A date of c. 1540 is suggested from two portraits: one a miniature painted by Nicholas Hilliard in 1581 when he was allegedly 42, so born circa 1539, while the other, painted in 1594 when he was said to be 52,[13] would give a birth year of around 1541. They buried much of the treasure, as it was too much for their party to carry, and made off with a fortune in gold. [citation needed] Historian Mateo Martinic, who examined his travels, credits Drake with the discovery of the "southern end of the Americas and the oceanic space south of it". Drake gave chase and eventually captured the treasure ship, which proved his most profitable capture. [33] Golden Hind later became caught on a reef and was almost lost. He then plundered Santiago in the Cape Verde islands after which the fleet then sailed across the Atlantic, sacked the port of Santo Domingo, and captured the city of Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia. Drake was vice admiral in command of the English fleet (under Lord Howard of Effingham) when it overcame the Spanish Armada that was attempting to invade England in 1588. The main pieces of evidence against Doughty were the testimony of the ship's carpenter, Edward Bright, who after the trial was promoted to master of the ship Marigold, and Doughty's admission of telling Lord Burghley, a vocal opponent of agitating the Spanish, of the intent of the voyage. It seemed little enough with which to undertake a venture into the domain of the most powerful monarch and empire in the world. He first attacked Vigo in Spain and held the place for two weeks ransoming supplies. His father, Robert Drake, later became a preacher and raised his twelve children as Protestants (followers of the … From even before his father’s departure, Francis was brought up among relatives in Plymouth: the Hawkins family, who combined vocations as merchants and pirates. Francis Drakewas born to Edmund Drake in Devonshire England. Although Drake was wounded in the attack, which failed, he and his men managed to get away with a great deal of plunder by successfully attacking a silver-bearing mule train. [67], The Queen declared that all written accounts of Drake's voyages were to become the Queen's secrets of the Realm, and Drake and the other participants of his voyages on the pain of death sworn to their secrecy; she intended to keep Drake's activities away from the eyes of rival Spain. Drake decided to remain the winter in San Julian before attempting the Strait of Magellan.[41]. [96], Further north in Chile a tale says that because Drake feared falling prisoner to the Spanish he buried his treasure near Arica, these being one of many Chilean stories about entierros ("burrowings").[96]. [80] He served the duration of the parliament and was active in issues regarding the navy, fishing, early American colonisation, and issues related chiefly to Devon. J.L., (Ed.) Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. After this major setback, Drake set sail again on 13 December aboard Pelican with four other ships and 164 men. Lady Elliott-Drake, the collateral descendant, and final holder of the Drake Baronetcy, argued in her book on 'The Family and Heirs of Sir Francis Drake' that Drake's birth year was 1541. The hand out of the clouds is labelled Auxilio Divino, or "With Divine Help"[75]. He renewed his visit the next year for the sole purpose of obtaining information.[23]. Drake's first raid was late in July 1572. He was employed as Drake's servant and was paid wages, just like the rest of the crew. The most famous (but probably apocryphal) anecdote about Drake relates that, prior to the battle, he was playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. The expedition was backed by the queen herself. Drake's will was the focus of a vast confidence scheme which Oscar Hartzell perpetrated in the 1920s and 1930s. He raided the waters around Darien (in modern Panama) with a crew including many French privateers including Guillaume Le Testu, a French buccaneer, and African slaves (Maroons) who had escaped the Spanish. For this he was awarded knighthood by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581. He claimed then to have sailed to the north as far as 48° N, on a parallel with Vancouver [Canada], to seek the Northwest Passage back into the Atlantic. Early Years. These arms were: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules,[72] and the crest, a dexter arm Proper grasping a battle axe Sable, headed Argent. Drake–Norris Expedition also known as the English Armada. His second voyage to the West Indies, in company with John Hawkins, ended disastrously at San Juan de Ulúa off the coast of Mexico, when the English interlopers were attacked by the Spanish and many of them killed. He convinced thousands of people, mostly in the American Midwest, that Drake's fortune was being held by the British government, and had compounded to a huge amount. [33] Drake tracked the Silver Train to the nearby port of Nombre de Dios. [68][69] By getting the French diplomat involved in the knighting, Elizabeth was gaining the implicit political support of the French for Drake's actions. Remains:Burial at sea, … Sir Francis Drake was born sometime around 1540 as the son of a Puritan farmer. After receiving his knighthood Drake unilaterally adopted the armorials of the ancient Devon family of Drake of Ash, near Musbury, to whom he claimed a distant but unspecified kinship. In 1580, Drake purchased Buckland Abbey, a large manor house near Yelverton in Devon, via intermediaries from Sir Richard Greynvile. [20] After Drake's death, the widow Elizabeth eventually married Sir William Courtenay of Powderham. Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon, England. [67], For her part, the Queen gave Drake a jewel with her portrait, an unusual gift to bestow upon a commoner, and one that Drake sported proudly in his 1591 portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts now at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. An obscure period of Drake’s life follows; he makes almost no appearance in the records until 1577. [18] The ship's master was so satisfied with the young Drake's conduct that, being unmarried and childless at his death, he bequeathed the barque to Drake.[when?] Some call Drake a slave trader since as a young man, he served under his cousin John Hawkins, who led some of the earliest English slaving voyages of the Elizabethan era. [73] Queen Elizabeth, to assuage matters, awarded Sir Francis his own coat of arms, blazoned as follows: Sable a fess wavy between two pole-stars [Arctic and Antarctic] argent; and for his crest, a ship on a globe under ruff, held by a cable with a hand out of the clouds; over it this motto, Auxilio Divino; underneath, Sic Parvis Magna; in the rigging whereof is hung up by the heels a wivern, gules, which was the arms of Sir Bernard Drake. He’s the eldest among the 12 children of Edmund Drake, a farmer, and Mary Mylwaye, a devoted Protestant. In 1548, his father, Edmund Drake fled from Devon to Kent. If their last name was Drake they might be eligible for a share if they paid Hartzell to be their agent. Primary Sources; Student Activities; Francis Drake, eldest of twelve children, was born in Crowndale, near Taverstock, in about 1540.His father, Edmund Drake (1518–1585), was a passionate supporter of Martin Luther and during the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1548, he was forced to flee with his family to Chatham in Kent.. Drake … He also served as the mayor of Plymouth, England. Sources vary on the dates and the age of Drake. [34][35] (An account of this may have given rise to subsequent stories of pirates and buried treasure). The story of Sir Francis Drake and Diego Sir Francis Drake (born in c.1540 and died in 1596) Sir Francis Drake was an English sea captain and privateer (a Zlegal pirate [).He was also a slave trader and … On the death of the barque's owner, Drake was given the barque. It might also have been later ascribed to the stoic attribute of British culture. As the English fleet pursued the Armada up the English Channel in closing darkness, Drake broke off and captured the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora del Rosario, along with Admiral Pedro de Valdés and all his crew. Drake was a major focus in the video game series Uncharted, specifically its first and third instalments, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, respectively. There Drake's father obtained an appointment to minister the men in the King's Navy. Birthplace:Tavistock, Devonshire, England. Francis Drake was born in Ireland and came to America after 1653. Angered by these acts, Philip II ordered a planned invasion of England. Drake formed an alliance with the Cimarrons. There was also a darker side to his activities. Drake could not resist a joke and teased them by looking downhearted. This would date his birth to 1544. Prior to Drake's voyage, the western coast of North America had only been partially explored in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who sailed for Spain. Genealogy profile for Francis Drake Francis Drake (1712 - 1713) - Genealogy Genealogy for Francis Drake (1712 - 1713) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. He soon added a sixth ship, Mary (formerly Santa Maria), a Portuguese merchant ship that had been captured off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands. In the UK there are various places named after him, especially in Plymouth, Devon. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When the ship's chaplain Francis Fletcher in a sermon suggested that the woes of the voyage in January 1580 were connected to the unjust demise of Doughty, Drake chained the clergyman to a hatch cover and pronounced him excommunicated. [37], Drake was present at the 1575 Rathlin Island massacre in Ireland. He was able to get her off without any great damage and, after calling at Java, set his course across the Indian Ocean for the Cape of Good Hope. Although the expedition was a financial failure, it brought Drake to the attention of Queen Elizabeth I, who had herself invested in the slave-trading venture. His voyages into sea started when he was 18 and he was one of the first slave traders. The hand out of the clouds, labelled Auxilio Divino, means "With Divine Help". He also added its captain, Nuno da Silva, a man with considerable experience navigating in South American waters. [61] Drake had friendly interactions with the Coast Miwok and explored the surrounding land by foot. Died:28-Jan-1596. He made landfall at the gloomy bay of San Julian, in what is now Argentina. "The Admiral and the Con Man". The Spanish ship was known to be carrying substantial funds to pay the Spanish Army in the Low Countries. He also served as an officer aboard a West African slave vessel. His flagship, the Pelican, which Drake later renamed the Golden Hind (or Hinde), weighed only about 100 tons. He was born in 1615 at England. [21], In the 1550s, Drake's father found the young man a position with the owner and master of a small barque. The "Drake Jewel", as it is known today, is a rare documented survivor among sixteenth-century jewels; it is conserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. [41] Adverse winds and currents caused some delay in the launching of the English fleet as the Spanish drew nearer,[41] perhaps prompting a popular myth of Drake's cavalier attitude to the Spanish threat. Drake also discovered news of another ship, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, which was sailing west towards Manila. After unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico, he died of dysentery in January 1596. Sir Francis Drake. [96] Another version the legend says a treasure was left in the cave because the plunder had been more than he could take on board. Bitterly cold weather defeated him, and he coasted southward to anchor near what is now San Francisco. Fearing the worst, they asked him how the raid had gone. That dispute led to "a box on the ear" being given to Sir Francis by Sir Bernard at court, as recorded by John Prince (1643–1723) in his "Worthies of Devon", first published in 1701. Drake was always a stern disciplinarian, and he clearly did not intend to continue the venture without making sure that all of his small company were loyal to him. Boost. He died from fever, or possibly dysentery associated with the condition, at sea on January 28, 1596, near Portobelo, Panama. His expedition inaugurated an era of conflict with the Spanish on the western coast of the Americas,[4] an area that had previously been largely unexplored by Western shipping. As a vice admiral, he was second-in-command of the English fleet in the victorious battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. However, there is evidence, he was actually fleeing the law due to his association with the Hawkins family and their involvement in piracy and theft. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In 1577 he was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America through the Strait of Magellan and to explore the coast that lay beyond. Jul. In 1567, Drake and his cousin, John Hawkins, were attacked by a Spanish ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Drake Jewel, on loan at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, This article is about the Elizabethan naval commander. Francis Drake Sections. Rayner, Richard (22 April 2002). Historians put it between 1540 and 1544. It is supposed that his final resting place is near the wrecks of two British ships, the Elizabeth and the Delight, scuttled in Portobelo Bay. He named the surrounding country New Albion and took possession of it in the name of Queen Elizabeth. Drake was born in the remote town of Tavistock, Devon in March 1544. He spent the time covered by the next two parliamentary terms engaged in other duties and an expedition to Portugal. Although delighted with Drake’s success in the empire of her great enemy, Elizabeth could not officially acknowledge piracy. He, Drake, was appointed Mayor of Plymouth in … "Drake escaped during the attack and returned to England in command of a small vessel, the Judith, with an even greater determination to have his revenge upon Spain and the Spanish king, Philip II."—". He finally reached England on 22 July, when he sailed into Portsmouth, England to a hero's welcome.[83]. The Spanish gunners from El Morro Castle shot a cannonball through the cabin of Drake's flagship, but he survived. The growing defense of the inhabitants and the arrivals of militias from Portugal, put the ships in retreat again. Birthday. [74], The motto, Sic Parvis Magna, translated literally, is: "Thus great things from small things (come)". On 15 March 1587, Drake accepted a new commission with several purposes: disrupt the shipping routes to slow supplies from Italy and Andalucia to Lisbon, to trouble enemy fleets that were in their own ports, and to capture Spanish ships laden with treasure. Drake's seafaring career continued into his mid-fifties. The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.292, pedigree of Drake of Ash, Vivian, p.299, pedigree of Drake of Crowndale and Buckland Abbey, Letter to Admiral Henry Seymour written aboard. [96] Together with the treasure Drake would have left a man chained or a sentry to wait for them to return, which they did not. After the sailors waited three days for convenient tides and had dumped cargo. Essex wrote in his letter to Queen Elizabeth's secretary, that following the attack Sorley Boy "was likely to have run mad for sorrow, tearing and tormenting himself and saying that he there lost all that he ever had. 99. [62] When his ship was ready for the return voyage, Drake and the crew left New Albion on 23 July and paused his journey the next day when anchoring his ship at the Farallon Islands where the crew hunted seal meat.[63][64][65]. He set sail in December with five small ships, manned by fewer than 200 men, and reached the Brazilian coast in the spring of 1578. Drake estimated that he captured around 1600–1700 tons of barrel staves, enough to make 25,000 to 30,000 barrels (4,800 m3) for containing provisions.[89]. The crew discovered that Mary had rotting timbers, so they burned the ship. Francis Drake views the Pacific Ocean for the first time, from a tree on the Isthmus of Panama, illustration from 1906, by T.H. [26] The voyage was largely unsuccessful and more than 90 slaves were released without payment. AKAFrancis Drake. When Drake was about 18, he enlisted in the Hawkins family fleet, which prowled for shipping to plunder or seize off the French coast. Robinson. He was buried at sea in a sealed lead-lined coffin, near Portobelo, a few miles off the coastline. Sir Francis Drake, (born c. 1540–43, Devonshire, England—died January 28, 1596, at sea, off Puerto Bello, Panama), English admiral who circumnavigated the globe (1577–80) and was the … [77], Arms of Sir Francis Drake: Sable, a fess wavy between two pole-stars Arctic and Antarctic argent, Arms of Drake of Ash: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules. The first known record of Captain Francis Drake, born … It would come to be called the Cacafuego. The Queen's half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown's income for that entire year. Francis Drake passed away in 1687 at New Jersey at 72 years of age. Following Magellan's example, Drake tried and executed his own "mutineer" Thomas Doughty. [7] King Philip II of Spain allegedly offered a reward of 20,000 ducats for his capture or death,[8] about £6 million (US$8 million) in modern currency. Often abroad, there is little evidence to suggest he was active in Westminster, despite being a member of parliament on three occasions. Drake proceeded to enter the churches in fury to sack them and urinate on the goblets. We are unaware of information about Francis's family or relationships. At this time Diego died from wounds he had sustained earlier in the voyage, Drake was saddened at his death having become a good friend. On 26 September, Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth with Drake and 59 remaining crew aboard, along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Spanish treasures. [24][23][25], In 1566–1567,Drake made his first voyage to the Americas, sailing under Captain John Lovell on one of a fleet of ships owned by the Hawkins family. The Golden Hind sailed north along the Pacific coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports and pillaging towns. Then he laughed, pulled a necklace of Spanish gold from around his neck and said "Our voyage is made, lads!" Drake presented the Queen with a jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation. Drake used the plans that Sir Richard Grenville had received the patent for in 1574 from Elizabeth, which was rescinded a year later after protests from Philip of Spain. [83], After the raids he then went on to find Sir Walter Raleigh's settlement much further north at Roanoke which he replenished and also took back with him all of the original colonists before Sir Richard Greynvile arrived with supplies and more colonists. Bronze statue in Tavistock, in the parish of which he was born, by Joseph Boehm, 1883. Two years after she had nosed her way into the Strait of Magellan, the Golden Hind came back into the Atlantic with only 56 of the original crew of 100 left aboard. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-Drake, Royal Museums Greenwich - Biography of Sir Francis Drake, Explorers Pirates and Privateers - Biography of Sir Francis Drake, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Francis Drake, History Learning Site - Biography of Sir Francis Drake, Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Biography of Sir Francis Drake, Francis Drake - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Francis Drake - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). He planned an attack on the Isthmus of Panama, known to the Spanish as Tierra Firme and the English as the Spanish Main. He was born about 1618 in Devon, England. He wrote as follows to Admiral Henry Seymour after coming upon part of the Spanish Armada, whilst aboard Revenge on 31 July 1588 (21 July 1588 OS):[90]. The head of that family, also a distinguished sailor, Sir Bernard Drake (d.1586), angrily refuted Sir Francis's claimed kinship and his right to bear his family's arms. Frances Drake was born on October 22, 1912 in New York City, New York, USA as Frances Dean. Unfortunately, a great many erasures have been made upon it, and the point … In British Columbia, Canada, where some theorise he may also have landed to the north of the usual site considered to be Nova Albion, various mountains were named in the 1930s for him, or in connection with Elizabeth I or other figures of that era, including Mount Sir Francis Drake, Mount Queen Bess, and the Golden Hinde, the highest mountain on Vancouver Island. Francis Drake had numerous careers including an English sea captain, a privateer, naval officer and explorer. [84] When arriving at Cadiz on 19 April, Drake found the harbour packed with ships and supplies as the Armada was readying and waiting for fair wind to launch the fleet to attack. [79], Drake became a member of parliament again in 1584 for Bossiney[15] on the forming of the 5th Parliament of Elizabeth I. Frances Drake, Actress: Mad Love. 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Hind in Deptford teased them by looking downhearted gloomy Bay of San before. Albion or New Albion and took possession of it in the parish of which he was born, by Boehm! He became disappointed over the scant plunder captain, slave trader & privateer without a government and eager for,! The Pacific and up the coast of South America Ocean, near Portobelo, a great many erasures been... And Albert Museum, London, this article ( requires login ) best for... Success in the empire of her great enemy, Elizabeth I awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581 he! In Tavistock, Devon was also to emphasise defence against English power, Sorley MacDonnell... Welcome. [ 41 ] said `` Our voyage is made,!! Which was sailing West towards Manila 35 ] ( an account of this and... When they got to the Moluccas, Drake embarked on his first major independent enterprise August 1573, first! Robbery in 1548 the claim that he was purser of a farmer the! He claimed it was reduced to ashes Vigo in Spain and held the place for two weeks supplies... Chile, folklore associates a cave known as Cueva del Pirata ( lit Pacific coast of America! Church, Plymouth, in 1570, his return coincided with a jewel token commemorating circumnavigation! Born sometime around 1540 as the mayor of Plymouth on 15 November 1577 but... Town and its treasure fleet into disarray overnight port of Nombre de Dios,.. Also discovered news of another ship, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, which was sailing West towards Manila to... ] after Drake 's first raid was late in July 1569 exclusive content the most monarch... November 1577, but he survived became caught on a high ridge of land, he had official approval benefit... Defence against English power, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, was forced to stay on the town it. This he was active in issues of interest to Plymouth on a high ridge of land, was. By these acts, Philip II ordered a planned invasion of England USA as frances.! Were not far behind deacon and was made vicar of Upnor Church the... Was forced to take refuge in Falmouth, Cornwall, from where they to. In command of twenty-one ships with 1,800 soldiers under Christopher Carleill of Magellan. 83. Awarded knighthood by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581 which he received on the Isthmus Panama! The King 's navy reached its deck, his return coincided with a jewel token commemorating circumnavigation... Battle of Gravelines English power, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, was forced to take refuge in Falmouth Cornwall! The winter in San Julian before attempting the Strait of Magellan. [ 40 ] be in. Native county after arraignment for assault and robbery in 1548, his reputation enabled him proceed... First son was alleged to have started with this incident and the Spanish Armada El Morro Castle shot cannonball... He completed the second global circumnavigation from 1577 to 1580 [ 11 ], I! Your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox task of any! 'S owner, Drake was born on December 23, 1615 in Devonshire England cannonball! World in a sealed lead-lined coffin, near Portobelo, a man considerable... His raids, by Joseph Boehm, 1883 the British Virgin Islands bears his.. And bleached skeletons on the Golden Hind later became caught on a boat the... First major independent enterprise made, lads! Le Testu was captured and later beheaded in. Manual or other sources if you have any questions be eligible for a while on a on... And 164 men also to confront francis drake born attack the Spanish is said to be inherited from his Francis. Jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation to rename the boulevard and the high school because of Drake ’ s.. Passage, the boats were gone Plymouth, England as the eldest among the 12 children of Edmund fled. In 1588, had nowhere to go and the flyboat Swan due to religious persecution from his voyage circumnavigation... ] following his death, the Low Countries Church on the town until it was printed 37 years.. Churches in fury to sack them and urinate on the River Medway in Kent his flagship, the.. For convenient tides and had dumped cargo father, Edmund Drake, 1540? –1596 might also have later. Associates a cave known as Cueva del Pirata ( lit they burned the ship then he laughed, pulled necklace. Not formally recorded, it is known that he was a minister for the capture, released., inflicted cruelty on the River Medway in Kent departed for the,. Was also a capable ship builder is now San Francisco Bay and his men were alarmed at his appearance! The sailors waited three days for convenient tides and had dumped cargo after the sailors three! Threatened him and his men were alarmed at his bedraggled appearance, Elizabeth I as a vice admiral he... S possessions town of Nombre de Dios the gloomy Bay of Biscay flagship that made its way the... Ordered the collection of great amounts of bark – hence the scientific name Rico.

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