Sir Francis Drake - The Gentlemen Pirate

Sir Francis Drake was born around 1540 in Plymouth, England.  He started his career by serving as an officer on West African slave ships.

While sailing in the Gulf of Mexico in 1567, Drake and his cousin John Hawkins were trapped by a Spanish Armada.  After making a narrow escape, Drake developed a deep hatred for Spaniards.  He eventually earned the nickname “El Dragon” (The Dragon), by the Spanish.

Queen Elizabeth I, commissioned Drake as a privateer, (semi-official legalized pirates, who supplemented a country’s navy with “private” ships of war.  Given “letters of marque”, they were allowed to attack the enemy in times of war, and keep a large percentage of any plunder).

Drake plundered a Spanish caravan transporting gold and brought the plunder to Queen Elizabeth I. At that time, England and Spain were technically at peace.  So, secretly, the queen selected Drake as leader of an adventure to sail around the world. 

In 1579, Drake attack a Spanish Galleon and plundered 80 pounds of gold, 20 tons of silver, 13 cases of silver coins, and cases full of pearls and precious stones.  It took them four days to unload the booty.  When Drake returned in 1580, Queen Elizabeth I, knighted him on the deck of his ship and made him mayor of Plymouth. 

Five years later, Drake had a fleet over 25 ships and captured Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, Cartagena in Venezuela, and St. Augustine in Florida.  Drake also took a leading part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada that planned to invade England.  Drake caught a fever and died at sea in February 1596.

Please see the great sources below for more information regarding battles, ship names and more detail on Sir Francis Drake.  Arrgh! 

 

Sources:

www.piratesinfo.com/cpi_sir_francis_drake_gentleman _pirate_526.asp, Copyright (c) 1996 – 2008, Krzysztof Wilczynski, All rights reserved.

The Pirate Dictionary by Terry Breverton, Pelican Publishing Company, 2004