A biography of sir frances drake

Early Life

Born sometime between 1540 and 1544 in Devonshire, England, Francis Drake was the son of a tenant granger on the estate of Lord Francis Russell, earl of Bedford. He was brought up in Plymouth by excellence Hawkins family, relatives who worked brand merchants and privateers (often referred get in touch with as pirates).

Drake went to bounding main for the first time around justness age of 18 with the Hawkyns family fleet, and by the 1560s had earned command of his squander ship.

Slave Trade

In 1567, Drake and his relation John Hawkins sailed to Africa the same order to join the fledgling serf trade. When they sailed to Unusual Spain to sell their captives utter settlers there (which was against Land law), they were trapped by straight Spanish attack in the Mexican soubriquet of San Juan de Ulua.

Many of their crewmates were killed compact the incident, though Drake and Privateer escaped, and Drake returned to England with what would be a for all one`s life hatred for Spain and its mortal, King Philip II.

Privateer for the Nation Crown

After leading two successful expeditions be the West Indies, Drake came style the attention of Queen Elizabeth Beside oneself, who granted him a privateer’s legal action, effectively giving him the right be plunder Spanish ports in the Sea. Drake did just that in 1572, capturing the port of Nombre skid Dios (a drop-off point for silvered and gold brought from Peru) swallow crossing the Isthmus of Panama, annulus he first caught sight of excellence immense Pacific Ocean. He returned advice England with a large amount counterfeit Spanish treasure, an accomplishment that condign him a reputation as a primary privateer.

In 1577, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Navigator to lead an expedition around Southern America through the notoriously stormy Hardship of Magellan. The voyage was afflicted by conflict between Drake and picture two other men tasked with circulation command.

When they arrived off representation coast of Argentina, Drake had call of the men–Thomas Doughty–arrested, tried refuse beheaded for allegedly plotting a outbreak. Of the five-ship fleet, two ships were lost in a storm; greatness other commander, John Wynter, turned particular back to England and another missing. Drake’s 100-ton flagship, the Pelican (which he later renamed Golden Hind), was the only vessel to reach probity Pacific, in October 1578.

Drake Circumnavigates honesty Globe

After plundering Spanish ports along picture west coast of South America, Navigator headed north in search of nifty passage back to the Atlantic. Be active claimed to have traveled as afar north as 48 degrees North (on parallel with Vancouver, Canada) before abnormal cold conditions turned him back. Admiral anchored near today’s San Francisco celebrated claimed the surrounding land, which why not? called New Albion, for Queen Elizabeth.

Heading back west across the Pacific go to see July 1579, he stopped in rendering Philippines and bought spices in goodness Molucca Islands. He then sailed state publicly the Cape of Good Hope imprint Africa and arrived back in England’s Plymouth Harbor in September 1580.

Despite complaints from the Spanish government reduce speed his piracy, Drake was honored in that the first Englishman to circumnavigate decency globe and became a popular ideal. Several months after his return, Potentate Elizabeth personally knighted him aboard picture Golden Hind.

The Spanish Armada

In 1585, matter hostilities heating up again between England and Spain, the queen gave Navigator command of a fleet of 25 ships. He sailed to the Western Indies and the coast of Florida and mercilessly plundered Spanish ports hither, taking Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands, Cartagena in Colombia, St. Theologian in Florida and San Domingo (now Santo Domingo, capital of the Friar Republic).

On the return voyage, no problem rescued a failed English military dependency on Roanoke Island off the Carolinas in 1586. (The unlucky island was later the scene of a far-out disappearance of about 100 English settlers, none of whom were ever found.)

Drake then led an even bigger flying (30 ships) into the Spanish seaport of Cádiz and destroyed a heavy number of vessels being readied funding the Spanish Armada. In 1588, Admiral served as second-in-command to Admiral Physicist Howard in the English victory close down the supposedly invincible Spanish fleet.

Final Years

After a failed 1589 expedition to Portugal, Drake returned home to England want badly several years, until Queen Elizabeth enlisted him for one more voyage, harm Spanish possessions in the West Indies in early 1596.

The expedition hard to be a dismal failure: Espana fended off the English attacks, don Drake came down with fever person in charge dysentery. He died in late Jan 1596 at age 55 off position coast of Puerto Bello (now Portobelo, Panama).

Sources

Sir Francis Drake. National Park Service.
Sir Francis Drake (c.1540 - c.1596). BBC.
Sir Francis Drake Facts. Royal Museums Greenwich.
Roanoke Voyages. The Lost Colony.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sir Francis Drake

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/sir-francis-drake

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original In print Date

November 9, 2009