In Black Sails, Captain Hornigold is the man in the blue coat.
One of the most influential pirates was a troublesome old fart to England.
The real Ben Hornigold had every right to claim the fort in his own name.
In fact, he was one of the major players in the Golden Age of Piracy.
Like many pirates, Ben Hornigolds early life is unclear.
Jennings had political aspirations.
The English throne was under dispute.
Ad content continues below
The fighting that ensued was called the Jacobite Rebellion.
It had failed by 1715, but James was still living in exile.
Many pirates sympathized with him, and some made overtures to offer him support.
These canoes could hold 25 men, and could be rigged with a sail.
Hornigold had items to fence almost at once.
The pirate was happy to agree, and received use of a small sailing ship in the bargain.
Of all the pirates of the Caribbean, Benjamin Hornigold was the most influential.
He taught many young men to be pirates.
Hornigold became so infamous that news of his exploits spread to Boston and England.
He was one of the first to see Nassau as a self-contained pirate country.
The English governor remained, but kept quiet.
He named it the Benjamin, after himself.
Now he re-armed the towns abandoned fort.
The rightful governor fled, leaving Hornigold in charge.
Merchants crowded to the real Nassau, eager to make a fortune by trading with the pirates.
But they were not always safe.
There was little to prevent the pirates from robbing the very men they had traded with.
Hornigold traded the Benjamin for another sloop when her bottom began to rot, then traded ships again.
For one thing, it made them harder to identify by the authorities.
He enjoyed a good prank.
He once attacked a ship and took only the sailors hats.
Then, headgear acquired, the pirates sailed away.
This was one of the few times that Hornigold attacked an English ship.
The English government was not able to defeat the pirates in battle.
Some, like Jack Rackham, were pardoned and then went back to their old ways.
Some, like Vane, fought.
Many other pirates did the same.
In any event, his pirate friends never saw him again.
TS Rhodes is the author ofThe Pirate Empireseries.
AndGoogle+, if thats your thing!
