Sir Francis Drake (born July 13, 1540 - death January 28, 1596) - English navigator, pirate, vice admiral (1588). First Englishman to circumnavigate the world (1577-1580). Active participant in the defeat of the Spanish fleet (Invincible Armada) (1588)
The life story of Francis Drake abounded in the most incredible adventures. He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world. This happened in 1577-1580, when his "Golden Doe" passed three oceans and returned to England with full holds of gold and jewelry, Drake fought against the Spanish squadrons and stormed coastal forts, crossed the Strait of Magellan, and was engaged in robberies in South and North America . For his exploits, he, who was essentially a real pirate, was awarded a knighthood. Queen Elizabeth laid a sword on him right on the deck of the ship. Along with this, the name of Drake became famous in Spain, where he was cursed by everyone from young to old.
Pirate Francis Drake
Francis Drake - the strait at the southern tip of South America is even named after this pirate traveler.
The 16th century was marked by the illustrious voyages of a whole galaxy of famous English captains. Frobisher and Hawkins, Raleigh and Davis, Drake and many other brilliant sailors have sailed the waves of the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Polynesia. Alas, this period of time was at the same time the heyday of the pirate industry. Therefore, all the captains listed above became famous primarily as "gentlemen of fortune."
The most famous Englishman of the 16th century, without a doubt, was Sir Francis Drake, a pirate and slave trader, a round-the-world navigator and a talented naval commander who played a decisive role in the defeat of the Spanish Invincible Armada.
Being a close relative of the famous pirate and human trader John Hawkins, Francis from the age of 23 went on his ships to the shores of West Africa, returning from there with holds full of slaves.
Pirate and Queen Elizabeth
Then Drake decided to do his own pirate craft. He began to attack Spanish ships carrying treasures. So, 12 years have passed in robber labors and worries. During this time, Captain Drake had accumulated considerable seafaring experience and some capital, which allowed him to propose to the queen and her entourage the daring project of a pirate expedition to the Spanish colonies on the Pacific coast of America. Here, no one expected an attack by the British, and the booty could be largely greater than in the ports of the Caribbean, which were plucked by pirates.
The Queen of England favorably reacted to Drake's plans and even deigned to contribute to the financial support of the expedition in the amount of 1000 crowns. A more significant contribution was made by high-ranking royal officials: the Earl of Essex, Walsingham and Burghley. However, the venerable lords did not intend to remain at a loss and in fact did not miscalculate. On Drake's return, they received their share of the booty, and their profits amounted. 5,000% on invested capital. But all this will happen later. And we want to tell you about the round-the-world trip of a pirate captain...
Drake's voyage around the world (1577-1580)
Francis Drake's ship Golden Doe
1577, December - 5 ships of the Drake flotilla left the port of Plymouth and headed south. Drake himself commanded the flagship Pelican, which he later renamed the Golden Hind. The crew of the entire flotilla consisted of only 160 people. Having first robbed off the African coast, Drake captured and robbed more than a dozen Spanish and Portuguese ships with rich cargo. In addition, another prey fell into his hands - a Portuguese pilot who used to go to South America.
1578, June - Drake's flotilla approached the bay of San Julian, located relatively close to the Strait of Magellan. This bay, notorious for the riot that occurred during the stay here of the expedition of Magellan, and this time justified its notoriety. A mutiny broke out on one of the ships, spreading to the crew. It all ended with the fact that Drake executed one of the captains - Doughty, accusing him of sedition and betrayal. Leaving two heavily damaged ships in the bay, the depleted flotilla moved on.
However, at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan, a strong storm hit the ships and drove them south for 50 days. The result was Drake's discovery that Tierra del Fuego is an island, and not a protrusion of the South American mainland, as previously thought. The wide strait separating this island from Antarctica is now named after Drake.
The storm caused serious damage to the flotilla: one ship sank, and the other was forced to return to England due to damage. But Drake wasn't used to backing down. On the one remaining ship - the Golden Hind - he headed north to the coast of Chile. Then begins a strip of active and successful pirate adventures of Drake.
1578, December 5 - the British attacked the port of Valparaiso, as a result of which they captured a ship with valuable cargo and plundered the coast. 1579, February 5 - a raid on the port of Arica and new trophies. Then - an attack on the Peruvian city of Callao. A galleon with a cargo of gold and silver left from under Drake's nose. A furious chase followed, and on 1 March the galleon was captured after a cannon fire. Precious ingots migrate to the hold of the Golden Doe.
Pirate Drake completed his tasks. His booty was enormous. However, returning home the same way became impossible. Rumors of brazen attacks and robberies reached the Spanish authorities, and Spanish warships guarded the Golden Doe to get even with the pirate for all his atrocities.
Then Drake went north, attacked the Mexican port of Guatulco, plundered it, at the same time replenished the supply of provisions. Then he sent the Golden Doe even further north, hoping to find a strait connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic. Drake's ship has reached 49 degrees north latitude! So far north along the Pacific coast has not yet been climbed by any navigator! But no signs of the strait could be found, and the English pirate was forced to turn south. And then luck smiled at him: off the coast of Nicaragua, the British seized a ship on which they found maps of the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Islands. This gave the pirate the idea to return to Europe via the Pacific and Indian oceans.
1579, July - "Golden Doe" headed west. Having made only 4 stops along the way (in the Philippines, the Moluccas archipelago, the island of Java and Sierra Leone), Drake returned to England in triumph in 1580. So, 60 years after Magellan's journey, another ship managed to go around the world. At the same time, Francis Drake became the first captain to command a ship around the world from start to finish.
Knightly title for a pirate
Francis Drake's voyage around the world - itinerary
But for the dignitaries who met the Golden Doe in Plymouth, this was not the main thing. Drake's ship had gold and jewels worth two years of the entire royal treasury! The queen ordered her captain to personally arrive in London with the most spectacular jewels and honored him with a six-hour conversation. Soon Elizabeth granted Francis Drake a knighthood.
Having become a nobleman, the robber and robber became a respected member of society. He bought himself an estate and married a wealthy heiress. Drake was elected Mayor of Plymouth and Member of Parliament. But the sailor clearly did not like the quiet life. He organized two more pirate expeditions to the Caribbean, and in the interval between them he managed to take part in the war with Spain. Also, more than once he went to the shores of America to rob the "Golden Fleet" of the Spaniards. Then he boldly robbed in Europe, right under the nose of the King of Spain, Philip II. As Drake himself said - "scorched his beard."
Vice Admiral of the British Navy (1588)
Sir Francis Drake, appointed Vice-Admiral of the British Navy, is the main merit in the triumphant battle with the "Invincible Armada" sent by Philip II against the British. Despite the double superiority in the number of ships and guns, the Spaniards lost 60 ships out of 130 and were forced to retreat.
Death of Sir Francis Drake
Having set off for the coast of Panama in 1596, Sir Francis Drake fell ill with yellow fever, or, simply speaking, dysentery, and died on board his ship. As befits sailors, his body, in accordance with the will of Drake himself, was placed in a lead coffin and lowered into the Caribbean Sea, which witnessed the first exploits of the famous English "gentleman of fortune."
Died at sea and "Golden Doe". But not from a storm or enemy nuclei. Its wooden body was turned into dust by a tiny worm - a toredo.
After death
But relatively recently, the reputation of the legendary English pirate received an unexpected blow. The British Ministry of Defense did not finance the operation to retrieve his coffin from the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. And the British Royal Mail refused to issue a series of postage stamps dedicated to the 400th anniversary of his death.
How did the authorities motivate their unwillingness to honor their fellow countryman? The postal workers explained their refusal by the fact that in 1973 stamps with the profile of Sir Francis were already being issued. The military also referred to the high cost of the upcoming operation to remove the coffin. But most likely, the British do not want to offend the feelings of the Spaniards, whose ancestors suffered at the hands of Drake, as well as the Americans: after all, it was from Drake that slavery began on the North American continent, where he regularly supplied "black gold".
Or perhaps the British remembered how the Latin American countries opposed the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, with whose name many are associated with the beginning of the brutal extermination of the South American peoples.
Francis Drake who sold his soul
According to Spanish legend, Sir Francis Drake sold his soul to the devil in exchange for good luck on the seas. Surprisingly, this legend was immediately adopted by compatriots who idolized Drake, while talking about Drake's deal with undisguised delight, being the vast majority of true believers. It was said that Drake was able to bring the most severe storms to the Spanish "Armada" with the support of the Divonian witches, with whom he was supposedly friends from early childhood and who always helped him.
Even today, more than four centuries later, the English firmly believe that those ancient "Drake" witches guarding the passage to Devonport can still be seen on a rainy dark night at Devil's Point. There is a belief that the devil was so pleased with Drake's exploits that, as a reward for everything he had done, he built his favorite house in Buckland-eby in just three days. Drake's house stands to this day, and every curious person can, having personally looked around the apartments of the legendary pirate admiral, feel the charm of his personality.
Sir Francis Drake (eng. Francis Drake; around 1540 - January 28, 1596) - English navigator, corsair, vice admiral (1588). First Englishman to circumnavigate the world (1577-1580). An active participant in the defeat of the Spanish fleet (the Invincible Armada) in the Battle of Gravelines (1588), thanks to Drake's skillful actions, the British managed to gain an advantage over the enemy's 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 seems to be also obvious that the destiny of a pirate is to be afraid of the powerful in every possible way, or at least avoid meeting with them.
But history knows quite 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 keep and guide you." Handing him a sword on the eve of a dangerous voyage, she said: "We believe that whoever strikes you ... strikes us."
And how could it be otherwise, if Her Majesty, in modern terms, "entered into a share" with the famous pirate, became his "sponsor", while demanding to keep her personal participation in the "commercial" transaction in strict secrecy ...
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. Oil on wood technique. Dimensions 45.7 × 38.1 cm
It was the 16th century. Before the development of international law to combat piracy, there were several centuries left, and the seizure of ships flourished on the seas for the purpose of profit. 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, plundered with the assistance of his powerful patroness. He was knighted, became a national hero...
But we are interested in Drake not only and not so much for this. During the next predatory voyage, trying to avoid meeting with an angry enemy, the pirate was forced to look for a new way to his homeland. This path, 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, they began to build ships almost from the moment the British Isles were settled.
On the ship where his father served as the ship's chaplain, little Francis often visited in the early 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 industrious 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 after his death to Francis. 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 empires in the world.
Every year, countless jewels sailed from America, literally and figuratively, 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 country 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, the next English expedition visited the coast of the West Indies. And we remember this because one of its participants was the 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, crossing the ocean to the coast of Colombia, veiled slave trade deals with local Spanish authorities ...
The skills of such a "work" were useful to Drake very soon. Returning home in 1567, he stayed at home for only six weeks - and got ready for a new voyage. It is not difficult to guess that again to the shores of America.
On October 2, 1567, a flotilla of six ships, led by Hawkins, left England. This time one of the smaller sailboats was commanded by Francis Drake. The 22-year-old captain takes an active part in the battles at sea and on land, in order to get slaves. After some setbacks, in the end, the British manage to capture about half a thousand people.
With a cargo of "black goods" ships come to the Caribbean. Here, on numerous islands, combining the art of a diplomat and a warrior, Hawkins conducts several lucrative trade deals.
Having almost completed his plan, he was about to return home, but then a terrible storm broke out, which lasted several days. Not having time to recover from it, the English ships fall under 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 the Spanish squadron, consisting of 13 ships, arrived here. Outwardly respecting decency, for several days the Spaniards and the British conduct diplomatic negotiations, exchange kind letters. Carefully hiding their true intentions, they try to outsmart each other...
This time the Spaniards are taking over. Having pulled the troops to the shore, contrary to all the assurances of their officials, they attack the 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 survived on it. These were all who survived from the 500 people of the expedition ...
Drake's biographers claim that in his entire life he was never able to forgive the Spaniards for their deceit then.
But were the British really that innocent? Most likely, there was a situation in which one thief deceived another thief.
And yet, if the Spaniards knew what the devil they had awakened!
Domineering and irritable, with a mad character, greedy, vindictive Drake really remembered what had happened to him and began to carefully prepare for retribution ...
This was not the petty revenge of an offended youth. It was about 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 fact, the young captain sent a challenge to the most powerful monarch of the world at that time.
Preparing to carry out his plan, Drake, without advertising, commits in 1569-1571. two more voyages to America. Those were original reconnaissance campaigns with the creation of secret food warehouses on the shores of Panama. Having thus conducted reconnaissance, in May 1572, Drake on two ships again sets off across the Atlantic to a long-planned point.
He sails to Nombre de Dios - one of the ports on the Atlantic coast, called by the pirates "treasury of the world." Every year, all the jewels mined in Peruvian mines were delivered here for their further shipment to Spain.
Having landed on the shore, Drake launched an assault on the city, during which he was wounded. The sailors carried the captain, who had lost a lot of blood, to the ship, forgetting for a while about their main goal - the plunder of the city's riches. Obviously, even then Drake was popular among them, and they were ready to follow their 27-year-old leader to the ends of the world.
Leaving the city and stopping on one of the islands, the British rested, healed their wounds. Having met runaway slaves there, Drake managed to attract them to his side. The slaves informed him that a caravan of gold was expected in Nombre de Dios in a few months.
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 walk along the Isthmus of Panama, preparing an ambush for a caravan of gold. During this campaign, he and his companions were the first among the British to see the "Spanish Lake" - the Pacific Ocean.
After a journey of many days in the twilight of the rainforest, excited by the wonderful sight, Drake vowed that he would “pass on this sea in a British ship.” He did not even suspect that in a few years he would really be able to do this ...
But so far, the captain is successfully carrying out a long-planned operation to capture the 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 patrolling 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, after six hours of sailing, found his ships. At night, they imperceptibly approached the shore and took away the precious cargo.
Treasures brought by Drake to his homeland in 1573 made him a wealthy man. Now he has ceased to depend on rich shipowners, and he has increased confidence.
Perhaps this was facilitated by his success in public service - Drake distinguished himself in the suppression of the Irish uprising.
He was noticed in the highest circles. And when, in preparation for the war with Spain, in England they began to develop a plan for naval expeditions, Francis Drake was called for consultations.
Having expressed his opinion that the 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, obviously, that Drake's first deal at the state level took place.
The Queen, expressing a desire to take a 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 counted on a considerable personal share from the future booty captured from the Spaniards by a pirate blessed by her.
In the middle of 1577, having received the rank of rear admiral, the 32-year-old Francis Drake with a flotilla of five ships and more than 160 crew members left Plymouth for the sea. Knowing the tasks assigned to Drake, our imagination cannot help but draw images of majestic huge sailing ships today.
"Golden Doe" - the permanent flagship of Drake
Galleon (Spanish galeón, also gallion, 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 ship.
But in fact, the length of the largest of the five ships, the flagship, which later received the name "Golden Doe", was only 23 m with a width of less than 6 m! And on such and such a vessel, Drake was to spend, as it turned out, many months over the next three years.
Modern model of the galleon "Golden Hind" in Brixham
However, the admiral did not adhere to asceticism - even at sea. His cabin was finished and furnished with great luxury. The privateer used pure silver utensils; while eating, musicians delighted his ears with their playing, a page stood behind Drake's chair ...
We know about 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 at the shores of South America. Moving south along the east coast of Argentina, the British repeatedly met with the local indigenous people - the Patagonians.
They, as the witness of the events notes, “turned out to be good-natured people and showed so much compassionate concern for us, as we have never met among Christians.”
This comparison is also interesting because soon an incident arose between the Christians, that is, between the members of the expedition, which ended in the execution of a noble and wealthy man, Thomas Doughty. This was the decision of Admiral Drake, who, not without reason, suspected Doughty 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 boundless expanses of water appeared, along which Drake once dreamed of passing 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 swimming of this Portuguese, the ocean was named accordingly - Pacific. If this is true, then, I think, if Drake had been here before Magellan, the ocean would have had a completely different name.
This is quite eloquently evidenced by the surviving eyewitness memories: “We didn’t have time to go into this sea ... for us it turned out to be Mad, when such a violent storm began, which we had not experienced before ... The wind was so strong that it seemed that everything was blowing earth winds at the same time.
It also seemed that all the clouds in the sky gathered in one place to bring down the downpour on us. Our ship was sometimes thrown, like a toy, on the crests of giant waves, then with the same swiftness it was thrown into the abyss of the sea. The fierce 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 that time, one with the entire crew died, the other, thrown back by the storm into the Strait of Magellan, decided not to tempt fate anymore and, having climbed out into the Atlantic Ocean, returned to England. But 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 navigation, having a particular passion for geographical maps. On each captured ship, the first prey of a pirate was, first of all, maps and navigational instruments.
It is also interesting that he carefully studied the book of Magellan 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 by a storm far to the south. 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 a few 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 "Big Island of Tierra del Fuego") is an island at 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 saw that “neither the mainland nor the island was visible to the south, 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 the open sea extends beyond it.
Already in the 19th century, after the discovery of Antarctica, the passage between it and Tierra del Fuego, connecting the two largest oceans of 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 west coast of Chile (in Valparaiso).
It was the summer of the Southern Hemisphere, the ocean was calm, the sky was cloudless. But, as if in opposition to the pacifying nature, during one of the landings on the shore to replenish fresh water and food supplies, a group of sailors led by an admiral were suddenly attacked by Indians.
Two Englishmen were killed, the rest were wounded. Drake, who received an arrow in the face, also got it. The admiral explained this unprovoked hostility by the fact that the Indians mistook them for the Spaniards. Interestingly, in the absence of a doctor on the expedition (he died), Drake himself took up the treatment of numerous wounded. Obviously, he was to some extent versed in the art of medicine ...
The navigator continued his journey north, trying not to come into conflict with the local tribes, as he prudently expected to win them over to his side in the fight against the Spaniards.
His hopes were justified. Soon, it was the Indians who showed the British the way to the harbor of Valparaiso, where peace, tranquility ... and a complete lack of vigilance reigned. After all, they have never seen any ships other than Spanish ones.
Therefore, at first they took the pirate ship for their own and even saluted it with flags and drum roll. One can imagine the shock of the Spaniards when in their own "house" they were subjected to a daring and bold raid! The British quickly took possession of the Spanish ship that was in the harbor, and then sacked the city.
Having finished with the usual business, Drake ordered the release of all captured Spanish sailors. Such broad gestures, judging by the descriptions of his adventures, he did repeatedly. Sometimes he even gave gifts from the loot to his pardoned opponents.
Obviously, this man with a cool, as his contemporaries characterized him, a rabid character, 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 Drake considerable profits, and he continued with inspiration the mission intended for him. Extremely interesting are the English descriptions of how the "expropriation of the expropriators" took place. One day, the British found a sleeping Spaniard on the shore, near whom lay ingots of silver.
The witness writes: “We didn’t want to wake him up, but, against our will, we gave him this trouble, because we decided to free him from care, which, which is good, would not allow him to sleep another time, and left him, taking his burden so that it would no longer disturb him and he could continue his sleep in peace.
In another case, regarding a meeting with a Spaniard driving a small caravan of animals laden with silver, the Englishman remarks: “We could not allow the Spanish gentleman to turn into a drover, and therefore, without a request from him, we ourselves offered our services ... but since he could not show the way well ... we parted with him ... ". What an exquisite style! How, it turns out, ornately you can describe the most common robbery! ..
Yes, you can't deny Drake his courage, which often turned into impudence... Having once visited one of the Spanish ports on the western coast of South America, the pirate managed to penetrate under cover of night into the harbor where 30 enemy ships were stationed.
Taking advantage of the fact that the teams were on the shore, Drake and his people "inspected" the ships.
At the same time, moving from ship to ship, he chopped the anchor ropes, hoping that the ships shifted by the tide would confuse the enemy camp and enable the Golden Hind to escape to a safe distance. And so it happened later...
Continuing the successful advance to the north, the English pirate admiral could not help but pay attention to the inaccuracy of the Spanish maps he had captured. Whenever Drake turned to the northwest, guided by them, he lost sight of the shore. 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 the maps more correct outlines familiar to us today.
Meanwhile, rumors about the "Devil Drake" have spread all over the coast. The Spaniards even tried to pursue the Doe, but she was elusive.
Continuing to search for his missing ships, the admiral went to all the mouths of the rivers and bays. Finally, resigned to the 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. We add that the Spanish authorities also sent warships to the Caribbean.
This was done in case Drake, leaving his ship in the Pacific Ocean, decided to cross the Isthmus of Panama and try to escape to England on some ship he 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 bypass America where no one else had gone by sea. The admiral reported this to the crew.
At the same time, he delivered a completely patriotic speech, noting that such a decision was due not only to the desire to shorten the time for returning home, but also to the opportunity to bring glory to his country with new discoveries.
The further road of the "Golden Doe" ran along the coasts of Central and then North America. At the same time, Drake acted according to his usual pattern, capturing and robbing ships that came across along the way.
The gloomy mood of the sailors was exacerbated by the disgusting weather. Gradually it became very cold, it often rained with snow. The gear was covered with a layer of ice, which made it extremely difficult to control the ship. Squall winds swept in, and in calm weather thick fogs captured the ship in their arms; I had to stand in one place for a long time.
Add here the frequent, in bad weather, the inability to determine the location of the ship. All this, of course, could not but give rise to doubts among the sailors about the chosen path. Only their head, as always, kept calm and good spirits, encouraging people.
But when it was reached, at a latitude of 48 °, that 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 going around 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. sh. they landed to repair the ship and rest the crew.
There was another meeting with the local Indians. 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 leader of the Indians to the "chief god" named Francis Drake.
Taking advantage of the situation, the admiral decided to annex the country he discovered to the English possessions, calling it "New Albion". This was attested in the text carved on the copper plate. The plate was fixed on a high pole. Instead of a seal, Drake inserted a silver coin into the post with the image of the queen and her coat of arms.
At the end of July, having said goodbye to America, Drake headed for the Moluccas. But he arrived there more than three months later. On the way, the British had small skirmishes with the islanders. However, unlike Magellan, who intervened in the internecine war of the tribes and died in the Philippine Islands, Drake was undoubtedly much more fortunate.
When entering the Indian Ocean, English travelers faced another serious test. First, south of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Drake wandered for a month in a maze of small islands, reefs and shoals in search of a way out.
And when it seemed that the way had already been found, a terrible blow shook the Doe, which had flown onto an underwater rock. The situation was so serious that the whole team fell on their faces, a common prayer began.
What was Drake doing at that time? Really, like his compatriots, he decided to rely on the Lord? Nothing like this. The imperturbable admiral announced to the team that prayers would not help the cause, forced everyone to work - and managed to save the Golden Doe ...
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. Rounding the African Cape of Good Hope in mid-June, on September 26, 1580, Drake's ship approached his native shores.
So, two years and 10 months after sailing, the first English circumnavigation of the world ended. In addition, it was the first case in history when the captain, who started a circumnavigation, was able to successfully complete it.
But the main success, from Drake's point of view, was that, having caused tangible damage to the Spanish crown, the owner of the English crown received huge values. And he was not wrong. Elizabeth could not help but be satisfied with the results of the campaign of the "royal pirate", which turned out to be the most profitable of all the voyages ever made. Still, - 4700% profit!
This was more than a weighty argument in order not to give Drake's head to the Spanish king, as he fiercely demanded. Moreover, the admiral became a national hero, who was applauded by all of England. People gathered in the streets every day to see him.
Poets composed poems in his honor... The pinnacle of honors was the solemn ceremony on board the Golden Hind, when, to the sounds of trumpets and drumming, Elizabeth, lowering her sword on the shoulder of the kneeling Francis Drake, elevated the privateer to knighthood.
It was a very large award, which only 300 people in England had and which many powerful people of the country did not receive ...
Naturally, in addition to fame and titles, Drake became the owner of a huge fortune. Soon his life, in any case, outwardly, became strikingly different from the previous one. 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, visited, as a member of the House of Commons, the English Parliament ...
But such a pastime was obviously not quite in the spirit of a sea wolf in his prime. Therefore, in the subsequent biography of Drake, one can find another outstanding event - the most active participation in the famous defeat during the hostilities of 1588 of the Spanish fleet, or, as it was called, the "Invincible Armada". This victory was the crown of his glory.
By Philipp Jakob Lutherburg (1740–1812). Title English: Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 8 August 1588 Date 1796. Technique oil on 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 favor of the Queen.
Elizabeth, accustomed by Drake to rich booty, did not want to forgive the pirate even for a single failure. The recent military merits of Drake, who actually commanded the English fleet in the defeat of the Spanish armada, were not counted.
And even more so, the treasures brought by Drake a few years ago in the amount of at least 600 thousand pounds sterling were forgotten (while the annual income of the English treasury was 300 thousand pounds). The stingy Elizabeth was clearly angered by the fact that she not only did not receive another profit, but was also forced to go to some of her own expenses ...
It seems that happiness really left Drake then, because the next expedition to the shores of America for new treasures, which took place a few years later, was 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 continuously suffered losses in people. In addition, tropical fever and other diseases literally mowed down the crews of the ships. Seriously ill with dysentery and the admiral. Every day he weakened - however, the iron will was not broken.
On the night of January 28, 1596, sensing the end approaching, Sir Francis got out of 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.
Attention is drawn to the military honors rendered to the knight after death. He, like everyone who died at sea, was buried at sea according to a long tradition.
Usually, a wreath, flowers are thrown into the water, but at the place of Drake's burial, as a tribute to his memory, several captured Spanish ships were flooded. 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 in September 1580 he first set foot on his native land after a round-the-world trip.
Added: 05/17/2011
At the beginning of the journey
Francis Drake was born in 1540 (in 1543 according to other sources) on a farm near Tavistock in Devonshire (Tavistock, Devonshire). He was the eldest of 12 children in the family of a poor country priest Edmund Drake (Edmund Drake). Apparently, Edmund Drake was somehow connected with the sea - most likely, he served as a ship's priest.
Already at the age of 9-10, Francis Drake entered as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that sailed to continental Europe. At a young age, Drake proved himself so well that already in 1561 he inherited his first ship, the 50-ton Judith (Judith), from the old captain.
In 1561-1567, Drake, as the captain-owner of the ship, conducts trading activities, including the slave trade (at that time, the business itself was quite legal). In 1567 he takes part in the expedition of John Hawkins (John Hawkins) to the West Indies. The enterprise ended in disaster. In the harbor of San Juan de Uloa (modern Mexico near Veracruz), where the British went to recover from a strong storm, they were locked up and defeated by the Spanish squadron. Of the five English ships, only Judith Drake returned to England.
(However, Hawkins also survived - he will still play a role in the fate of Drake).
It should be noted here that this expedition of Hawkins was not in itself a pirate expedition in the present sense of the word. The British brought slaves to the West Indies for sale. But since the Spaniards considered the New World to be their fiefdom, they could not like such activities.
One way or another, the defeat at San Juan de Uloa was a landmark event for Francis Drake. He becomes an implacable enemy of the Spaniards.
Royal corsair.
In the late 60s, early 70s of the 16th century, Drake on two small ships - Pasha and Swan hunts for Spanish caravans and robs Spanish ships in the Caribbean (and at the same time collects information about the Spaniards and gains experience)
July 4, 1569 Drake married Mary Newman. This marriage was childless. Mary Newman died 12 years later.
In 1572, Drake undertakes the first land operations to capture and plunder settlements on the Isthmus of Panama from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast (and at the same time land caravans). These enterprises did not bring any special income to Drake, but his name is becoming widely known.
In 1572, Francis Drake received a license from Queen Elizabeth for private activities.
In 1573, in cooperation with the French pirate Guillaume Le Testu, Drake raided a Spanish silver caravan. During the sortie, the pirates lost more than thirty people, including Drake's brothers - John and Joseph. But the booty was very significant. This allowed Drake to purchase the estate upon his return home and become the shipowner of three ships.
Iron Pirate.
On the advice of John Hawkins, Francis Drake enters the royal service, participates in the suppression of the Irish uprising of 1575, acquires the necessary contacts and connections, at the same time Drake was recommended to Secretary of State Francis Walsingem and introduced to the Queen. He had the opportunity to present to Elizabeth I his plan for an expedition to the west coast of America and received support.
Of course, the participation of the English queen, as well as other "powerful" sponsors of the Drake expedition, was carefully hidden.
December 13, 1577 Francis Drake, at the head of a squadron of 5 ships on the flagship Pelican (Pelican), left Plymouth on his most famous campaign. By this time, he was already surrounded by the glory of the "iron pirate", an experienced navigator and an excellent naval tactician.
It is not known for certain what the main goals were set for Drake's expedition by the court of Elizabeth I - England was at peace with Spain, and the participation of the state in Drake's enterprise was not advertised.
But the results of this voyage are well known.
September 26, 1580 Golden Hind (Golden Hind), having completed its round-the-world passage, anchored in Plymouth. In addition to purely material booty (and this is almost 2 annual budgets of England), there were other equally important historical and political results of this voyage. Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake on April 4, 1581 aboard the Golden Hind.
According to historian J. M. Trevelyan (G. M. Trevelyan.) “This was the most important knighthood ever bestowed by an English sovereign, for it was a direct challenge to Spain and a call to the people of England to turn to the sea and seek their strength there”
Sir Francis Drake bought an estate in Buckland (Buckland Abbey, Devon) - a knighthood obliged him to have his own castle, was elected mayor of Plymouth, appointed inspector of the royal naval commission, and in 1584 became a member of the House of Commons of the British Parliament.
In February 1585, Drake married 20-year-old Elizabeth Sydenham, who came from a wealthy and noble family. However, this marriage was also childless.
Admiral of the Royal Navy
In 1585 - 1586 Drake commanded a large formation of 21 ships. Under his command were 2300 soldiers and sailors. Drake's Vice Admiral was the famous Captain Sir Martin Frobisher. The campaign in the West Indies, the sack of Cartagena and San Augustin in Cuba brought England more than 300 thousand pounds. Art. and about 240 guns.
Another significant campaign was made by Drake in April 1587. At the head of a squadron of 13 ships, he suddenly attacked the Spanish Cadiz, where the famous Invincible Armada was formed. Drake's flotilla sank and burned 30 of the 60 Spanish ships, including a 40-gun 1000-ton Spanish galleon, another large Spanish galleon was boarded in the inner harbor of Cadiz. At the end of this campaign, the Sagrish castle was destroyed, about 50 small caravels and other small ships were sunk and captured, and the caracca San Felipe, returning from the East Indies with a rich cargo, was captured.
Admittedly, this campaign by Drake delayed the attack of the Invincible Armada on England for at least a year, which undoubtedly allowed the latter to better prepare for the Spanish invasion.
Of course, Sir Francis Drake was a direct and active participant in the defeat of the Invincible Armada (132 ships!) In 1588. On his ship Revenge, he participated in battles at Plymouth, at Portland, at the Isle of Wight, near Calais and at Gravelines.
The outstanding role of Francis Drake in the confrontation with Spain was noted even by the opponents and enemies of England. Pope Sixtus V wrote: “Did you hear how Drake and his fleet forced the fight on the Armada? With what courage! Do you think he showed any fear? He is a great captain!"
Apparently, after this, luck turned away from Sir Francis Drake. His subsequent campaigns and enterprises were either unsuccessful or simply a failure.
Sir Francis Drake made his last voyage with Hawkins to the West Indies. However, the Spaniards, who were trained and learned a lot in recent years, managed to repulse the British. This voyage was not particularly successful. Moreover, the British squadron suffered from tropical fever and dysentery.
In November 1595, on the roadstead of San Juan (Puerto Rico), John Hawkins died after a serious illness. And on January 28, 1596, in Nombre de Dios (where he was wounded in the leg in 1572), Francis Drake himself died of dysentery.
The chronicler writes that, having felt the approach of death, the "iron pirate" put on armor in order to accept death as it should be for a warrior and a knight.
Under volleys of ship guns, the lead coffin with the body of Sir Francis Drake sank to the bottom of the sea.
The content of the article
DRAKE, FRANCIS(Drake, Francis) (c. 1540–1596), English navigator, pirate. Born near Tavistock in Devonshire between 1540 and 1545. His father, a former farmer, became a preacher in Chatham, south of London. Drake probably sailed at first on coasters that entered the Thames. The Drake family was related to the wealthy Hawkins family of Plymouth. Therefore, after a little-known first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, Drake received a position as captain of a ship in John Hawkins' squadron, which was engaged in the slave trade and delivered them from Africa to the Spanish colonies in the West Indies. The 1566–1567 voyage ended in failure as the Spanish launched a treacherous attack on English shipping near the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa in the port of Veracruz on the east coast of Mexico. Revenge for this attack became one of the motives for the subsequent pirate activities of the Treasurer of the Navy J. Gaukins and Captain F. Drake.
Trip around the world.
For several years, Drake made pirate raids in the Caribbean, which Spain considered its territory, captured Nombre de Dios in central Panama, and robbed caravans carrying silver cargo from Peru to Panama on mules. His activities attracted the attention of Elizabeth I and a group of courtiers, including the State Treasurer Lord Burghley and Home Secretary Francis Walsingham. Funds were raised for an expedition that lasted from 1577 to 1580. Originally planned to search for the supposed southern mainland, it resulted - perhaps at the direction of the queen (although England and Spain were not yet at war) - in the most successful in history a pirate raid that brought in £47 for every pound invested.
Drake sailed as the captain of the ship "Pelican" (later renamed the "Golden Doe") with a displacement of 100 tons . In addition, there were four smaller ships, which, however, never completed their journey. After crushing a mutiny on a ship off the coast of Patagonia in Argentina, when one of his officers, Thomas Doughty, was punished, Drake entered the Pacific Ocean through the Strait of Magellan. Then his flotilla was carried south to about 57 ° S, and as a result, Drake discovered between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica the strait that now bears his name (although he probably never saw Cape Horn himself). On his way north, he plundered ships and harbors off the coast of Chile and Peru, and seems to have intended to return through the proposed Northwest Passage. Somewhere at the latitude of Vancouver (no ship's logs survived), due to bad weather, Drake was forced to turn south and anchor a little north of modern San Francisco. The site, which he called New Albion, was established in 1936 thanks to the discovery of a copper plate with the date June 17, 1579, about 50 km northwest of the Golden Gate (now Drake's Bay). An inscription is engraved on the plate, declaring this territory the possession of Queen Elizabeth. Drake then crossed the Pacific Ocean and reached the Moluccas, after which he returned to England.
Drake sailed around the world, demonstrating the skill of navigation. The queen granted him a knighthood as the first captain to circumnavigate the globe (Magellan's claims were disputed, since he died during the voyage in 1521). The account of Drake's voyages, compiled by the ship's chaplain Francis Fletcher and published by Hakluth, is still very popular. After receiving his share of the booty, Drake purchased Buckland Abbey near Plymouth, which now houses the Francis Drake Museum.
War with Spain.
In 1585, Drake was appointed commander-in-chief of the English fleet heading for the West Indies, which meant the beginning of open war with Spain. His skill in the tactics of combined sea and land operations made it possible to successively capture Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti), Cartagena (on the Caribbean coast of Colombia) and St. Augustine (in Florida). Before returning to his homeland in 1586, he took with him the colonists (at their request) from the valley of the Roanoke River (Virginia). Thus ceased to exist the first colony in America, founded by Walter Raleigh, which was not just a settlement, but also a strategic base for pirate raids in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, in Spain, the preparation of the Invincible Armada to attack England was successfully completed, so in 1587 Drake was sent to Cadiz on the southern Atlantic coast of Spain. Audacity, combined with superior power, allowed Drake to destroy the ships in this port. Everyone expected Drake to command a fleet in Plymouth to defend England from an attack by the Spanish Armada in 1588. However, the queen felt that due to her low birth and independent nature, Drake could not be appointed commander-in-chief. Although Drake himself was personally involved in the preparation and equipping of the fleet, he dutifully resigned leadership to Lord Howard of Effingham and remained his chief tactical adviser throughout the company.
Thanks to skillful maneuvering, the English fleet broke into the sea and turned the Armada back. When the week-long pursuit of the Armada began in the English Channel, Drake was appointed commander of the fleet on the Revenge (a ship with a displacement of 450 tons with 50 guns on board), but he rejected this offer, captured the damaged Spanish ship Rosario and brought him to Dartmouth. The next day, Drake played a decisive role in the defeat of the Spanish fleet at Gravelines (northeast of Calais).
Drake's expedition against Spain and the siege of the city of A Coruña on its northwestern coast, undertaken in 1588 to destroy the remnants of the Armada, turned out to be a complete failure, mainly due to miscalculations in the logistics of the campaign. Drake fell into disgrace, although he continued to be actively involved in local affairs as Mayor of Plymouth and Member of Parliament for that city. In addition, he founded an asylum in Chatham for wounded sailors. In 1595 he was again called to the navy to lead an expedition to the West Indies together with J. Gaukins. The expedition ended in failure, Hawkins died off the coast of Puerto Rico, and Drake himself died of a fever on January 28, 1596 off the coast of Portobelo.
The most successful corsair in history often took desperate risks. And he almost always won. What was it? Sober calculation or miracles of exceptional luck?
By the middle of the 16th century, an unusual situation had developed in the Atlantic - in the Caribbean Sea and off the coast of Europe. Literally in a matter of years, in these waters, which were previously dangerous except for their storms, a new terrible danger has appeared - pirates! And the first violin in this concert immediately began to play the British. Why exactly them? England was late to the division of the American and Asian colonies. AT XVI century, the Spaniards and the Portuguese confidently settled there. This means that it was difficult for English men to become new conquistadors. Where to go to a young, brave, strong guy who wants to get rich quick? Well, of course, the pirates! And given the fact that piracy was almost officially encouraged by the British government, sea robbery became, in the truest sense of the word, the national idea of Britain.
And the most prominent pirates became national heroes. Sir became such a specific hero Francis Drake – one of the greatest pirates that English soil has ever produced.
Of course, at birth, Drake was no sir at all. This is then the queen , satisfied with the very profitable (for the treasury) activity of the pirate, will grant him a knighthood. And about 1540 when in the family of a Devonshire farmer Edmund Drake a boy was born, who was named Francis, no one could have imagined that he would become sir, vice admiral and thunderstorm of the Spanish crown.
However, one should not consider the small English landowners (yeomen), from which the parents of the future pirate came, as representatives of the lowest classes. So, young Francis received a very good (at that time) education.
He could both read and write. And not only in English, but also in French. From his father, who in his declining years moved from "agricultural workers" to preachers, Drake inherited the art of persuasion - an indispensable quality for any leader (including the leader of sea robbers).
When Francis was still a teenager, his father apprenticed him to the skipper of a merchant barge. It is unlikely that Drake Sr. dreamed of seeing his son as a robber. Rather, he wanted to provide the boy with a secure job in adulthood. And in England the second half XVI centuries, the most sought-after professions were those that were somehow connected with the sea.
So, Francis becomes a cabin boy on a ship. The ship is a trading ship and sails only in coastal waters. This is not even a school, but a kindergarten for every English sailor. But it must be passed in order to step higher. And the school specifically for Francis has already become a service with John Hawkins famous sailor of the Elizabethan era. Hawkins was eight years older than Drake. And most importantly, he was a nobleman with connections. Therefore, Hawkins quickly became an influential leader, and the son of commoners Drake at first only worked for him.
What did Drake do with Hawkins? Oh, then it was the most demanded (just appeared, but promised great prospects) business - slave trade!
Slave Trade: Young Sailor's School
So, if coastal (coastal) navigation was Drake's kindergarten, then John Hawkins' slave trading expeditions became his school.
Sharp-witted, with a well-suspended tongue, sailor Drake quickly attracted the attention of the owner. A promising young man receives a bark under his command "Judith". Very quickly, Drake becomes the right hand of John Hawkins.
However, in 1568 the growing business of Hawkins-Drake suffered an unexpected fiasco. During another visit to the New World with a batch of slaves, near the Mexican fortress of San Juan de Ulua, Hawkins' squadron was attacked by the Spaniards, who had long been suspicious of the visits of English ships to their colonies. Madrid believed that trade with the Spanish colonies, including slaves, should be carried out by Spanish merchants, and not at all by foreigners.
Having abandoned the flagship with all the valuables, Hawkins managed to escape from the Spaniards on the light ship Minion. Escaped from the ring of Spanish ships and Drake on his Judith. The rest of the English ships sank or were captured.
Outraged slave traders Drake and Hawkins arrived in England, where through official channels they demanded compensation from the Spanish king for the losses incurred as a result of such a blatant "violation of international law." The fact that, before its defeat, Hawkins' squadron, in addition to the slave trade, also managed to plunder some coastal Mexican settlements, the plaintiffs modestly passed over in silence.
King of Spain Philip II Of course, this complaint was ignored. Then Drake decided that " do not expect favors from Spain, it is our task to take them from her". So the world was no longer a slave trader, but the pirate Drake ...
Drake's first pirate raid
Drake's first pirate raid 1572 glorified his name throughout England. Equipped partly with his own, partly with state funds, several ships, he went to the Caribbean Sea. There, after a series of mediocre successes, Francis was waiting for a big success of the "Silver Fleet" of the Spanish crown ...
Every year in the spring, a flotilla of dozens of ships sailed from the coast of America to Spain. She carried whole mountains of silver, mined in the famous Bolivian silver mines in Potosi. Therefore, this flotilla was nicknamed the "Silver Fleet".
Of course, for Drake and his small squadron, there was no question of capturing the entire "Silver Fleet", which consisted of several dozen cargo and military (security) ships with a large and well-trained crew. But the fact is that the "Silver Fleet" was formed in Havana (the starting point of the journey to Spain).
Spanish ships arrived at the main port of Cuba from all over South and Central America, carrying silver and other valuables mined or looted in subject territories. From these mini-squadrons, the mighty “Silver Fleet” was then formed, and there was nothing to think about attacking which in full force.
But Drake was just lucky to intercept such a Spanish mini-squadron carrying valuable cargo to Havana. The extraction of the British was colossal - 30 tons of silver. Drake returned to England a rich man and a famous pirate throughout the country.
Pirate and Queen: Secret Additional Agreement
Drake's second outing was even more successful than the first. In November 1577 Drake went on an expedition to the Pacific coast of America. The squadron sailed with the full official support of the Queen Elizabeth , which was convinced of the talents of the ambitious captain and the incredible profitability of such events for the treasury. However, formally the purpose of the trip was the discovery of new lands.
However, everyone understood that Drake was not going on a hike for educational purposes. A secret contract was attached to the official instructions., according to which the queen, at her own expense, equips Drake with a squadron of six ships, and in return he undertakes to hand over 50% of the valuables captured during the “journey” to the royal treasury.
The results of the campaign exceeded all wildest expectations. Drake swept the Pacific coast with fire and sword, attacking Spanish cities and towns. But these were all small things compared to the main prize - manila galleon. Every year, on the other side of the planet, a galleon left Manila (in the Spanish Philippines), which carried to the metropolis all the loot on these Asian islands for the whole year.
But to the west across the Indian Ocean, skirting the Cape of Good Hope, the Spaniards were afraid. They feared (and quite rightly) Asian, Arab, African and, of course, European sea robbers, which were found in abundance in the waters of the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
Therefore, the Spaniards chose a different path. East, in a straight line across the Pacific to the port of Acapulco in Spanish Mexico. There, the values of the Manila galleon were unloaded, transported by land to the opposite (Atlantic) coast, where they were again loaded onto ships and sent to Spain itself. This path was rather laborious, but shorter and, most importantly, safer ...
Yes, it was safer that way. By the English pirates in the Caribbean have already become accustomed to and kept against them military squadrons. But in the Pacific Ocean they have not yet been seen. And they did not provide serious protection.
And so, having rounded South America through the Strait of Magellan, Drake's pirates broke into the operational (Pacific) space ...
Defeated Leviathan
spring 1579, approaching the harbor of the Mexican port of Acapulco (on the Pacific coast of Mexico), Drake saw the silhouette of a huge ship in the roadstead. It was the same Manila galleon!
This ship could not be confused with any other. The fact is that Spanish entrepreneurs, dissatisfied with competition with suppliers of inexpensive Asian products (primarily textiles), convinced the king to issue a special decree. It was decided that only one cargo ship per year could be sent from the Philippines to Spain. So the Castilian weavers wanted to limit the influx of cheap Asian fabrics.
But Spanish traders and merchants in the Philippines found a way out. They began to build this one and only legal vessel of such a size that it could hold all the necessary goods at once. For its era, it was truly a giant ship..
The sailing fleet had never seen such a hulk before. Some of the Manila monsters had a displacement of 2000 tons (for comparison: the largest ship in Drake's squadron did not even reach 300 tons). And Drake saw such a leviathan in the harbor of Acapulco, where the galleon, apparently, had just arrived with a cargo.
Drake didn't hesitate. He had the surprise factor and a desperate team of thugs on his side. The Spaniards were taken by surprise, most of the team was on the shore. The resistance of the small guard was quickly broken. Countless treasures (and not only Chinese silk, but also spices, porcelain, and precious stones were brought from the Philippines) fell into the hands of pirates.
It should be noted that the Manila galleons at the time of Drake did not yet have guns, so they could not give an artillery rebuff to the daring invaders. The Spaniards used to calmly sail across the Pacific Ocean, where there were no serious pirates. Why then guns?
However, after the Drake raid, and also after 1587 another british gentleman of fortune, Thomas Cavendish , captured the Manila galleon "Saint Anna", the Spaniards revised their maritime safety rules. Manila galleons are now equipped with cannons, the military team on the galleons has been significantly increased. After these innovations, the attack became a very problematic task.
But Drake was lucky. He was the first, and therefore hit such a fat jackpot.
"Golden Doe" brings two state budgets
When in September 1580, after a three-year absence, Drake's only surviving ship is his famous flagship "Golden Doe"- Entered Plymouth Harbor, treasures worth £600,000 were buried in the holds of the ship. This was twice the annual budget of the entire English kingdom!
Drake was greeted as a national hero. The queen was delighted. At one stroke, dear Sir Francis (he became sir because he was knighted immediately upon his return) brought her a fantastic gift. Under a secret additional agreement, the queen was entitled to half of the entire booty, that is, in this case, to 300,000 pounds sterling.
The next, third in a row, Drake's raid on the Spanish colonies was also effective. AT 1586 the pirate managed to get from Cartagena, one of the largest cities in Spanish America, an unheard-of ransom of 107,000 gold pesos at that time. True, in order to achieve this impressive result, Drake initially had to burn about a quarter of the city for warning (which, by the way, Queen Elizabeth, who was thirsting for "Spanish blood" at that time, was pretty happy about).
Then there was a daring raid already on the Spanish coast itself (on Cadiz in 1587), in order, as the pirate captain himself jokingly put it, "to burn the beard of the king of Spain."
Along the way, near the Azores, Drake captured the San Filipe carrack, which was coming from India with a large cargo of gold, spices and silk (the production amounted to 114,000 pounds; the queen, as before, received her share).
And in 1588 Sir Francis Drake took an active part in the defeat of the Spanish Invincible Armada. In England, he turned into a national hero, and for the Spanish king he became the embodiment of universal evil.
Drake's last case
Drake made his last pirate expedition to the West Indies (America) in 1595-1596 in company with John Hawkins - a man to whom he owed much of his enchanting career.
Having tied up with the slave trade, John Hawkins also became a pirate. Although here he had to yield the palm to his former protégé (Drake), nevertheless the Spaniards trembled before his name. Starting another military action against the hated England, the Spanish king was interested in the first thing: where are Drake and Hawkins now, what are they doing, what are they doing? That is, the long absence of these gentlemen gives at least some hope of success.
But towards the middle 1590s Hawkins felt guilty towards the queen. On his previous expedition, he brought much less gold than he himself expected, and much less than the queen expected. For this, the 60-year-old sea wolf was given a real scolding in the palace.
Wanting to justify himself, Hawkins wrote a penitential letter to the queen, in the biblical spirit: they say, man proposes, but God disposes.
The pious queen, this time (as in every other time when it came to pounds sterling), did not heed the religious arguments of her ward. In her hearts she said to those close to her:
"This fool went out to sea as a warrior, and returned as a priest!"
Hawkins realized that God-fearing rhetoric will not catch the Queen. Red Bess (Red Beth - Elizabeth's nickname) must be given what she most desires, namely gold. For help, he turned to his old companion - Drake. By the way, the queen also cooled somewhat towards Francis. And all for the same reason: for a long time there were no new chests with gold from him.
Two old friends decided to improve their reputation in the eyes of the royal court and went on another expedition to the shores of Spanish America. Alas, this voyage was the last for both of them.
Hawkins died in November 1595 off the coast of Puerto Rico. And after two months, January 28, 1596, near Puer to Bello(now Portobelo in Panama) Francis Drake died of dysentery. The famous pirate was buried in the ocean in a lead coffin.