Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake
Drake was an Elizabethan sailor and navigator, and the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.
Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon in about 1540 and went to sea as a young boy. In 1567, Drake made one of the first English slaving voyages as part of a fleet led by his cousin John Hawkins, bringing African slaves to work in the 'New World'. Only two ships on the expedition were lost when attacked by a Spanish squadron. The Spanish became a permanent enemy for Drake and the Spanish then considered him a pirate.
In 1570 and 1571, Drake made two trading voyages to the West Indies which made him a lot of money. In 1572, he commanded two vessels in a raiding expedition against Spanish ports in the Caribbean. He saw the Pacific Ocean and captured the port of Nombre de Dios on the Isthmus of Panama. He came back to England with a cargo of Spanish treasure and a reputation as a brilliant privateer. In 1577, Drake was secretly asked by Elizabeth I to set off on an expedition against the Spanish colonies on the American Pacific coast. He sailed with five ships, but by the time he reached the Pacific Ocean in October 1578 only one was left, Drake's flagship the Pelican, renamed the Golden Hind. To reach the Pacific, Drake became the first Englishman to navigate the Straits of Magellan
He travelled up the west coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports. He continued north, hoping to find a route across to the Atlantic, and sailed further up the west coast of America than any European. Unable to find a passage, he turned south and then in July 1579, west across the Pacific. His travels took him to the Moluccas, Celebes, Java and then round the Cape of Good Hope. He arrived back in England in September 1580 with a rich cargo of spices and Spanish treasure and the distinction of being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Seven months later, Elizabeth knighted him aboard the Golden Hind, to the annoyance of the king of Spain.
Drake was an Elizabethan sailor and navigator, and the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.
Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon in about 1540 and went to sea as a young boy. In 1567, Drake made one of the first English slaving voyages as part of a fleet led by his cousin John Hawkins, bringing African slaves to work in the 'New World'. Only two ships on the expedition were lost when attacked by a Spanish squadron. The Spanish became a permanent enemy for Drake and the Spanish then considered him a pirate.
In 1570 and 1571, Drake made two trading voyages to the West Indies which made him a lot of money. In 1572, he commanded two vessels in a raiding expedition against Spanish ports in the Caribbean. He saw the Pacific Ocean and captured the port of Nombre de Dios on the Isthmus of Panama. He came back to England with a cargo of Spanish treasure and a reputation as a brilliant privateer. In 1577, Drake was secretly asked by Elizabeth I to set off on an expedition against the Spanish colonies on the American Pacific coast. He sailed with five ships, but by the time he reached the Pacific Ocean in October 1578 only one was left, Drake's flagship the Pelican, renamed the Golden Hind. To reach the Pacific, Drake became the first Englishman to navigate the Straits of Magellan
He travelled up the west coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports. He continued north, hoping to find a route across to the Atlantic, and sailed further up the west coast of America than any European. Unable to find a passage, he turned south and then in July 1579, west across the Pacific. His travels took him to the Moluccas, Celebes, Java and then round the Cape of Good Hope. He arrived back in England in September 1580 with a rich cargo of spices and Spanish treasure and the distinction of being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Seven months later, Elizabeth knighted him aboard the Golden Hind, to the annoyance of the king of Spain.