Francis Drake is a navigator, discoverer and favorite corsair of the English Queen. His exploits and travels forced many to strive for the boundless expanses of the ocean. However, only a few managed to achieve the level of we alth and fame that Francis Drake possessed.
Biography
The future navigator was born in Middle England, the son of a we althy farmer. Drake Francis was the eldest child in a large family. As the eldest son, he was destined for his father's work, but the heart of young Francis belonged to the sea. Already at the age of 12, he becomes a cabin boy on a merchant ship of one of his many relatives. Diligent and quick training in marine sciences set him apart from his peers. The owner liked the young Drake Francis so much that, dying, he left the ship as a legacy to the former cabin boy. So at the age of 18, Drake becomes the captain of his own ship.
First voyages
At first, like all captains of merchant ships, Drake Francis carried various commercial cargoes to the British kingdom. In 1560 Drake's uncle, JohnHawkins drew attention to the catastrophic shortage of labor on the plantations of the New World. The idea to involve American natives in forced labor was not crowned with success - the Indians did not want to work, were not afraid of torture and death, and their relatives had an unpleasant habit of taking revenge on white people for the kidnapped and tortured redskins.
Slaves are another matter. They could be imported from the Black Continent, bought for trinkets, sold or exchanged. For us, living in the 21st century, these words sound blasphemous. But to a 16th century Englishman, it was just a business, just like any other.
Commodity trading
The laws of the New World allowed only those slaves supplied by the Trading House of Seville to be traded. But the demand for slaves greatly exceeded the capacity of this commercial organization, and the colonists suffered heavy losses. The owners of tea, coffee, cotton and tobacco plantations were willing to pay good money for cheap labor.
Hawkins decided to take a chance. He shared his idea with several trading enterprises, and they gave him money to start work. Already the first flight to the New World with live goods more than paid off the funds invested in the enterprise. Although it was believed that there was nothing reprehensible in Hawkins's actions, the old sailor resorted to cannons and guns when any governor disagreed with his methods of work. Taxes from the enterprise were regularly paid into the treasury of England. Several flights from Africa to the New World made Hawkins and his patrons very rich people.
Hawkins-Drake Enterprise
On the third voyage, Hawkins took his nephew Francis Drake and, as usual, headed for the shores of Africa for live goods. By this time, Drake Francis was an experienced captain, sailing in the Bay of Biscay and crossing the Atlantic with veteran smuggler John Lovel. The joint expedition ended tragically - the ships of the corsairs were caught by a storm, the squadron went astray, and the flagship suffered more than the others. John Hawkins decided to get repaired and headed to the port of San Juan de Ulua, located in Honduras. Francis Drake followed suit. What he discovered was the extremely unfriendly reception that this town gave to two sailors. The cannons of the port gave an unequivocal warning that it was very dangerous to approach, and negotiations with the local authorities were unsuccessful. At this time, the sails of the Spanish coastal squadron appeared on the horizon. The smugglers had to engage in an unequal battle. Francis Drake's ship, the Swan, was less damaged during the storm, and the corsair managed to escape from his pursuers, leaving his companion to the mercy of fate.
Having reached the English coast, Drake told everyone that his uncle had died in an unequal battle. But after a few weeks, an unpleasant meeting awaited the corsair: as it turned out, Hawkins managed to survive, and he, with several surviving sailors, was able to escape from the Honduran trap. It is not known what the uncle and nephew were talking about, but after a few years they organized a new expedition and began to makeraids in the New World.
Pirate Francis Drake
After this incident, Drake vowed to take revenge on the Spanish crown for the failed Honduran raid. He constantly pursued Spanish ships, causing considerable damage to the crown. How concerned the Spaniards were by Drake's constant attacks is evidenced by the fact that a reward of 20,000 ducats was placed on the head of an English pirate. His first retaliatory expedition left the Portsmouth Docks in 1572. On two ships - "Swan" and "Pasha" - went to the New World and managed to capture the Colombian port of Nombre de Dios. Here he managed to rob several Spanish ships and capture rich booty. Drake then crossed the Isthmus of Panama to see the Pacific Ocean.
Probably the sight of the vast expanse prompted the pirate to make certain plans, which he was able to carry out a few years later.
War with Ireland
At this time, a war broke out in the homeland of the brave captain. Ireland made another attempt to gain its independence. Drake agrees to enter the service of the Earl of Essex and takes part in naval battles against the Irish. In his squadron were three government frigates, with the help of which he attacked coastal Irish villages and sank enemy ships. For his service in the Government Navy, Drake Francis was presented to the Queen as the best of captains.
Destination - South America
It is not known if he is cocky at the first meetingthe captain outlined his plans to Queen Elizabeth, or it happened during one of the subsequent meetings. Drake stressed that Spain's hegemony in the New World needed to be destroyed, and the coast of the South American continent was ideally suited for this purpose. He was going to destroy the Spanish colonies located in this part of the world and lay down huge booty at the feet of Elizabeth. The Queen of England found Drake's proposal very interesting and even gave him five government ships.
Circumnavigation expedition
In December 1577, Francis Drake (1577 - 1580) began his three-year expedition. His ships headed for South America. After the battle near the Rio de la Plata, he went further south and sailed around Patagonia in two ships. After several skirmishes with the natives, he managed to reach the Strait of Magellan, which was opened in 1520. During a storm, he lost sight of his second ship, which, in the end, returned to the English shores on its own. And the flagship "Golden Doe" continued its journey around the world.
Other shores
On the Pacific shores of South America, Drake thoroughly plundered the rich ports of Peru and Chile, capturing merchant ships and loading up with booty. His greatest success was the capture of the magnificent Spanish ship Nuestra Señora de Concepción, the best ship of the Spanish squadron. The ship captured by Drake was carrying a rich cargo of gold and silver bars, which was estimated at 150,000 pounds - fabulous money at that time. Realizing that angry Spaniards will be waiting for him on the usual routes,Drake decided to go around the Pacific Ocean and return home by a new road. After replenishing his supplies in 1579, he moved west.
During the voyage, Drake mapped islands and coastlines, established relations with the natives, thereby laying the foundation for England's trade with Asian countries.
Meeting in England
Almost a three-year voyage has come to an end. In September 1580, Drake arrived in Plymouth. He brought to the port not only his ship, but also a captured Spanish ship, renamed the Kakafuego. The queen received Drake very warmly, because his pirate attacks significantly replenished her treasury. Queen Elizabeth solemnly boarded the Golden Hind and knighted Captain Drake. So the pirate received the title of Sir Francis Drake, and, according to contemporaries, he won the personal favor of the queen and was her favorite.
The corsair's career did not end after such a triumph. The year 1585 found him in the Caribbean, where he commanded a fleet of 25 Her Majesty's ships. He captures the rich city of San Domingo and brings tobacco and potatoes to the English coast. Captain Drake's career ended in 1595 after an unsuccessful attempt to capture Las Palmas. In that battle, Drake's uncle, John Hawkins, died, and the captain himself, ill with malaria, went home. But, unfortunately, the disease progressed, and the famous pirate died in Portobello. His death was a happy day in Spain, where the news of Drake's death was greeted with bells.ringing.
It is difficult to overestimate the contribution that Sir Francis Drake made to history. What he discovered can be found on any map of the world. Among the many images he painted of coastlines and small islands, there is a large strait between South America and Antarctica. This strait on all maps of the world bears the name of Francis Drake, the famous pirate and corsair of Her Majesty.
