Robert Maynard

A painting of Robert Maynard fighting Edward Thatch

Robert Maynard (c. 1684 – 4 January 1751) was a British lieutenant and later captain in the Royal Navy and the First Lieutenant of HMS Pearl.

In November 1718, Maynard was hired by the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, to eliminate Edward Thatch, a notorious pirate also known as Blackbeard. Taking command of a small armada comprised of several Frigates and Men O' War, Maynard sailed towards Thatch's hideout. Learning that Thatch was anchored on Ocracoke Island, Maynard found the pirates' camp but held off the attack. Instead, he and a garrison of British soldiers, along with a spy called Jenkins, went ashore to Thatch's retirement celebration. Jenkins infiltrated the bustling beech where the celebration was being held and reported back to Maynard who was waiting in the island's forest with his men.

Upon reporting back to Maynard, Jenkins followed the lieutenant through the forest, both oblivious to the presence of Edward Kenway, who was eavesdropping on Jenkins' report. After reaching a cliff where Maynard's men had set up a flare cannon, Jenkins shot the flare as a signal, whereupon Maynard's armada attacked the island, and Thatch along with Kenway faced his attack aboard Kenway's brig, the Jackdaw. Thatch and Kenway boarded one of the armada's two Men O' War, though Thatch was overrun and eventually killed, while Kenway was pushed overboard.

Trivia

• Although it is possible to kill Maynard, doing so results in desynchronization.
• Historically, Robert Maynard used two sloops to hunt down Edward Thatch, rather than an armada of frigates and Men O' War, which would not have been able to sail near Thatch's hideout at Ocracoke due to the narrow, low-tide inlets surrounding the island.
• Historically, Maynard also personally confronted and fought Thatch.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag