Edward Kenway is the pirate protagonist of the 2013 video game Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
Edward is a Welsh privateer-turned-pirate who becomes involved with the conflict between the Assassins and Templars during the Golden Age of Piracy. The game is set primarily in the Caribbean in the early eighteenth century, where naval exploration, ship combat, and island activities form major parts of the experience.
Edward is the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton, also known as Connor, the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed III. This family connection links Black Flag to the earlier game while giving Edward his own independent story and motivations.
Edward is sometimes confused with Edward Thatch, the historical pirate better known as Blackbeard, who appears as a separate character. Haytham is also playable in Assassin’s Creed III, but he is Edward’s son rather than the hero of Black Flag.