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Francis Drake 1540-1596
Spanish nightmare Sir Francis Drake
was the first Englishman who
sailed around the globe, which he did during the years 1577 - 1580.
At around age 18, Francis went to
plunder off the French coast under John Hawkins, an old friend of
the family. Illegal slave trade was part of the game.
In 1567, he commanded a ship for the
first time.
In 1569, Francis married Mary
Newman. Mary died in 1583.
On his second trip to the West Indies,
Francis was attacked by the Spanish at San Juan de Ulúa off the coast of Mexico. All but three of the English ships were destroyed.
In 1572, Francis himself set out with
two ships and 73 men to pillage. He plundered the town Nombre de
Dios in Panama, burned down Portobelo, and captured lots of silver.
This trip made Francis Drake rich and famous.
He spent the next few years on sea
fighting the Irish.
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE
Click to enlarge
In December 1577, Francis went to
circumnavigate the globe and, of course, to harass the Spanish en
route as much as possible.
He went through the Straits of Magellan and plundered his way
up the coast of South America, trying to find a passage to the
Atlantic. He went as far up the coast as today's Vancouver.
But as
there was no passage to the Atlantic, Francis Drake decided to cross the Pacific
instead and went back
to what is now San Francisco in order to get ready and prepare for the crossing.
While in the area, he claimed the land there in the name of his Queen
and named it New Albion.
MAP OF NEW ALBION - 1820
Click to enlarge
Francis Drake made his way around the Cape of
Good Hope and arrived in Plymouth on September 26, 1580.
Queen Elizabeth I
was delighted and Francis knighted.
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In
1585, Francis decided to marry again. This time the lucky lady was
Elizabeth Sydenham.
They acquired
Buckland Abbey as their home, which you are welcome to
visit today. |
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Francis was on the roll.
In 1585, he
sacked Vigo in Spain and burned São Tiago on the Cape Verde Islands.
Off he went across the Atlantic again, took Santo Domingo and
Cartagena, and plundered the coast of Florida.
Spain had had it and
prepared for
war. In 1587, Drake entered the harbor of Cádiz with 26 ships and
destroyed about 30 of the ships the Spanish were assembling there.
Francis Drake was vice admiral
of the fleet
that defeated the
Spanish Armada in 1588.
Next on the list was an invasion of Portugal. Drake was in joint command
of the campaign but failed to take Lisbon. The year? 1589.
Drake’s last expedition, in 1595,
undertaken jointly with Hawkins, was directed against the West
Indies. This time the Spanish were prepared, and the venture was a
complete failure. Hawkins died off Puerto Rico, and Drake shortly
afterward, of dysentery, off Portobello, where he was buried at sea.
And here is the map of his trips:
ROUTES OF FRANCIS DRAKE
Click map to enlarge
For the Discovery of North America, check this map
985 -
1794 Discovery of North America
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