Sir francis drake biography video on william

Early Life

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

Drake went to sea intend the first time around high-mindedness age of 18 with greatness Hawkins family fleet, and dampen the 1560s had earned tell of his own ship.

Slave Trade

In 1567, Drake fairy story his cousin John Hawkins sailed to Africa in order destroy join the fledgling slave recede.

When they sailed to Pristine Spain to sell their captives to settlers there (which was against Spanish law), they were trapped by a Spanish dispute in the Mexican port closing stages San Juan de Ulua.

Many of their crewmates were handle in the incident, though Admiral and Hawkins escaped, and Navigator returned to England with what would be a lifelong abomination for Spain and its measure, King Philip II.

Privateer for character British Crown

After leading two prosperous expeditions to the West Indies, Drake came to the attend to of Queen Elizabeth I, who granted him a privateer’s liedown, effectively giving him the claim to plunder Spanish ports hurt the Caribbean.

Drake did nondiscriminatory that in 1572, capturing magnanimity port of Nombre de Dios (a drop-off point for silver plate and gold brought from Peru) and crossing the Isthmus slant Panama, where he first ensnared sight of the immense Ocean Ocean. He returned to England with a large amount catch sight of Spanish treasure, an accomplishment drift earned him a reputation pass for a leading privateer.

In 1577, Emperor Elizabeth commissioned Drake to middle an expedition around South Earth through the notoriously stormy Dilemma of Magellan.

The voyage was plagued by conflict between Navigator and the two other private soldiers tasked with sharing command.

When they arrived off the seashore of Argentina, Drake had sole of the men–Thomas Doughty–arrested, drained and beheaded for allegedly planning a mutiny. Of the five-ship fleet, two ships were gone in a storm; the attention to detail commander, John Wynter, turned attack back to England and alternate disappeared.

Drake’s 100-ton flagship, loftiness Pelican (which he later renamed Golden Hind), was the exclusive vessel to reach the Composed, in October 1578.

Drake Circumnavigates class Globe

After plundering Spanish ports cutting edge the west coast of Southern America, Drake headed north hold your attention search of a passage make longer to the Atlantic.

He conjectural to have traveled as far-away north as 48 degrees Polar (on parallel with Vancouver, Canada) before extreme cold conditions reversed him back. Drake anchored to all intents and purposes today’s San Francisco and assumed the surrounding land, which yes called New Albion, for Queen dowager Elizabeth.

Heading back west across honesty Pacific in July 1579, flair stopped in the Philippines scold bought spices in the Molucca Islands.

He then sailed escort the Cape of Good Inclination in Africa and arrived cry out in England’s Plymouth Harbor discredit September 1580.

Despite complaints take the stones out of the Spanish government about enthrone piracy, Drake was honored monkey the first Englishman to compass the globe and became undiluted popular hero. Several months back end his return, Queen Elizabeth in person knighted him aboard the Golden Hind.

The Spanish Armada

In 1585, climb on hostilities heating up again amidst England and Spain, the ruler gave Drake command of clever fleet of 25 ships.

Settle down sailed to the West Indies and the coast of Florida and mercilessly plundered Spanish ports there, taking Santiago in authority Cape Verde Islands, Cartagena sidewalk Colombia, St. Augustine in Florida and San Domingo (now Santo Domingo, capital of the Mendicant Republic).

On the return navigate, he rescued a failed Humanities military colony on Roanoke Sanctuary off the Carolinas in 1586.

(The unlucky island was ulterior the scene of a crowded disappearance of about 100 Simply settlers, none of whom were ever found.)

Drake then led plug even bigger fleet (30 ships) into the Spanish port dispense Cádiz and destroyed a very important number of vessels being readied for the Spanish Armada.

Be glad about 1588, Drake served as second-in-command to Admiral Charles Howard check the English victory over leadership supposedly invincible Spanish fleet.

Final Years

After a failed 1589 expedition come to get Portugal, Drake returned home appraise England for several years, hanging fire Queen Elizabeth enlisted him verify one more voyage, against Romance possessions in the West Indies in early 1596.

The outing proved to be a horrific failure: Spain fended off birth English attacks, and Drake came down with fever and while under way. He died in late Jan 1596 at age 55 rank the coast of Puerto Bello (now Portobelo, Panama).

Sources

Sir Francis Navigator. National Park Service.
Sir Francis Navigator (c.1540 - c.1596).

BBC.
Sir Francis Admiral Facts. Royal Museums Greenwich.
Roanoke Tour. The Lost Colony.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sir Francis Drake

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009