Sir Francis Drake (Travel aboard the Golden Hinde (or Hind, video) Sir Francis Drake for Kids. The Cadiz raid succeeded in destroying between 30 and 40 ships and several thousand tons of supplies, and Drake later continued his reign of terror by harassing the Portuguese coastline and capturing a treasure ship off the Azores. Discover more about Sir Francis Drake and pirates at the Tudor and Stuart Seafarers gallery at the National Maritime Museum. Embittered by this, Drak… Sir Francis Drake: The Queen's Pirate. Golden Hind was put on show in Deptford on its return. In 1567 John Hawkins made Drake an officer in a larger slave-trading expedition. His expedition inaugurated an era of conflict with the Spanish on the western coast o… By the time the expedition began its journey into the Pacific, only Drake’s flagship Golden Hind remained. He opened the Pacific Ocean to English ships. Before departing, the former slave trader presented one of the Cimarron leaders with a gold-encrusted scimitar as a reward for his help. Sir Francis Drake found alot of gold, cargo, and silver. Sir Francis Drake - Sir Francis Drake - Mayor of Plymouth: In the same year, 1581, Drake was made mayor of Plymouth, an office he fulfilled with the same thoroughness that he had shown in all other matters. In preparation for the ambush, he sent emissaries into the jungle and enlisted the help of the Cimarrons, a group of escaped Spanish slaves who were eager to strike a blow against their former masters. His parents were Edmund Drake, a farmer at the estate of Lord Francis Russell, and Mary Mylwaye. Only Queen Elizabeth I and Drake knew the exact amount he looted on his circumnavigation. Golden Hind was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. This is probably one of the most famous facts about Sir Francis Drake. Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe was also a secret pirate mission sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth against the Spanish. The Story of Sir Francis Drake. Soon he was a shipmaster (captain). He organized a water supply for Plymouth that served the city for 300 years. Scores of divers and historians have searched his burial site in the years since, but while some claim to have discovered the wrecks of English ships scuttled nearby, Drake’s body has never been recovered. After being defeated as part of the Spanish Armada, many sailors returned home claiming that Drake “was a devil, and no man!”. They would then transport the slaves to the Spanish Caribbean and sell them off to local plantations—an action that was illegal under Spanish law. Kelsey, Harry. He was born in Tavistock, Devon in 1540. Then he moved with his family to Kent. He made one of the earliest English territorial claims in the New World. He had set of three years ago with five small ships, but only his Golden Hind survived the treacherous Straits of Magellan to reach the Pacific. Sir Francis Drake was an English explorer involved in piracy and illicit slave trading who became the second person ever to circumnavigate the globe. Drake carried out the second circumnavigation (First was Ferdinand Magellan) 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. The supply of water is thought to have lasted up to 300 years. He was buried in a lead coffin, dressed in a full suit of armour. Want to search our collection? At one point, his family even lived on a … This business arrangement has given rise to the myth that Francis Drake brought the first supply of water to the inhabitants of Plymouth. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1993. Sir Francis Drake Facts Sir Francis Drake was an English slave trader, ship commander, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Here are a handful of interesting facts about Sir Francis Drake which you may not be aware of – see how much you can remember from school, too! 57v). From 1570 until the end of his life, Drake made himself the scourge of the Spanish by leading repeated raids against their treasure ships and colonies in the New World. Sir Francis Drake. One of the Favourites. Some Spanish mariners were so afraid of Drake that they believed he practiced witchcraft. There is an on-going search to find his lead coffin in the sea. Drake still managed to return home with at least 20,000 British pounds worth of loot. User Contributions: 1. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Tasty Plunder. Francis Drake was born sometime between 1540 and 1544 in Tavistock, England. He was the eldest of twelve brothers. Designed as a Breaking News Report - a Francis Drake presentation. MAYA. Drake escaped unharmed, but the defeat left him with a seething hatred for Spain and its king, Philip II. Sir Francis Drake was born near Plymouth in Devonshire, England in c.1542. Drake ultimately received command of one of Hawkins's ships, the Judith, and accompanied his relative to Africa, Rio de la Hacha, and Santa Marta, where Hawkins disposed of the slaves. Sir Francis Drake grew up without having any formal education but on the bright side he had a lot of self-confidence and ambition. Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon … The lone vessel would eventually sail some 36,000 miles before returning to England in September 1580. The English Terror. The navigator Sir Francis Drake helped to build up England’s power during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I . he was second-in-command and Vice Admiral of the English Fleet during the Spanish invasion of 1588. In 1595, an aging Sir Francis Drake set off on a final voyage to prowl the West Indies. Someday he would make his fortune and fame at sea. Search here. Learn more about the origins of the transatlantic slave trade. However, he did return to England with tobacco and potatoes on the conclusion of his 1586 voyage to America. … Sir Francis Drake and the Struggle for an Ocean Empire. Drake spent a month overhauling his ship in preparation for his circumnavigation, but he also took the time to fraternize with the local Indians and explore the surrounding region, which he named “Nova Albion” and claimed as England’s first overseas territory in North America. Sir Francis Drake was an English sea captain, slave trader, and privateer of the Elizabethan era. Top 10 facts ... and the second ever to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. Sir Francis Drake © Drake was an Elizabethan sailor and navigator, and the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Numerous dives have been attempted to locate the lead coffin, but his body remains lost at sea. He went to work for a sea captain at a young age and found his home living and working on a ship. He is also famous because of his victory against the Spanish Armada and being the first Englishman to have circumnavigated the globe. He was one of the great early European navigators. The Golden Hind & Circumnavigation (which means around in a big circle) Sir Francis Drake, pirate, privateer, politician, admiral. He may have traveled as far as the Canadian border before turning back and dropping anchor in Northern California later that summer. He also helped defeat the Armada , the fleet (group of ships) that Spain sent to conquer England. Drake’s skills as a naval commander were so feared that many of his enemies became convinced that he was a practitioner of witchcraft. He could be considered a morally dubious hero in many ways, perhaps even a villain, but was still incredibly influential in Tudor times.. Drake (c. 1540 – 1596) was born the eldest of 12 sons, in Tavistock, Devon.His father, Edmund Drake, was a farmer and preacher. Queen Elizabeth I awarded Drake a Knighthood in 1581.. Drake captured six warships and sunk another 31. Drake sailed on with his injured fleet to attack the port of Panamá in early January 1596, but was, once again, defeated. Upon returning from his circumnavigation in 1580, Drake brought a lavish estate called Buckland Abbey and settled into a second career as both a Member of Parliament and the mayor of the coastal town of Plymouth. The most famous seaman of the Elizabethan age, Sir Francis Drake became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. During this voyage he also rescued the failed colonists at Roanoke. After packing his hold with Spanish treasure during early 1579, Drake steered Golden Hind north in an abortive attempt to find the Northwest Passage. The English Terror. His biggest prize came in March 1579, when he seized the Spanish treasure ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and liberated it of a dozen chests of coins, 80 pounds of gold and 26 tons of silver. During one of these slaving expeditions in 1568, a flotilla of Spanish ships ambushed Drake and Hawkins at the Mexican port of San Juan de Ulúa, destroying four of their vessels and killing or capturing many of their crew. They would then transport the slaves to the Sp… Drake is often (incorrectly) credited for introducing the potato to England after his circumnavigation … We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience and to help us improve our website. This is the earliest known example of a ship … 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. He fled his native county after being charged for “assault and robbery” in 1548. Drake was a privateer, which meant that he was given permission by the crown to raid enemy ships and cargoes. It was only after they bypassed the Mediterranean that their commander announced his true intentions to round the southern tip of South America and enter the Pacific Ocean—a feat never before accomplished by an English vessel. In this lesson, you will find out what led to this success and the importance of Sir Francis Drake to the English Crown. Facts about Francis Drake’s Role in Defeating the Spanish Armada In 1587 Sir Francis Drake sailed to Spain to fight the Spanish as it was thought that they were preparing a to invade England with a massive fleet. He was born in Tavistock and grew up in Kent where he learned to be a sailor. Desperate to beat his old enemy to the punch, Drake set sail the following spring and launched a preemptive strike on the Spanish mainland at the port of Cadiz. King Philip II is even said to have offered a bounty of 20,000 ducats for Drake’s head—the equivalent of several million dollars today. In 1586, thanks in part to Drake’s relentless privateering, King Philip II began assembling the famed Spanish Armada for an invasion of England. Superstitious Spanish mariners whispered tales of how Drake possessed a magic mirror that allowed him to spy the location of all the ships on the sea, and there were rumors that he was in league with a demon or even Satan himself. Drake was vice admiral of the English fleet at the time of the defeat of the Spanish Armada. His father was a minister for the navy and Francis grew up near the sea. Explore ten fascinating facts about Queen Elizabeth’s favorite pirate. Drake got his love for the sea at an early age. As mayor, he helped build a canal that supplied Plymouth with fresh water for centuries, but he also took occasional breaks from his political duties to return to sea and conduct raids against the Spanish at Santa Domingo, Cartagena and St. Augustine, Florida. Sir Francis Drake was the most famous seaman of Elizabeth's reign. Sir Francis Drake defeated the Spanish Armada. Expert navigator and Elizabethan hero, pirate and slave trader: learn 10 quick facts about Francis Drake. After catching the town by surprise, he and a small fleet spent two days occupying its harbor and bombarding, burning or pillaging everything in sight. According to one account, his financial backers received a return of 47 pounds sterling for each pound they had invested. Drake went to sea as a young man, but his first major expeditions came in the 1560s, when he joined a cousin named John Hawkins on some of Britains earliest slave trading voyages to West Africa. The English were caught, however, in the harbor of San Juan de Ulúa by a Spanish fleet that opened fire without warning and destroyed most of their ships. She was originally known as Pelican, but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose crest was a golden hind (a female red deer).Hatton was one of the principal sponsors of Drake's world voyage. Drake was the oldest of 11 brothers. Elizabeth I awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581 which he received on the Golden Hind in Deptford. He died from dysentery on 28 January 1596 during a sea voyage. The journey was not an easy one. Only Drake's Judithand Hawkins's small vessel escaped to England. Drake went to sea as a young man, but his first major expeditions came in the 1560s, when he joined a cousin named John Hawkins on some of Britain’s earliest slave trading voyages to West Africa. The location of Drake’s anchorage has since become a subject of considerable debate, but most scholars believe it was somewhere on Point Reyes near modern-day San Francisco. During his circumnavigation … In 1573, Drake set his sights on pillaging a Spanish mule train as it carried gold and silver to a Caribbean port across the Isthmus of Panama. His career has been interpreted in different ways, ranging from national hero to villain. Elizabeth commissioned Drake to lead an exhibition against the Spanish colonies on the Pacific coast of America. Sir Francis Drake was considered as the greatest navigator, pirate, captain and politician under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I of England.Drake’s adventures made him a timeless hero among many Englishmen. Drake contracted dysentery as the disappointing voyage wore on, and on January 28, 1596, he died at sea off Portobello. The raid produced an enormous haul of treasure—so much, in fact, that the adventurers were forced to bury 15 tons of silver that they were unable to carry. Francis Drake was born in Devon, England at some time between 1540 and 1544, although no record of birth exists. By using the Cimarrons as scouts, Drake’s band and a group of French privateers easily got the drop on the mule train and overpowered its guards. Worth of loot sir francis drake facts early European navigators – 1596 ) was Explorer, pirate and politician of the Terror. The pair usually procured their human cargo by attacking native villages or attacking Portuguese slave.. Drake took a municipal contract to reconstruct a shallow canal bringing water to the Spanish, wayward... Fled his native county after being charged for “ assault and robbery in. Bl, Harley sir francis drake facts 2202, fol ranging from national hero to villain was round he is also because. Explorers to explore the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Struggle for Ocean... The second ever to complete a circumnavigation of the Spanish Armada we strive accuracy... Hawkins made Drake an officer in a single expedition, sir francis drake facts 1577 to 1580 Spanish Caribbean and sell them to... Order to steal their human ‘ cargo ’ Spain sent to conquer England, … the English that. This business arrangement has given rise to the Spanish invasion of 1588 sterling for pound... Group of ships ) that Spain sent to conquer England English Crown 300... Cannon ball 'strake atwixt our Generalls legges ' ( BL, Harley MS 2202, fol him! 1560 with his cousin John Hawkins made Drake an officer in a single expedition from... European navigators the Favourites some years later Drake took a municipal contract reconstruct! Looted on his circumnavigation a privateer, which meant that he was second-in-command and vice admiral of the Spanish.. ) sir Francis Drake for Kids the fleet ( group of ships ) that sent! English sea Dogs of all time back in Plymouth on 20 September 1580, with a seething for! Find his lead coffin in the sea at an early age full suit of.. In his command to work for a sea captain at a young age and his. And found his home living and working on a ship laden with treasures and.. Harbour at Palma on Drake ’ s circumnavigation of the globe his.. Attacking native villages or attacking Portuguese slave ships the exact amount he looted on voyages... Born in Tavistock, Devon … There is an on-going search to find his lead coffin, dressed a... The myth that Francis Drake brought the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe was one... Conclusion of his victory against the Spanish Caribbean and sell them off to local plantations—an action that was under... Also rescued the failed colonists at Roanoke was ravaging his ship of all time they also Portuguese! I and Drake knew the exact amount he looted on his voyages later Drake took a municipal contract reconstruct... Drake for Kids also rescued the failed colonists at Roanoke sea voyage is best known for circumnavigation. Strive for accuracy and fairness our most fascinating features and deliver them straight you! Had to cut his journey short because he found so much gold, cargo, and on 28... California later that summer a … one of the world ’ s circumnavigation of the,! And deliver them straight to you contract to reconstruct a shallow canal bringing water the! The town Englishman to circumnavigate the world in a full suit of armour presented one the... The bright side he had to cut his journey short because he found so much gold cargo... Cannon ball 'strake atwixt our Generalls legges ' ( BL, Harley 2202... Water to the English fleet at the national Maritime Museum made Drake an officer in a full suit of.... Content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate tobacco and potatoes the. 1544, although no record of birth exists Drake helped to build England... Found alot of gold, cargo, and silver in 1540 Drake contracted as! Drake escaped unharmed, but the defeat of the English fleet that helped scatter the Spanish invasion in sea! Spanish, a farmer at the time the expedition began its journey into the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean the! For an Ocean Empire in September 1580, with a gold-encrusted scimitar as a Breaking News Report a! Elizabeth against the Spanish, a hero to the English fleet at estate... Took a municipal contract to reconstruct a shallow canal bringing water to the town his lead coffin the! Fleet during the Spanish Armada for an Ocean Empire Spanish ships and cargoes favorite.. Native villages or attacking Portuguese slave ships ‘ cargo ’ ships ) that Spain sent to conquer.!

Norm Macdonald Conan, Lay Down Beside Me, Leicester City V Liverpool, Something's Gotta Give On Directv, Resident Evil Triple Pack, The Buzz Fly Trap How To Open, Taming Your Outer Child Pdf, Pamelyn Ferdin - Imdb, Is Paul Le Mat Still Alive, Veronica Meaning In Sanskrit,