Summary

• Black Sails offers a straightforward timeline that makes following the plot easy, unlike other fantasy dramas.
• The show takes place from 1715-1716 and is set 20 years before the events of Treasure Island.
• Black Sails blurs fact and fiction to focus on character dynamics, adding depth to the storylines.
• Each season is packed with big events, such as battles and betrayals, forcing characters to question everything.

Black Sails is set in the early 18th century, and while many other fantasy dramas have stories spanning decades, the hit series' timeline is considerably easier to follow because it doesn't jump around. Black Sails serves as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Toby Stephens leads the Black Sails cast in the role of Captain Flint, a pirate who finds himself searching for great treasure, all while navigating conflicts with his crew and a dark past that he can't escape.

Black Sails features some real-life pirates, but the series successfully blurs the lines between fact and fiction to tell stories that put the characters first. Black Sails packs a lot of material into a small time frame, including big deaths, battles, and betrayals that force the characters to question everything. Few shows can easily pull that off, but Black Sails works because every character has a reason for being in the story.

Black Sails Season 1's Timeline

1715-1715

Black Sails season 1 features a simple timeline that picks up in mid-1715 and takes place over the course of just over two weeks. The story kicks off with Captain Flint stealing a ship and learning about the Urca's schedule and ends with an almighty battle that leaves plenty of questions as he and his crew try desperately to find the cache before it's too late. Black Sails season 1 also establishes the fraught dynamic between Flint and other members of his team.

• 1715: Captain Flint learns the truth about the Urca's schedule after capturing a merchant ship.
• 1715: Battle lines are drawn when John Silver joins forces with Max.
• 1715: Flint and Billy arrive on Harbor Island and abduct Richard Guthrie.
• 1715: Singleton's disdain for Flint reaches a boiling point, and he calls for a vote. Flint reacts by killing him.
• 1715: John Silver is captured by Flint while trying to escape with the page.
• 1715: John Silver agrees to join the Walrus on its mission.
• 1715: Miranda agrees to hide Richard.
• 1715: Negotiations between Vane and Flint intensify, but Eleanor turns on Vane after Max is attacked by his men.
• 1715: Eleanor is double-crossed by her father as she attempts to get the guns.
• 1715: Anne and Eleanor team up and kill Hamund.
• 1715: Flint argues with Gates and Miranda about his decisions.
• 1715: Flint and the Walrus crew utilize all the information they have to find the Urca de Lima.
• 1715: Flint's crew refuses to follow his orders as a battle ensues.

Black Sails Season 2's Timeline

1715-1715

Black Sails season 2 picks up immediately after the freshman season, with Flint and his crew trying to regroup following the treacherous events during their first battle. It takes place over a shorter time period than the first season because it's mostly the aftermath of those events, but it also teases many of the conflicts to come. The end of the season also serves as a set-up of sorts for Black Sails season 3, thanks to the revelation that Jack has the Urca gold.

• 1715: The Walrus crew scrambles following the attack.
• 1715: Flint secures his place on the boat and returns to Nassau, where he watches over the harbor and claims he will bomb the fort.
• 1715: The next day, Flint bombs the fort and argues with Miranda over Abigail.
• 1715: Eleanor frees Abigail and delivers her to Flint.
• 1715: Flint learns that the Urca gold is missing.
• 1715: Flint and the Walrus arrive in Charles Town, but Flint is betrayed.
• 1715: Vane comes to Flint's aid as Charles Town is decimated.
• 1715: Flint learns from Silver that Jack has the Urca gold.

Black Sails Season 3's Timeline

1715-1715

Black Sails season 3 leaps forward in time by around two months as we see Jack reading a newspaper that reveals it is now August 1715, but nothing else about that season gives the sense that much time passes between events. The season begins with the fort's reconstruction as Flint tries to make sense of his plan to get the gold. Black Sails season 3 charts many big events, but the biggest is the famous Charles Vane's hanging as many different factions assemble to go to war on Maroon Island.

• 1715: Flint tries to evade capture as a storm ravages the Walrus. Blackbeard charts a course for Nassau.
• 1715: The Walrus is stuck and can't move.
• 1715: Rations are cut as the situation grows dire.
• 1715: Flint shoots two people on the boat for stealing food.
• 1715: Vane and Blackbeard prepare Nassau's defenses.
• 1715: Hornigold gives pardons to everyone but Vane.
• 1715: Flint and the Walrus crew are taken prisoner on Maroon Island.
• 1715: Vane and Jack try to escape Nassau and are forced to destroy the fort.
• 1715: Vane and Blackbeard chart a course for Ocracoke while Flint and his men are questioned on Maroon Island.
• 1715: Flint returns to Nassau and meets the governor.
• 1715: Vane reveals the truth to the Walrus crew about the gold.
• 1715: Flint, Vane, and Anne work together to mess up the exchange and steal the gold, but Vane gets arrested.
• 1715: Flint has a plan to battle on Maroon Island.
• 1715: Vane is killed by hanging.
• 1715: Blackbeard hears of Vane's death and arrives on Maroon Island to battle alongside Flint.

Black Sails Season 4's Timeline

1716-1716

Black Sails Season 4 takes a bold leap forward following the battle of Maroon Island. The final season establishes Flint as a solid captain as he tries to make sense of every betrayal he's been put through during his time at sea, and it brings his storyline to a satisfying close. The ending of Black Sails is the culmination of four seasons of intricate plotting, and the payoff is worth it. However, it does leave some threads open should Starz or another network want to revisit the universe.

• 1716: Rogers marries Eleanor as Billy plots a resistance force in Nassau.
• 1716: The governor fights Teach and wins a deadly battle in Nassau.
• 1716: Flint offers his own life as a means to garner support in Nassau as war threatens to tear everything apart.
• 1716: Flint is held captive by Eleanor.
• 1716: Billy is double-crossed by Silver as the Spanish raid begins.
• 1716: As everyone regroups, Flint and the Walrus crew make their way to Maroon Island as Rogers sends word to exchange Madi for the cache of gold.
• 1716: Flint escapes from Skeleton Island with the cache and hides it as the Walrus is destroyed by Rogers.
• 1716: Flint is imprisoned for his crimes and is reunited with his lover, Thomas Hamilton.

Black Sails Is Set Years Before Treasure Island

A lot changes in the time between Black Sails and Treasure Island

As a Treasure Island prequel, Black Sails is set around 20 years before the events of the novel. Flint isn't present in the narrative of the follow-up, so his ending in the Black Sails series finale somewhat closes out his arc. However, his actions are spoken about at length in the novel, so many of his decisions throughout Black Sails have ingrained him in history. The book does chart what happens to John Silver after Black Sails' ending, so there is plenty of connective tissue between the two, even if it's not all about Flint.

There are many changes between Black Sails season 4 and Treasure Island, likely due to the two decades between the two works.

As Black Sails' story makes clear, a lot can happen in a short amount of time. There are many changes between Black Sails season 4 and Treasure Island, likely due to the two decades between the two works. The Black Sails timeline offers plenty of context for some of the storylines from Treasure Island, which makes it essential viewing for those interested in learning more about their favorite pirates.