Which pirate captain was called the Gentleman Pirate?

Stede Bonnet was known as the Gentleman Pirate.

Bonnet was a wealthy landowner from Barbados who became a pirate captain in 1717. His decision was unusual because he had no established seafaring background and reportedly purchased and equipped his own vessel, the Revenge, rather than taking command through a mutiny or privateering career.

Because of his social position and educated background, later accounts gave him the nickname “Gentleman Pirate.” His crew did not always respect his nautical abilities, and Bonnet temporarily sailed with Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. Teach took control of the Revenge for a period and left Bonnet with limited authority.

Bonnet later resumed command and was captured near the Cape Fear River in 1718. He was tried in Charleston, South Carolina, and hanged in December that year. His story is often confused with Blackbeard’s because the two men sailed together, but they were separate captains.