Stede Bonnet

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

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Stede Bonnet (c. 1688 – 1718) was an early 18th century Barbadian pirate of English descent who sailed the Eastern Seaboard of the Thirteen Colonies with his crew. Despite his infamy, he was often nicknamed "The Gentleman Pirate", due in part to the fact that he was a moderately wealthy landowner prior to turning to piracy.

Despite his contrasting upbringing, Stede became a likeable associate of several well-known pirates based in the Caribbean, including Edwards Kenway and Thatch, Benjamin Hornigold and James Kidd.

History

Meeting Edward Kenway

In 1715, Stede's schooner, Revenge was waylaid by a Royal Navy warship off the coast of Cape Bonavista, Cuba. The British suspected Stede of being involved in a nearby battle between a pirate warship and a passing vessel.

Despite denying this profusely, the British refused to accept his turn of events, intending to commandeer his vessel and marooning him. He was saved by the timely intervention of Edward Kenway, a pirate who had been involved in the engagement, and shortly beforehand assumed the identity of Duncan Walpole, an Assassin whom Edward had been forced to kill.

Having saved Stede's life, the pirate offered to pilot Revenge to Havana, where both of them had business. On arriving in Havana, Stede and Edward headed into the city, eventually ending up in a tavern.

There, Edward was recognized by a privateer, who knew of Kenway being a pirate, and of his ties to those in Nassau. The two engaged in a fight after Edward's attempt to silence him, drawing the attention of some nearby Spanish guards. Stede was mistaken for Kenway's accomplice and severely beaten by the guards, having his sugar confiscated in the process.

Once Kenway had returned from avoiding the soldiers, he found a battered Bonnet by the docks, who told the former that the soldiers had confiscated Edward's possessions, as well as the sugar.

Edward then agreed to retrieve Bonnet's cargo at the same time as his own effects, but could not fulfill on his promise. Fortunately however, Stede was still able to make a profit with his remaining inventory, and Kenway then confessed his real first name to Bonnet.

Later on, Bonnet spotted Kenway with the Templars and excitedly called him by his real name, nearly blowing his cover, to which Kenway was quickly able to talk his way out of trouble. Kenway later met with Bonnet and complained about the small pay he received from the governor Laureano de Torres y Ayala for the items he brought. Bonnet, on the other hand, was really trying to inform Kenway of his great sales from the day.

During the following years, Bonnet went on to sail under Edward Thatch for a time, until he reacquired his own ship, renaming it the Revenge. He and his crew foolishly selected a massive Man O' War as their first target, and most of the crew was lost.

Bonnet survived, but was soon captured by British soldiers and hanged for his piracy. Eyewitnesses report being moved to tears by his remorse in the last moments before the execution. However, Bonnet left clues of his adventures for Edward. Later on, Edward followed in Bonnet's footsteps on the island of Saint Lucia, and uncovered the secrets of the pirate's adventures.

Personality

Stede Bonnet was a jolly and gracious man, shown especially by his great respect for Edward Kenway, who saved his life, and his ability to see a silver lining to any situation. However, this came paired with naivety, as Bonnet clearly did not understand the potential dangers he could have faced while traveling with Edward, nor for the consequences of piracy, passing it off for grand adventure.

While sailing under Thatch, Bonnet showed more courage than earlier, being toughened up by living with the incredibly terrifying Blackbeard. Of course, when Thatch was demonstrating to Edward what it meant to instill fear in men, Bonnet still cowered weakly when Thatch used him as an example.

Despite this, Stede left Blackbeard's crew in good spirits, even commenting to Kenway the great impact that the man had on his self-esteem and confidence, as his last words to Kenway involved Bonnet thanking him for his help.