The gentleman pirate was born as Stede Bonnet.
He worked with the famous Blackbeard until their split after the Siege of Charles Town.
Who Was The Gentleman Pirate?
How did he receive his nickname the gentleman?
Bonnet came from a rich English family and had inherited their estate and money.
He was a rich man until he chose to take a turn in his life towards the criminal lifestyle of becoming a pirate.
Born around 1688, he inherited his families fortune at a young age due to his father’s death.
It wasn’t until he matured did he decide to follow the way of the pirates.
It was in the year 1717 when the notorious pirate Blackbeard had built a name for himself.
Following Bonnets venture as a pirate, his primary problem was the fact that he didn’t have any experience on the sea.
Due to his inherited wealth, Bonnet was easily able to purchase a ship for himself and kickstart his pirate career.
In order to have a functioning ship, one must have a crew. Bonnet gathered around 50 – 70 men.
The gentle pirate named his ship “The Revenge”.
The gentle pirate made his way to the pirate republic which was in the capital city of Nassau after being chased by a Spanish fleet.
It was in Nassau where Bonnet had met Edward Teach and formed a collaboration.
They had plundered many ships and coasts together around the east coast of the American continents.
However, as Bonnet did not have much experience as a captain, he lacked respect form his crew which caused them to leave his ship.
Following this, the Gentleman Pirate joined the famous Blackbeard. Bonnet parted ways with his life as a pirate in 1717.
Bonnet was pardoned and made a free man.
Despite this, Bonnet could not let go of being at sea which caused him to revert back to the pirate life.
The Battle of Cape Fear River
The Battle of Cape Fear River signified the battle between the Gentleman Pirate and the governors of American provinces.
The battle commenced after Bonnet’s ship stopped to repair damages caused to their ship. During this, the enemy was able to surround them.
The crew resisted but not for long as they were outnumbered.
Bonnet managed to escape temporarily but was later captured and put on trial.
The gentleman pirate was hung in 1718 for several convictions.
.jpg)