Original: Edward Teach or Edward Thatch ( c. 1680 -- 22 November 1718 ) , better known as Blackbeard , was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies during the early 18th century .
Simplified: Edward Teach ( c. 1680 -- 22 November 1718 ) was a pirate , often called '' Blackbeard the Pirate '' .