Francis Drake

Lore & Background

Francis Drake was the eldest of twelve sons of Edmund Drake, a Protestant farmer, and Mary Mylwaye. Due to religious persecution during the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549, the family fled from Devon to Kent, where his father became a minister in the King's Navy. At an early age, Drake was placed into the household of his relative, sea captain William Hawkins of Plymouth, beginning his seagoing training as an apprentice. By age 18 he was a purser, and later inherited a small barque from its master.

Drake participated in the slave trade alongside his cousin John Hawkins and John Lovell. He accompanied Lovell on an unsuccessful slaving voyage in 1566, and in 1567 joined Hawkins on a joint voyage that ended in defeat at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa. Drake, then captain of the Judith, fled the battle, leading Hawkins to accuse him of desertion. This event turned Drake toward a career of attacking Spanish possessions rather than trading or slaving.

In 1572, Drake set sail on his first independent mission, privateering along the Spanish Main. His circumnavigation began on 13 December 1577; he crossed the Pacific, claimed New Albion, and plundered coastal towns and ships. He returned to England on 26 September 1580, and Elizabeth I knighted him aboard the Golden Hind in 1581. He later served as a Member of Parliament for Camelford (1581), Bossiney (1584), and Plymouth (1593).

Reader's Guide

Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the Earth inaugurated an era of conflict with Spain, contributing directly to the outbreak of the Anglo-Spanish War in 1585. As second-in-command of the English fleet in 1588, he helped repulse the Spanish Armada. The following year he led the English Armada in a failed attempt to destroy the remaining Spanish fleet. His privateering made him a hero to the English but led the Spanish to brand him a pirate, calling him El Draque ('The Dragon'). His death from dysentery in 1596 followed a failed assault on Panama. Drake's legacy is complex: he is celebrated as a pioneering explorer and naval commander, yet his involvement in the slave trade and his violent privateering against Spanish colonies remain subjects of historical scrutiny. His expeditions expanded English maritime reach and intensified imperial rivalry with Spain.

Did You Know?

• Drake's birth date is not formally recorded; estimates range from c. 1539 to 1544 based on portraits and contemporary texts.
• He was the eldest of twelve sons of a Protestant farmer, and his family fled Devon due to religious persecution during the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549.
• Drake was knighted aboard his galleon the Golden Hind by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581.
• He served as a Member of Parliament for three constituencies: Camelford (1581), Bossiney (1584), and Plymouth (1593).

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory." — Francis Drake "Therefore good worthy Drake,serve thou thy sovereign Queen,And make the Spanish foe to quake,and English force be seen." — Francis Drake "Oliver Seeler's website "Sir Francis Drake" — Francis Drake