Charles Vane from Black Sails: Did the pirate really exist?

Charles Vane gained popularity through the series “Black Sails”. He was daring and cool and this arouses curiosity as to whether the pirate really existed

Charles Vane from Black Sails – Fiction and Reality

Did he really exist or is the pirate Charles Vane from the popular series Black Sails just a fictional character?

• The fact is that Charles Vane actually lived many centuries ago. However, not too much is known about his life. But Vane really was a pirate, especially in the Bahamas. So far, the historical reality still matches the fictional world in Black Sails. But that’s about it

• The real Charles Vane has little in common with the fictional character of the pirate king from Black Sails, apart from the fact that he really did make the seas unsafe in the 18th century. The exact date of Vane’s birth is not known. There is also a dark veil over the pirate’s childhood and youth.

• The date of Charles Vane’s death is known, as the English pirate’s life came to an inglorious end on March 29, 1721 in Port Royal, Jamaica.

Charles Vane – the life of the pirate

The pirate, known above all for his cruelty, gained notoriety when he rebelled against the new governor Woodes Rogers. Charles Vane was also captured for the first time in 1718.

• However, after Vane had sworn to stop his criminal activities, he was released again. However, Charles Vane did not keep his promise for long. He continued his criminal activities just a few months later. In 1721, Vane was captured again in Port Royal and executed shortly afterwards.

• The difference between the character portrayal of Vane in the series and in reality is particularly striking. The real Charles Vane was probably not an “honorable” pirate like the series actor, but an extremely cruel sadist. He is said to have enjoyed torturing the sailors of the captured ships endlessly before they were murdered

• Vane’s second arrest also differs from the depiction in the series. Vane was not captured on horseback in the countryside, but on a ship that had picked him up after a shipwreck.