42 Facts About Stede Bonnet

Stede Bonnet bought a sailing vessel, the Revenge, and travelled with his paid crew along the Eastern Seaboard of what is the United States, capturing other vessels and burning other Barbadian ships.

Stede Bonnet set sail for Nassau in the Bahamas, to the haven for pirates known as the "Republic of Pirates", but he was seriously wounded en route during an encounter with a Spanish warship.

Incapable of leading his crew, Stede Bonnet temporarily ceded his ship's command to Blackbeard.

Stede Bonnet stayed on Blackbeard's ship as a guest, and did not command a crew again until summer 1718, when he was pardoned by North Carolina governor Charles Eden and received clearance to undertake privateering against Spanish shipping interests.

Stede Bonnet was tempted to resume his piracy but did not want to lose his pardon, so he adopted the alias "Captain Thomas" and changed his ship's name to Royal James.

Rhett's and Stede Bonnet's men engaged in combat for hours, but the outnumbered pirates ultimately surrendered.

Stede Bonnet received a good education, and lived as one of the richest and highest members of Bridgetown society.

Stede Bonnet contracted a local shipyard to build him a sloop, which he equipped with ten guns and named the Revenge.

Stede Bonnet relied on his quartermaster and officer for their knowledge of sailing, and as a result, he was not highly respected by his crew.

Stede Bonnet sailed north to New York City, taking two more ships, and picking up naval supplies and releasing captives at Gardiners Island.

Stede Bonnet stripped the brigantine, but brought the cargo-filled Barbadian sloop to an inlet off North Carolina to use for careening and repairing the Revenge.

The Revenge was badly damaged, Stede Bonnet was seriously wounded, and half the crew of the sloop was killed or wounded in the encounter.

Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet struck up an unlikely friendship, and decided to cruise together, with Blackbeard taking command while Stede Bonnet kept to his cabin, recovering from his wounds.

When Stede Bonnet encountered Blackbeard again shortly afterwards at Turneffe Atoll, Stede Bonnet's crew deserted him to join Blackbeard.

Stede Bonnet confided in a few loyal crew members that he was ready to give up his criminal life if he could exile himself in Spain or Portugal.

Stede Bonnet accompanied Blackbeard to South Carolina, where Blackbeard's four vessels blockaded the port of Charles Town in the late spring.

Stede Bonnet returned to Topsail Island to find that Blackbeard had sunk several of his pirate ships, taken all the loot, and robbed the Revenge and two other vessels of the squadron of most of their supplies, before sailing away.

Stede Bonnet then rescued seventeen pirates who had been marooned on a sand bar by Blackbeard for disagreeing with his plans.

Stede Bonnet began to resupply the ravaged Revenge, having bumboats bring food on board from ashore.

Stede Bonnet gave chase but failed to catch the other pirate.

The name Royal James that Stede Bonnet conferred on his sloop was possibly a reference to James Francis Edward Stuart, the son of the deposed James II of England who was at the time plotting to retake the throne of England from George I of Great Britain.

Stede Bonnet further tried to disguise his return to piracy by engaging in a pretence of trade with the next two vessels he robbed.

Stede Bonnet took several prisoners, some of whom joined his pirate crew.

Stede Bonnet sailed the ship to Cape Fear River, a well-known pirate rendezvous, to undertake repairs which were estimated to require two months of work.

Stede Bonnet had the shallop broken up to help repair the Royal James.

Stede Bonnet threatened at least one man with marooning if he did not work with the slaves to repair the Royal James.

Stede Bonnet remained in the Cape Fear River, intending to wait out the hurricane season there.

Stede Bonnet sent three canoes out to Rhett's ships and was disconcerted to learn that they were warships.

Stede Bonnet planned to fight his way out to sea in the morning with his crew of 45.

Stede Bonnet wrote a letter to Johnson, threatening to burn all the ships in Charles Town Harbour.

Stede Bonnet's men had the advantage that their deck was heeled away from their opponents, giving them cover, while the Henrys deck was tilted toward the pirates, thus exposing Rhett's men to punishing musket volleys.

Stede Bonnet's force suffered twelve casualties while killing ten and wounding fourteen of Rhett's 70-man crew.

In Charles Town, Stede Bonnet was separated from the bulk of his crew and held for three weeks along with his boatswain, Pell, and his sailing master, Herriot, at the home of Town Marshal Nathaniel Partridge.

Stede Bonnet surrendered and was returned to Charles Town, imprisoned in a safer location.

Stede Bonnet possibly awaited his execution in the Court of Guard, a militia guardhouse in the city where the Exchange and Provost stood as of 2007.

Stede Bonnet was brought to trial before Trott two days later, and formally charged with two acts of piracy, against the Francis and the Fortune, whose commanders were on hand to testify against Stede Bonnet in person.

Stede Bonnet pleaded not guilty to the offences but provided little defence for his actions.

Stede Bonnet sent several other letters, including to Rhett who offered to take Bonnet to England for a re-trial if Johnson allowed it.

Stede Bonnet's visibly disintegrating mind moved many Carolinians to pity, particularly the female population, and London papers later reported that the governor delayed his execution seven times.

At his trial, Stede Bonnet downplayed his own authority over his pirate crew.

Stede Bonnet told the court that his crew engaged in piracy against his will, and said he had not given them consent to rob any vessels.

Stede Bonnet is alleged to have been one of the few pirates to make his prisoners walk the plank.