A legendary pirate, he served the Queen of England, defeated the Invincible Armada and committed circumnavigation. He was hated and idolized, he created geopolitics with his own hands and changed the boundaries of the world.

The Dragon

The chief British corsair began his illegal activities Francis Drake in the status of a slave trader, but then the British crown had not yet prosecuted this occupation by law. Drake, along with his uncle, took African slaves to the New World and traded in petty robbery until they were treacherously attacked by Spanish ships in 1567. From that alteration, Drake managed to get out. Now Drake's thirst for profit is mixed with a fierce hatred for the Spaniards and a thirst for revenge - he acts alone, sinks and robs dozens of trading ships of Philip II, mercilessly destroys coastal cities.
The Spaniards in the Caribbean Sea have a serious hindrance - Captain Drake, whose ferocity and cruelty brought him terrible fame among them and the wild nickname El Draco the Dragon. Subsequently, they will even call it "the cause of all wars with England," but this is still a long way off.

Pirate in the service of the crown

In 1575, Francis Drake was introduced to the English Queen Elizabeth I, who offered the pirate (at that time Drake had already earned himself a bad name by numerous robberies and the slave trade) public service. Moreover, she financed, together with other shareholders, his expedition to the east coast of South America. The financial support of the campaign was largely a secret action, in any case, Elizabeth never issued a letter of marque confirming the fact of service to the crown. In addition, the official purpose of the expedition was to discover and explore new lands, but in fact Drake went to the New World to ruthlessly rob Spanish ships and ports.
As it turned out, this was a very far-sighted decision on the part of the British court - Drake not only increased the investments of high-ranking officials, but also made several important geographical discoveries, opened many important sea routes.

Trip around the world

In addition to unconditional military merits (during his raid, Drake plundered many Spanish ships and settlements, significantly shaking the Spaniards' confidence in their superiority at sea) to the British crown, Francis Drake also had major geographical achievements. So he found out that Tierra del Fuego is not, as previously thought, part of the southern continent. And having passed between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica on his famous ship "Golden Doe", he forever immortalized his name in the name of the strait (Drake Strait - the strait connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans). In addition, he became the second person in history (after Magellan) who made trip around the world, and unlike Magellan, he returned from the circumnavigation to the point of departure alive. And incredibly rich.

Knighthood

Returning to Britain from a round-the-world voyage, Drake was treated kindly by the English queen in every possible way. His fame spread throughout the country and the world - a round-the-world trip, untold looted wealth (from his trip Drake brought 600 thousand pounds sterling, which was twice the annual income of the English treasury) and a slap in the face of the Spanish fleet and crown turned Drake into a national hero. Queen Elizabeth personally visited Drake on the ship and knighted him right on deck. So the pirate Francis Drake became Sir Francis Drake. And the Spaniards subsequently called him "the cause of all wars with England."

Drake and potatoes

In addition to untold riches, Drake brought another valuable artifact from his expedition - potato tubers. And although the first to bring this vegetable to old light was, most likely, the Spaniard Cieza de Leon, the name of Francis Drake also often pops up in the history of agricultural development in European lands. And, oddly enough, it pops up not only at home - in the German city of Offenburg, a monument was erected to the famous corsair, on which he holds potato tubers in his hand with a dedication inscription “To Sir Francis Drake, who spread potatoes in Europe. Millions of farmers around the world bless his immortal memory. This is a help to the poor, a precious gift of God, alleviating bitter need.

Invincible armada

Despite the achievements and successes of the British fleet, Spain still reigned at sea. In order to finally put an end to the daring raids of the British, the Spanish crown initiated the creation of the Invincible Armada - a huge navy of 130 ships, assembled with the aim of invading England and defeating piracy that had spread under the British flag. The plans of the Spanish king were not destined to come true - the armada was defeated off the coast of England. A huge role in these battles was played by the then Admiral Francis Drake, who, despite the numerical superiority of the Spanish fleet, more than once managed to defeat the enemy.
The battle near the city of Calais is known, in which, thanks to his cunning, the British won a local victory. Drake set fire to the Spanish armada filled with sulfur, tar and gunpowder. The armada cut across the harbor in confusion and became easy prey for the maneuverable English ships. The victory over the Armada further cemented Drake's status as a national hero and favorite of Queen Elizabeth. However, not for long.

Queen's Disfavor

Favor from the queen was not eternal. After the defeat of the Armada, almost all of Drake's ventures were unsuccessful. He failed to capture Lisbon, having spent a substantial amount from the treasury, and fell into disfavor. Elizabeth did not forgive him for his failure and even assigned an overseer to him - Admiral Thomas Baskerville. The next campaign was the last for Drake - at the age of 55, he once again went to the golden shores of America for new treasures. But age, numerous past wounds and an epidemic that broke out along the way did their job - he died of dysentery at sea, not far from Panama. There, dressed in his battle armor and sealed in a lead coffin, he went to his last abode - to the bottom of the ocean.

Francis Drake's message about the discoveries of a corsair, navigator, vice-admiral of the English fleet is set out in this article.

Francis Drake discovered what?

He was the second person after and the first Englishman who circumnavigated the world in 1577-1580. Drake was a talented organizer and naval commander, the main figure in the English fleet, thanks to which the Invincible Spanish Armada was defeated. For what Francis Drake did, the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, knighted him: the navigator began to be called Sir Francis Drake.

In 1575, he was introduced to the Queen of England, Elizabeth I. She invited the pirate (Drake by that time had the glory of a robber and slave trader) to enter the public service. In addition, she, along with the shareholders, financed his expedition to explore the eastern coast of South America. As a result, the journey of Francis Drake not only “paid for itself” at times, but also made geographical discoveries and important sea routes.

What did Francis Drake discover between 1577 and 1580?

Francis Drake, whose round-the-world trip began on November 15, 1577, as part of 6 ships, descended to the southern part of the American continent. Having passed the Strait of Magellan, the team entered the waters of the Pacific Ocean. They were caught by a terrible storm, which threw the ships a little south of the islands Fire Earth. Francis Drake's expedition made a grandiose discovery - the path between the still undiscovered Antarctica and South America. Later it will be named after the traveler - Drake Passage.

All the ships went missing in the storm, leaving only one flagship, the Pelican. Francis Drake, after a miraculous rescue, renamed the ship the Golden Hind. On it, the captain rounded the northern part of the western coast of South America, attacking and plundering Spanish ports along the way.

He reached the shores of modern Canada and California. This Pacific coast was then unexplored and was considered wild land. Drake was the first European in history to stake out new lands for the crown of England. Having replenished supplies, the team headed west, sailed to the Spice Islands. Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, the corsair returned home on September 26, 1580.

Francis Drake was born in 1540 in the town of Tavistock, Devonshire, in the family of a poor village priest, Edmund Drake. Some sources claim that his father was a sailor in his youth. Francis' grandfather was a farmer who owned 180 acres of land. There were twelve children in the Drake family, Francis being the eldest.

Francis left his parents' home early (presumably in 1550), joining a small merchant ship as a cabin boy, where he quickly mastered the art of navigation. Hardworking, persistent and prudent, he liked the old captain, who had no family and who loved Francis like his own son and bequeathed his ship to Francis. As a merchant captain, Drake undertook several long voyages to the Bay of Biscay and Guinea, where he profitably engaged in the slave trade, supplying blacks to Haiti.

In 1567, Drake commanded a ship in the squadron of John Hawkins, famous at that time, who plundered the coast of Mexico with the blessing of Queen Elizabeth I. The English were not so lucky. When, after a terrible storm, they defended themselves in San Juan, they were attacked by a Spanish squadron. Only one ship out of six broke out of the trap and, after a difficult voyage, reached its homeland. It was Drake's ship...

In 1569 he married a girl named Mary Newman. The marriage was childless. Mary died twelve years later.

Shortly thereafter, Drake made two exploratory voyages across the ocean, and in 1572 he organized an independent expedition and made a very successful raid on the Isthmus of Panama.

Flagship "Pelican"

Soon, among the far from good-natured pirates and slave traders, young Drake began to stand out as the most cruel and most successful. According to contemporaries, "he was a domineering and irritable man with a rabid character", greedy, vindictive and extremely superstitious. At the same time, many historians argue that not only for the sake of gold and honors did he undertake risky voyages, that he was attracted by the very opportunity to go where none of the British had yet been. In any case, geographers and sailors of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries owe to this person many important clarifications of the world map.

After Drake had distinguished himself in suppressing the Irish rebellion, he was presented to Queen Elizabeth and outlined his plan to raid and devastate the western coasts of South America. Along with the rank of rear admiral, Drake received five ships with a crew of one hundred and sixty selected sailors. The queen set one condition: that the names of all those noble gentlemen who, like her, gave money to equip the expedition, remain secret.

Drake managed to hide the true purpose of the expedition from Spanish spies by spreading the word that he was heading for Alexandria. As a result of this misinformation, the Spanish ambassador in London, Don Bernandino Mendoza, did not take action to block the pirate's path to the Western Hemisphere.

On December 13, 1577, the flotilla - the flagship Pelican, Elizabeth, Sea Gold, Swan and the galley Christopher - left Plymouth.

Drake's cabin was finished and furnished with great luxury. The utensils he used were pure silver. During the meal, the musicians delighted his ears with their playing, and a page stood behind Drake's chair. The queen sent him as a gift incense, sweets, an embroidered marine cap and a green silk scarf with the words embroidered in gold: "May God always keep and guide you."

In the second half of January, the ships reached Mogadar, a port city in Morocco. Taking hostages, the pirates exchanged them for a caravan of all kinds of goods. Then followed a throw across the Atlantic Ocean. Having plundered the Spanish harbors along the way at the mouth of La Plata, on June 3, 1578, the flotilla anchored in the bay of San Julian, in which Magellan dealt with the rebels. Cancer rock dominated this harbor, for Drake also had to suppress the outbreak of a rebellion, as a result of which Captain Doughty was executed. By the way, at the same time, the Pelican was renamed the Golden Doe (Golden Hind).

On August 2, having abandoned two ships that had become completely unusable, the flotilla (“Golden Doe”, “Elizabeth” and “Sea Gold”) entered the Strait of Magellan and passed it in 20 days. After leaving the strait, the ships fell into a severe storm, which scattered them in different directions. "Sea Gold" died, "Elizabeth" was thrown back to the Strait of Magellan and, having passed it, he returned to England, and the "Golden Doe", on which Drake was, skidded far to the south. At the same time, Drake made the involuntary discovery that Tierra del Fuego is not a ledge southern mainland, as it was believed at that time, but an archipelago, beyond which the open sea extends. In honor of the discoverer, the strait between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica was named after Drake.

As soon as the storm subsided, Drake headed north and broke into the harbor of Valparaiso on December 5. Having seized a ship that was in the harbor, loaded with wine and gold bars worth 37,000 ducats, the pirates landed on the shore and plundered the city, taking a cargo of golden sand worth 25,000 pesos.

In addition, they found secret Spanish maps on the ship, and now Drake was not moving forward blindly. I must say that before Drake's pirate raid, the Spaniards felt completely safe on the west coast of America - after all, not a single English ship passed through the Strait of Magellan, and therefore the Spanish ships in this area had no protection, and the cities were not prepared to repulse the pirates. Walking along the coast of America, Drake captured and plundered many Spanish cities and settlements, including Callao, Santo, Trujillo, Manta. In Panamanian waters, he overtook the Carafuego ship, on which a cargo of fabulous value was taken - gold and silver bullion and coins worth 363 thousand pesos (about 1600 kg of gold). In the Mexican harbor of Acapulco, Drake captured a galleon with a cargo of spices and Chinese silk.

Then Drake, having deceived all the hopes of his enemies, did not turn back to the south, but crossed the Pacific Ocean and went to the Mariana Islands. Having repaired the ship in the Celebes area, he headed for the Cape of Good Hope and on September 26, 1580, anchored in Plymouth, completing the second circumnavigation of the world after Magellan.

Francis Drake's circumnavigation map

It was the most profitable of all trips that have ever been made - it gave an income of 4700% profit, about 500 thousand pounds sterling! To imagine the enormity of this amount, it is enough to give two figures for comparison: fighting to defeat the Spanish "Invincible Armada" in 1588 cost England "only" 160 thousand pounds, and the annual income of the English treasury at that time was 300 thousand pounds. Queen Elizabeth visited Drake's ship and knighted him right on deck, which was a great reward - there were only 300 people in England who had this title!

The Spanish king Philip II demanded the punishment of the pirate Drake, compensation for damages and an apology. Elizabeth's royal council limited itself to a vague answer that the Spanish king had no moral right "to prevent the British from visiting the Indies, and therefore the latter can travel there, at the risk of being caught there, but if they return without harming themselves, His Majesty cannot ask Her Majesty to punish them…”

In 1585 Drake married a second time. This time it was a girl of a rather rich and noble family - Elizabeth Sydenham. The couple moved into Drake's recently purchased Buckland Abbey estate. Today there is a large monument in honor of Drake. But, as in his first marriage, Drake had no children.

In 1585-1586 Sir Francis Drake was again in command of the armed English fleet, directed against the Spanish colonies of the West Indies, and, just like last time, returned with rich booty. For the first time, Drake commanded such a large formation: he had 21 ships under his command with 2,300 soldiers and sailors.

It was thanks to Drake's energetic actions that the launch of the Invincible Armada was delayed for a year, which allowed England to better prepare for military operations with Spain. Not bad for one person! And it was like this: on April 19, 1587, Drake, commanding a squadron of 13 small ships, entered the harbor of Cadiz, where the ships of the Armada were preparing to sail. Of the 60 ships that were on the raid, he destroyed 30, and captured and took away some of the rest, including a huge galleon.

In 1588, Sir Francis put his heavy hand to the complete defeat of the Invincible Armada. Unfortunately, this was the zenith of his fame. An expedition to Lisbon in 1589 ended in failure and cost him the favor and favor of the Queen. He could not take the city, and out of 16 thousand people only 6 thousand survived. In addition, the royal treasury suffered losses, and the queen treated such matters very badly. It seems that happiness has left Drake, and the next expedition to the shores of America for new treasures has already cost him his life.

Everything in this last voyage was unsuccessful: at the landing sites it turned out that the Spaniards were warned and ready to fight back, there was no treasure, and the British suffered constant losses in people, not only in battles, but also from disease. The admiral also fell ill with dengue fever. Feeling the approach of death, Drake got out of bed, dressed with great difficulty, asked his servant to help him put on armor in order to die like a warrior. At dawn on January 28, 1596, he was gone. A few hours later, the squadron approached Nombre de Dios. The new commander, Thomas Baskerville, ordered the body of Sir Francis Drake to be placed in a lead coffin and lowered into the sea with military honors.

Since Sir Francis Drake did not have any children to inherit his title, he was passed on to a nephew, also named Francis. Then it seemed a curiosity of fate, but later became the cause of many incidents and misunderstandings.

Drake, Francis
Material from Wikipedia - free encyclopedia

Sir Francis Drake (eng. Francis Drake; circa 1540 - January 28, 1596) - English navigator and corsair of the times of Elizabeth I. The first Englishman to circumnavigate the world (in 1577-1580) defeated the Spanish fleet (Invincible Armada) in the Battle of Gravelines 1588 He owned Buckland Abbey Manor in Yelverton.

Biography

Childhood and youth
Francis Drake was born in Crowndale, near Tavistock, in Devonshire, the son of a farmer (father - Edmund Drake), who later became a priest. There were twelve children in the Drake family, Francis being the eldest. In 1549 the Drake family moved to Kent. From the age of 13 he became a sailor, was an assistant to the captain, and at the age of 16 he took command of a ship - a small barque. The first voyages - in the North Sea.

Adulthood
In 1567 he sailed to Guinea and the West Indies, commanding a ship on a slave trading expedition of his relative John Hawkins. During this expedition, the ships of the British were attacked by the Spaniards, and most of them were sunk. According to various sources, from one (Drake's ship) to three ships survived.

In 1572, he went on his own expedition to the Spanish possessions in the West Indies, captured the city of Nombre de Diaz on the Isthmus of Panama, captured ships in the harbor of Cartagena, burned Portobello. During this raid, Drake crossed the Isthmus of Panama several times overland and captured the Spanish "Silver Caravan" (about 30 tons of silver). August 9, 1573 Drake returned to Plymouth famous.

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 the discovery of 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 embarked on this journey on the 100-ton Pelican flagship, which was accompanied by four other ships. Without entering the Strait of Magellan, Drake was the first to bypass Tierra del Fuego, thereby figuring out that it was not part of the southern continent (although Drake's primacy is disputed).

After the Pelican flagship, the only one of all the ships, "made its way" to the Pacific Ocean, it was renamed the Golden Doe. Drake moved along the Pacific coast, attacking Spanish ports such as Valparaiso, and explored the coast well north of the Spanish colonies, to about present-day Vancouver. June 17, 1579 Drake landed, as expected, 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 went to the Moluccas. Bypassing Africa, Drake returned to England on September 26, 1580, bringing back treasure worth 600,000 pounds. For this expedition, Drake was awarded a knighthood. In 1588 he was one of the English admirals who defeated the Spanish Invincible Armada. After that, Drake invited Elizabeth I of England to attack Lisbon. The English, led by Drake, would have captured Lisbon, but he had no siege weapons. After that, he lost the Queen's favor. Died of dysentery, at dawn, January 28, 1596.

Drake and the map of the World
Drake is also known in geography. The strait between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica is named after him.

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 the 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, speaking modern language, “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 standards international law there were several centuries left to fight piracy, and the seizure of ships flourished on the seas for the purpose of profit. That's how it is; but to persuade the monarchy of one of the largest European states to encourage and finance robbery - even then it was far from easy ...

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 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 new way to the 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 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 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 earth.

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 is not lost in the most, it would seem, 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, 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 due to his success in public service, - Drake distinguished himself in the suppression of the Irish rebellion.

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 vessel 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 it. detailed description.

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 participation towards 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 had no time to go into this sea ... for us it turned out to be Mad, when such a violent storm began, which we had not yet experienced ... 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 back into the Strait of Magellan, decided not to tempt fate anymore and, having climbed 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 shipping, 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 that didn't happen, Drake wouldn't have done it. 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 “The Big 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 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 supplies fresh water and food, a group of sailors led by an admiral were suddenly attacked by the 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 pacific ocean brought Drake considerable profits, and he continued with inspiration the mission intended for him. Extremely interesting English descriptions 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 driver, 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 swimming 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 to go around North America from the north was driven back, 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 attach to English possessions the country he discovered, 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 internecine war tribes and who died in the Philippine Islands, Drake, of course, was 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 major 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 held on board the Golden Doe, when, to the sounds of trumpets and drumming, Elizabeth, lowering her sword on the kneeling Francis Drake's shoulder, 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 more outstanding event can be found - 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.