Who was the pirate captain that mentored Edward Teach before Teach became Blackbeard?

Benjamin Hornigold was the pirate captain who mentored Edward Teach before Teach became Blackbeard.

Hornigold was a major pirate leader based around New Providence in the Bahamas during the early 1710s. Edward Teach served under him, gaining experience in ship handling, boarding tactics, and the management of a pirate crew.

The two men later operated together in the Caribbean and along the eastern coast of North America. Teach eventually commanded his own vessel and developed the fearsome identity of Blackbeard. Hornigold, by contrast, accepted a royal pardon in 1718 and changed sides.

After receiving the pardon, Hornigold worked for Governor Woodes Rogers as a pirate hunter. He pursued former associates and other pirates in the Bahamas. His career therefore illustrates the unstable boundary between piracy, privateering, royal service, and colonial authority during this period.