50 free Blackbeard trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Blackbeard trivia quiz covers the roughly two years in which Edward Teach (or Thatch) went from a sloop captain in Benjamin Hornigold's crew to the most feared pirate on the American coast. It follows the capture of La Concorde and her rebirth as Queen Anne's Revenge, the alliance with Stede Bonnet, the smoking fuses under the hat, the blockade of Charles Town for a chest of medicines, the deliberate grounding at Beaufort Inlet, the royal pardon from Governor Eden, and the dawn battle at Ocracoke in November 1718 that ended with his head hanging from Lieutenant Maynard's bowsprit. The easy questions are ones most people know: his real name, his ship, how he died. The medium ones ask about his mentors and rivals, his fleet, his tactics and the governors who pardoned and hunted him. The hard ones dig into Israel Hands, Tobias Knight, the size of the crew at Ocracoke, the prize money dispute, the 1996 discovery of the wreck and the actors who have played him. It works for a pirate-themed party, a Talk Like a Pirate Day round or a history class on the Golden Age of Piracy. Every answer has been checked against a reference encyclopaedia, and each question shows its explanation and citation once you have answered.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01By what real name is Blackbeard usually known?
Edward Teach
People who actually met him wrote 'Thatch'; pirates often used false surnames, so his true name may never be known.
Q 02What was the name of Blackbeard's 40-gun flagship?
Queen Anne's Revenge
She had been the French slave ship La Concorde, and before that the English merchantman Concord.
Q 03What was Blackbeard reported to have tied under his hat to frighten enemies?
Lit fuses
The slow matches, plus three brace of pistols in bandoliers, gave him a look 'from hell', according to a 1724 account.
Q 04On which Bahamian island did Blackbeard base himself when he first turned pirate around 1716?
New Providence
Its harbour held hundreds of ships but was too shallow for the Royal Navy's largest vessels.
Q 05Under which pirate captain did Blackbeard first serve before commanding his own sloop?
Benjamin Hornigold
Hornigold, a former privateer, attacked only old enemies; his crew demoted him and he took the King's pardon.
Q 06In which English city was Blackbeard most likely raised?
Bristol
Then England's second-largest city, it was a hub of the Atlantic slave trade; he could almost certainly read and write.
Q 07Which 'gentleman pirate', a wealthy landowner, handed Blackbeard command of his ship Revenge in 1717?
Stede Bonnet
Bonnet's own crew were dissatisfied with him; Blackbeard later stripped his ship and marooned his men.
Q 08What cargo did Blackbeard and Hornigold take from the Betty of Virginia in 1717 before scuttling her?
Madeira wine
They had apparently developed a taste for it after taking 100 barrels of wine from a Bermuda sloop.
Q 09What kind of vessel was La Concorde when Blackbeard captured her off Saint Vincent in November 1717?
A French slave ship
He landed her crew and captives on Bequia and gave the crew a small sloop they renamed Mauvaise Rencontre, 'Bad Meeting'.
Q 10Whose deposition describing 'a very black beard which he wore very long' gave us the name Blackbeard?
Captain Henry Bostock
Bostock and his crew were held for eight hours in December 1717 while their sloop Margaret was ransacked.
Q 11How did Blackbeard reportedly wear his beard?
Braided into pigtails with coloured ribbons
He also favoured knee-length boots and sometimes a long coat of brightly coloured silk or velvet.
Q 12How many verified accounts exist of Blackbeard murdering or harming a captive?
None
He relied on his fearsome image rather than violence to get what he wanted.
Q 13Whom did Blackbeard make captain of a captured Jamaican logwood sloop in March 1718?
Israel Hands
Hands later escaped hanging because he was ashore, having been shot in the knee by Blackbeard during a drinking session.
Q 21What did Blackbeard rename his last sloop after receiving official title to it?
Adventure
He was supposedly sailing to St Thomas for a privateer's commission, but was back to piracy within weeks.
Q 22Which fellow pirate joined Blackbeard for a days-long party on Ocracoke Island in 1718?
Charles Vane
News of the gathering alarmed the governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Q 23Which colonial governor personally financed the expedition that killed Blackbeard?
Alexander Spotswood of Virginia
He may have believed Blackbeard had fabulous hidden treasure; he had no legal authority to invade North Carolina.
Q 14What rank did Blackbeard award himself by May 1718, at the height of his power?
Commodore
His flotilla then blockaded Charles Town, South Carolina.
Q 15What did Blackbeard demand as ransom when he blockaded Charles Town in 1718?
Medical supplies
He threatened to send prisoners' heads to the governor, then released everyone once the drugs arrived.
Q 16Why were the two pirates sent into Charles Town to fetch the drugs so slow to return?
They were found drunk with friends
Blackbeard had moved eight ships into the harbour, causing panic, before the party finally reappeared.
Q 17Where did Blackbeard's flagship run aground on a sandbar in June 1718?
Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina
Some historians think Blackbeard grounded her deliberately to shed crew and increase his share of the loot.
Q 18Which governor granted Blackbeard a royal pardon at Bath, North Carolina, in June 1718?
Charles Eden
Eden was later accused of being Blackbeard's accomplice.
Q 19Roughly how many of his own men did Blackbeard maroon on a sandy island before sailing to Ocracoke?
About 25
The marooned men were rescued two days later.
Q 20What happened to the 'gentleman pirate' after Blackbeard stripped his ship and marooned his crew?
He returned to piracy and was hanged in Charles Town
He was captured at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in September 1718.
Q 24Who led the naval force that killed Blackbeard at Ocracoke on 22 November 1718?
Lieutenant Robert Maynard
Despite his bravery he was never promoted and faded into obscurity.
Q 25What were the names of the two sloops Maynard used to attack Blackbeard?
Jane and Ranger
His 57 men came from HMS Pearl and HMS Lyme; the ships themselves stayed behind.
Q 26Roughly how many men did Blackbeard have aboard at Ocracoke, according to the 1724 General Historie?
No more than 25
He had told everyone he had forty; two dozen of his men were ashore in Bath with one of his captains.
Q 27What trick did Maynard use to surprise Blackbeard's boarding party?
He hid most of his men below deck
Seeing an apparently empty deck, Blackbeard led his men aboard, and Maynard's crew burst out of the hold.
Q 28What did Blackbeard do to Maynard's cutlass during their duel?
Broke it at the hilt
Blackbeard was about to deliver the killing blow when one of Maynard's men slashed his neck.
Q 29How many times had Blackbeard been shot when Maynard examined his body?
Five
He had also been cut about twenty times.
Q 30What did Maynard do with Blackbeard's head?
Hung it from his sloop's bowsprit
It was later mounted on a pole at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, where it stood for years.