A timeline of events as depicted and mentioned in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. A specific date for the placement of the first three films has not been given. Though the film's scriptwriters, while making the first film, placed them in a "floating thirty-year environment" set in the 18th century, sometime around the 1720s to 1750s. Although On Stranger Tides was said to be placed at the year 1750.^[1]

Contents 1 Known or estimated dates 1.1 1485 1.2 1497 1.3 1513 1.4 c.1519 1.5 1523 1.6 1547 1.7 1576 1.8 c. 1600–1660 1.8.1 1600 1.8.2 1630 1.8.3 c.End of 1630–1631 1.9 1661-1670 1.10 1680 1.11 1683 1.12 1688 1.13 1690 1.14 c. 1700 1.15 1704 1.16 1706 1.17 c. 1716 1.18 1718 1.19 1719 1.20 1720 1.21 1722 1.22 c. 1724[19] 1.23 c. 1725[21] 1.24 1727 1.25 1733 1.26 1736[25] 1.27 1745 1.28 1746 1.29 1750 2 Dates in relation to The Curse of the Black Pearl 2.1 c.-60y 2.2 c.-50y 2.3 c.-46y 2.4 c.-40y 2.5 c.-35y 2.6 c.-30y 2.7 -20y 2.8 c.-15y 2.9 c.-13y 2.10 -10y[40] 2.11 -8y[42] 2.12 0y 2.13 c.0y[45] 2.14 +1y[47] 2.15 +11y 2.16 Unknown placements 3 Notes and references

Known or estimated datesEdit

1485Edit

• Hernán Cortés born in Medellín, Extremadura, in Castile.

1497Edit

• Silver Pieces of Eight made in Spain.

1513Edit

• Juan Ponce de León discovers Florida while discovering the marvels of the New World in his search for the Fountain of Youth.

c.1519Edit

• Hernán Cortés conquers the Aztec empire with his armies and wielding the Sword of Cortés.^[2]
• The Aztecs deliver to Cortés a stone chest containing 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold, as blood money to appease his slaughter. When Cortés refuses to stop his conquest, the Heathen Gods place a curse upon the treasure, so that anyone who took but one coin from the chest would become undead skeletons. The treasure ultimately ended up on Isla de Muerta.^[3]

1523Edit

• Juan Ponce de León sails the Santiago to an island where he discovers the Fountain of Youth. The Santiago gets stranded inland by an ancient storm, sitting atop of rocks on the edge of a cliff.
• The Mao Kun Map was created at some point before the Santiago's disappearance, showing Ponce de León's journey towards the Fountain.^[4]

1547Edit

• Hernán Cortés died. However, his spirit remained in the Sword of Cortés, and would be unleashed by anyone who spoke an incantation over both the Sword and its scabbard.^[5]

1576Edit

• Island of Douwesen was colonised by the Dutch.

c. 1600–1660Edit

• At an unknown date, a sailor named Davy Jones and the sea goddess Calypso fall in love with each other. Calypso rewarded that love by giving Jones captainy aboard the Flying Dutchman and the sacred task of ferrying souls who died at sea to the afterlife. Because of that love, Davy Jones agreed to set foot on dry land once every ten years; and if this love was true to him, his task would be complete, and a new captain of the Dutchman would be found. Jones would spend the following decade in this duty, at the end of which he could be reunited with Calypso for a single day.^[6][7]
• Ten years after pledging to serve as ferryman aboard the Dutchman, Davy Jones returns to land for one day to be with his love, Calypso. But whenever Davy Jones came ashore, Calypso was nowhere to be found. Around this time, the First Brethren Court convenes at Shipwreck Cove, where Davy Jones plotted with the Brethren. With his help, the Brethren bound Calypso into human form with the Nine Pieces of Eight, so that the rule of the seas would belong to men. These Pieces of Eight would be passed down through the generations as each Pirate Lord names his or her successor to the Court.^[6][8]
• Shortly after the First Court, Davy Jones' grief and guilt at what he had done became so great, he literally carved out his heart and locked it in the Dead Man's Chest, which he buried on Isla Cruces.^[9] Refusing to continue his duty, Jones returned to the seven seas; only now sailors everywhere would fear him to the death. Because of this, Jones became cursed, in which he and his crew slowly transform into sea creatures the longer they serve aboard the Flying Dutchman.^[7]

1600Edit

• The East India Trading Company is founded in England by London merchants on the 31st of December.

1630Edit

• A French squadron assaults and occupies the English Colony of Oxbay, only the small trading vessel Victory manages to escape.^[10]

c.End of 1630–1631Edit

• The adventures of Nathaniel Hawk, captain of Victory, unfolds within the archipelago.

1661-1670Edit

• The Second Brethren Court convenes, during which the Pirate Lords Henry Morgan and Bartholomew set down the Pirate's Code and recorded it in the Pirata Codex.^[11] Subsequent to the Code's creation, new members of the Court were appointed, including Keeper and Carriers of the Code, as well as deciding on how to elect the Pirate King. The method of summoning the Court was also decided by the form of a song: Hoist the Colours.^[8]

1680Edit

• Blackbeard is born in Bristol, England.

1683Edit

• George Augustus is born in Hanover, Germany.

1688Edit

• Henry Morgan was believed to have died because of liver failure in Port Royal. However, Morgan actually retreats to a remote island where he begins to study alchemy.^[12]

1690Edit

• Edward Low is born in London, England.

c. 1700Edit

• The Golden Age of Piracy begins, almost exactly where the Renaissance ended.^[13]

1704Edit

• The Whale and Waterspout inn is established in Port Royal.^[14]

1706Edit

• Benjamin Franklin is born.

c. 1716Edit

• Jack Sparrow meets Benjamin Franklin and teaches him a "trick with the kite and the key".^[15]

1718Edit

• Blackbeard was believed to be killed from the battle of Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina. However, Blackbeard survived the battle and continued acts of piracy, during which time he began to learn of the dark arts.^[16]
• The city of New Orleans is founded by the French.

1719Edit

• Benjamin Franklin writes 'The Downfall of Piracy' a poem/sailor song about the legendary death of Blackbeard and the downfall of piracy.

1720Edit

• Mary Reade dies of fever and/or childbirth in a Jamaican prison. Her spirit becomes trapped in the Buccaneer's Heart.^[17]
• Edward England dies on Madagascar.

1722Edit

• Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts is killed by grapeshot and buried at sea, where he ended up in Davy Jones' Locker.^[18]

c. 1724^[19]Edit

• Torrents is captured by Davy Jones, and strikes a bargain with him, vowing to bring Jones the Sword of Cortés in exchange for his freedom. Jones marks Torrents' body with the sign of Quetzalcoatl, found on the Sword's scabbard. This angers the heathen gods, who curse Torrents with storms that follow him constantly.^[2]
• Left-Foot Louis kidnaps Laura Smith.^[20]

c. 1725^[21]Edit

• Young Jack Sparrow begins his quest for the Sword of Cortés, assembling his first crew at Salty Cove. He discovers the City of the Dead, steals the eye of Stone-Eyed Sam and defeats Torrents.^[22]
• Jack Sparrow is granted an audience with the mermaids at Isla Sirena, and negotiates the lives of his crew in exchange for his freedom.^[23]
• Jack Sparrow locates Isla Fortuna and the Sword of Cortés. Left-Foot Louis is defeated by the Sword, and the spirit of Hernán Cortés is released by Sparrow.^[5] Jack later releases the spirit of Montezuma to defeat Cortés.^[24]

1727Edit

• George Augustus was crowned as King of England at Westminster Abbey.

1733Edit

• The city of Savannah is founded by the British.

1736^[25]Edit

• Henry Morgan, now known as the Shadow Lord, creates the Shadow Gold, a special elixir which grants him unfathomable power. He threatenes to destroy the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, and Jack Sparrow is sent by Tia Dalma on a mission to recover nine pieces of Shadow Gold in order to stop Morgan's Shadow Army. During his journey around the world, Jack has been in Asia and Europe, fighting with powerful organizations like the East India Trading Company and band of thieves like the Fourth Estate. With the help of Pirate Lords, Jack was able to collect all pieces of Shadow Gold and defeat Morgan once and for all.^[12]

1745Edit

• Rule Britannia is played in London for the first time.

1746Edit

• Ferdinand VI was crowned King of Spain.

1750Edit

• The quest for the Fountain of Youth was underway. After being forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack Sparrow leads Blackbeard and Angelica to reach the Fountain. Privateer Hector Barbossa searches for the Fountain under King George II. The Fountain of Youth would end up being destroyed by the Spaniard's crew, who searched for the Fountain under King Ferdinand.^[1]

Dates in relation to The Curse of the Black PearlEdit

c.-60yEdit

• Hector Barbossa is born in West Country, England.^[26] This follows the third meeting of the Brethren Court.^[27]
• Edward Teague is born to Grandmama and an unknown male.^[28]

c.-50yEdit

• Christophe-Julien de Rapièr is born to unknown parents.^[29]

c.-46yEdit

• Esmeralda is born to unknown parents.^[30]

c.-40yEdit

• Jack Sparrow is born to Edward Teague and an unknown female aboard a pirate ship off the coast of India.^[31]

c.-35yEdit

• Angelica is born to Blackbeard and an unknown female.^[32]

c.-30yEdit

• James Norrington is born to Lawrence Norrington and an unknown female.^[33]

-20yEdit

• Will Turner is born to William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner and an unknown female^[34] in Glasgow, Scotland.^[35]
• Elizabeth Swann is born to Weatherby Swann and an unknown female in London, England.^[36]

c.-15yEdit

• The adventures of Captain James Sterling^[37].
• Jack Sparrow, in the emply of the East India Trading Company, becomes captain of the Wicked Wench.^[38]

c.-13yEdit

• East India Trading Company employee Jack Sparrow refuses to transport a cargo of slaves for Cutler Beckett, so he sets them all free. In response, Beckett had Jack branded as a pirate and Jack's ship, the Wicked Wench, burned and sunk. Jack makes a deal with Davy Jones to raise the ship from the depths, allowing him thirteen years to sail it before he must serve for a century aboard the Flying Dutchman. Jack renames his ship the Black Pearl.^[39]

-10y^[40]Edit

• Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl, shows up in Tortuga to recruit a crew to go after the Treasure of Cortés. Jack's First Mate, Hector Barbossa, leads a mutiny after Jack gives up the bearings to Isla de Muerta, and maroons Jack on a desert island.^[41] Three days after his arrival, Jack barters passage off the island with a group of rumrunners.^[3]
• Captain Barbossa and the crew sail the Black Pearl to Isla de Muerta, where they find the treasure. After spending all the treasure, Barbossa's crew became cursed and set about returning all 882 pieces of the treasure.^[3][41]
• Bootstrap Bill Turner speaks out against the decision to mutiny against Jack and sent off his gold coin to his son, saying the crew deserved to remain cursed. Upon learning of Bootstrap Bill's actions, Barbossa has Turner strapped to a cannon, and sent to the bottom of the ocean. It is only after this point the crew learn they needed Turner's blood to lift the curse.^[3][41] Bootstrap Bill began living out a tortured existence on the seabed, unable to die; until he eventually makes a bargain with Davy Jones, at an unknown time, agreeing to serve one hundred years aboard the Flying Dutchman.^[9]

-8y^[42]Edit

• Will Turner's mother dies and he sets out to track down his father. Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, also set out from England to the Caribbean aboard the HMS Dauntless. The merchant vessel Will Turner sailed on is attacked by the Black Pearl^[41], and Will is rescued by the crew of the Dauntless. Will meets Elizabeth, who takes his medallion to ensure he is not mistaken as a pirate. The ship arrives at Port Royal, where Weatherby sets himself up as Governor and Will is at some point taken as John Brown's apprentice.^[3]
• At some point following the voyage in the crossing of England, Joshamee Gibbs leaves the British Royal Navy and turned pirate once more, ultimately ending up in Tortuga.^[43]

0yEdit

• James Norrington is promoted to the rank of Commodore. Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal prior to the Black Pearl's attack. Elizabeth Swann is kidnapped, and Will Turner recruits Jack to help save her. Jack assembles a crew at Tortuga, who set sail in the commandeered HMS Interceptor.
• During the voyage to Isla de Muerta, Jack and his crew sack the Earl King, with Jack and Will posing as members of the Royal Navy.^[44]
• Jack ultimately confronts Barbossa at Isla de Muerta. Turner lifts the curse, allowing Jack to kill Barbossa and his crew to be killed or captured by Norrington's men. Jack escapes a hanging with Will's help, and rejoins his crew. Will and Elizabeth pledge their love to one another. Jack the monkey takes a coin from the chest and becomes cursed once more.^[3]
• Will begins to train Elizabeth how to handle a sword.^[9]

c.0y^[45]Edit

• Jack and his crew embark on a series of adventures in the Caribbean Sea. During this time, his former crew become cursed again, and vow revenge on Jack.^[46]
• Commodore Norrington resigns his commission after losing his crew in a hurricane while chasing the Black Pearl off Tripoli.^[9]
• Isla de Muerta is claimed by the sea before Jack's crew can claim its treasure. Jack the monkey stows aboard the Black Pearl at this point.^[9]
• Barbossa is resurrected by Tia Dalma, and stays at her shack prior to the death of Jack Sparrow.^[9]
• Will and Elizabeth are set to be married.^[9]
• Jack Sparrow begins his search for the Dead Man's Chest and its key, and enters a Turkish prison.^[9]

+1y^[47]Edit

• The marriage of Will and Elizabeth is interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett, who arrests them both and takes control of Port Royal. Jack Sparrow escapes from the Turkish prison with a drawing of the key. Will sets off to obtain Jack's compass for Beckett, and Elizabeth later escapes prison to track him down. Ragetti and Pintel escape from Port Royal prison. Jack, Will and the rest of the crew seek Tia Dalma who tells them the history of Davy Jones and Calypso.Will is press-ganged aboard the Flying Dutchman, but escapes with the key. Jack arrives at Isla Cruces and unlocks the Dead Man's Chest, though Norrington later steals the heart. Jack and the Black Pearl are dragged down to Davy Jones' Locker by the Kraken. Norrington presents Beckett with the heart, and is reinstated as admiral. Davy Jones falls under Beckett's command.
• After about two months^[48], the East India Trading Company calls a state of emergency, and carries out mass hangings at Fort Charles. While the Flying Dutchman, sailing under the Company, becomes the scourge of pirates in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow's crew, now under Barbossa's command, sail to reach World's End and rescue Jack Sparrow in Davy Jones' Locker. Sao Feng is killed onboard the Empress, and names Elizabeth Swann as Pirate Lord in his stead. James Norrington dies protecting Elizabeth as she escapes from the Flying Dutchman. The Fourth Brethren Court was called by Barbossa, convening as the EITC were advancing with an armada to destroy the world of pirates. Barbossa was eager to release Calypso, while Jack was eager to declare an act of war against the EITC, after which Elizabeth Swann was elected as the new Pirate King. Calypso is released from her human form and forms a maelstrom, where a battle raged at the center of it. During the battle, Will Turner and Elizabeth are wed by Barbossa, while Jack fights Davy Jones for the Dead Man's Chest. Jones is killed by a dying Will Turner, who replaces him as captain of the Dutchman, and Cutler Beckett dies aboard the Endeavour.^[7]
• After the battle with Beckett and the EITC, Will and Elizabeth spend their one day together before Will begins his duty aboard the Dutchman, and conceive a child. Barbossa steals the Black Pearl, Gibbs stays in Tortuga, and Jack Sparrow steals the navigational charts and begins the search for the Fountain of Youth.^[7]

+11yEdit

• Elizabeth and her son await the return of Will Turner. It is believed that because Will has carried out his duty for the past decade, and Elizabeth remain faithful, Will's curse is broken and he is freed from service.^[49]

Unknown placementsEdit

• At some point prior to [-13y] Jack Sparrow barters a mystical compass from Tia Dalma for a sack full of gold.^[41]
• At some point prior to [13y], Hector Barbossa became Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.^[39] His piece of eight was a wooden eyeball given to Ragetti for safe-keeping.^[7]
• At some point prior to [-10y], the pirate Joshamee Gibbs befriends Jack Sparrow^[50] He ultimately joins the Royal Navy^[43], though was later persuaded by Jack to turn pirate.^[51]
• At some point prior to [-10y] Jocard killed his master and went from being a slave to a pirate.
• At some point prior to [-10y] Jolly Roger attempts to steal Jack Sparrow's piece of eight and becomes an undead pirate.
• At some point prior to [0y], Jack Sparrow became Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. His piece of eight was a small, ancient Siamese coin woven into Moroccan beads hung over his bandana.^[7]
• At some point prior to [0y], Jack Sparrow is believed to have vanished under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company, sacked Nassau Port without firing a single shot, as well as impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy and a cleric of the Church of England.^[3]
• At some point prior to [+1y], Jolly Roger began the invasion of Port Royal, raid on Las Pulgas, invasion of Tortuga, raid on the Catacombs, and invasion of Padres Del Fuego. The Royal Navy steals the Black Pearl and a nameless pirate helps Jack to recrew his mates and help him reliberate the Black Pearl.
• At some point prior to [+1y], the Battle of Padres takes place.
• At some point prior to [+1y], Angelica visited the mystic Tia Dalma and traded her ring in exchange for knowledge of the Profane Ritual.
• At some point after [+1y], Barbossa loses the Black Pearl and his right leg to Blackbeard and becomes a privateer in King George II's court.

Notes and referencesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} It was revealed that On Stranger Tides place in 1750. However, the exact time that had passed between At World's End and On Stranger Tides has yet to be revealed. All is known is that it takes place several years after At World's End, according to a statement from the film's visual guide: The quest for the Fountain of Youth began several years back after a pirate showdown with the East India Company..
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
4. ↑ The Mao Kun Map had to be created between Ponce de Leon's discovery of the Fountain of Youth and the disappearance of the Santiago.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Pirate Chase
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Story of Davy Jones and Calypso
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5} Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Pirates' Guidelines
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7} Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
10. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean (game)
11. ↑ Estimation based on Morgan's historical lifetime and his pirate career.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court
13. ↑ The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, p15.
14. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p15: "Port Royal"
15. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm. Estimated date, assuming Franklin was around ten years old when Sparrow met him; Jack would likely be a few years older.
16. ↑ Quote about the incident shows that Blackbeard's death never happened and it was just a legend, "And what of you? The mighty Blackbeard. Beheaded, they say. Still, your body swam three times around your ship and climbed back onboard."
17. ↑ The Buccaneer's Heart!
18. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
19. ↑ Torrents starts his search for the Sword of Cortés one year before Jack steals the scabbard from him. See 1725.
20. ↑ That happened one year before Arabella joins Jack in his search for the Sword of Cortés.
21. ↑ Estimation based on Jack Sparrow's age in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom. Jack is 25 years old in The Price of Freedom and 15 or 16 in the book series.
22. ↑ Jack Sparrow and Arabella Smith are stated to be a "couple years" older than 13-year-old Tumen and Jean Magliore.
23. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Siren Song
24. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés
25. ↑ Toolajee Angria, whom Jack Sparrow encounters in India, was seven years old at that time. Since Toolaje's father, Kanhoji Angria, died in 1729, shortly before Toolajee's birth, Jack's quest for the Shadow Gold is set in 1736.
26. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom Chapter Two Barbossa was in his early forties when Jack Sparrow was twenty years old.
27. ↑ "There's not been a gathering like this in our lifetime." - Barbossa on the Fourth Brethren Court.
28. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Estimation based on Keith Richards' age during the filming of AWE.
29. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom Chapter One Christophe is ten years older than Jack Sparrow.
30. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom Chapter One Esmeralda is six years older than Jack Sparrow.
31. ↑ Estimation based on Johnny Depp's age during the filming of The Curse of the Black Pearl.
32. ↑ Estimation based on Penélope Cruz's age during the filming of On Stranger Tides.
33. ↑ Estimation based on Jack Davenport's age during the filming of The Curse of the Black Pearl.
34. ↑ Estimation based on actor Orlando Bloom's age during the filming of The Curse of the Black Pearl.
35. ↑ Zizzle.com: Dead Man's Chest "Heroes and Villains" series 1
36. ↑ Estimation based on actor Keira Knightley's age during the filming of The Curse of the Black Pearl.
37. ↑ http://www.oxmonline.com/article/previews/m-r/pirates-caribbean-armada-damned?page=0%2C1
38. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom Chapter Four. Jack Sparrow was twenty five years old when Cutler Beckett promoted him to the rank of a captain.
39. ↑ ^{39.0 39.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom
40. ↑ The mutiny occurs ten years prior to the main action of The Curse of the Black Pearl as evidenced by Barbossa's line to Jack Sparrow: "Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot."
41. ↑ ^{41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4} The Curse of the Black Pearl Audio Commentary with Screenwriters Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert
42. ↑ "I recognize this ship, I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England" - Elizabeth Swann on the Black Pearl (The Curse of the Black Pearl)
43. ↑ ^{43.0 43.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p38 "A Motley Crew"
44. ↑ The Accidental Pirate!
45. ↑ It is unknown when most of these events took place, whether it was in the same year Curse of the Black Pearl took place or the year Dead Man's Chest took place.
46. ↑ Revenge of the Pirates!
47. ↑ Dead Man's Chest takes place a year after The Curse of the Black Pearl as evidenced by Jack Sparrow's line about being captain of the Black Pearl for only "two years" before the mutiny, which was ten years before the first film. Davy Jones confirms their deal occured thirteen years prior to DMC, leaving another year to account for the time between films.
48. ↑ One of the original POTC sites stated that At World's End took place about two months after Dead Man's Chest.
49. ↑ Wordplay Forums: Pretty close …, posted by Terry Rossio (May 23, 2007)
50. ↑ "That was before I met him, back when he was captain of the Black Pearl." - Joshamee Gibbs. The Visual Guide also states Gibbs and Jack were old pirate friends, and Gibbs later left to join the Navy.
51. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, p10-11: "Joshamee Gibbs"