Sir Francis Drake: Sailing Around The World

Faraz Farange
11/20/2014
Period 6
Exploration Unit Speech: Sir Francis Drake Many years ago, people believed that our earth was flat and that we were the center of the universe. Brave explorers set out on miraculous adventures to discover the truth about our planet and the secrets that laid beyond. One of these important figures was Sir Francis Drake of Britain, who was able to complete the ultimate task of sailing around the world and contribute to all that we know today. Sir Francis Drake became a part of this world around the years 1540-1544, in Devonshire, England. Our explorer began his early years trading slaves as a pirate. His parents were Edmund Drake and Mary Mylwaye Drake. He was the oldest of 12 sons. Francis became the apprentice
of a merchant who sailed the coastal waters to trade between France and England. Later, our explorer was hired by his relatives, the Hawikinses, as a privateer, traveling the shipping lanes of the French coast. In the 1560’s, Sir Francis Drake was given the Judith to captain. Captaining the ship, Drake, John Hawkins (his cousin), and the rest of his crew sailed to Africa to continue trading slaves. After picking up the slaves, the crew traveled to New Spain (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and gulf coast of America) to sell the slaves to settlers, which was illegal. In 1568, the crew was finally captured and imprisoned by the Spanish, in the Mexican port of San Juan de Ulau. The two cousins managed to escape, but the great loss of men left an amazing hatred in Drake, towards Spain. Furthermore, Sir Francis received a privateer’s commission from Queen Elizabeth I of England, in 1572.
He traveled independently to Panama for the first time, that year. Planning to attack a small town by the name of Nombre de Dios, Drake hoped to capture lots of gold and silver for himself and to take back to his queen. With two ships and only 73 men, he was able to seize the town! Unfortunately, he was wounded, so the crew withdrew without much loot. After lingering around in the sea for a while, Drake felt better and was able to attack some more Spanish settlements, capturing lots of treasure for everyone. Completing his first voyage, he and his crew were able to make it to Plymouth in 1573. On November 1577, the queen sent Drake in pursue of the Spanish again, because of his success to Panama. Sir Francis was informed that he must share the responsibilities between two other men, John Wynter and Thomas Doughty, and himself. Once the group had attacked a handful of Spanish settlements near the Azores, Drake adopted command of the fleet, annoying Doughty. As a result, when they were nearing the coast of Argentina, Drake doubted Doughty’s loyalty and arrested him. Doughty was later put on trial and beheaded. The fleet continued on to the Strait of Magellan were they got stuck in a storm. One of the ships that stayed behind was commanded by John Wynter who ordered them to return back to England. The other ship disappeared with no record of it still obtained. Continuing on the course, Drake sailed along the coasts of Peru and Chile, in the Golden Hind. Landing off the coast of California, Drake claimed the territory for Queen Elizabeth. After the group had rested, they traveled back towards England and arrived in 1580. Being the first Englishman to navigate around the world, Drake was appointed to the House of Commons by Queen
Elizabeth. Moreover, Drake was elected as the vice admiral of the English Navy after leading an effective raid against the Spanish, in which 30 ships and tons of supplies were demolished. Enraged, the Spaniards responded by bringing 130 ships to the English Channel. Called the “Battle of Gravelines,” the English were outperforming the Spaniards because of the broken formation of the Spanish’s ships. This resulted in the Spanish galleons becoming easy targets for the Englishman. Medina Sidonia, the Spanish commander, was obliged to withdraw and return to Spain. While withdrawing, the fleet crashed, resulting in the drowning or slaughtering of thousands. Only 10,000 of the 25,000 Spanish men made it back safely.