He was admired by the English especially in times of national crisis and that also meant he was greatly feared by the Spanish, who frequently tried to stop him with little or no success whatsoever.
The Young Adventurer and Sailor
Francis Drake was a natural sailor born in the Devon town of Tavistock during the early months of 1540 into a family with strong maritime connections. His exact date of birth was not recorded but he was the eldest of twelve brothers, all of whom became mariners. The local parish register at that point in time only had to record the year that people were born in so if their families did not note down exact dates of birth they are unknown.
For Drake and his younger brothers there was already an adventurer, privateer, and future admiral in their own family, in the shape of their older cousin John Hawkins. It was Hawkins, who took a keen interest in trading with / stealing from the Spanish in Latin America, selling slaves to the Spanish, and also improving the sailing performance of English ships.
The young Drake learned and honed his maritime skills in his voyages with Hawkins, which led to a growing reputation within the English coastal communities. It also started to get him noticed by the Spanish, whose government increasingly considered Drake, Hawkins, and other English sailors to be pirates.
A Daring Admiral and Privateer
It was Drake’s sailing around the world in the Golden Hind that brought him international fame even if he had to rely on privateer and slaving trips to make his profits. His voyages were heavily backed by individual investors including Elizabeth I herself. The English Crown indeed derived a great deal of revenue from the privateers it gave licenses out to.
As England’s relations with Spain gradually deteriorated in the 1570s and 1580s the raids of English privateers were in affect a means of conducting war by proxy. Drake and his contemporaries were particularly attracted to the Spanish bullion ships to enrich themselves as well as reducing the funds available for Spain to crush the Revolt of the Netherlands. Drake's raids in the West Indies of 1585 and against Cadiz two years later meant he was feared and loathed in equal measures by the Spanish. The raid on Cadiz delayed the Spanish Armada by a vital twelve months and allowed the Royal Navy to prepare its defences.
When the Spanish Armada finally set sail in 1588 Drake was second in command of the Royal Navy with only Lord Howard of Effingham being senior in rank to him. Although the English ships were superior to their Spanish counterparts they were unable to destroy them. It was Drake who masterminded the fireship attack on Calais that broke the Spanish formation and led to its destruction by storms. The war continued until after the death of Elizabeth I but Drake himself died in 1596 during yet another raid against Spanish shipping.
Sources
Crystal D (1998) Chambers’ Biographical Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, Edinburgh
Fraser R (2002) A Popular History of Britain, Penguin, London
Lenman B, (2004) Chambers Dictionary of World History, Edinburgh
Roberts R M (1996) Penguin History of Europe, Penguin, London
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