People[edit]

Select a game Show: By RedBeard The Pirate RedBeard The Pirate's Favorites. Screenshots Artwork Videos. By RedBeard The Pirate RedBeard The Pirate's Favorites. Captain Roger Redbeard was the leader of the Pirates in the Pirates theme. He was first introduced in 1989 with the theme start and to the Pirates. According to a LEGO pirate book he has the same birthday as Governor Broadside. Redbeard is a fierce and bloodthirsty pirate that sails on his ship, The Black Seas Barracuda.

Frederick Barbarossa (Redbeard), another name for Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (1122–1190)
Oruç Reis or Redbeard (Barbarossa) (1474–1518), Ottoman naval commander
Hayreddin Barbarossa or Red Beard (1478–1546), privateer and Ottoman admiral
Ragnar Redbeard, author of Might is Right
Redbeard, former DJ at Q102 in Dallas, Texas and host of In the Studio

Other uses[edit]

Red Beard (nuclear weapon), a British tactical nuclear weapon
Red Beard, a 1965 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa
Redbeard (comics), a series of Belgian comic books
Redbeard, a common epithet of Thor, a major god in Norse mythology
Redbeard, the nickname for Victor Trevor, a childhood friend of Sherlock Holmes's, from the BBC television show Sherlock

Publications[edit]

The series was very popular in France, Belgium and The Netherlands, but has not yet been published in English. In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, most of the classic episodes were also published in Yugoslavia (in the Serbian language) under the name Demon s Kariba (Demon of the Caribbean). In Croatia, the series was first published under the name Crvenobradi but later under the name Riđobradi (in the Croatian language). In Germany, the series is known under the name: Der rote Korsar, and in Denmark 5 albums have been published under the name Rødskæg. In the sixties (titled Κοκκινογένης) it was a part of the contents of Greek magazine 'Asterix', by Spanos editions^[2] In the seventies two episodes were published in Finland, under the name Punaparta, and in Portugal 5 Barba Ruiva albums have been published.

Characters[edit]

Redbeard is a pirate of French origin. After a troublesome youth he went roaming the seven seas for gold and fortune on his ship, the Black Falcon. He has gathered a great fortune over the years, most of which was hidden in the FloridaEverglades. But a lot of his fortune was needed to buy or repair his ships. He used to have a secret base on an uninhabited island, but this was destroyed first by the British, Spanish and Dutch forces and finally in a volcanic eruption. According to the later spin-off series, his real name supposedly is Jean-Baptiste Cornic.
Eric Lerouge ('the red', although his hair is blond!), is the adopted son of Redbeard. In fact, he can be seen as the main character of the series, despite the title, as some episodes deal with Eric and do not feature Redbeard at all. In 1715, Redbeard found young Eric during a raid on a ship, in which Eric's parents were killed. His true name and legacy were revealed later, in documents that Redbeard had taken during the attack. Eric's true name is Thierry de Montfort. He is a nobleman, but the claim to his father's name has been lost, so he feels destined to travel the seas. Eric dislikes the pirate life, however, and does not want to succeed Redbeard, wishing instead to choose to lead an honest life, but many obstacles lay in his path. He has studied at the Royal Navy in London by using a fake name. He tried to earn a living as a captain on a tradeship, but Redbeard keeps coming back into his life, needing him for one of his jobs.
Tripod (called that for his wooden leg and walking stick) is Redbeard's righthand. He is an inventor, geographer, and also has great knowledge of surgery and strategy and speaks Latin fluently. He has multiple wooden legs, each containing hidden tools, medicines, or weapons. One leg is even modified into a rifle.
Baba is an escaped slave of African origin, being abducted by slave traders from the Gulf of Guinea. He was freed by Redbeard, and chose to remain as his loyal servant. Baba is as strong as a bull, and can swim like a dolphin. He had a sister named Aïcha, but she was killed in Algiers while helping Eric to escape.
The Black Falcon is the name of Redbeard's ship. There have been at least four different Falcons, as the ship sometimes was destroyed during battle. This first Falcon was a Brig that was blown up by Redbeard himself after it was captured by the Spanish. The second Black Falcon was a three-masted barque, and it burned while being sieged by the pirate Alvarez. The third Falcon was also a three-masted barque, but with a very narrow hull. It also had extended rigging and bigger sails, that could be raised and lower from the deck itself. Next to regular cannons, it featured two extremely heavy cannons (30 cm caliber), named after Gog and Magog. Also there were 30 connected muskets, that could be fired at once. The ship could also drop Naval mines. Finally, there was a hidden surprise in the form of Greek fire: copper tubes could spray this substance over the water and onto enemy ships. The ship gained its nickname the ship from hell in the siege of Algiers, causing mass mayhem and turning a great portion of the city into ashes. However, it was blown up again by Redbeard, as there was no escape possible from the Dardanelles near Istanbul. The fourth Back Falcon is again a regular three-masted barque.

Asterix parodies on the left, originals at right

Asterix parody[edit]

Redbeard is parodized in the Asterix comic series. Since the album Asterix the Gladiator, a group of pirates appear in nearly every story, and their ship sinks at almost every meeting. Originally intended as a one-off joke, the pirates' appearance was so successful that they were fully integrated in the Astérix series. They were also featured in both the 1968 animation film Asterix and Cleopatra and the 2002 live-action film Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, as well in three other animations: Asterix in Britain, Asterix Conquers America and Asterix and the Vikings.

The parody has its origins in the fact that Jean-Michel Charlier had worked with the authors of Asterix, René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo, in the founding of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote in 1959. This magazine was the launching vehicle for both Asterix and Redbeard.

Although in several countries of Continental Europe, Redbeard is a popular comic series in its own right, the popularity of Asterix's pirates is one of the few occasions when parody figures have overshadowed their originals.

Historical background[edit]

Redbeard's adventures mainly take place in the period between 1715 and 1750.The character of Redbeard was based on various historical pirates, like the Frenchman Robert Surcouf (1773–1827), as Charlier & Hubinon created three comics about him between 1949 and 1952, and these stories would later be the basis of this series. Also used are stories about the Turkish admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa (1483–1546), whose Italian name Barbarossa means 'Red Beard'. Parts of his cruel appearance might be based on the notorious Blackbeard, active in the Caribbean Sea, and

Redbeard The Pirate Game