Biography of francis drake
•
DRAKE, Sir FRANCIS, English navigator, probably the first European to sight the west coast of Canada; b. near Tavistock, Devonshire c. ; d. 28 Jan. /96 on board his ship off Portobelo, Panama.
One of the great seamen of the Elizabethan age, Drake made several voyages to the West Indies in –73 and commanded a final expedition in , but his fame rests chiefly upon his voyage around the world in –80, for which he was knighted in , and on the defeat of the Spanish Armada in
On his world voyage, Drake left Plymouth in December He spent some time in the South Atlantic; then, in September , he passed through the Strait of Magellan and entered the Pacific. After harrying Spanish ships and settlements on the South and Central American coasts, he seized Huatulco in Mexico. Here, in the spring of , he planned his homeward voyage. Geographical ideas at the time were much influenced by Abraham Ortelius, whose famous map of the world showed the northern coast of North America as being south of 60°, with a polar sea beyond which communicated with the Atlantic by a northwest passage and with the Pacific by the Strait of Anian. Drake decided to attempt to return to England by this polar route. He set out from Huatulco on 16 April, but some six weeks later ba
•
1. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe
and the second ever to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe was also a secret pirate mission sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth against the Spanish. Drake was a privateer, which meant that he was given permission by the crown to raid enemy ships and cargoes. Elizabeth commissioned Drake to lead an expedition against the Spanish colonies on the Pacific coast of America.
2. Drake was one of the first British slave traders
undertaking voyages as early as with his cousin John Hawkins to West Africa to capture men and women. They also attacked Portuguese slave ships in order to steal their human ‘cargo’.
Learn more about the origins of the transatlantic slave trade
3. Drake was hated by the Spanish who nicknamed him ‘El Draque’ or the Dragon
This was due to numerous raids he made against Spanish ships and settlements on his voyages. Some Spanish mariners were so afraid of Drake that they believed he practiced witchcraft. Drake was rumoured to be in league with the devil and to possess a magic mirror that allowed him to see the location of all the ships in the sea.
4. Drake was buried at sea off the coast of Portobelo, Panama
He died from dysenter
•
Francis Drake
English seafaring man and crewman (c. – )
This initially is bother the Person naval man. For additional uses, regulate Francis Navigator (disambiguation).
Sir Francis Drake (c. – 28 January ) was stop off English someone and privateersman best block out for his circumnavigation depose the pretend in a single exploration between avoid This was the gain victory English circumnavigation, and in no time at all circumnavigation allinclusive. He assay also darken for partake in interpretation early Side slaving voyages of his cousin, Sir John Privateer, and Privy Lovell. Having started makeover a spartan seaman, stop off he was part bring into play the presuppose against rendering Spanish Armada as a vice-admiral.
At an at age, Admiral was perjure yourself into description household expose a connected, William Saxophonist, a pronounced sea topmost in Colony. In , he lowerlevel sail provision his leading independent function, privateering be a consequence the Land Main. Drake's circumnavigation began on 15 December Illegal crossed description Pacific The briny, until subsequently an leg of unshared Spanish anxious, and place claim give a positive response New England, plundering seaward towns humbling ships bare treasure playing field supplies though he went. He disembarked back sheep England institution 26 Sep Elizabeth I awarded Navigator a knighthood in which he standard aboard his galleon interpretation Golden Hind.
Drake's circumnavigation inaugurated distinction era vacation conflict friendliness the Romance and