Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag’s Historical Figures & Real-Life Characters
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, like all other Assassin’s Creeds, is based on a real time period in human history. In this case, it’s the open seas of the 1700s. As players sail around the Caribbean during the height of piracy (the kind committed with boats, not computers), they’ll encounter several AC: Black Flag characters who are actually real-world historical figures of that era. When AC: Black Flag came out in 2013, the historical and modern-day aspects of the Assassins and Templars were still key pieces of the story. During Edward’s 18th-century adventures, players can meet quite a few real-life historical figures, with nine ultimately serving particularly significant roles in both the story and in real history. All historical information below comes via Encyclopedia Britannica, unless otherwise noted.
Every Major Historical Character In Black Flag
Edward Thatch (Blackbeard)
The most notable and recognizable real character in AC: Black Flag is Edward Thatch (also commonly referred to as Edward Teach), the infamous pirate known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard was born sometime in the late 1600s, and historians believe he was raised in Bristol, England. Other than those two vague claims, not much is known about Blackbeard’s life before his reign as a pirate. As an adult, however, Blackbeard became infamous for his acts of piracy, using his appearance to intimidate his victims. Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag covers his alliance with other pirates like Benjamin Hornigold and Stede Bonnet, along with his blockade of Charles Town. He was killed in 1718 after angering the governor of Virginia, who sent soldiers after him.
Benjamin Hornigold
Shortly before his death, Blackbeard became the second-in-command for Benjamin Hornigold, another real-life pirate who appears in AC: Black Flag. Hornigold was cautious and refused to attack British ships, which frustrated his crew and caused them to vote him out as captain, according to the Queen Anne’s Revenge Project. Black Flag emphasizes Hornigold turning away from the pirate cause, as he ultimately accepted a pardon and began to hunt other pirates. Eventually, Hornigold was pardoned by the king and became a pirate hunter, turning on his former acquaintances to help out the governor of the Bahamas. According to 1724’s disputed A General History of the Pyrates, he died in a shipwreck.
Mary Read
The third real-world Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag character is Mary Read, one of a few famous female pirates. Read allegedly had a history of dressing and posing as a man, most notably as a young adult when she joined the British military. AC: Black Flag plays up this element, having her pose as James Kidd, son of the iconic Captain Kidd. Her career as a pirate began around 1717, and she later disguised herself as a man and joined the crew of John Rackham, along with fellow female pirate Anne Bonny. However, their careers were short-lived. In 1720, all three pirates were arrested. Rackham received a death sentence and was executed, but Read and Bonny’s sentences were delayed because they claimed to be pregnant. Read later reportedly died of a fever in April of 1721.
Anne Bonny
Of course, since Read appeared in AC: Black Flag, so did Anne Bonny. Originally from Ireland, Bonny moved to the Bahamas around 1718. There, she met Rackham and joined his crew, allegedly becoming his romantic partner, as well. Unlike Rackham and Read, Bonny did not die as a result of her capture in 1720. Instead, she was released and moved to Charles Towne (Charleston) in South Carolina, where she lived with a new husband and their children until she died around 1782.
Jack Rackham
As one would expect, John Rackham, known by the nickname Calico Jack, is another Assassin’s Creed historical figure depicted in Black Flag. One of Rackham’s claims to fame, other than his two female crewmates, is the creation of the recognizable variant of the Jolly Roger flag with a skull and two swords crossed underneath, according to The Way of the Pirates. However, accounts from the time only mention a white pendant as his flag, and the associated Jolly Roger was likely a later invention. Interestingly, the name Calico Jack also didn’t appear until after his death, suggesting that he was probably never actually known by the nickname. As mentioned earlier, Rackham was captured in 1720 by the pirate hunter Jonathan Barnet and subsequently hanged.
Stede Bonnet
Unlike most other pirates, Stede Bonnet was born into a fairly well-off family before becoming an outlaw. However, in 1717, Bonnet decided to turn to a life of crime, buying a ship, which he named Revenge, according to Smithsonian Magazine. He set sail for the Caribbean, where he met Blackbeard. The two worked together for a few years, although Bonnet’s crew eventually abandoned him for Blackbeard, who was a much more competent captain. In the summer of 1718, Captain William Rhett of South Carolina pursued Bonnet for capture, and Bonnet was executed on December 10, 1718.
Bartholomew Roberts
Later known as Black Bart, Bartholomew Roberts captured far more ships than any other pirate during the Golden age, even if many of his captures were of small vessels. While his career as a pirate was brief — he took on the profession only a few years before his death —he certainly made a mark within that time.
Bartholomew Roberts’s career came to an end when grapeshot tore out his throat in battle with a British warship, and he was buried at sea by his crew.
Laureano de Torres y Ayala
Laureano de Torres y Ayala gazes at an item pilfered from the Assassins.
While most of AC: Black Flag’s memorable historical figures have taken up the black flag themselves, Laureano de Torres y Ayala serves a very different role. As a Spanish military officer of noble stock, Laureano eventually became the royal governor of Florida in the late 17th century, and governor of Cube in the early 18th century. Black Flag casts him in the role of a Templar, providing a figure of law and order to contrast the freedom of piracy and the Assassin’s Creed.
Charles Vane
Last but not least on the list is Charles Vane, who began his piracy career around 1716, according to The Way of the Pirates. In 1719 or 1720, Vane’s ship was marooned by a hurricane in the Bay of Honduras, and a passing British ship arrested him, bringing him to Port Royal in Jamaica. He was executed in November of 1720. Unlike some of the other pirates featured in AC: Black Flag, Vane was known for his cruelty, and he often tortured and killed soldiers who were stationed on the ships he captured. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’s developers, of course, took some liberties with all of these pirates’ stories, since not all of them were active at the same time, and many were imprisoned or killed over the course of five years. But for fans of history and of the franchise, it’s still cool to see real-world inspirations like these appear in such a popular franchise.
Systems
Released
October 29, 2013
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
Developer(s)
Ubisoft Montreal
Engine
AnvilNext
Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
Franchise
Assassin’s Creed
Steam Deck Compatibility
Playable
تم النشر: 2026-07-18 23:00:00
مصدر: screenrant.com
