Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake was one of the great explorers of the Elizabethan age. Drake, along with several other explorers, enabled England to begin the colonisation process that led to the British Empire becoming so large.
Born: 1540, near Tavistock in Devon.
Francis Drake was one of 12 children.
Sir Francis Drake achieved many things. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world, sank much of the Spanish navy in the port of Cadiz (a very daring raid) and was vice admiral of the Fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada.
Was Drake a Pirate?
In a way yes. Drake attacked Spanish cargo ships and settlements with the intention of making money from this. This was done with permission of Queen Elizabeth I however: who made a lot of money from Drakes explorations.
A Brief timeline of Francis Drakes life and achievements.
1567 Part of Sir John Hawkins slave trading mission.
1570/71 Drake made two highly profitable journey’s to the West Indies.
1573-1576 part of the force that quelled the Irish rebellion.
1579-80 Drake sails around the world in the Golden Hind. the First Englishman to do so!
1581 Francis Drake is knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
1581 Sir Francis Drake becomes Mayor of Plymouth.
1584-1585 Member of parliament for Plymouth.
1585 Raids and destroys many Spanish settlements in the Caribbean.
1587 On the orders of Queen Elizabeth, Drake attacks, and destroys, the Spanish Fleet at Cadiz.
1588 Vice Admiral of the navy that destroyed the Spanish Armada.
1595 Sent to attack Spanish settlements in the West Indies. Drake dies of dysentery on the return journey after failing to capture Panama City.
The Tudors
Henry VII – Henry VIII – Edward VI – Mary – Elizabeth – Depth study on Elizabethan England
Francis Drake – Walter Raleigh – William Shakespeare – Philip II of Spain – Mary, Queen of Scots – Anne Boleyn – Mary Boleyn
Battle of Bosworth – War of the Roses – Split with Rome – Spanish Armada – Voyages of Discovery – Protestant Reformation – Elizabethan Settlement – Roanoke Colony – Act of Union with Wales
