Francis Drake discovered what? Francis Drake's trip around the world

Francis Drake (February-March 1540 - January 27, 1596) - English sea captain, corsair, navigator, slave trader, pirate, vice admiral, prominent politician of the era of Elizabeth I. These are the main stages of his life career; It's hard to believe that all this can apply to one person! Its main operations were in the Caribbean. The name Drake terrified the Spaniards so much that they, slightly altering his name, called the pirate El Draque (from the Latin Draco - dragon). During his unusually long and incredible career, Francis Drake earned about five million dollars less as a pirate at sea than the unsurpassed Samuel Bellamy, which allowed him to become one of the three most distinguished pirates and take an honorable second place.

Sir Francis Drake was born in Tavistock (Devon, UK) in February or March 1540 and was subsequently the eldest of twelve children in the family. His parents were Edmund Drake, a Protestant farmer who later became a priest, and Mary Millway.

Despite their farming status, Francis's family belonged to the aristocratic branch of the Dukes of Bedford; Among his ancestors one cannot fail to mention Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400), one of the creators of classical English literature, author of The Canterbury Tales (1380-1400). However, young Francis was not at all burdened by the fact that he was the son of a farmer, and did not show even the shadow of a desire to realize the family’s high-society connections. In 1549, due to religious unrest, Edmund Drake decided to move his family to Kent. It was there, figuratively speaking, that Francis Drake's naval career began. He was not yet thirteen years old when he managed to join the crew of a small bark that sailed between ports on the Thames. Not a very impressive start, you might say, but if you find out that less than seven years later the captain of the bark died, bequeathing his ship ... to Francis Drake, you will probably change your mind. Just think: Drake was not yet twenty when he became the captain and owner of his own ship!

However, Francis, naturally, did not intend to be content forever with a modest boat. In 1563, Drake still used his family connections: he became friends with his cousin John Hawkins (strategically, this was a very smart step, since the Hawkins from Plymouth owned a whole flotilla of ships). In the same year, for the first time in his life, he went to the shores of the New World on board one of John Hawkins' ships (Hawkins himself participated in the voyage, since he was a captain; his intention was to bring Drake up to date and teach him special maritime wisdom). The ship was used to transport slaves, so Drake quickly went into detail about perhaps the most profitable occupation at sea in those days. In addition to the slave trade, Francis had to take part in the robbery of Portuguese ships encountered along the way. He turned out to be a successful student and very soon earned the right to drive his own caravel! In 1568, he and Hawkins, as usual, traded together in the Caribbean; and we are not talking about a pair of ships, but about an entire squadron. Having sold a large cargo of slaves very profitably in Venezuela, they were heading home. And then Lady Luck betrayed them. At San Juan de Ulua (a port town on the coast of Mexico), Hawkins' squadron fell into a trap set by the insidious Spaniards. In the ensuing battle, almost all of Hawkins' ships were seriously damaged, but he and Drake not only managed to escape, but also brought all the ships to their native shores. This event greatly influenced Francis Drake and left an indelible imprint on his entire future fate. Francis Drake, having experienced all the bitterness of a shameful defeat, became from now on and forever a merciless enemy of the Spaniards. One can even say that if that unfortunate incident had not happened at San Juan de Ulua, he probably would not have been able to fully realize his talent as a corsair and inflict such damage on the Spaniards at sea. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Drake was raised by his father in the Protestant spirit, while the Spaniards were, as you know, Catholics. However, for John Hawkins, everything that happened was also not without consequences. He decided to end the slave business and, in a way, retired. But Francis Drake - he didn’t calm down, whatever! He made several test voyages to the Caribbean (in 1570 and 1571) - there was no more talk about the slave trade, because Drake was burning with a thirst for revenge! Apparently, there is no documentary evidence of the first voyage in 1570. But as for the next one, which took place a year later, the situation is different.

There is only one reason - the unconditional triumph of the newly minted corsair! Drake risked going without support, on his own. He independently piloted the brig "Svan" ("Swan") with a displacement of 25 tons - a relatively small ship. However, despite this, Drake eventually managed to capture two large frigates. However, he did not even think of stopping there, adding about two dozen small ships to his trophies. The triumph inspired him so much that Drake, forgetting all caution, attacked the city of Venta de Cruzes, located only twenty kilometers from Panama, from the sea. And he literally got away with it. In these first two forays into the Caribbean, Drake not only sought to obtain as much booty as possible, he also analyzed the tactical and technical nuances characterizing the features of the Spanish defense strategy in the Caribbean region. But most of all, naturally, he was interested in how the mechanism for delivering finance from the colonies to the shores of the Old World worked. And then the biggest surprise awaited Francis Drake. In fact, he became convinced that Spain, which received very significant funds from America, was so confident in both its military superiority and naval supremacy that it did not allow the thought of the possibility of a serious, well-thought-out attack, being completely confident in its safety. your resources. And Drake immediately noticed a really weak link in the financial delivery chain: it was the Isthmus of Panama.

Why, you ask.

The answer is very simple.

The Spaniards clearly wanted to save money, and therefore worked according to an extremely primitive scheme: the entire amount of money (gold, silver) was collected and prepared for shipment in Panama, then all these innumerable riches were transported to the port of Nombre de Dios, from where everything was delivered by ship to Spain. From Panama to Nombre de Dios, as crazy as it may seem, all the valuables rode on the backs of mules, and without any real protection! The mules' route ran, as you already understood, through the Isthmus of Panama. At the same time, the final destination - Nombre de Dios - could not be considered a well-protected port. Drake instantly understood how he could exploit the oversight of the overconfident Spaniards beyond measure. However, being a wise man, Drake decided this time to return safely with all his impressive loot back home, where he intended to organize another voyage to the Caribbean - now with a completely conscious and clear goal.

Since Drake was one of those people who always finish what they start, in 1572, having thoroughly prepared, he again headed for the Caribbean, clearly intending to give the Spaniards a hard time. By the way, it should be noted that this was generally a rather curious precedent: after all, the French, not the British, were allowed to rob ships in the Caribbean Sea (let’s say: tacitly!), and even then only sporadically. And Francis Drake, in fact, became the first English captain who scoured the Caribbean Sea with the sole purpose of robbing Spanish galleons loaded with gold. Just in case, he even tried to ask the British crown for written approval of his actions, but, alas, he was not successful. At that time, his professional activity was regarded by the queen, alas, as purely pirate. However, he did not think of losing heart - and he was, of course, right. Time was on his side!

In May 1572, Drake went to sea not alone, but with a small squadron of two ships. This time he handed over the modest “Swan” to his brother John, and he himself controlled the impressive 70-ton frigate “Pasha”. According to sources, the total strength of Drake's team in this raid was 73 people. All of them, like their brave captain, greedily desired to get every conceivable Spanish treasure. On June 29, 1572, Drake's historic landing took place on the Panama coast, and on July 19 (that is, almost just three weeks later), the port of Nombre de Dios was already captured by pirates! True, the victory was not complete; The Spaniards still managed to transfer an impressive part of the precious reserves with the squadron to a safe place. On top of that, the pirates encountered fierce resistance from the city's defenders. The fight was brutal and bloody. Drake, who fought in the front ranks, was wounded in the thigh. The winners, however, received a hefty load of silver bullion.

There was no way to go back: the heavy load of spoils had a bad effect on the maneuverability of the ships; in addition, there was a great risk of colliding with an entire Spanish military squadron at sea. Drake realized that he needed to take care of setting up a temporary base. Leaving the plundered city behind them and choosing a suitable island, the pirates set up camp on it. At first everything went well. The silver bars were safely hidden in a secluded place on the island, and both pirate ships scurried along the coast day and night, boarding Spanish ships. However, very soon the team began to be mowed down by a strange pestilence. Having lost about 75% of the crew, Drake decided to burn one of the ships - such was the sad fate of the Swan. But there were too few surviving sailors to successfully continue their aggressive raids. And then Francis Drake took an incredible step, showing, among other things, the enviable talent of a skilled diplomat: he entered into an alliance with cimarrons. These were fugitive African slaves who actively resisted the Spaniards. The Cimarron intelligence officers were especially good: not a single major movement of the Spanish government’s human or financial reserves on the Panama coast escaped their attention. As a result of the concluded alliance, Drake received a double benefit: he could replenish the team with African volunteers, in addition, all the information about the movement of cargoes of gold, silver and jewelry became available to him. The scouts very soon made themselves known. They informed Drake that at the end of January 1573 a flotilla with a rich cargo was expected to arrive in Panama. Of course, then this cargo had to be transported to Nombre de Dios with the same caravans of mules. The pirates again landed on the coast and set up an ambush. Probably, the Spaniards also did a good job of reconnaissance, and maybe some of the Cimarrons worked for both sides at once. Be that as it may, the Spaniards again managed to outwit the pirates and save a considerable part of the valuables.

Drake didn't grieve for long. Firstly, the pestilence stopped. Only 17 pirates, including Drake himself, managed to survive the mysterious illness. Secondly, the Cimarron volunteers (a total of 30 people) turned out to be quite capable students. And with this motley crew, Francis Drake decided to try his luck at sea again. It should be mentioned that the Cimarrons preferred revenge on the Spaniards to gold and silver, and therefore did not lay claim to their share of the booty at all, which, of course, was also to the liking of Captain Drake.

So, it was already the spring of 1573. Circumstances were such that Drake's crew met the large ship of the famous French pirate and explorer Guillaume Le Testu, who was known under the nickname Tetu. Both captains liked each other extremely and decided to join forces. The corresponding shares in the division of any production were also clearly stipulated. Soon, Cimarron scouts brought truly inspiring news: a caravan of mules, loaded with gold and silver, settled down to rest just a mile from Nombre de Dios. At that time, both pirate ships were almost next to their anchorage. The united army of English and French pirates, with the support of the cimarrons, quickly went ashore and rushed to attack. The Spaniards bravely resisted, but were completely killed. The pirates got a pile of silver and gold bars. It was simply not possible for them to carry everything away, so they decided to bury the silver in order to return for it later. There were also losses. The pirates' victory was seriously overshadowed by the death of Le Testu. However, Drake, observing the agreement, divided the booty equally between the pirates. The volume of everything conquered was so significant that in August 1573, Francis Drake decided not to tempt fate in vain and return home (only the pirates did not manage to get the hidden silver, since it was discovered by the Spaniards).

The serious damage Francis Drake caused to the Spanish presence in the Caribbean did not go unnoticed by the British crown. Moreover: Drake, thanks to his reputation as an invincible corsair, received in 1575 the considerable honor of managing the ships of the Earl of Essex, who was the main favorite of the English Queen Elizabeth I. Essex easily agreed to present Drake to the court. The crowned mistress and the corsair extremely quickly found a common language, and Drake endeared himself to the queen so much that she not only attracted private investors, but also decided to partially finance his new expedition. The goal of the expedition was self-evident - the East Coast of South America. Drake was allowed to attack Spanish port cities in the Peru region (it was there that the Spaniards mined silver and gold); He again did not receive a license for this, since Elizabeth adhered to the principles of political correctness. If Drake had fallen into the clutches of the Spaniards, the queen would have simply abandoned him, leaving him to his fate. Drake, most likely, understood this and certainly did not intend to be captured by the Spaniards. Among other things, the queen gave Drake one secret mission. He had to look for areas suitable for colonies.

On December 13, 1577, Francis Drake, at the head of a squadron of five ships and a crew of 160 souls, left his home port

Plymouth. Drake's flagship was the heavily armed frigate Pelican. Along the way, Drake - to refresh his skills - visited the African coast. His team boarded over ten ships flying the flags of Spain and Portugal. On June 20, 1578, Drake's squadron reached the Strait of Magellan. It was a bad place for sailors. Some pirates began to grumble. A riot was clearly brewing. As long as there were successful robberies off the African coast, everything was in order. But after a very difficult and lengthy journey across the Atlantic, not everyone was ready to expose themselves to mortal danger while following the Strait of Magellan. Moreover, several ships were seriously damaged and sank. But there was no other way to get to Peru.

Drake very quickly learned that the main instigator of the riot was Captain Thomas Doty. Based on the testimony of Lord William Burghley and ship's carpenter Edward Bright, Doty was accused of sedition and practicing magic (a truly deadly combination!). Drake ordered his execution, and on July 2, 1578, Thomas Doty was beheaded. Thus, the rebellion was suppressed in the bud. But the pirates' trials did not end there. Drake's thinned squadron passed through the Strait of Magellan safely, but then it fell into a severe storm, which lasted for almost two months and thoroughly battered all the ships; At the same time, another ship sank. An explosive situation has arisen again. As a result, one frigate turned around and headed back to its native shores, and Drake, on his flagship, which by that time he had already renamed from “Pelican” to “Golden Hind,” continued his journey in splendid isolation. On December 5, the Golden Hind dropped anchor in the harbor of Valparaiso (Chile). The pirates acted clearly and effectively. The city was completely plundered, and the cargo awaiting shipment to Spain went to the English buccaneers. Before properly deploying to the Pacific Ocean, Drake insisted on a detailed inspection of the ship and restoration of any damage found. This procedure took about half a month, but as a result, the Golden Hind was ready to meet any Spanish ship. The fact that the Spaniards felt almost at home in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, not expecting an attack, also played into Drake’s hands; English ships, and even with a secret order from the queen, had never been seen in this region before.

And it began!!!

It was absolutely impossible to establish the exact number of ships that became victims of pirates. The size of the production exceeded all expectations. Having enjoyed revenge on the Spaniards at sea, Drake decided to prove himself on land. He deployed the frigate and on February 5, 1579 had already reached the coast of Peru; in most Peruvian ports (for example, in Lima, the capital of Peru, in Callao, etc.) there were always ships with important cargo to be sent to Spain. They were not expected here either; however, the British were a little late, and therefore not many valuables fell to them, although the pirates managed to board almost all the ships that were in the harbor of Callao at that time. The intense interrogation immediately carried out by Drake's henchmen revealed interesting information. It turned out that shortly before the British arrived, the sloop Cacafuego left the harbor, stuffed with valuables right up to the side. The “Golden Hind” immediately rushed in pursuit. It should be noted that, even trying to overtake the Cacafuego, the pirates did not neglect their duties; they stopped and robbed almost all the ships they encountered. Drake managed to catch up with “Cacafuego” about a month later (March 1) off Cape San Francisco (north of the equator). "Cacafuego" was practically deprived of weapons and surrendered without a fight. Its holds were filled to capacity with heavy ingots of gold and silver. The delighted pirates also discovered many bags of silver coins. With such wealth one could already return home! Moreover, more than significant damage was caused to the Spanish ports and merchant fleet, and Drake was able to spot suitable areas for colonies.

But Drake certainly didn’t want to go through the Strait of Magellan again with such a huge booty. In addition, he would have to sail along the coast of Spain, which now also did not bode well. He chose to move north to Mexico; a number of authoritative cartographers of that time claimed that there was a legendary northwest route to Europe, so Drake decided to actually test these claims. Following their course, the pirates made several stops; While staying in the harbor of Guatulco (Mexico), pirates desecrated the local temple, looting it completely. The "Golden Hind" stubbornly walked north; only the fierce cold stopped its rapid progress. Drake, assessing the situation, considered it best to return home the same way and turned south. The pirates made a long stop on the coast of Northern California; The Golden Hind needed repairs. Then Drake brilliantly led the frigate through the Strait of Magellan and, stopping only on the islands and bypassing Spain, safely reached Plymouth on September 26, 1579.

The result of this almost two-year voyage was very important for Drake. Now he has gained true fame and has become part of the court of Queen Elizabeth. She was very pleased with what Drake told her about the arrangement of possible colonies. But she was even more pleased with the generous donations made to the crown by the corsair. Now he could already afford it, since he had become simply fabulously rich. In the vicinity of Plymouth, Drake even acquired a huge estate for himself; the queen additionally presented him with several more. And in 1581, for special services to the British crown, Francis Drake was awarded a knighthood, and now he was to be addressed as “Sir Francis”; that same year he was elected Member of the British Parliament. Four years later, when he had already ruled Plymouth for several years as mayor, Drake married the young heiress of a huge fortune, further strengthening his position. It seemed that his sea life was over. But this was a deceptive impression!

Who knows, if the Queen didn’t want to put Drake at the head of a huge squadron that was destined to crush Spanish domination in the Caribbean, and if she didn’t instruct him to declare the British presence in the West Indies (this is the traditional name for the Caribbean islands) in order to detract from the state prestige of Spain, Sir Francis would manage Plymouth wisely and enjoy the company of his charming wife. But this double temptation was too great! Drake resigned as mayor, said goodbye to his wife and left.

His squadron consisted of more than 25 ships. The team consisted of 2300 people. This impressive demarche marked the beginning of a military confrontation that dragged on for decades. Now Sir Francis Drake finally had the coveted license! According to this document, he had the right to rescue English sailors captured as a result of the military conflict with Spain from captivity. In reality, this meant the capture and plunder of Spanish ships. Queen Elizabeth even approved the creation of a special joint-stock company, which was formed with the expectation of profitable loot from enemy galleons.

It cannot be said that everything went well for Drake on this expedition. Quite the contrary. He lost an entire flotilla of ships loaded with gold, and the cities he occupied (for example, Santiago) could not please him with a rich ransom, which is why Drake, in a rage, set them on fire. To top it all off, a fever broke out on the ships of Sir Francis's squadron, claiming hundreds of lives. Instead of the expected ransom of a million gold ducats from the residents of Santo Domingo, Drake was able to save at most twenty-five thousand. Even from the legendary Cartagena, the pirates managed to collect no more than one hundred thousand ducats, although Drake seriously threatened to raze the city to the ground. The outcome of the expedition was disastrous: out of the entire team, a little more than one and a half thousand people survived, and the financial costs were not recouped. Sir Francis Drake himself lost serious money on this voyage.

The Queen could not be satisfied with such a result. Nevertheless, she still favored Drake. In 1587, she ordered him to confront the ships of the famous Spanish Armada; along the way, Drake was allowed to shake off the old days. He shook, and shook, admittedly, notably: his main trophy was the Portuguese barque “San Felipe”, which became the prey of pirates in the Azores region; the load of valuables and goods they received was simply enormous. In addition, Sir Francis Drake developed an ingenious plan to take the large Spanish port of Cadiz; Along with gold and silver, Drake managed to capture over thirty enemy ships. All this fully compensated for the unsuccessful outcome of the 1856 expedition. Upon his return to England, Sir Francis Drake was awarded the rank of vice admiral and appointed by Queen Elizabeth to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the combined naval forces of Great Britain. In 1589 he commanded the combined forces of the fleet; he had over 150 warships under his command. And although he was able to successfully resist the Spanish invasion, the situation changed significantly when hostilities moved to Spanish territory. Diseases, significant losses, miscalculations in strategy - all this negated the initial successes of the British.

The queen was again stung. In order to somehow compensate for the negative impression, she conceived a second expedition to the West Indies. The military situation was not particularly favorable, as a result of which her desire was realized only a few years later. However, in 1595 she ordered Drake to lead a new squadron. The vice admiral gave the queen his reasons that there was no need to rush to go to sea and that everything needed to be properly prepared, but she was inexorable. And so on September 7, 1595, the squadron headed for the Caribbean. This time the Queen demanded something incredible and fantastic: for example, the capture of... Panama! The squadron was formed hastily; it included 27 military and merchant ships (in terms of the number of ships, it was 2 ships larger than the flotilla that went on the first West Indian expedition). The team also increased accordingly: a total of 1,500 sailors and 1,000 infantry were assembled. To lead all these forces (by decision of the queen) a triumvirate was called upon in the person of Sir Francis Drake himself, his former partner and relative Sir John Hawkins, as well as Thomas Baskerville, who was to lead the actions on land. If, in principle, Drake should not have had any problems with Baskerville in terms of joint actions, then with Hawkins the situation was much worse. He had a completely different temperament; he, unlike the swift and inventive Drake, was too methodical, slow and cautious; in addition, he was clearly jealous of the rapid rise of his once junior officer. Conflicts followed one after another, and this did not at all bode well for the conduct of the military campaign. Moreover, everything literally went awry from the very beginning. Instead of heading straight for the coast of Panama, the squadron was ordered to proceed to the port of San Juan in the Greater Antilles, where a damaged galleon was found in the harbor with an incredibly valuable cargo. The demarche of the English squadron somehow became known to the Spaniards, who instantly sent five well-armed frigates to San Juan. This happened on September 25th. And then, on Drake’s ships, supplies unexpectedly came to an end; The vice admiral decided to attack the port town of Las Palmas on the Canary Islands. The battle did not go in favor of the British - several sailors were even captured. Then Drake moved to Guadeloupe and ended up there with all the ships on November 9. Immediately after replenishing food supplies, he intended to lead the squadron to San Juan, but Hawkins desperately intervened, believing that all ships should be thoroughly inspected. Drake reluctantly agreed, which was a big mistake. Since Hawkins himself supervised the inspection, the procedure dragged on for two whole weeks. During this time, five Spanish military frigates not only reached San Juan, but took up a reliable defense, being ready to repel any attacks by the British. Finally, the English squadron reached San Juan. This happened on November 22nd. Hawkins, who had been arguing with Drake all the way, having discovered five military frigates ready to meet them, was burning with frustration. Apparently, he was worried so much that he had a stroke, and he gave his soul to God.

Drake launched several attacks for show, although it was already clear that they would not see the galleon. While the British were busy with the ships, the Spaniards increased the firepower of the port several times by installing guns from damaged ships on the walls; the latter formed a magnificent shield, behind which - in complete safety - were five military frigates. Having senselessly attacked the port on November 22 and 23, on the 24th Drake lifted the siege and led the squadron along the coast of Venezuela and Colombia. The English pirates managed to take some small towns by storm and destroy them, but the booty was meager. Other cities, for example, Cartagena, turned out to be incredibly well fortified (the Spaniards learned well the lessons taught to them by Drake in 1585; and in general - ten years is a fair amount of time, a lot simply could not help but change!).

On January 8, 1596, Drake found himself in the area of ​​the memorable town of Nombre de Dios and recaptured it; To take Panama, he sent Thomas Baskerville with 600 soldiers, ordering him to follow the route followed by caravans of mules with valuable luggage to Panama. But it was winter, it was the rainy season. All paths became impassable. Baskerville, having lost many soldiers, was forced to return ingloriously to Nombre de Dios four days later.

Drake's squadron was at that time at sea west of Nicaragua. Due to the unusually bad weather, a severe fever broke out on the ships. Drake contracted dysentery and died in severe agony on January 27, 1596. After his tragic death, Baskerville took command and led the ships back to England. Along the way, they even managed to repel an attack by a powerful Spanish squadron, and this was the only positive result of the second British expedition to the West Indies.

Sir Francis Drake bequeathed to be buried in full military garb. His body was enclosed in an iron coffin and thrown into the waves at Portobello, off the coast of Panama. Entire generations of divers have dreamed and still dream of discovering this coffin.

The strait between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica was named after Drake. This is the widest strait in the world, and it is 820 kilometers long.

Francis Drake - navigator, discoverer and favorite corsair of the English Queen. His exploits and travels forced many to strive into the vast expanses of the ocean. However, only a few managed to achieve the level of wealth and fame that Francis Drake enjoyed.

Biography

The future navigator was born in Middle England, into the family of a wealthy farmer. Drake Francis was the eldest child in a large family. As the eldest son, he was destined for his father's work, but young Francis's heart belonged to the sea. Already at the age of 12, he became a cabin boy on a merchant ship of one of his many relatives. His diligent and quick learning of marine sciences set him apart from his peers. The owner liked young Drake Francis so much that when he died, he left the ship as an inheritance 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, John Hawkins, drew attention to the catastrophic labor shortage on New World plantations. The idea of ​​involving American aborigines in forced labor was not successful - the Indians did not want to work, were not afraid of torture and death, and their relatives had the unpleasant habit of taking revenge on white people for the kidnapped and tortured redskins.

Another thing is slaves. They could be imported from the Dark Continent, bought for trinkets, sold or exchanged. For us living in the 21st century, these words sound blasphemous. But for a 16th century Englishman it was just a business - just like any other.

Trade in live goods

The laws of the New World allowed trading only those slaves that were supplied by the Trading House of Seville. But the demand for slaves significantly exceeded the capabilities of this commercial organization, and the colonists suffered heavy losses. 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 merchants, and they gave him money to start work. Already the first flight to the New World with live goods more than recouped the funds invested in the enterprise. Although it was believed that there was nothing wrong with Hawkins' actions, the old sailor resorted to cannon and rifles when any governor did not agree with his methods of work. Taxes from the enterprise were regularly paid into the treasury of England. Several voyages from Africa to the New World made Hawkins and his patrons very rich.

Hawkins-Drake Enterprise

On the third voyage, Hawkins took his nephew and, as usual, headed to the shores of Africa for live goods. By this time, Drake Francis was an experienced captain, sailing in and crossing the Atlantic with the experienced smuggler John Lovel. The joint expedition ended tragically - the corsairs' ships were caught in a storm, the squadron lost its course, and the flagship suffered more than the rest. John Hawkins decided to repair and headed to the port of San Juan de Ulua, located in Honduras. Francis Drake followed him. What he discovered was the extremely unfriendly reception that this town gave to two sailors. The port's cannons clearly warned that approaching was very dangerous, 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 "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 shores, Drake told everyone that his uncle had died in an unequal battle. But just a few weeks later, the corsair had an unpleasant encounter: as it turned out, Hawkins managed to survive, and he and several surviving sailors were able to escape from the Honduran trap. It is not known what the uncle and nephew were talking about, but a few years later they organized a new expedition and began to make raids into the New World again.

Pirate Francis Drake

After this incident, Drake vowed revenge on the Spanish crown for the unsuccessful Honduran raid. He constantly harassed Spanish ships, causing considerable damage to the crown. The extent to which the Spaniards were concerned about Drake's constant attacks is evidenced by the fact that a reward of 20 thousand ducats was placed on the head of the English pirate. His first expedition of vengeance left Portsmouth Docks in 1572. On two ships - "Swan" and "Pasha" - he headed 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 endless space prompted the pirate to create certain plans, which he was able to carry out several years later.

War with Ireland

At this time, war broke out in the homeland of the gallant 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. His squadron included three government frigates, with which he attacked coastal Irish villages and sank enemy ships. For his service in the government fleet, Drake Francis was presented to the Queen as the best of captains.

Destination - South America

It is not known whether at the first meeting the daring captain outlined his plans to Queen Elizabeth or whether this happened during one of the subsequent meetings. Drake insisted that Spain's hegemony in the New World needed to be destroyed, and the coast of the South American continent was ideal for this purpose. He was going to destroy the Spanish colonies located in this part of the world and lay huge booty at Elizabeth’s feet. The Queen of England found Drake's proposal very interesting and even allocated him five government ships.

Around the World 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 circled Patagonia on 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 eventually returned to the English shores on its own. And the flagship "Golden Hind" continued its journey around the world.

Other shores

On the Pacific coast of South America, Drake thoroughly plundered the rich ports of Peru and Chile, capturing merchant ships and loading himself with booty. His greatest success was the capture of the magnificent Spanish ship Nuestra Señora de Concepcion, 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 the angry Spaniards would be waiting for him on the usual routes, Drake decided to go around the Pacific Ocean and return home by a new route. Having replenished his supplies in 1579, he moved west.

During the voyage, Drake mapped islands and coastlines, established relationships with the natives, thereby laying the foundations for England's trade with Asian countries.

Meeting in England

The almost three-year voyage has come to an end. In September 1580 Drake arrived in Plymouth. He brought not only his ship to the port, but also a captured Spanish ship, renamed Cacafuego. The Queen received Drake very warmly, because his pirate forays significantly replenished her treasury. solemnly boarded the Golden Hind and knighted Captain Drake. This is how the pirate received the title Sir Francis Drake, and also, according to contemporaries, he gained 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. Drake's uncle, John Hawkins, died in that battle, and the captain himself, having fallen ill with malaria, went home. But, unfortunately, the disease progressed, and the famous pirate died in Portobello. His death became a happy day in Spain, where the news of Drake's death was greeted with the ringing of bells.

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 of coastlines and small islands he painted 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.

Sir Francis Drake (circa 1540 - January 28, 1596) - English navigator, corsair, vice admiral (1588). The first Englishman to circumnavigate the world (1577-1580). An active participant in the defeat of the Spanish fleet (Invincible Armada) in the Battle of Gravelines (1588), thanks to Drake's skillful actions, the British managed to gain an advantage over enemy forces with superior firepower.

It would seem that it is a matter of honor and duty for any reigning person to fight pirates and all kinds of other robbers.

It also seems obvious that the fate of a pirate is to be in every possible way afraid of the powers that be, or at least to avoid meeting with them.

But history knows completely different examples.

One of them testifies to an amazing, at first glance even impossible, and yet absolutely natural union of two people from the distant past.

She is none other than Her Majesty the Queen of England. He is, without a doubt, a real pirate, an inveterate sea robber.

But, nevertheless, she favored him and even gave him a silk scarf with the words embroidered in gold: “May God always protect and guide you.” Handing him a sword on the eve of a dangerous voyage, she said: “We believe that whoever strikes a blow to you ... will strike it to us.”

And how could it be otherwise if Her Majesty, in modern language, “entered into a share” with the famous pirate, became his “sponsor”, while demanding that her personal participation in the “commercial” deal be kept strictly secret...

By Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder (1520–1590). Title English: The Wanstead or Welbeck Portrait of Elizabeth I or The Peace Portrait of Elizabeth I. Date between 1580 and 1585. Technique oil on wood. Dimensions 45.7 × 38.1 cm

It was the 16th century. Several centuries remained before the development of international law to combat piracy, and the hijacking of ships for the purpose of profit flourished on the seas. That's how it is; but to persuade the monarch of one of the largest European states to encourage and finance robbery was far from easy even then...

But Sir Francis Drake managed to do it. For about twenty years, the “iron pirate,” as he was later called, robbed with the assistance of his powerful patroness. He was knighted and became a national hero...

But Drake is interesting to us not only and not so much for this. During the next predatory voyage, trying to avoid a meeting with an angry enemy, the pirate was forced to look for a new route to his homeland. This journey, almost three years long, turned out to be... the second circumnavigation in history!..

Drake was born in 1545 in the south of England, in an island country where the profession of a sailor has long been held in high esteem, where, according to legend, ships began to be built almost from the moment the British Isles were settled.

Little Francis often visited the ship where his father served as the ship's chaplain in the first years of his life. When he was no more than ten years old, his father appointed his son as a cabin boy on a merchant ship.

Obviously, the boy was hardworking and persistent in mastering the art of navigation. In any case, he clearly liked the old captain, who had no family and bequeathed his ship to Francis after his death. This happened in 1561, as a result of which Drake became the captain and owner of a small ship at the age of sixteen.

What did the future privateer (as pirates supported by the governments of their countries are called) do at such a young age, possessing a ship and the skills to drive it? In answering this question, it should be noted that Drake lived at a time when Spain, owning large and rich territories in the New World, became the most powerful of the world's empires.

Every year, countless jewels literally and figuratively sailed from America, enriching the Spanish treasury. This, of course, could not but cause irritation and envy among other European monarchs. The laurels of Spain especially haunted England, the land of sailors...

The Spaniards brutally dealt with any Europeans who tried to land on the shores of their American possessions. And yet, some prudent English businessmen managed to find a loophole...
One of them, a certain John Hawkins, with the blessing of the same queen, Elizabeth I, offered the services of an intermediary in the semi-official trade in slaves from Africa between Portugal and Spain. With this mission in 1566, another English expedition visited the shores of the West Indies. And we remember this because one of its participants was young Francis Drake.

Apparently, Drake's first transatlantic voyage, despite his ordinary role in the expedition, clearly benefited him. After all, here he received his first baptism of fire. The capture of several Portuguese ships with slaves off the coast of Guinea, passage across the ocean to the shores of Colombia, veiled slave trade deals with local Spanish authorities...

The skills of such “work” came in handy for Drake very soon. Returning home in 1567, he stayed in his homeland for only six weeks - and got ready for a new voyage. It’s not difficult to guess that we are back on the shores of America.

On October 2, 1567, a flotilla of six ships, led by Hawkins, left England. This time one of the small sailing ships was commanded by Francis Drake. The 22-year-old captain takes an active part in battles at sea and on land in order to obtain slaves. After some setbacks, in the end, the British manage to capture about half a thousand people.

Ships arrive in the Caribbean with a cargo of “black goods”. Here, on numerous islands, combining the skills of diplomat and warrior, Hawkins conducts several profitable trade deals.

Having almost completed his plan, he was about to return home, but then a terrible storm broke out, which lasted for several days. Before they have time to recover from it, the English ships are hit by new hurricane blows of wind and waves. As a result, Hawkins is forced to stay in one of the ports for repairs and recuperation.

And this must happen - it was at this time that a Spanish squadron consisting of 13 ships arrived here. Outwardly maintaining decency, the Spaniards and the British held diplomatic negotiations for several days and exchanged friendly letters. Carefully hiding their true intentions, they try to outsmart each other...

This time the Spaniards have the upper hand. Having pulled troops to the shore, contrary to all the assurances of their officials, they attack English ships...

A fierce battle took place, as a result of which only one ship, the Drake, returned relatively intact to England.

There were 65 people on it. A few days later, however, another ship appeared - Hawkins. But only 15 sailors remained alive on it. These were all those who survived from the 500-man expedition...

Drake's biographers claim that throughout his entire life he was never able to forgive the Spaniards for the treachery they showed then.

But were the British really so innocent? Most likely, there was a situation in which one thief deceived another thief.

And yet, if only the Spaniards knew what the devil they had awakened!

Powerful and irritable, with a furious temper, greedy, vindictive Drake really remembered what happened to him and began to carefully prepare for retribution...

This was not the petty revenge of an offended youth. It was a question of a well-thought-out strategy of maritime terror in relation to all Spanish ships - with the possible transfer of hostilities to the territory of Spanish possessions in the New World. In essence, the young captain sent a challenge to the most powerful monarch in the world at that time.

Preparing to carry out his plans, Drake, without advertising, commits in 1569-1571. two more voyages to America. These were peculiar reconnaissance trips with the creation of secret food warehouses on the shores of Panama. Having thus carried out reconnaissance, in May 1572 Drake, on two ships, again set off across the Atlantic to the long-planned point.

He sails to Nombre de Dios, one of the ports on the Atlantic coast, called by the pirates “the treasury of the world.” Every year all the jewelry mined in Peruvian mines was delivered here for further shipment to Spain.

Having landed on shore, Drake launched an assault on the city, during which he was wounded. The captain, who had lost a lot of blood, was carried to the ship by the sailors, forgetting for a while about their main goal - the plunder of the city's wealth. It is obvious that even then Drake was popular among them, and they were ready to follow their 27-year-old leader to the ends of the earth.

After leaving the city and stopping on one of the islands, the British rested and healed their wounds. Having met runaway slaves there, Drake managed to attract them to his side. The slaves informed him that in a few months a caravan with gold was expected in Nombre de Dios.

In anticipation of this event, the captain undertakes voyages along the coast of America, capturing Spanish ships along the way. In one of the skirmishes, one of his eleven brothers dies, then another dies of illness. But neither his own injuries nor the death of loved ones can stop Drake.

Together with a group of sailors and runaway slaves, he makes a multi-day trek across the Isthmus of Panama, preparing an ambush for a caravan with gold. During this campaign, he and his companions were the first among the British to see the “Spanish Lake” - the Pacific Ocean.

After traveling for many days in the twilight of the tropical forest, excited by the wonderful sight, Drake vowed that he would “pass on this sea in a British ship.” He had no idea that a few years later he would actually do this...

But so far the captain is successfully carrying out a long-planned operation to capture a Spanish caravan and for the first time personally conquers rich booty. At the same time, he does not get lost in the most seemingly hopeless situations.

When, for example, the Spanish colonial authorities began to patrol the coast to prevent Drake from leaving with the loot, he ordered the construction of a wooden raft.

On it, he, along with several people, went to sea and, having managed to slip through the Spanish cordon, found his ships after six hours of sailing. At night they quietly approached the shore and took away the precious cargo.

The treasures Drake brought home in 1573 made him a wealthy man. Now he has ceased to depend on rich shipowners, and his confidence has increased.

Perhaps this was facilitated by his successes in public service - Drake distinguished himself in suppressing the Irish uprising.

He attracted attention in high circles. And when, in preparation for the war with Spain, England began to develop a plan for naval expeditions, Francis Drake was called for consultations.

Having expressed his opinion that a blow should be struck against the Spanish possessions in America, he soon received a secret audience with the queen.

Elizabeth fully supported Drake's plans. Moreover, it was then that Drake's first deal at the state level apparently took place.

The Queen, expressing a desire to take personal part in the planned event, secretly contributed a significant amount of money. It is clear that this was done not only for patriotic reasons. Her Majesty was counting on a considerable personal share of the future booty captured from the Spaniards by the pirate she blessed.

In mid-1577, having received the rank of rear admiral, 32-year-old Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth with a flotilla of five ships and more than 160 crew. Knowing the tasks assigned to Drake, our imagination today cannot help but draw images of majestic huge sailing ships.
"Golden Hind" - Drake's permanent flagship
Galleon (Spanish galeón, also galion, from French galion) is a large multi-deck sailing ship of the 16th-18th centuries with fairly strong artillery weapons, used as a military and commercial vessel.

But in fact, the length of the largest of the five ships, the flagship, which later received the name “Golden Hind,” was only 23 m with a width of less than 6 m! And on such and such a ship Drake was to spend, as it turned out, many months over the next three years.
Modern model of the galleon "Golden Hind" at Brixham

However, the admiral did not adhere to asceticism - even at sea. His cabin was decorated and furnished with great luxury. The privateer used dishes made of pure silver; While eating, musicians delighted his ears with their playing; a page stood behind Drake’s chair...

We know how the famous voyage took place thanks to the ship’s priest, who compiled a detailed description of it.

Having robbed several Spanish ships along the way, having traveled a long way from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, in April 1578 the flotilla safely arrived on the shores of South America. Moving south along the eastern coast of Argentina, the British repeatedly met with the local indigenous people - the Patagonians.

They, as a witness to the events notes, “turned out to be good-natured people and showed as much compassionate sympathy for us as we had never encountered among Christians.”

This comparison is also interesting because soon an incident arose between Christians, that is, between members of the expedition, which ended with the execution of a noble and rich man, Thomas Doty. This was the decision of Admiral Drake, who, not without reason, suspected Doty of trying to disrupt the voyage.
In August, the flotilla entered the winding and difficult to navigate Strait of Magellan, the journey through which lasted two and a half weeks.

Finally, the vast expanses of water appeared, along which Drake had once dreamed of sailing on an English ship.

Note that one of the hypotheses about the origin of the name of the largest ocean on Earth is associated with the name of Magellan. Allegedly, it was precisely due to the fact that good weather favored the sailing of this Portuguese that the ocean was named accordingly - the Pacific. If this is true, then, it seems, if Drake had been here before Magellan, the ocean would have had a completely different name.

This is quite eloquently evidenced by the preserved memories of an eyewitness: “We had not even managed to go out into this sea... which turned out to be Mad for us, when such a frantic storm began that we had never experienced... The wind was so strong that it seemed that everything was blowing winds of the earth at the same time.

It also seemed as if all the clouds in the sky had gathered in one place to rain down on us. Our ship was either tossed like a toy on the crests of giant waves, or thrown with the same swiftness into the abyss of the sea.” The severe storm lasted 52 days with almost no respite and ended only at the end of October.

As a result, of the three ships that Drake had at his disposal at that time, one with its entire crew died, the other, thrown back into the Strait of Magellan by a storm, decided not to tempt fate any longer and, having got out into the Atlantic Ocean, returned to England. And what about the admiral himself?

It was Drake's ship that survived. Fate? It may very well be. But let's not forget that Drake was undoubtedly a sailor by vocation. He was very interested in books on shipping, with a particular passion for geographical maps. On each captured ship, the pirate's first prize was, first of all, maps and navigational instruments.

It is also interesting that he carefully studied Magellan’s book without parting with it. Perhaps all this played a role in the fact that the admiral’s ship did not suffer a tragic fate.

True, the ship was carried far south by the storm. But if this had not happened, Drake would not have made an important discovery. Realizing that people are exhausted and need rest, he stops for several days on one of the islands of Tierra del Fuego.
Tierra del Fuego (Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Spanish: Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego; literally “Great Island of Tierra del Fuego”) is an island off the southern tip of South America, from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan, as part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

This archipelago was discovered by Magellan. But it was the sailors of the English privateer who first noticed that “neither the mainland nor the island was visible in the southern direction, only the Atlantic Ocean and the South Sea met in... free space.”

So Drake unwittingly discovered that Tierra del Fuego is the last land at the southern tip of South America and that beyond it lies the open sea.

Already in the 19th century, after the discovery of Antarctica, the passage between it and Tierra del Fuego, connecting the two largest oceans on the planet - the Atlantic and the Pacific, was called the Drake Passage. Note that this is the widest (up to 1120 km) strait on Earth.

Unable to overcome the westerly winds prevailing in these latitudes, the admiral headed north. He hoped to connect with the missing ships of his squadron at a designated place on the western coast of Chile (in Valparaiso).

It was summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the ocean was calm, the sky was cloudless. But, as if in contrast to the tranquil nature, during one of the landings on the shore to replenish supplies of fresh water and food, a group of sailors led by the admiral was suddenly attacked by Indians.

Two Englishmen were killed and the rest were wounded. Drake also suffered, receiving an arrow in the face. The admiral explained this unprovoked hostility by saying that the Indians mistook them for Spaniards. It is interesting that in the absence of a doctor on the expedition (he died), Drake himself began treating numerous wounded. Obviously, he was to some extent knowledgeable in the art of medicine...

The navigator continued his journey north, trying not to come into conflict with the local tribes, since he prudently hoped to attract them to his side in the fight against the Spaniards.

His hopes came true. Soon it was the Indians who showed the British the way to the harbor of Valparaiso, where peace, tranquility reigned... and a complete lack of vigilance. After all, ships other than Spanish have never been seen here before.

Therefore, at first they took the pirate ship as their own and even saluted it with flags and drumbeats. One can imagine the shock of the Spaniards when they were subjected to a daring and daring raid in their own “home”! The British quickly took possession of a Spanish ship stationed in the harbor and then plundered the city.

Having finished with the usual business, Drake ordered the release of all captured Spanish sailors. Judging by the descriptions of his adventures, he made such broad gestures many times. Sometimes he even gave gifts from the loot to opponents he had pardoned.

Obviously, this man with a tough, furious character, as his contemporaries described him, still had his own code of honor.

Maybe because of people like Drake, the expression “gentlemen of fortune” appeared. For, undoubtedly, far from being an angel, he did not correspond to the image of a bloodthirsty murderer...

The first attack on the Spaniards in the Pacific Ocean brought considerable profits to Drake, and he continued with inspiration the mission destined for him. The English descriptions of how the “expropriation of the expropriators” took place are extremely interesting. One day, the British found a sleeping Spaniard on the shore, next to whom lay ingots of silver.

The witness writes: “We didn’t want to wake him up, but, against our will, we caused him this trouble, since we decided to free him from care, which, for goodness sake, would not have allowed him to fall asleep another time, and left him, taking his burden so that it does not bother him any more and he can continue his sleep peacefully.”

In another case, regarding a meeting with a Spaniard driving a small caravan of animals loaded with silver, the Englishman remarks: “We could not allow the Spanish gentleman to turn into a driver, and therefore, without a request from him, we ourselves offered our services ... but since he couldn’t show the way well... we parted with him...” What an exquisite style! How, it turns out, you can describe the most ordinary robbery in a florid way!..

Yes, Drake cannot be denied courage, which often turned into insolence... Having once visited one of the Spanish ports on the western coast of South America, the pirate managed, under the cover of darkness, to penetrate into the harbor where 30 enemy ships were moored.

Taking advantage of the fact that the teams were on the shore, Drake and his men “inspected” the ships.

At the same time, moving from ship to ship, he cut the anchor ropes, hoping that the ships shifted by the tide would cause confusion in the enemy camp and enable the “Golden Hind” to escape to a safe distance. This is what happened later...

Continuing his successful advance north, the English pirate admiral could not help but pay attention to the inaccuracy of the Spanish maps he had captured. Whenever Drake, guided by them, turned to the northwest, he lost sight of the coast. By making corrections to the maps, Drake “cut off” hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of non-existent territory.

His cousin John, on behalf of his boss, constantly made sketches of the shores of those harbors where the ship entered. As a result, it was after Drake’s voyage that South America took on more correct outlines on the maps, familiar to us today.

Meanwhile, rumors of "Devil Drake" spread throughout the coast. The Spaniards even tried to pursue the Doe, but it was elusive.

Continuing to search for his missing ships, the admiral visited all river mouths and bays. Finally coming to terms with his loss, he began to think about returning home. But there weren't many ways. Drake believed that the Spaniards would lie in wait for him at the Strait of Magellan (and so it was).

Most likely, the pirate thought, not without reason, and a meeting was prepared for him near the Moluccas Islands. We add that the Spanish authorities also sent warships to the Caribbean Sea.

This was done in case Drake, having abandoned his ship in the Pacific Ocean, decided to cross the Isthmus of Panama and tried to leave for England on any ship he had captured across the Atlantic.

So, since the roads to the south and west were, in all likelihood, closed, Drake chose the third, northern route, deciding to go around America where no one had ever gone by sea. The admiral informed the team about this.

At the same time, he made a completely patriotic speech, noting that such a decision was due not only to the desire to shorten the period of returning home, but also to the opportunity to bring glory to his country with new discoveries.

The further route of the “Golden Hind” ran along the coast of Central and then North America. At the same time, Drake acted according to his usual pattern, capturing and robbing ships he came across along the way.

The gloomy mood of the sailors was aggravated by the disgusting weather. Gradually it became very cold, it often rained and snowed. The gear was covered with a layer of ice, which made it extremely difficult to control the ship. Heavy winds blew in, and in calm weather thick fogs engulfed the ship; I had to stand in one place for a long time.

Let us add here the frequent inability to determine the location of the ship in bad weather. All this, of course, could not but give rise to doubts among the sailors about the chosen path. Only their leader, as always, remained calm and cheerful, encouraging the people.

But when it was reached, at latitude 48°, a place on the Pacific coast of North America where no European ship had been before, the fearless captain decided to stop moving north.

The idea of ​​circumnavigating North America from the north was abandoned, and the British prepared to sail west. But first, having descended to more southern latitudes, in June 1579 at 38° N. latitude. they went ashore to repair the ship and rest the crew.

Here another meeting with local Indians took place. They did not show hostile intentions; moreover, they looked at the newcomers with amazement, clearly mistaking them for gods. The “gods,” while distributing gifts, tried to show with gestures that they needed food and water.

The next few weeks spent here by the British not only did not dissuade the Indians, but, on the contrary, further strengthened their conviction in the divine origin of the guests. In the end, it all ended with a very solemn ceremony of the voluntary transfer of power of the Indian chief to the “chief god” named Francis Drake.

Taking advantage of the current situation, the admiral decided to annex the country he had discovered to the English possessions, calling it “New Albion.” This was attested to in the text carved on a copper plate. The plate was fixed on a high pole. Instead of a seal, Drake inserted a silver coin into the pillar with the image of the queen and her coat of arms.

At the end of July, having said goodbye to America, Drake set course for the Moluccas. But he arrived there more than three months later. Along the way, the British had minor skirmishes with the islanders. However, unlike Magellan, who intervened in an internecine tribal war and died in the Philippine Islands, Drake was undoubtedly much luckier.

When entering the Indian Ocean, the English travelers faced another serious test. First, south of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Drake wandered for a month in a labyrinth of small islands, reefs and shoals in search of a way out.

And when it seemed that the path had already been found, a terrible blow shook the Doe, which flew into an underwater rock. The situation was so serious that the entire team fell on their faces and a general prayer began.

What was Drake doing at this time? Did he, like his compatriots, decide to rely on the Lord? Nothing like this. The unperturbed admiral announced to the team that prayers would not help the matter, forced everyone to work - and finally managed to save the Golden Hind...

As if as a reward for courage, the entire journey of the British across the Indian Ocean took place with a fair wind and good weather. Having rounded the African Cape of Good Hope in mid-June, on September 26, 1580, Drake's ship approached his native shores.

Thus, two years and 10 months after sailing, the first English circumnavigation of the world ended. In addition, this was the first time in history that a captain who began a circumnavigation of the world was able to successfully complete it.

But the main success, from Drake’s point of view, was that, having caused significant damage to the Spanish crown, the owner of the English crown received enormous values. And he was not mistaken. Elizabeth could not help but be satisfied with the results of the “royal pirate’s” campaign, which turned out to be the most profitable of all the trips ever made. Of course, - 4700% profit!

This was a more than powerful argument for not giving Drake’s head to the Spanish king, as he furiously demanded. Moreover, the admiral became a national hero, applauded by all of England. People gathered in the streets every day to see him.

In his honor, poets composed poems... The pinnacle of honors was the solemn ceremony that took place on board the Golden Hind, when, to the sounds of trumpets and the beating of drums, Elizabeth, lowering her sword on the shoulder of the kneeling Francis Drake, elevated the privateer to knighthood.

This was a very large award, which only 300 people had in England and which many powerful people in the country did not receive...

Naturally, in addition to fame and titles, Drake became the owner of a huge fortune. Soon his life, at least outwardly, began to be strikingly different from before. He took care of his estates, acted as mayor of the city of Plymouth, from time to time made trips to London to the Queen’s court, and visited the English Parliament as a member of the House of Commons...

But such a pastime was obviously not entirely in the spirit of a sea wolf who was in his prime. Therefore, in Drake’s subsequent biography one can find another outstanding event - his active participation in the famous defeat of the Spanish fleet during the hostilities of 1588, or, as it was called, the “Invincible Armada.” This victory became the crown of his glory.
Author Philip Jacob Lutherburg (1740–1812). Title English: Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 8 August 1588 Date 1796. Technique oil, canvas. Dimensions 214.63 × 278.13 cm

Sir Francis' subsequent military expedition to Lisbon in 1589 ended in failure. And immediately he felt how fragile the queen's favor was.

Elizabeth, accustomed to rich booty by Drake, did not want to forgive the pirate even a single failure. The recent military achievements of Drake, who actually commanded the English fleet during the defeat of the Spanish Armada, were not counted.

And, even more so, the treasures brought several years ago by Drake worth no less than 600 thousand pounds sterling were forgotten (while the annual income of the English treasury was 300 thousand pounds). The stingy Elizabeth was clearly angry that she not only did not receive a profit once again, but was also forced to incur some of her own expenses...

It seems that happiness really left Drake then, because a few years later the next expedition to the shores of America for new treasures became his last. From the very beginning, everything in this voyage was unsuccessful.

Warned and ready to fight back, the Spaniards were constantly ahead of the British, and they continually suffered losses in people. In addition, tropical fever and other diseases literally wiped out the crews of the ships. The admiral also became seriously ill with dysentery. Every day he grew weaker, but his iron will was not broken.

On the night of January 28, 1596, sensing the end was approaching, Sir Francis rose from his bed and asked his servant to help him put on his armor so that he could die like a warrior. At dawn he was gone. Surprisingly, this happened near Nombre de Dios, the same port on the Atlantic coast where Drake once began his path to world fame.

The military honors given to the knight after death are noteworthy. He, like everyone who died at sea, was buried at sea according to a long-standing tradition.

Usually a wreath and flowers are thrown onto the water; at Drake’s burial site, as a tribute to his memory, several captured Spanish ships were sunk. Truly, it is difficult to measure this man by the moral standards of our time...
Monument to Sir Francis Drake in Plymouth, England - the city where he first set foot on his native soil in September 1580 after traveling around the world.

Francis Drake short biography will tell What did Francis Drake discover? and about his voyages.

Francis Drake biography briefly

Born on July 13, 1540 in the town of Tayvistoke (Devonshire) into a farmer's family. In his youth he sailed on coasting ships that entered the Thames. After his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, Drake received a position as captain of a ship in J. Hawkins' squadron. In 1567, he participated in Hawkins's naval expedition to capture the ships of Spanish slave traders and plunder Spanish possessions in the West Indies.

Since 1570, Drake carried out pirate raids every summer in the Caribbean Sea, which Spain considered its own. He captured Nombre de Dios in Mexico, plundering caravans transporting silver from Peru to Panama.

In December 1577, Drake set out on his most famous expedition. It was equipped with money from private investors, which Drake was able to obtain thanks to the patronage of the Earl of Essex, the favorite of Elizabeth I. Later, the navigator mentioned that the queen herself invested 1000 crowns. Drake was tasked with sailing through the Strait of Magellan, finding suitable sites for colonies and returning back the same way. It was also assumed that he would carry out raids on Spanish possessions in America.

>Drake sailed from Plymouth on December 13, 1577. He commanded the ship "Pelican" (later renamed "Golden Hind") of 100 tons; there were four more small ships in the squadron. Having reached the coast of Africa, the flotilla captured more than ten Spanish and Portuguese ships. Through the Strait of Magellan, Drake entered the Pacific Ocean; there a strong storm drove the ships south for 50 days. Drake discovered a strait between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica, later named after him. The storm damaged the ships. One of them returned to England, the others drowned. The captain only had the “Golden Hind” left. Moving along the coast of South America, Drake robbed ships and harbors off the coasts of Chile and Peru. On March 1, 1579, he captured the ship Cacafuego, loaded with gold and silver bars. In July of the same year, the ship commanded by Drake crossed the Pacific Ocean. In 1580 he returned to Plymouth. Thus, the navigator made a trip around the world (the second after F. Magellan), which brought him not only fame, but also wealth.

Having received his share of the spoils (at least 10 thousand pounds sterling), Drake bought an estate near Plymouth. Queen Elizabeth granted him the title of knight in 1581. In 1585, Drake was appointed commander-in-chief of the English fleet heading to the West Indies. This marked the beginning of the war with Spain.

In March 1587, Drake unexpectedly captured the port city of Cadiz in southern Spain, destroyed it and captured about 30 Spanish ships. And again, in addition to military glory, the “pirate of Queen Elizabeth” received huge amounts of money - his personal share of the captured wealth amounted to more than 17 thousand pounds sterling.

In 1588, Drake was appointed vice admiral and played a decisive role in the defeat of the Invincible Armada. Drake's luck ran out during an expedition to the West Indies in 1595. He contracted dysentery and died January 28, 1596 near Portobelo (Panama).

The vice admiral was buried according to traditional naval rites, at sea.

) at the Battle of Gravelines (1588): thanks to Drake’s skillful actions, the British managed to gain an advantage over enemy forces with superior firepower.

Childhood and youth

Francis Drake owned Buckland Abbey in Yelverton, but was born at Crowndale, near Tayvistoke (Tenvistonn), in Devonshire, in the family of yeoman Edmund Drake, who later became a clergyman. There were twelve children in the Drake family, Francis being the eldest. In 1549 Drake's family moved to Kent. At the age of 12 he became a cabin boy on a merchant ship (barque). The owner of the ship, his distant relative, fell in love with him so much that after his death he bequeathed the ship to Drake, and at the age of 18 he became a full-fledged captain.

Adulthood

In 1567 he set sail to Guinea and the West Indies, commanding a ship on the slave trading expedition of his relative John Hawkins. During this expedition, near the Mexican fortress of San Juan de Ulua, the British ships were attacked by the Spaniards, and most of them were sunk. Only two ships survived - Drake and Hawkins. The British demanded that the Spanish king pay them for the lost ships. The king, naturally, refused. Then Drake announced that he would take everything he could from the King of Spain.

In 1572, he went on his own expedition to the Spanish possessions in the West Indies, captured the city of Nombre de Dios on the Isthmus of Panama, and then several ships near the harbor of Cartagena. During this raid, Drake intercepted the Spanish “Silver Caravan” (about 30 tons of silver) on the Isthmus of Panama, heading from Panama to Nombre de Dios. On August 9, 1573, Drake returned to Plymouth as a rich man and captain known throughout England.

On November 15, 1577, Drake was sent by Queen Elizabeth on an expedition to the Pacific coast of America. The official purpose of the trip was to discover new lands, in particular Australia. In fact, Drake was supposed to loot as much Spanish gold as possible and return to England with this cargo. Francis led a flotilla consisting of four large and two small auxiliary ships (the flagship was the Pelican). After passing through the Strait of Magellan, Drake was thrown by a storm south of Tierra del Fuego, where it turned out that it was not part of the Southern Continent. The strait between Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego was later named after him.

After the flagship Pelican, the only one of all the ships, “made its way” to the Pacific Ocean, it was renamed “Golden Hind”. Drake sailed north along the Pacific coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports, including Valparaiso, and then explored the coast well north of the Spanish colonies, to approximately modern Vancouver. On June 17, 1579, Drake allegedly landed in the San Francisco area (according to another hypothesis, in modern Oregon) and declared this coast an English possession (“New Albion”).

After replenishing provisions and repairs, Drake crossed the Pacific Ocean and reached the Moluccas Islands. Having sailed around Africa from the south, Drake returned to England on September 26, 1580, bringing back potatoes and treasures worth £600,000, an amount twice the annual income of the English kingdom. Drake was greeted as a national hero, treated kindly by the queen, and was awarded a knighthood. During his next expedition to the West Indies, Drake ravaged the Spanish harbors of Vigo, Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti), Cartagena (in New Granada) and San Augustin (in Florida). In 1587 he became famous for his daring attack on the Spanish port of Cadiz.

In 1588, he was one of the English admirals who defeated the Spanish Invincible Armada. After this, Drake proposed to Elizabeth I to return the Portuguese throne to Antonio of Crato, who had been expelled by the Spaniards. An English armada led by Drake would have captured Lisbon, but they had no siege engines. He made his last expedition to the West Indies in 1595-1596 in company with John Hawkins. He died of dysentery on January 28, 1596 near Puerto Bello (modern Portobelo in Panama). Buried in the ocean in a lead coffin.

Drake married twice, in 1569 and 1585 (his first wife died in 1581). He had no children and his entire fortune passed to his nephew.

Fighting

Sir Francis Drake changed the course of naval warfare. If previously the ship with the most guns won, then after the Drake, priority was given to the speed of the ship. On his galleon "Golden Hind" Drake proved this more than once. So, thanks to the knipples, Drake immobilized the enemy and turned him into a standing target. Subsequently, Drake began to use fireships for significant battles. They were actively used during the Battle of Gravelin.

In honor of Francis Drake

The name of Francis Drake is immortalized in geography: the strait between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica is called Drake Strait.

In the German city of Offenburg, sculptured in stone in 1853 by the artist Andre Friedrich, the great corsair held a potato flower in his hand. The inscription on the pedestal read: “To Sir Francis Drake, who introduced the potato to Europe. Millions of farmers around the world bless his immortal memory. This is help to the poor, a precious gift from God, alleviating bitter need.” In 1939, the monument was destroyed by the Nazis.

Featured on a 1973 British postage stamp.

Editions of works about Drake's campaigns

• 1626 - Drake (Sir Francis) Baronet. Sir Francis Drake revived ... by this relation of ... a third voyage ... set forth by Sir F. D., Baronet (his nephew), etc. London. 1626. 4°.
• 1628 - The World encompassed by Sir F. D., being his next voyage to that to Nombre de Dios. London. 1628. 4°.
• 1854 - (Recent edition) The World encompassed. By Francis Fletcher. Edited by Wm. Sandys Wright Vaux. Map. (Hakluyt Soc. Pub., No. 17.) London. 1854. 8°.

Literature

• Balandin R.K. Famous sea robbers. From Vikings to pirates. - M.: Veche, 2012. - 352 p.
• Belousov R. S. Under the black flag: Historical essays. - M.: Olimp; AST, 1996. - 432 p.
• Blon Georges. Great Hour of the Oceans: Atlantic. - M.: Mysl, 1978. - 218 p.
• Blon Georges. Great Hour of the Oceans: Quiet. - M.: Mysl, 1980. - 208 p.
• Gerhard Peter. Pirates of New Spain. 1575-1742 - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - 240 p.
• Glagoleva E. V. The daily life of pirates and corsairs of the Atlantic from Francis Drake to Henry Morgan. - M.: Young Guard, 2010. - 416 p.: ill.
• Gubarev V. K. Francis Drake. - M.: Young Guard, 2013. - 374 p.
• Konstam Angus. Pirates. General history from Antiquity to the present day. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 464 p.: ill.
• Kopelev D. N. The golden era of maritime robbery (pirates, filibusters, corsairs). - M.: Ostozhye, 1997. - 496 p.
• Kopelev D. N. Division of the Ocean in the 16th–18th centuries: Origins and evolution of piracy. - SPb.: KRIGA, 2013. - 736 p.
• Malakhovsky K. V. Round-the-world run of the "Golden Hind". - M.: Nauka, 1980. - 168 p. (about Francis Drake).
• Malakhovsky K. V. Five captains. - M.: Nauka, 1986. - 428 p. (about Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, William Dampier, Matthew Flinders).
• Machowski Jacek. History of maritime piracy. - M.: Nauka, 1972. - 288 p.
• Medvedev I. A. Knights of the sea. - M.: Veche, 2012. - 320 p.
• Mozheiko I. V. Pirates, corsairs, raiders: Essays on the history of piracy in the Indian Ocean and the South Seas in the 15th–20th centuries. 3rd ed. - M.: Science, Main Editorial Office of Oriental Literature, 1991. - 348 p.