Francis Drake

c. 1540-1596. English navigator, privateer, explorer and slave trader.

In 1567, he made his first slaving voyage, during which he got attacked by a Spanish squadron. At that time, he was commanded by John Hawkins, a well known British naval commander (Paige 20). Drake was also the first Englishman to navigate around the globe. In May 1578, he reached the Pacific Ocean on command of Queen Elizabeth I. On 26 September 1580, he circumnavigated the globe entirely with his flagship The Pelican.

Throughout Drake's life he got in conflict with the Spanish. In 1587, Drake attacked the Spanish fleet in Cardiz, and in 1588 he was promoted to Vice Admiral. In the same year, Drake suceeded in defeating the Spanish Armada under the command of Lord Howard of Effingham and with other experienced sailors like Martin Frobisher and Sir John Hawkins (and many nameless men who sailored away and occasionally died). On July 29 the Armada was sighted in Cornwall, ready to attack the English. However, Lord Howard and Drake intercepted the ships before they reached their optimal strategical position. The English sent deliberately torched and unmanned ships towards the Armada, which made the Armada panick and flee. This maneuver turned out to be very successful as only 67 of the 130 Spanish ships returned to the mainland. What also helped were the beneficial winds.

Throughout all of the conflict with the Spanish, Drake played a decisive strategical role and contributed significantly to the success.

In April 1581, Francis Drake was knighted for his achievements and his contribution for his country. The act of knighting Drake was carried out on command of Elizabeth I by a French nobleman on the Golden Hind, Drake's ship, which was formerly known as The Pelican (Paige 71).

Literature

“History - Sir Francis Drake.” BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/drake_francis.shtml.

Johnson, Ben. “The Life of Sir Francis Drake.” Historic UK, https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sir-Francis-Drake/.

Paige, Joy. Sir Francis Drake: Circumnavigator of the Globe and Privateer for Queen Elizabeth. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003.

“The Defeat of the Spanish Armada Was a Turning Point in the Histories of Both England and Spain.” The Sun, The Sun, 5 Dec. 2016, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/hold-ye-front-page/2333786/the-defeat-of-the-spanish-armada-was-a-turning-point-in-the-histories-of-both-england-and-spain-and-one-of-the-great-achievements-of-queen-elizabeth-i/.