Sir Francis Drake Research Paper

Sir Francis Drake: The Queen’s Captain In 1548 arguably one of the best captains in England's history was born. Sir Francis Drake was born to a wealthy family on the Crowndale estate of Lord Francis Russell. What started Drake’s obsession and controversial career for battle and for the sea began when he enlisted as an 18 year old eager young man ready for exploration, battle, and riches. Drake’s life really began when a peasant Roman Catholic priest accused him of Robbery and theft. These allegations led Drake to flee his native country, Which led Drake to lead the Hawkins African Trade ships. By 1568 Drake had command of his own ship and fleets for the slave trade to the spanish colonies of the Caribbean.
These voyages to the Spanish colonies
Coming up with devious ways to defeat the Spaniards worse than they did him, mapping out the trade routes of the ships coming and going in and out of Spain he would eventually find a weak point. In 1572 having obtained from the queen a privateering commission, which amounted to a license to plunder in the king of Spain’s lands Drake set sail for America in command of two small ships, the 70-ton Pasha and the 25-ton Swan. He was nothing if not ambitious and ready for the battle, for his aim was to capture the important town of Nombre de Dios, Pan. Although Drake was wounded in the attack, which failed, he and his men managed to get away with a great deal of plunder by successfully attacking a silver-bearing mule train. This was perhaps the foundation of Drake’s fortune. In the interval between these episodes, he crossed the Isthmus of Panama. Standing on a high ridge of land, he first saw the Pacific, that ocean hitherto barred to all but Spanish ships. It was then, as he put it, that he “besought Almighty God of His goodness to give him life and leave to sail once in an English ship in that sea.” (Sir Francis Drake). He returned to England both rich and famous. Unfortunately, his return coincided with a moment when Queen Elizabeth and King Philip II of Spain had reached a temporary truce. Although delighted with Drake’s success in the empire of her great enemy, Elizabeth could not officially acknowledge piracy. Drake saw that the time was inauspicious and sailed with a small squadron to Ireland, where he served under the earl of Essex and took part in a notorious massacre in July 1575. In which he seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth as there are no recorded accounts of him until