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Corsario
7-2
MR.santiago
grupo 2
Dixiema Neralys Yadiel Josniel

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sic parvis magna
la grandeza nace de pequeños comienzos

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Sir Francis Drake E02 - The Lost Colony of Virginia

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Sir Francis Drake E02 - The Lost Colony of Virginia

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Sir Francis Drake (1961) E01 - The Prisoner

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Sir Francis Drake (1961) E01 - The Prisoner

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Sir Francis Drake E04 - Doctor Dee - video Dailymotion

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Sir Francis Drake E03 - Mary Queen of Scots

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Francis Drake, conocido en España como Francisco Draque, ​ fue un corsario, explorador, comerciante de esclavos, político y vicealmirante inglés. Dirigió numerosas expediciones de la Marina Real inglesa en la propia España y en las Indias.Fecha de muerte: 28 de enero de 1596

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Punk-Pirat Sir Francis Drake - Sketch History | ZDF

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Punk-Pirat Sir Francis Drake - Sketch History | ZDF

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Francis Drake nació en Tavistock, Devon, al suroccidente de Inglaterra. Fue el mayor de los doce hijos de Edmund Drake, un granjero y predicador protestante, y su mujer Mary Mylwaye.2​Debido a la persecución religiosa durante la Prayer Book Rebellion (Rebelión del Libro de Oración) en 1549, la familia Drake huyó de Devon a Kent. Allí el padre obtuvo una cita para ministrar a los hombres de la marina del rey. Fue ordenado diácono y fue nombrado vicario de la Iglesia Upnor en el Medway.3​ El padre de Drake lo puso como aprendiz de su vecino, el dueño de una barca usada para el comercio costero que transporta mercancía a Francia.3​ El capitán estaba tan satisfecho con la conducta del joven Drake que, siendo soltero y sin hijos a su muerte, le legó la barca a Drake.3​En 1569 contrajo matrimonio con Mary Newman, quien falleció doce años después. En 1585 se casó con Elizabeth Sydenham,4​ la única descendiente de George Sydenham del valle de Sydenham, quien fue el gran alguacil de Somerset. Después de la muerte de Drake, Elizabeth se casó con William Courtenay de Powderham. Se cree que Francis Drake no tuvo hijos, por lo que sus títulos pasaron a su sobrino, también llamado Francis.

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Francis Drake nació en Tavistock, Devon, al suroccidente de Inglaterra. Fue el mayor de los doce hijos de Edmund Drake, un granjero y predicador protestante, y su mujer Mary Mylwaye.2​Debido a la persecución religiosa durante la Prayer Book Rebellion (Rebelión del Libro de Oración) en 1549, la familia Drake huyó de Devon a Kent. Allí el padre obtuvo una cita para ministrar a los hombres de la marina del rey. Fue ordenado diácono y fue nombrado vicario de la Iglesia Upnor en el Medway.3​ El padre de Drake lo puso como aprendiz de su vecino, el dueño de una barca usada para el comercio costero que transporta mercancía a Francia.3​ El capitán estaba tan satisfecho con la conducta del joven Drake que, siendo soltero y sin hijos a su muerte, le legó la barca a Drake.3​En 1569 contrajo matrimonio con Mary Newman, quien falleció doce años después. En 1585 se casó con Elizabeth Sydenham,4​ la única descendiente de George Sydenham del valle de Sydenham, quien fue el gran alguacil de Somerset. Después de la muerte de Drake, Elizabeth se casó con William Courtenay de Powderham. Se cree que Francis Drake no tuvo hijos, por lo que sus títulos pasaron a su sobrino, también llamado Francis.

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Sir Francis Drake ( c. 1540 - 28 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, slave trader, pirate, naval officer and explorer of the Elizabethan era. Drake carried out the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580, and was the first to complete the voyage as captain while leading the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation. With his incursion into the Pacific Ocean, he claimed what is now California for the English and inaugurated an era of conflict with the Spanish on the western coast of the Americas, an area that had previously been largely unexplored by western shipping.

Elizabeth I awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581 which he received on the Golden Hind in Deptford. As a Vice Admiral, he was second-in-command of the English fleet in the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He died of dysentery in January 1596, after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico. Drake's exploits made him a hero to the English, but his privateering led the Spanish to brand him a pirate, known to them as El Draque. King Philip II allegedly offered a reward for his capture or death of 20,000 ducats, about £6 million (US$8 million) in modern currency.

Birth and early years

Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon, England. Although his birth date is not formally recorded, it is known that he was born while the Six Articles were in force. His birth date is estimated from contemporary sources such as: "Drake was two and twenty when he obtained the command of the Judith" (1566). This would date his birth to 1544. A date of c.1540 is suggested from two portraits: one a miniature painted by Nicholas Hilliard in 1581 when he was allegedly 42, so born circa 1539, while the other, painted in 1594 when he was said to be 53, would give a birth year of around 1541.

He was the oldest of the twelve sons of Edmund Drake (1518-1585), a Protestant farmer, and his wife Mary Mylwaye. The first son was alleged to have been named after his godfather Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford.

Because of religious persecution during the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549, the Drake family fled from Devon to Kent. There Drake's father obtained an appointment to minister the men in the King's Navy. He was ordained deacon and was made vicar of Upnor Church on the Medway. Drake's father apprenticed him to his neighbour, the master of a barque used for coastal trade transporting merchandise to France. The ship's master was so satisfied with the young Drake's conduct that, being unmarried and childless at his death, he bequeathed the barque to Drake.[when? ]

Marriage and family

Francis Drake married Mary Newman at St. Budeaux church, Plymouth, in July 1569. She died 12 years later, in 1581. In 1585, Drake married Elizabeth Sydenham-born circa 1562, the only child of Sir George Sydenham, of Combe Sydenham, who was the High Sheriff of Somerset. After Drake's death, the widow Elizabeth eventually married Sir William Courtenay of Powderham.

Career at sea

At the age of eighteen he was purser of a ship which sailed to the Bay of Biscay. At twenty he made a voyage to the coast of Guinea. In 1563, Drake, aged 23, made his first voyage to the Americas, sailing with his second cousin, Sir John Hawkins, on one of a fleet of ships owned by his relatives, the Hawkins family of Plymouth. He made three voyages with this fleet, attacking Portuguese towns and ships on the coast of West Africa. They then sailed to the Americas and sold the captured cargoes of slaves to Spanish plantations. John Hawkins is considered to have been the first English slave-trader. Hawkins made three such expeditions, the first in 1563, second in 1564 and the third expedition ending in the ill-fated 1568 incident at San Juan de Ulúa.

In 1568, Drake was on his third expedition with the Hawkins fleet when, whilst negotiating to resupply and repair at a Spanish port in Mexico, the fleet was attacked by Spanish warships, with all but two of the English ships lost. He escaped along with John Hawkins, surviving the attack by swimming.

Drake's hostility towards the Spanish is said to have started with this incident. Following the defeat at San Juan de Ulúa, Drake vowed revenge. In 1570, his reputation enabled him to proceed to the West Indies with two vessels under his command. He renewed his visit the next year for the sole purpose of obtaining information.

In 1572, he embarked on his first major independent enterprise. He planned an attack on the Isthmus of Panama, known to the Spanish as Tierra Firme and the English as the Spanish Main. This was the point at which the silver and gold treasure of Peru had to be landed and sent overland to the Caribbean Sea, where galleons from Spain would pick it up at the town of Nombre de Dios. Drake left Plymouth on 24 May 1572, with a crew of 73 men in two small vessels, the Pascha (70 tons) and the Swan (25 tons), to capture Nombre de Dios.

His first raid was late in July 1572. Drake and his men captured the town and its treasure. When his men noticed that Drake was bleeding profusely from a wound, they insisted on withdrawing to save his life and left the treasure. Drake stayed in the area for almost a year, raiding Spanish shipping and attempting to capture a treasure shipment.

- Gonzalo González del Castillo, letter to King Philip II, 1592

The most celebrated of Drake's adventures along the Spanish Main was his capture of the Spanish Silver Train at Nombre de Dios in March 1573. He raided the waters around Darien (in modern Panama) with a crew including many French privateers including Guillaume Le Testu, a French buccaneer, and African slaves (Maroons) who had escaped the Spanish. Drake tracked the Silver Train to the nearby port of Nombre de Dios. After their attack on the richly laden mule train, Drake and his party found that they had captured around 20 tons of silver and gold. They buried much of the treasure, as it was too much for their party to carry, and made off with a fortune in gold. (An account of this may have given rise to subsequent stories of pirates and buried treasure). Wounded, Le Testu was captured and later beheaded. The small band of adventurers dragged as much gold and silver as they could carry back across some 18 miles of jungle-covered mountains to where they had left the raiding boats. When they got to the coast, the boats were gone. Drake and his men, downhearted, exhausted and hungry, had nowhere to go and the Spanish were not far behind.

At this point, Drake rallied his men, buried the treasure on the beach, and built a raft to sail with two volunteers ten miles along the surf-lashed coast to where they had left the flagship. When Drake finally reached its deck, his men were alarmed at his bedraggled appearance. Fearing the worst, they asked him how the raid had gone. Drake could not resist a joke and teased them by looking downhearted. Then he laughed, pulled a necklace of Spanish gold from around his neck and said "Our voyage is made, lads!" By 9 August 1573, he had returned to Plymouth.

It was during this expedition that he climbed a high tree in the central mountains of the Isthmus of Panama and thus became the first Englishman to see the Pacific Ocean. He remarked as he saw it that he hoped one day an Englishman would be able to sail it-which he would do years later as part of his circumnavigation of the world.

When Drake returned to Plymouth after the raids, the government signed a temporary truce with King Philip II of Spain and so was unable to acknowledge Drake's accomplishment officially. Drake was considered a hero in England and a pirate in Spain for his raids.

Rathlin Island massacre

Drake was present at the Rathlin Island massacre in 1575. Acting on the instructions of Sir Henry Sidney and the Earl of Essex, Sir John Norreys and Drake laid siege to Rathlin Castle. Despite their surrender, Norreys' troops killed all the 200 defenders and more than 400 civilian men, women and children of Clan MacDonnell. Meanwhile Drake was given the task of preventing any Gaelic Irish or Scottish reinforcements reaching the island. Therefore, the remaining leader of the Gaelic defense against English power, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, was forced to stay on the mainland. Essex wrote in his letter to Queen Elizabeth's secretary, that following the attack Sorley Boy "was likely to have run mad for sorrow, tearing and tormenting himself and saying that he there lost all that he ever had."

With the success of the Panama isthmus raid in 1577, Elizabeth I of England sent Drake to start an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific coast of the Americas. Drake used the plans that Sir Richard Grenville had received the patent for in 1574 from Elizabeth, which was rescinded a year later after protests from Philip of Spain. He set out from Plymouth on 15 November 1577, but bad weather threatened him and his fleet. They were forced to take refuge in Falmouth, Cornwall, from where they returned to Plymouth for repair.

After this major setback, Drake set sail again on 13 December aboard with four other ships and 164 men. He soon added a sixth ship, Mary (formerly Santa Maria), a Portuguese merchant ship that had been captured off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands. He also added its captain, Nuno da Silva, a man with considerable experience navigating in South American waters.

Drake's fleet suffered great attrition; he scuttled both Christopher and the flyboat Swan due to loss of men on the Atlantic crossing. He made landfall at the gloomy bay of San Julian, in what is now Argentina. Ferdinand Magellan had called here half a century earlier, where he put to death some mutineers. Drake's men saw weathered and bleached skeletons on the grim Spanish gibbets. Following Magellan's example, Drake tried and executed his own "mutineer" Thomas Doughty. The crew discovered that Mary had rotting timbers, so they burned the ship. Drake decided to remain the winter in San Julian before attempting the Strait of Magellan.

Execution of Thomas Doughty

On his voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, Drake had several quarrels with his co-commander Thomas Doughty and on 3 June 1578, accused him of witchcraft and charged him with mutiny and treason in a shipboard trial. Drake claimed to have a (never presented) commission from the Queen to carry out such acts and denied Doughty a trial in England. The main pieces of evidence against Doughty were the testimony of the ship's carpenter, Edward Bright, who after the trial was promoted to master of the ship Marigold, and Doughty's admission of telling Lord Burghley, a vocal opponent of agitating the Spanish, of the intent of the voyage. Drake consented to his request of Communion and dined with him, of which Francis Fletcher had this strange account:

And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand.

Drake had Thomas Doughty beheaded on 2 July 1578. When the ship's chaplain Francis Fletcher in a sermon suggested that the woes of the voyage in January 1580 were connected to the unjust demise of Doughty, Drake chained the clergyman to a hatch cover and pronounced him excommunicated.

Entering the Pacific (1578)

The three remaining ships of his convoy departed for the Magellan Strait at the southern tip of South America. A few weeks later (September 1578) Drake made it to the Pacific, but violent storms destroyed one of the three ships, the Marigold (captained by John Thomas) in the strait and caused another, the Elizabeth captained by John Wynter, to return to England, leaving only the Pelican. After this passage, the Pelican was pushed south and discovered an island that Drake called Elizabeth Island. Drake, like navigators before him, probably reached a latitude of 55°S (according to astronomical data quoted in Hakluyt's The Principall Navigations, Voiages and Discoveries of the English Nation of 1589) along the Chilean coast. In the Magellan Strait Francis and his men engaged in skirmish with local indigenous people, becoming the first Europeans to kill indigenous peoples in southern Patagonia. During the stay in the strait, crew members discovered that an infusion made of the bark of Drimys winteri could be used as remedy against scurvy. Captain Wynter ordered the collection of great amounts of bark - hence the scientific name.

Despite popular lore, it seems unlikely that Drake reached Cape Horn or the eponymous Drake Passage, because his descriptions do not fit the first and his shipmates denied having seen an open sea. The first report of his discovery of an open channel south of Tierra del Fuego was written after the 1618 publication of the voyage of Willem Schouten and Jacob le Maire around Cape Horn in 1616.

Drake pushed onwards in his lone flagship, now renamed the Golden Hind in honour of Sir Christopher Hatton (after his coat of arms). The Golden Hind sailed north along the Pacific coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports and pillaging towns. Some Spanish ships were captured, and Drake used their more accurate charts. Before reaching the coast of Peru, Drake visited Mocha Island, where he was seriously injured by hostile Mapuche. Later he sacked the port of Valparaíso further north in Chile, where he also captured a ship full of Chilean wine.

Capture of Spanish treasure ships

Near Lima, Drake captured a Spanish ship laden with 25,000 pesos of Peruvian gold, amounting in value to 37,000 ducats of Spanish money (about £7m by modern standards). Drake also discovered news of another ship, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, which was sailing west towards Manila. It would come to be called the . Drake gave chase and eventually captured the treasure ship, which proved his most profitable capture.

Aboard Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Drake found 80 lb (36 kg) of gold, a golden crucifix, jewels, 13 chests full of royals of plate and 26 tons of silver. Drake was naturally pleased at his good luck in capturing the galleon, and he showed it by dining with the captured ship's officers and gentleman passengers. He offloaded his captives a short time later, and gave each one gifts appropriate to their rank, as well as a letter of safe conduct.

Coast of California: Nova Albion (1579)

After looting the Cacafuego, Drake turned north, hoping to meet another Spanish treasure ship coming south on its return from Manila to Acapulco. Although he failed to find a treasure ship, Drake reputedly sailed as far north as the 38th parallel, landing on the coast of California on 17 June 1579. He found a good port, landed, repaired and restocked his vessels, then stayed for a time, keeping friendly relations with the Coast Miwok natives. He claimed the land in the name of the Holy Trinity for the English Crown, called Nova Albion- Latin for "New Britain". Assertions that he left some of his men behind as an embryo "colony" are founded on the reduced number who were with him in the Moluccas.

The precise location of the port was carefully guarded to keep it secret from the Spaniards, and several of Drake's maps may have been altered to this end. All first-hand records from the voyage, including logs, paintings and charts, were lost when Whitehall Palace burned in 1698. A bronze plaque inscribed with Drake's claim to the new lands - Drake's Plate of Brass - fitting the description in his account, was discovered in Marin County, California but was later declared a hoax. Now a National Historic Landmark, the officially recognised location of Drake's New Albion is Drakes Bay, California.

Across the Pacific and around Africa

Drake left the Pacific coast, heading southwest to catch the winds that would carry his ship across the Pacific, and a few months later reached the Moluccas, a group of islands in the western Pacific, in eastern modern-day Indonesia. While there, Golden Hind became caught on a reef and was almost lost. After the sailors waited three days for convenient tides and had dumped cargo, they freed the barque. Befriending a sultan king of the Moluccas, Drake and his men became involved in some intrigues with the Portuguese there. He made multiple stops on his way toward the tip of Africa, eventually rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and reached Sierra Leone by 22 July 1580.

Return to Plymouth (1580)

On 26 September, Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth with Drake and 59 remaining crew aboard, along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Spanish treasures. The Queen's half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown's income for that entire year. Drake was hailed as the first Englishman to circumnavigate the Earth (and the second such voyage arriving with at least one ship intact, after Elcano's in 1520).

The Queen declared that all written accounts of Drake's voyages were to become the Queen's secrets of the Realm, and Drake and the other participants of his voyages on the pain of death sworn to their secrecy; she intended to keep Drake's activities away from the eyes of rival Spain. Drake presented the Queen with a jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation. Taken as a prize off the Pacific coast of Mexico, it was made of enamelled gold and bore an African diamond and a ship with an ebony hull.

For her part, the Queen gave Drake a jewel with her portrait, an unusual gift to bestow upon a commoner, and one that Drake sported proudly in his 1591 portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts now at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. On one side is a state portrait of Elizabeth by the miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard, on the other a sardonyx cameo of double portrait busts, a regal woman and an African male. The "Drake Jewel", as it is known today, is a rare documented survivor among sixteenth-century jewels; it is conserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Award of knighthood

Queen Elizabeth awarded Drake a knighthood aboard Golden Hind in Deptford on 4 April 1581; the dubbing being performed by a French diplomat, Monsieur de Marchaumont, who was negotiating for Elizabeth to marry the King of France's brother, Francis, Duke of Anjou. By getting the French diplomat involved in the knighting, Elizabeth was gaining the implicit political support of the French for Drake's actions. During the Victorian era, in a spirit of nationalism, the story was promoted that Elizabeth I had done the knighting.

Award of arms

After receiving his knighthood Drake unilaterally adopted the armorials of the ancient Devon family of Drake of Ash, near Musbury, to whom he claimed a distant but unspecified kinship. These arms were: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules, and the crest, a dexter arm Proper grasping a battle axe Sable, headed Argent. The head of that family, also a distinguished sailor, Sir Bernard Drake (d.1586), angrily refuted Sir Francis's claimed kinship and his right to bear his family's arms. That dispute led to "a box in the ear" being given to Sir Francis by Sir Bernard at court, as recorded by John Prince (1643-1723) in his "Worthies of Devon", first published in 1701. Queen Elizabeth, to assuage matters, awarded Sir Francis his own coat of arms, blazoned as follows:

Sable a fess wavy between two pole-stars [Arctic and Antarctic] argent; and for his crest, a ship on a globe under ruff, held by a cable with a hand out of the clouds; over it this motto, Auxilio Divino; underneath, Sic Parvis Magna; in the rigging whereof is hung up by the heels a wivern, gules, which was the arms of Sir Bernard Drake.

The motto, Sic Parvis Magna, translated literally, is: "Thus great things from small things (come)". The hand out of the clouds, labelled Auxilio Divino, means "With Divine Help". The full achievement is depicted in the form of a large coloured plaster overmantel in the Lifetimes Gallery at Buckland Abbey

Nevertheless, Drake continued to quarter his new arms with the wyvern gules. The arms adopted by his nephew Sir Francis Drake, 1st Baronet (1588-1637) of Buckland were the arms of Drake of Ash, but the wyvern without a "nowed" (knotted) tail.

Arms of Sir Francis Drake: Sable, a fess wavy between two pole-stars Arctic and Antarctic argent

Arms of Drake of Ash: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules.[47] The Drake family of Crowndale and Buckland Abbey used the same arms but the tail of the wyvern is not nowed (knotted)[51]

Political career

Drake was politically astute, and although known for his private and military endeavours, he was an influential figure in politics during the time he spent in Britain. Often abroad, there is little evidence to suggest he was active in Westminster, despite being a member of parliament on three occasions.

After returning from his voyage of circumnavigation, Drake became the Mayor of Plymouth, in September 1581. He became a member of parliament during a session of the 4th Parliament of Elizabeth I, on 16 January 1581, for the constituency of Camelford. He did not actively participate at this point, and on 17 February 1581 he was granted leave of absence "for certain his necessary business in the service of her Majesty".

Drake became a member of parliament again in 1584 for Bossiney on the forming of the 5th Parliament of Elizabeth I. He served the duration of the parliament and was active in issues regarding the navy, fishing, early American colonisation, and issues related chiefly to Devon. He spent the time covered by the next two parliamentary terms engaged in other duties and an expedition to Portugal. He became a member of parliament for Plymouth in 1593. He was active in issues of interest to Plymouth as a whole, but also to emphasize defence against the Spanish.

Purchase of Buckland Abbey

In 1580, Drake purchased Buckland Abbey, a large manor house near Yelverton in Devon, via intermediaries from Sir Richard Greynvile. He lived there for fifteen years, until his final voyage, and it remained in his family for several generations. Buckland Abbey is now in the care of the National Trust and a number of mementos of his life are displayed there.

Great Expedition to America

War had already been declared by Phillip II after the Treaty of Nonsuch, so the Queen through Francis Walsingham ordered Sir Francis Drake to lead an expedition to attack the Spanish colonies in a kind of preemptive strike. An expedition left Plymouth in September 1585 with Drake in command of twenty-one ships with 1,800 soldiers under Christopher Carleill. He first attacked Vigo in Spain and held the place for two weeks ransoming supplies. He then plundered Santiago in the Cape Verde islands after which the fleet then sailed across the Atlantic, sacked the port of Santo Domingo, and captured the city of Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia. On 6 June 1586, during the return leg of the voyage, he raided the Spanish fort of San Augustín in Spanish Florida.

After the raids he then went on to find Sir Walter Raleigh's settlement much further north at Roanoke which he replenished and also took back with him all of the original colonists before Sir Richard Greynvile arrived with supplies and more colonists. He finally reached England on 22 July, when he sailed into Portsmouth, England to a hero's welcome.

Spanish Armada

Angered by these acts, Philip II ordered a planned invasion of England.

In another pre-emptive strike, Drake "singed the beard of the King of Spain" in 1587 by sailing a fleet into Cadiz and also Corunna, two of Spain's main ports, and occupied the harbours. He destroyed 37 naval and merchant ships. The attack delayed the Spanish invasion by a year..

Over the next month, Drake patrolled the Iberian coasts between Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent, intercepting and destroying ships on the Spanish supply lines. Drake estimated that he captured around 1600-1700 tons of barrel staves, enough to make 25,000 to 30,000 barrels (4,800 m ³) for containing provisions.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

Drake was vice admiral in command of the English fleet (under Lord Howard of Effingham,) when it overcame the Spanish Armada that was attempting to invade England in 1588. As the English fleet pursued the Armada up the English Channel in closing darkness, Drake broke off and captured the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora del Rosario, along with Admiral Pedro de Valdés and all his crew. The Spanish ship was known to be carrying substantial funds to pay the Spanish Army in the Low Countries. Drake's ship had been leading the English pursuit of the Armada by means of a lantern. By extinguishing this for the capture, Drake put the fleet into disarray overnight.

On the night of 29 July, along with Howard, Drake organised fire-ships, causing the majority of the Spanish captains to break formation and sail out of Calais into the open sea. The next day, Drake was present at the Battle of Gravelines. He wrote as follows to Admiral Henry Seymour after coming upon part of the Spanish Armada, whilst aboard on 31 July 1588 (21 July 1588 O.S.):

Coming up to them, there has passed some common shot between some of our fleet and some of them; and as far as we perceive, they are determined to sell their lives with blows.

The most famous (but probably apocryphal) anecdote about Drake relates that, prior to the battle, he was playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. On being warned of the approach of the Spanish fleet, Drake is said to have remarked that there was plenty of time to finish the game and still beat the Spaniards. There is no known eyewitness account of this incident and the earliest retelling of it was printed 37 years later. Adverse winds and currents caused some delay in the launching of the English fleet as the Spanish drew nearer, perhaps prompting a popular myth of Drake's cavalier attitude to the Spanish threat. It might also have been later ascribed to the stoic attribute of British culture.

Drake-Norris Expedition

In 1589, the year after defeating the Armada the English sent their own to attack Spain, Drake and Sir John Norreys were given three tasks: seek out and destroy the remaining ships, support the rebels in Lisbon, Portugal against King Philip II (then king of Spain and Portugal), and take the Azores if possible. In the Siege of Coruña Drake and Norreys destroyed a few ships in the harbour of A Coruña in Spain but lost more than 12,000 lives and 20 ships.[citation needed ] This defeat in all fronts delayed Drake, and he was forced to forgo hunting the rest of the surviving ships and head on to Lisbon.

Defeats and death

Drake's seafaring career continued into his mid-fifties. In 1595, he failed to conquer the port of Las Palmas, and following a disastrous campaign against Spanish America, where he suffered a number of defeats, he unsuccessfully attacked San Juan de Puerto Rico, eventually losing the Battle of San Juan.

The Spanish gunners from El Morro Castle shot a cannonball through the cabin of Drake's flagship, but he survived. He attempted to attack over land in an effort to capture the rich port of Panamá but was defeated again. A few weeks later, in January 1596, he died (aged about 56) of dysentery, a common disease in the tropics at the time, while anchored off the coast of Portobelo where some Spanish treasure ships had sought shelter. Following his death, the English fleet withdrew.

Before dying, he asked to be dressed in his full armour. He was buried at sea in a sealed lead-lined coffin, near Portobelo, a few miles off the coastline. It is supposed that his final resting place is near the wrecks of two British ships, the Elizabeth and the Delight, scuttled in Portobelo Bay. Divers continue to search for the coffin. Drake's body has never been recovered.

Cultural impact

In the UK there are various places named after him, especially in Plymouth, Devon. Places there carrying his name include the naval base HMS Drake, Drake's Island, and a shopping centre and roundabout named Drake Circus. Plymouth Hoe is also home to a statue of Drake.

In the United States Drakes Bay and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard of Marin County, California are both named after him, as well as the high school in San Anselmo, California. The boulevard runs between Drakes Bay at Point Reyes to Point San Quentin on San Francisco Bay. A large hotel in Union Square, San Francisco also bears his name. Additionally, the Sir Francis Drake Channel in the British Virgin Islands bears his name.

In British Columbia, Canada, where some theorize he may also have landed to the north of the usual site considered to be Nova Albion, various mountains were named in the 1930s for him, or in connection with Elizabeth I or other figures of that era, including Mount Sir Francis Drake, Mount Queen Bess, and the Golden Hinde, the highest mountain on Vancouver Island.

Drake's will was the focus of a vast confidence scheme which Oscar Hartzell perpetrated in the 1920s and 1930s. He convinced thousands of people, mostly in the American Midwest, that Drake's fortune was being held by the British government, and had compounded to a huge amount. If their last name was Drake they might be eligible for a share if they paid Hartzell to be their agent. The swindle continued until a copy of Drake's will was brought to Hartzell's mail fraud trial and he was convicted and imprisoned.

Drake's Drum has become an icon of English folklore with its variation of the classic king in the mountain story.

Drake was a major focus in the video game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune where the main character, a supposed descendant of Drake, searches for the treasure of El Dorado.

References

1. His name in ^ Latinised form was Franciscus Draco ("Francis the Dragon"). See Theodor de Bry.

2. ^ Campbell, John (1841). Lives of the British Admirals and Naval History of Great Britain from the Time of Caesar to the Chinese War of 1841 Chiefly Abridged from the work of Dr. John Campbell. Glasgow: Richard Griffin & Co. p. 104. ISBN 9780665347566. OCLC 12129656. Direct quote is followed by "this carries back his birth to 1544, at which time the six articles were in force, and Francis Russell was seventeen years of age."

3. 1921/22 edition of the ^ Dictionary of National Biography, which quotes Barrow's Life of Drake (1843) p. 5.

4. ^ Froude, James Anthony (1896). English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Quote: "He told Camden that he was of mean extraction. He meant merely that he was proud of his parents and made no idle pretensions to noble birth. His father was a tenant of the Earl of Bedford, and must have stood well with him, for Francis Russell, the heir of the earldom, was the boy's godfather."

5. James Mill (1840). The History of British India, Volume 1. London: James Madden and Co. p. 9.

6. ^ Benezet, Anthony (1788). Some historical account of Guinea, : its situation, produce, and the general disposition of its inhabitants, with an inquiry into the rise and progress of the slave trade, its nature and lamentable effects. London: J. Phillips.

7. "Drake escaped during the attack and returned to England in command of a small vessel, the Judith, with an even greater determination to have his revenge upon Spain and the Spanish king, Philip II."-"^ Sir Francis Drake" article in online Britannica Library. Accessed 14 January 2016

8. Sugden, John (1990). Sir Francis Drake. Barrie & Jenkins.^ ISBN 9780712620383; Great Britain. Public Record Office, Calendar of State Papers Relating to Ireland, of the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth: Preserved in the State Paper Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office, 11 vols (London: Longman, Green, Longman & Roberts, 1860-1912))

9. ^ Forde, Hugh (1923). Sketches Of Olden Days In Northern Ireland: Including Portrush, Dunluce Castle, Dunseverick Castle, Ballycastle, Giant's Causeway, Rathlin Island, Coleraine, Derry, Inishowen, Tory Island. Belfast: MC'aw, Stevenson and Orr Ltd.

10. Coote, Stephen (2003). Drake: The Life and Legend of an Elizabethan Hero. New York: Saint Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-34165-2.

11. Wagner, Henry R., Sir Francis Drake's Voyage Around the World: Its Aims and Achievements, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2006, ISBN 1-4286-2255-1.

12. Martinic, Mateo (1977). Historia del Estrecho de Magallanes (in Spanish). Santiago: Andrés Bello. pp. 67-68.

13. ^ Cortés Olivares, Hernán F. (2005). "El origen, producción y comercio del pisco chileno, 1546-1931". (in Spanish). Scielo.cl. 2 (20): 42-81. doi:10.4067/S0718-23762005000200005.

14. Dismissed by John Cummins, ^ Francis Drake: The Lives of a Hero (1997) p. 118: "In view of the prominence given in different versions to the crowning of Drake it would be odd if the establishment of a colony had gone unrecorded."

15. Moseley, Brian (26 February 2011) [11 March 2004]. "Sir Francis Drake (c1541-1596)". The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Plymouthdata.info. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012.

16. Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.292, pedigree of Drake of Ash

17. ^ Prince, John (1810) [1701]. Danmonii orientales illustres: or, The worthies of Devon. p. 329.

18. Drake, Charles E.F., ^ The Arms of Sir Francis Drake Archived 19 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Quebec, 2008; Article by str8thinker, Project Avalon Forum, Dec 2010, based on article of Charles Drake, 2008, op. cit.

19. Vivian, p.299, pedigree of Drake of Crowndale and Buckland Abbey

20. ^ Thompson, Edith (1873). Freeman, Edward Augustus (ed.). History of England. Freeman's Historical Course for Schools. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 136.

21. Letter to Admiral Henry Seymour written aboard ^ Revenge on 31 July 1588 (21 July 1588 O.S.) Turner, Sharon. The History of England from the Earliest Period to the Death of Elizabeth, 1835.

22. ^ Henderson, Barney; Swaine, Jon (24 October 2011). "Sir Francis Drake's final fleet 'discovered off the coast of Panama'". Telegraph Newspaper.

23. Rayner, Richard (22 April 2002). "The Admiral and the Con Man". ^ The New Yorker. p. 150.

Bibliography

Barrow, John (1843). The life, voyages, and exploits of Admiral Sir Francis Drake : with numerous original letters from him and the Lord High Admiral to the Queen and great officers of state. London: John Murray.

Bawlf, Samuel (2003). The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 1577-1580. Walker & Company. ISBN 0-8027-1405-6.

Corbett, Julian Stafford (1890). Sir Francis Drake.

Hughes-Hallett, Lucy (2004). Heroes: A History of Hero Worship. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 1-4000-4399-9.

Kelsey, Harry (1998). Sir Francis Drake, the Queen's Pirate. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07182-5.

(subscription or Kelsey, Harry (2004). "Drake, Sir Francis (1540-1596)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8022. UK public library membership required)

Mattingly, Garett (1959). The Defeat of the Spanish Armada. ISBN 0-395-08366-4. A detailed account of the defeat of the Spanish Armada which received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize committee in 1960.

Merideth, Mrs Charles, Notes and Sketches of New South Wales, during a residence in that colony from 1839 to 1844; Bound With: "Life of Drake" by John Barrow (1st ed., 1844) [xi, 164; and xii, 187 pp. respectively]

Hakluyt, Richard (1880). Payne, Edward John (ed.). Voyages of the Elizabethan seamen to America. Thirteen original narratives from the collection of Hakluyt. London: Thos. de la Rue & Co.

Rodger, N. A. M. (1997). The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain 660-1649. London

Wilson, Derek (1977). The World Encompassed: Drake's Great Voyage, 1577-80. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-014679-6.

External links

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Sir Francis Drake ( c. 1540 - 28 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, slave trader, pirate, naval officer and explorer of the Elizabethan era. Drake carried out the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580, and was the first to complete the voyage as captain while leading the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation.

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Sir Francis Drake, héroe de los ingleses, pirata para los españoles | Noticias con Francisco Zea

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Sir Francis Drake, héroe de los ingleses, pirata para los españoles | Noticias con Francisco Zea

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Sir Francis Drake (ca. 1540-1596) fue un marino, corsario y explorador inglés que en 1588 colaboró en la derrota de la Armada española de Felipe II (r. 1556-1598), en su intento de invadir el reino de Isabel I de Inglaterra (r. 1558-1603). Deambulando por el Atlántico y el Caribe y capturando sus barcos del tesoro, los españoles lo llamaron "El Draque" ("el dragón"). Partidario de combinar la exploración con la piratería, Drake circunnavegó el globo en su barco Golden Hind, entre 1577 y 1580. Uno de los marinos más famosos de Inglaterra, e idolatrado en vida, Drake era a la vez ingenioso y astuto, generoso y cruel, audaz y temerario, apasionadamente patriótico y casi siempre afortunado. En resumen: el arquetipo de héroe isabelino. Murió de disentería en 1596, en una última expedición de ataque a la Tierra Firme española.

Infancia

Francis Drake nació en Devonshire hacia 1540, hijo de un modesto terrateniente y capellán del astillero de Chatham. A los diez años de edad Francis ya navegaba por el Támesis en una pequeña barca y, en 1563, fue por primera vez al mar propiamente dicho. Tres años más tarde se unió a su primo John Hawkins en un viaje comercial por África occidental, en el que adquirió una cierta cantidad de esclavos y cruzó el Atlántico hasta el Nuevo Mundo. En 1567 Drake repitió el viaje, de nuevo con Hawkins, pero esta vez como capitán de la Judith, una nave de apenas 50 toneladas. Por desgracia para el joven marino, la expedición se frustró cuando la atacaron los españoles en San Juan de Ulúa, en la costa oriental de México, el 23 de septiembre de 1568. El nuevo virrey del imperio español, don Martín Enríquez, había ofrecido un acuerdo de paz pero se desdijo a traición, un infame cambio radical que los ingleses utilizarían para justificar la actuación de los corsarios en los 40 años siguientes.

LOS Marinos como Francis Drake recibieron una patente de corso para actuar como piratas y quedarse con todo lo que encontraran de españa en alta mar.

En San Juan de Ulúa los ingleses perdieron cuatro barcos, pero Hawkins y Drake sobrevivieron, y regresaron a Inglaterra en las dos naves restantes. Ese fue el inicio de una enemistad muy personal entre Drake y todo lo español, un odio potenciado por su protestantismo militante. A partir de entonces, Drake consideró un deber sagrado debilitar a España por todos los medios posibles. A menudo predicaba a bordo y siempre llevaba consigo una copia del Libro de los mártires de John Foxe (1563) sobre el sufrimiento de los protestantes bajo el reinado de María Tudor, "la sanguinaria", lo que convertía a Drake en el azote de la España católica y de su imperio.

1572: Panamá y la piratería

El 24 de mayo de 1572 Drake zarpó de Plymouth en el Swan con destino a Panamá, para explorar lo que podía encontrar allí. En un momento en el que Inglaterra y España estaban en una guerra no declarada, Isabel, incapaz de financiar grandes ejércitos en el continente, consideró que atacar los barcos españoles del tesoro que transportaban el botín de su imperio del Nuevo Mundo era la mejor forma de perjudicar a Felipe II de España e incrementar sus propias riquezas. También la motivaba la exclusión continuada de los comerciantes ingleses del comercio con el Nuevo Mundo. En consecuencia, los marinos como Drake recibieron una patente de corso para actuar como piratas y quedarse con todo lo que encontraran de España en alta mar. Cortesanos, comerciantes y a veces incluso la propia reina, invertían en esas aventuras esperando grandes beneficios. El nombre eufemístico para esos aventureros era "corsarios", mientras que los españoles los denominaban a secas "lobos de mar". No obstante, tener a punto una flota de barcos y mantener sus tripulaciones no era barato, y cada expedición tenía que conseguir su recompensa para que el conjunto fuera viable económicamente. Tampoco era despreciable el hecho de que los españoles no eran muy amables con esos atracos náuticos, de forma que sus naves iban repletas de cañones.

Al llegar a Panamá, Drake atacó el asentamiento español de Nombre de Dios y capturó un botín considerable. Tras tocar tierra en el istmo de Panamá, Drake exploró la zona a pie y, subido a un árbol siguiendo las instrucciones de un indígena, fue el primer inglés que pudo divisar el océano Pacífico, el 11 de febrero de 1573. La intercepción de una caravana española cargada con plata equivalente a 40.000 libras resultó ser un beneficio inesperado. A su regreso le siguió una estancia en Irlanda donde, en 1575, Drake se vio implicado en una infame masacre de 500 hombres, mujeres y niños de la isla de Rathlin.

Viaje de circunnavegación de 1577-80

La idea de organizar una expedición para explorar lo que había al sur del ecuador y averiguar si realmente existía un gran continente austral fue propuesta por primera vez por Richard Grenville (1542-1591), quien no logró respaldo para su plan porque la búsqueda de un paso por el noroeste tuvo prioridad. No obstante, en 1577, Isabel le propuso a Drake dicho viaje hacia el sur. En secreto, la reina invirtió en el proyecto y dio instrucciones a Drake no solo de explorar nuevas posibilidades comerciales, sino también de hacerse con cualquier tesoro español con el que se topara. Drake recibió el mando de una flota de cinco barcos: Christopher, Elizabeth, Marigold, Pelican y Swan. A mitad del viaje, el Pelican fue rebautizado como Golden Hind (cierva dorada) en honor al patrono de Drake, Sir Christopher Hatton, que tenía dicho animal en su escudo de armas familiar.

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El 13 de diciembre de 1577, Drake zarpó con 164 hombres (de los cuales 60 no volverían a ver Inglaterra) en lo que sería un viaje extraordinario. La flota navegó hacia el sur por la costa noroeste de África y después a través del Atlántico, para llegar a la costa este de Sudamérica en abril de 1578. En el extremo sur del continente, el Christopher y el Swan se dieron la vuelta, mientras que los restantes barcos continuaron por los estrechos de Magallanes en el mes de agosto. Debido a unas fuertes tormentas en septiembre, el Golden Hind continuó la expedición en solitario, navegando hacia el norte por la costa oeste de Sudamérica. Los asentamientos españoles como Valparaíso fueron sorprendidos por completo cuando apareció un barco de guerra inglés en aguas del Pacífico. Varios barcos del tesoro fueron capturados, entre ellos el Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (alias Cacafuego) en marzo de 1579, frente a la costa del Perú, con su enorme carga de plata.

Luego, Drake navegó hacia el norte por la costa oeste de Norteamérica, buscando sin éxito el mítico Paso del Noroeste, que se pensaba que podía ser una ruta fácil hacia Asia. Tras explorar las aguas del norte, el aventurero regresó hacia el sur y ancló cerca del actual San Francisco en el mes de junio. Allí reclamó el territorio para su reina, al que llamó la "Nueva Albión" (una reclamación que no fue seguida posteriormente). Después giró hacia el oeste, arrastrado por el Pacífico por los vientos alisios. En octubre alcanzó las Indias orientales (Indonesia y Filipinas), cargando a bordo seis toneladas de valioso clavo. En Java se hicieron algunas reparaciones en el barco y, en marzo de 1580, el Golden Hind cruzó el océano Índico. En junio, Drake rodeó el cabo de Buena Esperanza, en el sur de África, subiendo por la costa atlántica para llegar a Plymouth el 26 de septiembre de 1580. Era la segunda circunnavegación del mundo después de la expedición de Magallanes (1480-1521) de 1522. En aquel momento, el tesoro con el que Drake había ido llenando su nave de manera sistemática era más importante. El valor estimado del botín era quizás de unas 600.000 libras (los ingresos anuales totales de Inglaterra) y la reina recibió la bonita suma de 160.000 libras.

El 4 de abril de 1581, la reina Isabel subió a bordo del Golden Hind, atracado en el Támesis en Deptford y, complacida con los tesoros que había capturado y la gloria de sus logros de navegación, nombró caballero a Drake en la cubierta. Est despertó la ira del embajador español, que lo consideraba un simple pirata. Drake se había convertido en el lobo de mar favorito de Isabel, un sentimiento que seguramente era recíproco, porque el marino solía hacerle fastuosos regalos a su reina, como una corona de oro con esmeraldas y una cruz tachonada de diamantes, en 1581. La reina también le hizo regalos, entre los que se destaca una copa de plata en forma de globo que encerraba un coco que Drake habría traído de su viaje. Otro regalo fue la ahora famosa Joya de la Armada de Nicholas Hilliard de 1588, un broche incrustado de oro y gemas con dos retratos de la reina. Drake, en términos de dinero en efectivo, era probablemente el hombre más rico de Inglaterra y gastaba a manos llenas en un conjunto de propiedades, entre ellas, la abadía de Buckland. También adquirió un escudo de armas (un barco encima de un globo, con dos estrellas de plata cruzadas por una línea o faja horizontal ondulada). Su lema oficial pasó a ser Sic Parvis Magna o "Grandeza desde inicios humildes".

Década de 1580: más piratería

En 1585 Drake navegó con una flota de casi 30 barcos y 2000 hombres para atacar las Indias Occidentales españolas. Liberó muchas naves inglesas que Felipe tenía embargadas ese año en puertos controlados por los españoles, y capturó un botín de armas españolas tan grande que provocó el caos en los suministros de Felipe destinados a su Armada (ver a continuación). Los importantes puertos de Santo Domingo en Cuba y Cartagena, la capital de la Tierra Firme española, fueron saqueados. El botín no fue tan grande pero Drake mostró la vulnerabilidad del imperio español a los ataques navales. Durante los dos años siguientes Drake deambuló por todos lados, volvió a atacar tesoros españoles en las islas de Cabo Verde, en Colombia, Florida y La Española. El "lobo de mar" preferido de Isabel, de vuelta al ruedo contra el imperio español, capturó barcos e incendió numerosos asentamientos.

1587: el ataque a Cádiz

El interés de Felipe por Inglaterra se remontaba a 1553, cuando su padre, el rey Carlos V de España (r. 1516-1556) pactó su matrimonio con María I de Inglaterra (r. 1553-1558). La sucesora de María, Isabel I, continuó con la Reforma anglicana y el papa excomulgó a la reina por herejía en febrero de 1570. Isabel también fue activa en el extranjero, enviaba dinero y armas a los hugonotes en Francia y ayuda financiera a los protestantes holandeses rebelados contra el gobierno de Felipe.

Las ya tensas relaciones entre Inglaterra y España empeoraron a causa de los corsarios de Isabel. Capturar barcos en alta mar o atacar asentamientos coloniales era una cosa, pero cuando Drake dio un paso más hacia la guerra total y atacó Cádiz en abril de 1587, las relaciones se hundieron aún más. Cádiz era el puerto español más importante del Atlántico y Drake "se subió a las barbas del rey" con su audaz ataque. La flota de Drake navegó directamente hacia el interior del puerto ignorando los cañonazos disparados desde la fortaleza, destruyó 31 barcos, capturó otros 6 y destruyó también valiosos suministros destinados a la Armada española. Después de tres días, Drake navegó hasta el cabo de San Vicente, al sur de Portugal, y dedicó otros dos meses a sembrar el caos entre las naves españolas a lo largo de la costa y hasta las Azores. La invasión largo tiempo planeada por Felipe, a la que llamó la "Empresa de Inglaterra", se tuvo que retrasar por esos contratiempos, aunque siguió decidido a conquistar a su enemigo número uno. Felipe incluso contó con la bendición y la ayuda financiera del papa Sixto V (r. 1585-90), cuando el rey se presentó como la "espada" de la Iglesia católica.

1588: la Armada española

La Armada española, una flota de 132 barcos equipada con 17.000 soldados y 7000 marineros, zarpó de Lisboa (en aquel momento bajo el gobierno de Felipe) el 30 de mayo de 1588. La intención era que la Armada se hiciera con el control del Canal de la Mancha, para luego llegar a los Países Bajos y recoger un segundo ejército al mando del duque de Parma, el regente de Felipe allí. La flota seguiría navegando hasta invadir Inglaterra.

La Armada estaba al mando del duque de Medina Sidonia. La flota inglesa, de unos 130 barcos, estaba dirigida por Lord Howard de Effingham, con Drake como vicealmirante en su nave insignia: el Revenge. Los grandes galeones españoles (diseñados para el transporte, no para la guerra) eran mucho menos veloces que los barcos ingleses, más pequeños, que esperaban poder irrumpir y sembrar el caos en la flota española. Además, los 20 galeones reales ingleses estaban mejor armados que los mejores barcos españoles y sus cañones podían disparar a mayor distancia.

Los galeones españoles fueron avistados enfrente de la costa de Cornwall el 19 de julio. La noticia se difundió a lo largo de la costa por medio de hogueras de señales y, el 20 de julio, la flota inglesa zarpó de su base en Plymouth para hacer frente a los invasores. Se enfrentaron unos 50 barcos por cada bando y se produjeron tres combates distintos, con las naves luchando entre ellas y contra las tormentas. A lo largo de la semana siguiente, las batallas se sucedieron enfrente de Eddystone, Portland y la Isla de Wight. Los barcos ingleses no pudieron aprovechar su mayor maniobrabilidad ni el mejor conocimiento que sus mandos tenían de las mareas, ya que los españoles adoptaron su habitual formación: un barco al lado del otro, en una línea perfecta en forma de media luna gigante. Los ingleses lograron bombardear intensamente las alas de la Armada, "desplumándolas", tal como lo dijo Lord Howard (Guy, 341). Aunque la flota inglesa sobrepasaba en armamento a la española, ambos bandos se encontraron sin las municiones suficientes y sus mandos se vieron obligados a limitar las descargas. El 27 de julio, los españoles se retiraron prudentemente al refugio seguro de Calais, con una pérdida de solo dos barcos y con daños superficiales en muchos otros.

En la noche del 28 de julio, se enviaron seis brulotes al interior de la flota española, organizados por Drake. Los fuertes vientos empujaron los barcos sin tripulación entre las naves ancladas en el puerto y rápidamente extendieron llamas devastadoras entre ellas. Las naves inglesas se dispusieron a dar el golpe de gracia enfrente de Gravelines en la costa flamenca el 29 de julio. Los españoles rompieron la formación a pesar de solo haber perdido cuatro barcos, aunque muchos otros estaban seriamente dañados por los cañonazos y otros varios habían tenido que cortar las amarras de sus anclas para escapar de los barcos en llamas. La pérdida de esas anclas sería un serio obstáculo para la maniobrabilidad de los barcos españoles en las siguientes semanas. La Armada después sufrió fuertes vientos del sudoeste. El duque de Medina Sidonia, incapaz de acercarse lo suficiente para luchar y abordar a los hábiles barcos ingleses, y con las fuerzas del duque de Parma bloqueadas por naves holandesas, ordenó la retirada y renunció a la invasión.

Drake dio noticia de la victoria desde el Revenge:

Dios nos ha dado un día tan grande, forzando al enemigo hacia sotavento, que tengo la esperanza de que el Príncipe de Parma y el Duque de Sidonia no se estrecharán las manos en unos cuantos días; y cuando sea que se encuentren, creo que ninguno de ellos celebrará demasiado este día. (Ferriby, 226)

Debido a la tormenta incesante, la Armada se vio forzada a navegar alrededor de las tempestuosas costas de Escocia e Irlanda para regresar. Una fuerte tormenta la sorprendió en el Atlántico y solamente la mitad de la Armada original logró llegar a España en octubre de 1588. A pesar del desastre de su gran "empresa", Felipe no abandonó sus planes e intentó dos veces más invadir Inglaterra (1596 y 1597), pero su flota siempre se vio detenida por las tormentas.

1589: la expedición de Portugal

En abril de 1589 se formó una expedición para atacar tanto los barcos del tesoro de Felipe en el Nuevo Mundo como los restantes barcos de la Armada en sus puertos en España. Era una mezcla de barcos y hombres particulares y oficiales, bautizada como expedición de Don Antonio, porque uno de los objetivos de sus líderes era capturar Lisboa y restaurar a Don Antonio en el trono portugués (había sido depuesto por Felipe en 1580). También se la conoció como la Armada inglesa o la expedición Drake-Norris, por Sir John Norris (ca. 1547-1597) que la colideró junto a Drake. Isabel invirtió 49.000 libras en el proyecto, aunque quedaría muy defraudada con su exiguo beneficio.

La flota inglesa era impresionante, con 130 a 150 barcos y al menos 15.000 hombres. Sin embargo, la expedición no tenía objetivos claros por lo que, al final, consiguió muy poco. La Coruña fue asediada, aunque solo se la conquistó parcialmente y 2000 hombres regresaron a Inglaterra con su botín. Mientras tanto, ignoraron los 50 barcos españoles que permanecían ociosos en otros puertos. Lisboa fue asediada, en contra de las instrucciones de Isabel, pero los portugueses no se sublevaron en apoyo de Don Antonio como se esperaba, y la ciudad resistió. Sin suministros suficientes para continuar y habiendo dejado escapar los barcos del tesoro procedentes de las Azores, la expedición se retiró a Inglaterra vergonzosamente. Con muchas bajas, la mayoría por enfermedades, el episodio en su conjunto dañó seriamente la reputación de Drake y mostró claramente que mezclar el control privado y público de una fuerza expedicionaria solo conducía a la confusión y la discordia. La reina se encolerizó con Drake por su ataque a Lisboa, el fracaso total en el ataque a los barcos de la Armada y los escasos beneficios económicos. El viejo marino pasó a ser un marinero de agua dulce y a desempeñar los cargos de alcalde de Plymouth y de miembro del Parlamento.

1595: última expedición y muerte

En agosto de 1595 Drake volvió a ser el viejo lobo de mar y todavía pudo dar un bocado cuando comandó una expedición al Caribe junto con John Hawkins. Los hombres se agolparon en los muelles de Plymouth, deseosos de apuntarse a navegar con el más grande marino inglés hasta entonces. El objetivo de la flota de 27 barcos era atacar el istmo de Panamá, por donde pasaban las caravanas españolas de plata. Lamentablemente, Hawkins murió durante el viaje y el ataque a Puerto Rico fue un fracaso total. Las defensas españolas habían sido alertadas de la llegada de la flota inglesa y contaron con tiempo para instalar cañones adicionales, así como para evitar la presencia de barcos del tesoro en la zona. No había nada de valor en los asentamientos atacados por Drake. Perjudicado por vientos desfavorables y la propagación de enfermedades entre las tripulaciones, el propio Drake, por aquel entonces de unos 55 años de edad, falleció de disentería en Porto Bello el 28 de enero de 1596. Sir Francis Drake fue, acorde con su vida, sepultado en el mar en un féretro de plomo, pero la expedición de Panamá fue un fiasco final para una brillante carrera naval.

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Sir Francis Drake (ca. 1540-1596) fue un marino, corsario y explorador inglés que en 1588 colaboró en la derrota de la Armada española de Felipe II (r. 1556-1598), en su intento de invadir el reino de Isabel I de Inglaterra (r. 1558-1603).

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DISCOVERY: Have explorers found Sir Francis Drake's body?

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DISCOVERY: Have explorers found Sir Francis Drake's body?

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Great Adventurers- Sir Francis Drake: Voyage Around The World - Full Documentary

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Great Adventurers- Sir Francis Drake: Voyage Around The World - Full Documentary

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Navegante y bucanero inglés, cuya infancia es sumamente difícil de reconstruir por la ausencia de documentación, se sabe que Sir Francis Drake (1540 - 1596) no nació en una familia de alta posición, aunque sí tenía algunos interesantes contactos. Se cuenta que aprendió el oficio de marinero sirviendo en un barco mercante que operaba en el Mar del Norte, aunque no fue sino en el año 1570 cuando se produjo el gran giro de su vida. Ese año conoció a la familia Hawkins, quienes eran propietarios de varios navíos que conformaban toda una flota comercial en África y el Caribe.

Al servicio de los Hawkins pudo Drake aprender todos los secretos de los océanos, la navegación en alta mar y las principales rutas marítimas. Sobre todo, porque aunque la función principal de estos viajes de Drake al servicio de sus nuevos jefes era el comercio, la piratería no era asunto menor. Pronto, Drake percibió lo mucho que podía conseguir navegando por su cuenta, y fue sustituyendo las expediciones al servicio de los Hawkings por otras que corrían a su propia cuenta. Pronto alcanzó su primer gran éxito: lanzó una emboscada a un barco español -el Nombre de Dios- que, para su fortuna, navegaba cargado de plata. Drake retornó a Inglaterra como un hombre rico y se ganó, además, el favor de una Corona deseosa de competir con España por el dominio de los mares.

En 1577 recibió una pequeña flota de tres barcos con los que explorar las costas de Suramérica, expedición que se convertiría en la mayor y más gloriosa aventura de su vida. A la entrada del Estrecho de Magallanes, Drake hubo de enfrentarse al botón del aristócrata Thomas Doughty, a quien terminó ejecutando. Pasó el estrecho en tiempo récord, pero sólo le sirvió para encontrarse una tempestuosa tormenta que redujo su flota a un solo barco, el Pelican, que entonces renombró Golden Hind.

A bordo de su único barco, Drake navegó hacia el norte por la costa del Pacífico asaltando y saqueando todos los asentamientos españoles que encontró a su paso. Aún discuten hoy los historiadores hasta dónde llegó en su travesía hacia el norte, pero sea como fuere, Drake comprendió pronto que volver por el mismo camino iba a ser tarea harto difícil, cargado el barco de mercancías y reducida su maniobrabilidad.

Genio aventurero, ideó la solución más imprevista: volver a Inglaterra por la ruta del oeste, es decir, cruzando dos océanos más, el Pacífico y el Índico. Preparó su barco para la travesía en Nova Albion, y cruzó el Océano Pacífico hasta atracar en las islas Célebes, hoy en la actual Indonesia.

Desde allí, donde aprovisionó de nuevo su navío, retornó a Inglaterra siguiendo el Índico y las costas de África, hasta llegar a Plymouth en 1780, tres años después de haber partido y convirtiéndose, con esta hazaña, en el primer hombre de nacionalidad inglesa en dar una vuelta al mundo completa. Además, marcó el inicio del fin del monopolio español sobre el comercio con las Indias, y obtuvo de la Reina Isabel el prestigioso título de Sir, que le fue otorgado a bordo de su Golden Hind.

No fueron pocos los que trataron de imitar después el ejemplo de Drake; entre ellos, el más exitoso fue Thomas Cavendish. Pero el destino aún le reservaba a Sir Francis otro lugar en el panteón de los héroes. España, airada por los continuos ataques a sus buques comerciales, ideó una campaña naval para acabar para siempre con la amenaza británica. Fue la conocida "Armada Invencible", que sólo una terrible tempestad y, una vez más, el liderazgo de Drake pudieron vencer, salvando a Inglaterra de una temida invasión.

Convertido para siempre en héroe nacional, Drake murió finalmente en acto de servicio cerca de Puerto Bello, cuando le había sido encargado un asalto a Panamá que fracasó estrepitosamente. La historiografía actual considera que el gran talento de este irrepetible personaje no fue su capacidad de innovación, sino su brillantez como capitán y sus innumerables recursos a bordo.

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Navegante y bucanero inglés, cuya infancia es sumamente difícil de reconstruir por la ausencia de documentación, se sabe que Sir Francis Drake (1540 - 1596) no nació en una familia de alta posición, aunque sí tenía algunos interesantes contactos.

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TERCERA PARTE - Por Guillermo Rodríguez

El 15 de septiembre de 1568 la escuadra de John Hawkins y Francis Drake fondeó en la isla de San Juan de Ulúa -ubicada frente al puerto de Veracruz, en el actual México- para efectuar reparaciones luego de que un ciclón azotara a los navíos a poco de emprender el retorno a Inglaterra. La intención de Hawkins y Drake era realizar los arreglos antes de la llegada de la poderosa Flota de Nueva España, cuyo arribo era inminente. Al confundir a los barcos ingleses con la vanguardia de la armada española, el gobernador de Veracruz junto a otros funcionarios coloniales se a-

cercó al grupo de naves para darles la bienvenida. Hawkins los recibió con cortesía y les informó que no podrían regresar a tierra firme hasta que no se completaran las reparaciones de su escuadrilla. A continuación bloqueó el puerto. Sin embargo, los intrusos controlaron por poco tiempo la situación. Al amanecer del día 17, los ingleses divisaron en el horizonte una docena de embarcaciones aproximándose. Se trataba de una avanzada de la Flota española. De inmediato Hawkins requisó todas las piezas de artillería disponibles y emplazó baterías a lo largo de la costa de la isla. Pero el plan del contrabandista era negociar una tregua hasta que su flotilla estuviera preparada para cruzar el océano. Para ello envió a un oficial español como emisario. A bordo de uno de los galeones hispánicos viajaba Martín Enríquez de Almansa, el recién nombrado virrey de Nueva España. Al final, el representante del rey Felipe II autorizó a los extranjeros a reacondicionar sus navíos en el puerto de Veracruz. Hawkins, por su parte, liberó a algunos de sus rehenes y permitió el ingreso de la Flota a la bahía.

No obstante, más allá de los buenos modales de la diplomacia, Enríquez tramaba el ataque a la escuadra inglesa. Así, al alba del día 21, tropas españolas abordaron los barcos de Hawkins y Drake. Al mismo tiempo, desde la isla, las fuerzas locales comenzaron a disparar sus cañones sobre las naves forasteras. Los ingleses repelieron el asalto de la infantería, soltaron las amarras y el combate se concentró en el poder de fuego de la artillería naval. El "Angel" fue hundido mientras que el "Swallow", el "Gratia Dei" y una de las carabelas portuguesas quedaron inutilizados. Sólo el "Judith", el buque de Drake, continuaba intacto. Entretanto, el "Jesus of Lübeck" de Hawkins estaba desarbolado y con daños de consideración. El corsario ordenó evacuar la carraca y trasbordar la tripulación, las provisiones y el tesoro al "Minion" y al "Judith". Pero la acción se interrumpió cuando los españoles enviaron un brulote contra el navío averiado. Por la tarde, después de varias horas de batalla, los disparos cesaron. Los dos barcos ingleses -muy sobrecargados- se ubicaron fuera del alcance de los cañones. Cuando amaneció, sólo el estropeado "Minion" estaba anclado en la entrada de la bahía. Drake y el "Judith" habían desaparecido. En su libro "Una declaración fidedigna del problemático viaje del señor John Hawkins a las regiones de Guinea y las Indias Occidentales" (1569), Hawkins escribió: "De este modo logramos escapar en el 'Minion' y el 'Judith', una pequeña barca de 50 toneladas, la nave que esa misma noche nos abandonó en la peor de las adversidades". Drake atracó en Plymouth el 20 de enero de 1569 -Hawkins hizo lo mismo un par de semanas más tarde-y enseguida se reunió con William Hawkins para ponerlo al tanto de los percances de la expedición. El naviero solicitó la intervención de la reina Isabel I para obtener una reparación. Cautelosa en su relación con el Imperio español, la soberana rechazó el pedido.

En 1570 las relaciones entre Inglaterra y España se habían deteriorado. El gobernador español en los Países Bajos, el duque de Alba, reprimía la rebelión política y religiosa de la mayoría protestante contra Felipe II, una causa que la monarquía inglesa apoyaba. Ese año, mientras Isabel se inclinaba por la prudencia diplomática, Drake inició su guerra personal contra España. Financió de su propio bolsillo su próximo viaje y partió de Plymouth rumbo al Caribe junto a medio centenar de tripulantes en dos embarcaciones: el "Swan" de 25 toneladas y el "Dragon" de 50. El objetivo de la misión: el reconocimiento de las costas caribeñas para identificar, atacar y saquear las poblaciones españolas en la región. Drake advirtió la vulnerabilidad del denominado "Camino del oro", la senda de 80 kilómetros que atravesaba el istmo de Panamá entre el mar Caribe y el océano Pacífico. La plata y el oro extraídos en las minas del Alto Perú (en los actuales Bolivia y Perú) eran embarcados hasta la ciudad de Panamá (sobre el océano Pacífico). Desde allí eran transportados a lomo de mula a través de la montaña y la selva hasta el puerto de Nombre de Dios (sobre el mar Caribe). En ese lugar los metales preciosos se almacenaban hasta la llegada de la Flota de Tierra Firme y su posterior envío a Sevilla. Con esta información, Drake volvió a Inglaterra, consiguió inversores, reclutó marineros y volvió a zarpar a comienzos de 1571, esta vez sólo con el "Swan" y treinta hombres a bordo. Alcanzó Panamá en febrero donde se enteró de que un corsario francés, Nicholas des Isles, lo había precedido en la ofensiva. Des Isles había incorporado como guía a un "cimarrón", un esclavo fugitivo que condujo a los galos por el curso del río Chagres hasta un pueblo llamado Venta Cruces. Cuando estaban organizando el asalto, el africano desertó. Des Isles decidió volver río abajo. Los piratas pudieron huir pero el incidente alertó a los españoles. Drake no se acobardó y al cabo de unos pocos días había atacado dos navíos mercantes que se dirigían a Nombre de Dios. Luego se trasladó hasta Venta Cruces donde no encontró ni oro ni plata pero sí textiles de lujo que cargó en las bodegas del "Swan". Durante las siguientes semanas el corsario inglés despojó a una docena de buques de transporte.

España sabía ahora con quién estaba tratando en el Caribe: "el Draque" o "el Dragón". Cuando Drake arribó a Plymouth con el "Swan" más otros dos barcos abarrotados de mercancías (y algo de plata y oro), el valor del botín equivalía al doble de las ganancias obtenidas por Hawkins en sus tres travesías esclavistas. (Continuará).

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TERCERA PARTE - Por Guillermo Rodríguez El 15 de septiembre de 1568 la escuadra de John Hawkins y Francis Drake fondeó en la isla de San Juan de Ulúa -ubicada frente al puerto de Veracruz, en el actual México- para efectuar reparaciones luego de que un ciclón azotara a los navíos a poco de emprender el retorno a Inglaterra.

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Sir Francis Drake es mejor conocido por circunnavegar la Tierra (1577-1580), aprovechando los barcos españoles en el camino. Más tarde se le atribuyó su defensa de Inglaterra al asaltar el puerto de España en Cádiz en 1587 y (según muchas fuentes) al interrumpir la Armada española en el Canal de la Mancha con barcos de bomberos en 1588.

De manera similar, se pregunta, ¿qué logró Sir Francis Drake?

La vida aventurera de Sir Francis Drake estuvo llena de muchos logros . Jugó un papel importante en la destrucción y derrota de la poderosa Armada Española. Esto ayudó a Inglaterra a crear un gran imperio en el Nuevo Mundo. También se convirtió en el primer inglés en dar la vuelta al mundo.

En segundo lugar, ¿cuál fue el viaje más importante de Sir Francis Drake? El viaje famoso: la circunnavegación del mundo, 1577-1580. Drake se destacó en su vida por una hazaña atrevida tras otra; la mayor fue su circunnavegación de la tierra, la primera después de la de Magallanes. Zarpó de Plymouth el 13 de diciembre de 1577.

En segundo lugar, ¿de qué murió Sir Francis Drake?

Disentería

¿Cuánto robó Sir Francis Drake?

Las hazañas de Drake lo convirtieron en un héroe para los ingleses, pero su corso llevó a los españoles a tildarlo de pirata, conocido por ellos como El Draque. El rey Felipe II supuestamente ofreció una recompensa por su captura o muerte de 20.000 ducados, alrededor de £ 6 millones (US $ 8 millones ) en moneda moderna.

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Sir Francis Drake es mejor conocido por circunnavegar la Tierra (1577-1580), aprovechando los barcos españoles en el camino. Más tarde se le atribuyó su defensa de Inglaterra al asaltar el puerto de España en Cádiz en 1587 y (según muchas fuentes) al interrumpir la Armada española en el Canal de la…

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Sir Francis Drake participated in some of the earliest English slaving voyages to Africa and earned a reputation for his privateering, or piracy, against Spanish ships and possessions. Sent by Queen Elizabeth to South America in 1577, he returned home via the Pacific and became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe; the queen rewarded him with a knighthood. In 1588, Drake served as second-in-command during the English victory over the Spanish Armada. The most famous mariner of the Elizabethan Age, he died off the coast of Panama in 1596 and was buried at sea.

Early Life

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

Drake went to sea for the first time around the age of 18 with the Hawkins family fleet, and by the 1560s had earned command of his own ship.

Did you know? When he died off the coast of Panama in 1596, Sir Francis Drake was buried at sea, wearing full armor and encased in a lead-lined coffin. Divers, treasure hunters and Drake enthusiasts continue to search for his final resting place.

Slave Trade

In 1567, Drake and his cousin John Hawkins sailed to Africa in order to join the fledgling slave trade. When they sailed to New Spain to sell their captives to settlers there (which was against Spanish law), they were trapped by a Spanish attack in the Mexican port of San Juan de Ulua.

Many of their crewmates were killed in the incident, though Drake and Hawkins escaped, and Drake returned to England with what would be a lifelong hatred for Spain and its ruler, King Philip II.

Privateer for the British Crown

After leading two successful expeditions to the West Indies, Drake came to the attention of Queen Elizabeth I, who granted him a privateer's commission, effectively giving him the right to plunder Spanish ports in the Caribbean. Drake did just that in 1572, capturing the port of Nombre de Dios (a drop-off point for silver and gold brought from Peru) and crossing the Isthmus of Panama, where he first caught sight of the immense Pacific Ocean. He returned to England with a large amount of Spanish treasure, an accomplishment that earned him a reputation as a leading privateer.

In 1577, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Drake to lead an expedition around South America through the notoriously stormy Straits of Magellan. The voyage was plagued by conflict between Drake and the two other men tasked with sharing command.

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

After plundering Spanish ports along the west coast of South America, Drake headed north in search of a passage back to the Atlantic. He claimed to have traveled as far north as 48 degrees North (on parallel with Vancouver, Canada) before extreme cold conditions turned him back. Drake anchored near today's San Francisco and claimed the surrounding land, which he called New Albion, for Queen Elizabeth.

Heading back west across the Pacific in July 1579, he stopped in the Philippines and bought spices in the Molucca Islands. He then sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and arrived back in England's Plymouth Harbor in September 1580.

Despite complaints from the Spanish government about his piracy, Drake was honored as the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and became a popular hero. Several months after his return, Queen Elizabeth personally knighted him aboard the Golden Hind.

The Spanish Armada

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

On the return voyage, he rescued a failed English military colony on Roanoke Island off the Carolinas in 1586. (The unlucky island was later the scene of a mysterious disappearance of about 100 English settlers, none of whom were ever found.)

Drake then led an even bigger fleet (30 ships) into the Spanish port of Cádiz and destroyed a large number of vessels being readied for the Spanish Armada. In 1588, Drake served as second-in-command to Admiral Charles Howard in the English victory over the supposedly invincible Spanish fleet.

Final Years

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

The expedition proved to be a dismal failure: Spain fended off the English attacks, and Drake came down with fever and dysentery. He died in late January 1596 at age 55 off the 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.

Fact Check

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Sir Francis Drake: Facts, Routes & Biography - HISTORY

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Sir Francis Drake was an English sailor and pirate who achieved fame fighting against the Spanish Armada, plundering Spanish galleons and traveling around the globe.

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Francis Drake

"Franciscus Draeck Nobilissimus Eques Angliae Ano Aet SVE43," Sir Francis Drake, 1577, by Henry Hondius, The Mariners' Museum.

Introduction
Sir Francis Drake's adventurous life was filled with many accomplishments. He played a major role in the destruction and defeat of the mighty Spanish Armada. This helped England to create a great empire in the New World. He also became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. During his world voyage, he explored much of the northwestern part of the modern United States. His strong dislike for the Spanish motivated him to destroy and loot as many Spanish vessels as possible. Some would call Sir Francis Drake a pirate, others would call him a privateer. But to the English, most saw him a hero.

Biography Francis Drake was born at Tavistock, in Devonshire, England around 1540, although the exact date is not certain. He was the oldest of 12 boys.
Early Life
went to work for his cousin ¹ His father, Edmund Drake, was a shearman. This is someone who used a skilled technique to soften cloth. ² They lived on a large farm, and his father was also able to make money as a farmer. Very little is known or certain about his childhood and education. In the early 1550s, young Francis began working as an apprentice on a trading ship. While here, Drake was taught several skills that a sailor would have, including how to sail and how to navigate, and was also provided food and shelter. In 1567, he John Hawkins who was a slave trader. They would travel to Africa, where they would capture and chain Africans, sail across the Atlantic, and sell the African people to European colonists. Drake joined him on his trading trips to the New World.

At this time, much of the Caribbean islands, South America, and Mexico were controlled by the Spanish empire. England and Spain were often at war with each other, and as such, the Spanish banned trading with the English in their colonies. But this did not stop people like Hawkins and Drake. But Drake and Hawkins often encountered problems. In October 1567, Hawkins and Drake arrived at San Juan de Ulúa on the Mexican coast ready to trade. ³ They had six ships including the Minion - captained by Hawkins - and the Judith - captained by Drake. It was not long before the Spanish attacked the English fleet. Four of the ships were destroyed, but the Judith survived. Hawkins also managed to escape. This battle would create a deep hatred for the Spanish in Drake. After his return to England, Drake happily accepted a position by Queen Elizabeth I in 1570 to become a privateer. A privateer is similar to a pirate, but unlike pirates who raid for their personal use, privateers are usually hired and paid. Drake spent the next several years commanding several vessels raiding and destroying Spanish fleets. Drake became a hero to the English people. But once England and Spain had reached a temporary peace, Drake's privateering services were not needed. But peace did not last long, and Drake was called on again once more.

Voyages In 1577, war broke out again between England and Spain. Elizabeth I gave Drake command of an expedition to set up English trading posts in the Pacific.
Principal Voyage
⁴ But Drake also had his own plans. He planned to continue raiding Spanish fleets, and attacking Spanish settlements in South America. Drake and his fleet left from the port of Plymouth in England on December 13, 1577. He had five ships: The Elizabeth, Swan, Christopher, Marigold, and the Pelican which Drake commanded. He sailed across the Atlantic to Brazil, then south down the coast to Argentina to an area called Patagonia. While here, at Port St. Julian, a firefight between the English and Natives broke out, killing several men on both sides. By August 20, 1578, Drake and his fleet entered the Strait of Magellan, and crossed into the Pacific Ocean. ⁵ It had taken Ferdinand Magellan a month to cross through the Strait; it only took Drake 16 days. ⁶ It is around this time that Drake renamed his ship Golden Hind. The fleet then sailed north up the west coast of South America.

Drake raided several Spanish ships and outposts along Chile and Peru. After capturing and destroying several Spanish vessels, and taking their riches, Drake and his crew continued onward. The other ships had either turned back for home or had been damaged and lost at sea. ⁷ After passing through the Strait of Magellan, Drake began making his way up what would become the west coast of the United States. He made it as far as present day Vancouver Island before heading back south down the coast. He stopped briefly near modern day Coos Bay, Oregon, and then continued on. He charted much of the unknown west coast of North America. In June 1579, Drake landed at Point Reyes, near present day San Francisco, California, and claimed the land for Queen Elizabeth and England. ⁸ Here, the English interacted with the friendly Miwok natives for several weeks. The Golden Hind left the area on July 23, 1579, and headed for home. ⁹ They sailed across the Pacific Ocean. For almost 2 months they saw no land. They eventually reached the Molucca Islands (present day Indonesia). After a brief stay, they sailed again, rounding the southern tip of Africa, and headed north to England. After almost three years sailing around the world, the Golden Hind reached England on September 26, 1580. Although he was the second person to circumnavigate the world, he was the first Englishman to do it.

Subsequent Voyages When Drake returned to England, he brought with him much treasure. Queen Elizabeth rewarded his success. In 1581, the Queen knighted him. So he was now Sir Francis Drake. He became mayor of Plymouth for the next four years.
¹⁰ When hostilities between Spain and England worsened, Drake once again went to sea. In 1585, he sailed towards Spain where he attacked several ships in their fleet, then headed across the Atlantic. He then attacked Spanish fleets in present day Colombia and Dominican Republic. On histheir way back to England, Drake stopped to resupply the struggling colony at Roanoke Island (present-day North Carolina), founded by Sir Walter Raleigh. The colonists there were so miserable that they decided to abandon the colony and return to England with Drake.

Later Years and Death By 1587, Drake once more left England to attack the Spanish. He destroyed a fleet in Portugal which delayed a Spanish attack on England. After a few more encounters with the Spanish, Drake went back to Plymouth for several years. His next expedition would be less fortunate. Drake went out to sea again in 1595 with John Hawkins. They sailed to the Caribbean, where Drake soon got sick. He got infected with dysentery, a disease that infects the intestines. Sir Francis Drake died on his ship from this illness on January 28, 1596 off the coast of Panama.
¹¹

Legacy
Sir Francis Drake's accomplishments cemented English dominance at sea. The Spanish Armada never fully recovered from Drake's victories. This loss weakened their grip in the New World, and allowed the English to establish themselves as a great empire. In addition to his military achievements, he was a famed explorer who claimed part of the west coast of North America for England. He also rescued many of the settlers from the doomed Roanoke settlement. Drakes Bay near San Francisco bears the name of the great English explorer who helped claim these lands for the English.

1. Richard E. Bohlander, ed., World Explorers and Discoverers (New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1992), 155.

2. Lynn Hoogenboom, Sir Francis Drake: A Primary Source Biography (New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2006), 4.

3. Don Nardo, Sir Francis Drake EBook (Hockessin: Mitchell Lane Publishers Inc., 2016), 5.

4. Bohlander, World Explorers and Discoverers, 156.

5. Daniel B. Baker, ed., Explorers and Discoverers of the World (Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1993), 207

6. Bohlander, World Explorers and Discoverers, 157.

7. Britannica Educational Publishing, Biographies of the New World: Leif Eriksson, Henry Hudson, Charles Darwin, and More, ed. Michael Anderson (New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2013), 67.

8. Rand Richards, Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide (San Francisco: Heritage House Publishers, 2007), 16.

9. Bohlander, World Explorers and Discoverers, 157.

10. Bohlander, World Explorers and Discoverers, 158.

11. Baker, Explorers and Discoverers of the World, 208.

Bibliography

Baker, Daniel B., ed. Explorers and Discoverers of the World. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1993.

Bohlander, Richard E., ed. World Explorers and Discoverers. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1992.

Britannica Educational Publishing. Biographies of the New World: Leif Eriksson, Henry Hudson, Charles Darwin, and More. edited by Michael Anderson. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2013.

Hoogenboom, Lynn. Sir Francis Drake: A Primary Source Biography. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2006.

Nardo, Don. Sir Francis Drake EBook. Hockessin: Mitchell Lane Publishers Inc., 2016.

Richards, Rand. Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide. San Francisco: Heritage House Publishers, 2007.

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Francis Drake effectively ended Spanish dominance over the seas and the New World, allowing England to become a global empire.