The Royal Merchant

At the beginning of the series, External Banks It wasn’t necessarily based on any true story. However, it was based on creators Josh and Jonas Pate’s experience growing up on OBX when it came to the feel of the show, the slang, and the relationship between the haves and have-nots. “It’s definitely an escapist show,” said Cline (via WWD). “It portrays what everyone would love to be doing right now, which is being on the water, on a boat, without having to stay indoors. Live Pogue style, you know?”

However, there are also differences. There is no rivalry between Kooks and Pogues in real OTXas it was created specifically for the streaming series. However, although these groups may not exist in these forms, there is a strong feeling of class separation on the island. That said, there are no feuds between social classes.

The Outer Banks character Denmark Tanny is more in line with Blackbeard’s use in the story. The show focused heavily on its namesake and legacy in relation to hidden treasure. Denmark Terry is not a real person, but is based on Denmark Vesey. He won the lottery in 1799, bought his own freedom, and started a successful business. He attempted to lead a revolution against slave owners, but was captured and executed.

Another real-life inspiration for External Banks is the Royal Merchant. In the first season, the Pogues search for the Royal Merchant, believed to have been lost on the Outer Banks in 1829, with Denmark Tanny as the only survivor. A real Royal Merchant was lost at sea when sailing from Spain in 1641. Some people believe that the Royal Merchant was full of gold and treasure, and no one ever found the ship. The real captain of that ship was John Limbrey, and Carla Limbrey in External Banks is his descendant in the show.

Sources: Greenwich Royal Museums, Smithsonian Magazine