WHO IS SAMUEL BELLAMY ?
Samuel Bellamy's pirate career lasted only two years. Two years during which he went from being a commoner to a great pirate captain respected by all. What makes Black Sam different from Benjamin Hornigold? Both men share the same values and prioritize democracy in their crew. Except that Black Sam was more convincing in his actions and decisions.
He fully deserves his rank as the prince of buccaneers, given the diplomatic strategies he has put in place to build his notoriety. What kind of pirate would dare to scuttle a ship by getting naked to intimidate his enemies? To better understand the principles of Black Sam, we will go back in time by analyzing his origins and his personality. Interested by the history of piracy? Check out our collection of pirate flags.
HIS ORIGINS
Black Sam was born on February 23, 1689 in Hitti Sleigh, in the south of England. Coming from a poor family, he decided to leave home to escape poverty and joined the navy. By the time he was a teenager, he had already participated in several naval battles. When he reached adulthood, around 1714, Bellamy was fired from the Royal Navy. He then decided to settle in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but he was still living in poverty. The love of a young girl is piled on poverty and social inequality. This pushed him to take the plunge and become a pirate.
HIS PERSONALITY
Black Sam is a true leader who inspires us as a man. His nickname actually shows authority and cruelty and highlights the dark thoughts of a buccaneer. However, his story proves otherwise. He advocates the equality of men, regardless of his origin and skin color. This is his strength. For Bellamy, theJolly Roger represents the resurrection of those who were trampled on because they were not rich.
Black Sam's name is actually derived from his appearance, particularly the long, straight black hair that adorns his tricorn. Some analysts say that Samuel Bellamy was simply wearing a black wig to send a message to the system. This is the aristocratic version of Prince Bellamy.
HIS EARLY DAYS IN PIRACY
While living on Cape Cod, Samuel Bellamy fell madly in love with a girl from a wealthy family: Maria Hallet. She was his muse, but the gap was too wide. When Bellamy left the navy, he lived by looting wrecks of wrecked ships. A problematic source of income when trying to impress the rich.
Fortunately for him, Black Sam was an outstanding sailor. His time in the Royal Navy allowed him to accumulate the experience to become a professional navigator. In addition to his navigational skills and strategic cunning, Black Sam frequently used diplomacy to achieve his goals. So he decides to set sail and promises a better life to his sweetheart who was carrying his child.
SAMUEL BELLAMY AND PAULSGRAVE WILLIAMS
Upset by his love life, Bellamy decides to take a spell in a Cape Cod tavern. The place where he met a certain Paulsgrave Williams. The latter had an experienced sailor to live the adventure of his life. Williams is a son of a wealthy family who sang his praises to promote his quest for the New World.
Importunate by Williams' babbling, Bellamy decides to leave the bar early to join his beloved. But the situation soon catches up with him and he decides to accompany Palsgrave Williams on his two-bit pirate journeys.
BLACK SAM AND HENRY JENNING
In 1715, Williams and Bellamy leave for the New World aboard a small sloop to live their life as novice buccaneers. After a poor journey, in 1716, the two made their way to Honduras Bay where they met Charles Vane and Henry Jenning. Jenning led the assault on the sloop of Black Sam. Realizing that he did not have enough power to fight Vane and Jenning, Bellamy decided to join their crew to attack a French frigate. Once the assault was completed, Bellamy overtook Jenning and recovered all the loot and the ship. He then went to Nassau.
SAMUEL BELLAMY AND BENJAMIN HORNIGOLD
Arrived at Nassau, Bellamy joins Hornigold to escape from Henry Jenning. But the latter does not put more time to return to Nassau. In order to protect themselves from Jenning's wrath, Bellamy and Williams joined without constraint the crew of the Marianne, commanded by Captain Benjamin Hornigold.
THE RICHEST PIRATE IN THE WORLD
Some time later, Black Sam and his crew of 90 buccaneers took the Sultan by storm. He then appointed Paul Graves Williams to command his flagship: the Marianne before joining the crew of La Buse (Olivier Levasseur). In 1717, Samuel Bellamy captured the Whydah, with which he became the richest pirate in the world.
Having become rich, the prince of pirates wanted to reach Cape Cod to see his family, but on April 26, 1717, the Whydah sank in a hurricane at the entrance to Massachusetts. Black Sam was presumed dead in this catastrophic storm. 30 years later, Barry Clifford, an adventurer and researcher, discovered the wreck of the Whydah and a treasure of 400 million dollars. This is the legacy of Black Sam.
In short, Black Sam was the model man of modern times. Following his death, Maria Hallet lost their child and went mad. The end of the Black Sam legend is truly tragic, but no man, no pirate has achieved the feat of Samuel Bellamy to this day.
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