(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.

Childhood and youth

Francis Drake owned the manor of Buckland Abbey in Yelverton, but was born at Crowndale, near Teyvistoke (Tenviston), in Devonshire, the son of a farmer (yeoman) Edmund Drake, who later became a priest. In total, the Drake family had twelve children, Francis was the eldest. In 1549 the Drake family moved to Kent. At the age of 12 he became a cabin boy on a merchant ship (barque). He was so fond of the owner of the ship, his distant relative, that after his death he bequeathed the ship to Drake, and at the age of 18 he became a full captain.

Adulthood

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

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

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

After the flagship "Pelican", the only one of all the ships "made its way" to the Pacific Ocean, it was renamed "Golden Doe". Drake moved north along the Pacific coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports, including Valparaiso, and then explored the coast well north of the Spanish colonies, approximately to modern Vancouver. On 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 from the south, Drake returned to England on September 26, 1580, bringing back £600,000 worth of potatoes and treasure, twice the annual income of the English kingdom. Drake was greeted as a national hero, favored by the Queen, and was awarded a knighthood. During another expedition to the West Indies, Drake ravaged the Spanish harbors of Vigo, Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti), Cartagena (in New Granada) and San Augustin (in Florida). In 1587, he became famous for his daring attack on the Spanish port of Cadiz.

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

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

Fighting

Sir Francis Drake changed the course of naval combat. If earlier the ship with the largest number of guns won, then after Drake, priority was given to the speed of the ship. On his galleon "Golden Doe" Drake proved this more than once. So, thanks to knippels, Drake immobilized the enemy and turned him into a standing target. Later, Drake began to use fireships for significant battles. They were actively used during the Battle of Gravelines.

In honor of Francis Drake

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

In the German city of Offenburg, sculpted in stone in 1853 by the artist Andre Friedrich, the great corsair held a potato flower in his hand. The inscription on the pedestal read: “To Sir Francis Drake, who spread the potato 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. In 1939, the monument was destroyed by the Nazis.

Featured on a 1973 British postage stamp.

Editions of works about Drake's campaigns

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

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Literature

• Balandin R.K. Famous sea robbers. From Vikings to Pirates. - M.: Veche, 2012. - 352 p.
• Belousov R. S. Under the Black Flag: Historical Essays. - M.: Olimp; AST, 1996. - 432 p.
• Blon George. Great Oceans Hour: Atlantic. - M.: Thought, 1978. - 218 p.
• Blon George. Great Oceans Hour: Quiet. - M.: Thought, 1980. - 208 p.
• Gerhard Peter. Pirates of New Spain. 1575-1742 - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - 240 p.
• Glagoleva E. V. The Daily Life of Pirates and Corsairs of the Atlantic from Francis Drake to Henry Morgan. - M.: Young Guard, 2010. - 416 p.: ill.
• Gubarev V.K. Francis Drake. - M.: Young Guard, 2013. - 374 p.
• Konstam Angus. Pirates. General history from antiquity to the present day. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 464 p.: ill.
• Kopelev D.N. The golden era of sea robbery (pirates, filibusters, corsairs). - M.: Ostozhye, 1997. - 496 p.
• Kopelev D.N. Division of the Ocean in the 16th—18th centuries: Origins and evolution of piracy. - St. Petersburg: KRIGA, 2013. - 736 p.
• Malakhovskiy K.V. Circumnavigation of the Golden Doe. - M.: Nauka, 1980. - 168 p. (about Francis Drake).
• Malakhovskiy K.V. Five captains. - M.: Nauka, 1986. - 428 p. (about Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, William Dampier, Matthew Flinders).
• Mahovsky Jacek. History of maritime piracy. - M.: Nauka, 1972. - 288 p.
• Medvedev I. A. Knights of the Sea. - M.: Veche, 2012. - 320 p.
• Mozheiko I.V. Pirates, corsairs, raiders: Essays on the history of piracy in the Indian Ocean and the South Seas in the 15th–20th centuries. 3rd ed. - M.: Nauka, Main edition of Eastern literature, 1991. - 348 p.
• Neukirchen Heinz. Pirates: Sea robbery on all seas. - M.: Progress, 1980. - 352 p.
• Perrier Nicholas. Pirates. World Encyclopedia. - M.: Geleos, 2008. - 256 p.: ill.
• Ryabtsev G.I. Pirates and robbers. Filibusters, corsairs, privateers and buccaneers. - Minsk: Literature, 1996. - 608 p.
• Rogozhinsky Jean. Encyclopedia of Pirates. - M.: Veche, 1998. - 679 p.
• Hanke Hellmuth. People, ships, oceans (6000-year adventure of seafaring). - L.: Shipbuilding, 1976. - 432 p.
• Tsiporukha M.I. Under the black flag. Chronicles of piracy and corsairs. - M.: NTs ENAS, 2009. - 384 p.
• Chumakov S. The history of piracy from antiquity to the present day. - M.: Publishing House "Technology - Youth", 2001. - 144 p.: ill.

Notes

The image in the cinema

• "Queen Elizabeth" / "Les amours de la reine Élisabeth" (France;) directors Henri Defontaine and Louis Mercanton, in the role of Sir Francis Drake - Albert Decor.

Links

• // Atmospheric dynamics - Railway junction. - M. : Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2007. - S. 349. - (Great Russian Encyclopedia: [in 35 volumes] / ch. ed. Yu. S. Osipov; 2004-, v. 9). - ISBN 978-5-85270-339-2.
• Gubarev V.K. The Amazing Expeditions of Francis Drake // Pirates of the Caribbean: The Life of Famous Captains. - M .: Eksmo; Yauza, 2009. - S. 28-43.
• Gubarev V.K. Francis Drake. - M.: Young Guard, 2013.
• Malakhovskiy K. V. Circumnavigation of the Golden Doe. - M .: Nauka, 1980.

Before Columbus great maritime discoveries conquistadors Mapping

Excerpt characterizing Drake, Francis

Again Dokhturov is sent there to Fominsky and from there to Maly Yaroslavets, to the place where the last battle with the French took place, and to the place from which, obviously, the death of the French already begins, and again many geniuses and heroes describe to us during this period of the campaign , but not a word about Dokhturov, or very little, or doubtful. This silence about Dokhturov most obviously proves his merits.
Naturally, for a person who does not understand the movement of the machine, when he sees its operation, it seems that the most important part of this machine is that chip that accidentally got into it and, interfering with its movement, is rattling in it. A person who does not know the structure of the machine cannot understand that not this spoiling and interfering chip, but that small transmission gear that turns inaudibly, is one of the most essential parts of the machine.
On October 10, on the very day Dokhturov walked halfway to Fominsky and stopped in the village of Aristovo, preparing to execute the given order exactly, the entire French army, in its convulsive movement, reached the position of Murat, as it seemed, in order to give the battle, suddenly, for no reason, turned to the left onto the new Kaluga road and began to enter Fominsky, in which only Brussier had previously stood. Dokhturov under command at that time had, in addition to Dorokhov, two small detachments of Figner and Seslavin.
On the evening of October 11, Seslavin arrived in Aristovo to the authorities with a captured French guard. The prisoner said that the troops that had now entered Fominsky were the vanguard of the entire large army, that Napoleon was right there, that the entire army had already left Moscow for the fifth day. That same evening, a courtyard man who came from Borovsk told how he saw the entry of a huge army into the city. Cossacks from the Dorokhov detachment reported that they saw the French guards walking along the road to Borovsk. From all this news, it became obvious that where they thought to find one division, there was now the whole French army, marching from Moscow in an unexpected direction - along the old Kaluga road. Dokhturov did not want to do anything, because it was not clear to him now what his duty was. He was ordered to attack Fominsky. But in Fominsky there used to be only Brussier, now there was the whole French army. Yermolov wanted to do as he pleased, but Dokhturov insisted that he needed to have an order from his Serene Highness. It was decided to send a report to headquarters.
For this, an intelligent officer, Bolkhovitinov, was chosen, who, in addition to a written report, was supposed to tell the whole story in words. At twelve o'clock in the morning, Bolkhovitinov, having received an envelope and a verbal order, galloped, accompanied by a Cossack, with spare horses to the main headquarters.

The night was dark, warm, autumnal. It has been raining for the fourth day. Having changed horses twice and galloping thirty miles along a muddy, viscous road in an hour and a half, Bolkhovitinov was at Letashevka at two o'clock in the morning. Climbing down at the hut, on the wattle fence of which there was a sign: "General Staff", and leaving the horse, he entered the dark passage.
- The general on duty soon! Very important! he said to someone who was getting up and snuffling in the darkness of the passage.
“From the evening they were very unwell, they didn’t sleep for the third night,” whispered the orderly voice intercessively. “Wake up the captain first.
“Very important, from General Dokhturov,” said Bolkhovitinov, entering the open door he felt for. The orderly went ahead of him and began to wake someone:
“Your honor, your honor is a courier.
- I'm sorry, what? from whom? said a sleepy voice.
- From Dokhturov and from Alexei Petrovich. Napoleon is in Fominsky,” said Bolkhovitinov, not seeing in the darkness the one who asked him, but from the sound of his voice, assuming that it was not Konovnitsyn.
The awakened man yawned and stretched.
“I don’t want to wake him up,” he said, feeling something. - Sick! Maybe so, rumors.
“Here is the report,” said Bolkhovitinov, “it was ordered to immediately hand it over to the general on duty.
- Wait, I'll light the fire. Where the hell are you always going to put it? - Turning to the batman, said the stretching man. It was Shcherbinin, Konovnitsyn's adjutant. “I found it, I found it,” he added.
The orderly cut down the fire, Shcherbinin felt the candlestick.
“Oh, the nasty ones,” he said in disgust.
By the light of the sparks, Bolkhovitinov saw the young face of Shcherbinin with a candle and in the front corner of a still sleeping man. It was Konovnitsyn.
When, first, the sulphurous tinder lit up with a blue and then a red flame, Shcherbinin lit a tallow candle, from the candlestick of which the Prussians gnawed at it ran, and examined the messenger. Bolkhovitinov was covered in mud and, wiping himself with his sleeve, smeared his face.
- Who delivers? Shcherbinin said, taking the envelope.
“The news is true,” said Bolkhovitinov. - And the prisoners, and the Cossacks, and scouts - all unanimously show the same thing.
“There is nothing to do, we must wake up,” said Shcherbinin, getting up and going up to a man in a nightcap, covered with an overcoat. - Pyotr Petrovich! he said. Konovnitsyn did not move. - Headquarters! he said, smiling, knowing that these words would probably wake him up. And indeed, the head in the nightcap rose at once. On Konovnitsyn's handsome, firm face, with feverishly inflamed cheeks, for a moment there still remained an expression of dreams far removed from the present state of sleep, but then he suddenly shuddered: his face assumed its usual calm and firm expression.
- Well, what is it? From whom? he asked slowly but immediately, blinking in the light. Listening to the officer's report, Konovnitsyn printed it out and read it. As soon as he read, he put his feet in woolen stockings on the dirt floor and began to put on shoes. Then he took off his cap and, combing his temples, put on his cap.
- Did you arrive soon? Let's go to the brightest.
Konovnitsyn immediately realized that the news he had brought was of great importance and that it was impossible to delay. Whether it was good or bad, he did not think and did not ask himself. It didn't interest him. He looked at the whole matter of the war not with the mind, not with reasoning, but with something else. There was a deep, unspoken conviction in his soul that everything would be fine; but that it is not necessary to believe this, and even more so, it is not necessary to say this, but one must only do one's own business. And he did his job, giving him all his strength.
Pyotr Petrovich Konovnitsyn, like Dokhturov, only as if out of decency included in the list of the so-called heroes of the 12th year - Barklaev, Raevsky, Yermolov, Platov, Miloradovich, just like Dokhturov, enjoyed the reputation of a person of very limited abilities and information, and, like Dokhturov, Konovnitsyn never made plans for battles, but was always where it was most difficult; always slept with the door open since he was appointed general on duty, ordering each sent one to wake himself up, he was always under fire during the battle, so that Kutuzov reproached him for this and was afraid to send him, and was, like Dokhturov, one of those inconspicuous gears which, without crackling or making noise, constitute the most essential part of the machine.
Coming out of the hut into the damp, dark night, Konovnitsyn frowned partly from a worsening headache, partly from an unpleasant thought that had crossed his mind about how this whole nest of staff, influential people would now be excited at this news, especially Benigsen, after Tarutin, the former at knives with Kutuzov; how they will propose, argue, order, cancel. And this presentiment was unpleasant to him, although he knew that without it it was impossible.
Indeed, Tol, to whom he went to inform the new news, immediately began to express his thoughts to the general who lived with him, and Konovnitsyn, silently and wearily listening, reminded him that he had to go to his Serene Highness.

Kutuzov, like all old people, slept little at night. He often dozed off unexpectedly during the day; but at night, without undressing, lying on his bed, for the most part he did not sleep and thought.
And so he lay now on his bed, leaning his heavy, large, mutilated head on his plump hand, and thought, peering into the darkness with one open eye.
Since Benigsen, who corresponded with the sovereign and had the most strength in the headquarters, avoided him, Kutuzov was calmer in the sense that he and his troops would not be forced to again participate in useless offensive operations. The lesson of the Battle of Tarutino and its eve, painfully remembered by Kutuzov, should also have had an effect, he thought.
“They need to understand that we can only lose by being offensive. Patience and time, here are my warriors heroes! thought Kutuzov. He knew not to pick an apple while it was green. It will fall on its own when it is ripe, but if you pick green, you will spoil the apple and the tree, and you will set your teeth on edge. He, as an experienced hunter, knew that the beast was wounded, wounded in the way that the entire Russian force could wound, but mortally or not, this was not yet an elucidated question. Now, from the sendings of Loriston and Berthelemy and from the reports of the partisans, Kutuzov almost knew that he was mortally wounded. But more evidence was needed, it was necessary to wait.
“They want to run to see how they killed him. Wait, you'll see. All maneuvers, all attacks! he thought. - To what? All stand out. There's definitely something fun about fighting. They are like children from whom you will not get any sense, as was the case, because everyone wants to prove how they can fight. Yes, that's not the point now.
And what skillful maneuvers all these offer me! It seems to them that when they invented two or three accidents (he remembered the general plan from St. Petersburg), they invented them all. And they all have no number!
The unresolved question of whether the wound inflicted at Borodino was fatal or not was hanging over Kutuzov's head for a whole month. On the one hand, the French occupied Moscow. On the other hand, Kutuzov undoubtedly felt with his whole being that the terrible blow in which he, together with all the Russian people, strained all his strength, should have been mortal. But in any case, evidence was needed, and he had been waiting for them for a month, and the more time passed, the more impatient he became. Lying on his bed in his sleepless nights, he did the very thing that these young generals did, the very thing for which he reproached them. He invented all possible accidents in which this true, already accomplished death of Napoleon would be expressed. He invented these accidents in the same way as young people, but with the only difference that he did not base anything on these assumptions and that he saw them not two or three, but thousands. The more he thought, the more they seemed. He invented all kinds of movements of the Napoleonic army, all or parts of it - towards Petersburg, against him, bypassing it, he invented (which he was most afraid of) and the chance that Napoleon would fight against him with his own weapons, that he would remain in Moscow waiting for him. Kutuzov even imagined the movement of the Napoleonic army back to Medyn and Yukhnov, but one thing he could not foresee was what happened, that insane, convulsive throwing of Napoleon's troops during the first eleven days of his speech from Moscow - throwing, which made possible something that Kutuzov still did not dare to think about then: the complete extermination of the French. Dorokhov's reports about Broussier's division, news from the partisans about the disasters of Napoleon's army, rumors about preparations for a march from Moscow - all confirmed the assumption that the French army was defeated and was about to flee; but these were only assumptions that seemed important to young people, but not to Kutuzov. He, with his sixty years of experience, knew how much weight should be attributed to rumors, he knew how capable people who want something are to group all the news so that they seem to confirm what they want, and he knew how in this case they willingly miss everything that contradicts. And the more Kutuzov wanted this, the less he allowed himself to believe it. This question occupied all his mental strength. Everything else was for him only the usual fulfillment of life. Such habitual fulfillment and submission to life were his conversations with the staff, letters to mme Stael, which he wrote from Tarutino, reading novels, distributing awards, correspondence with St. Petersburg, etc. But the destruction of the French, foreseen by him alone, was his spiritual, only desire.

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

Francis Drake biography briefly

Born July 13, 1540 in the city of Tavistock (Devonshire) in a farmer's family. In his youth, he sailed on coasters that entered the Thames. After the first trip across the Atlantic Ocean, Drake received a position as a ship captain in the squadron of J. Gaukins. In 1567, he participated in the maritime expedition of Gaukins to seize the ships of the Spanish slave traders and plunder the Spanish possessions in the West Indies.

Since 1570, Drake made pirate raids every summer in the Caribbean, which Spain considered its own. He captured Nombre de Dios in Mexico, plundered caravans that transported silver from Peru to Panama.

In December 1577, Drake set out on his most famous expedition. She was equipped with the money of private investors, which Drake was able to receive thanks to the patronage of the Earl of Essex, the favorite of Elizabeth I. Later, the navigator mentioned that the queen herself invested 1,000 crowns. Drake was instructed to sail through the Strait of Magellan, find suitable places for colonies and return back the same way. He was also supposed to make raids on Spanish possessions in America.

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

Having received his share of the booty (at least £10,000), Drake bought an estate near Plymouth. Queen Elizabeth in 1581 granted him the title of knight. In 1585, Drake was appointed commander in chief of the English fleet bound for the West Indies. This marked the beginning of the war with Spain.

In March 1587, Drake took possession of the port city of Cadiz in southern Spain by an unexpected assault, destroyed it and captured about 30 Spanish ships. And again, in addition to military glory, the "pirate of Queen Elizabeth" received a lot of money - his personal part of the captured wealth amounted to more than 17 thousand pounds.

In 1588, Drake was appointed vice admiral and played a decisive role in the defeat of the Invincible Armada. Luck left Drake during an expedition to the West Indies in 1595. He fell ill with dysentery and died January 28, 1596 near Portobelo (Panama).

They buried the vice-admiral according to the traditional sea rite, at sea.

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 sea 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 unwitting discovery that Tierra del Fuego is not a protrusion of the southern mainland, as was thought 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: the 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 has 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 again commanded an armed English fleet against the Spanish colonies of the West Indies, and, just as before, 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.

History pages. Page three (continued).

About piracy and pirates.(part 2)

Drake began his pirate adventures in 1567 when he was 26 years old. But from his youth he joined the Hawkins expedition and participated in pirate campaigns. On May 24, 1572, Drake set out from Plymouth aboard his own ship, the Sawan. He instructed his younger brother John to command another ship called "Pasha`". During this and subsequent campaigns, Drake committed piracy in the waters of the Caribbean off the coast of Cuba and the island of Pinos (now the island of Youth). After countless "exploits" at sea, Drake returned on November 3, 1580 to England. Queen Elizabeth showered honors on the pirate and handed him a sword with the inscription: "If you are hit, Drake, it means we have been hit." The Queen grants him the title of Sir and makes him a Member of Parliament and Admiral of the British Navy.

And all this is on merit. After all, he returned in the fall of 1580, not just from another pirate campaign, but from a trip around the world.

Francis Drake's voyage around the world.

No one instructed Drake to make a trip around the world, and he himself did not plan such a voyage. As was often the case in that era, many geographical discoveries were made by accident, due to unforeseen circumstances. Francis Drake succeeded almost as if in a saying: there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. Let the readers know what happened.

In the autumn of 1577, with the help of influential patrons, including Queen Elizabeth herself, Drake managed to prepare a pirate campaign on the western, Pacific, coast of South America. The idea of ​​the campaign was simple to the point of genius: on the west coast of America, the Spaniards do not expect an attack either from land or, even more so, from the sea. Therefore, it is possible to plunder their ships and coastal settlements with almost impunity.

At the end of 1577, Drake's flotilla, consisting of four large ships, left Plymouth. In April 1578, the pirates reached the mouth of the La Platie River. After a brief stop, they went south along the coast of Patagonia - a vast area of ​​\u200b\u200bmodern Agrantina, which extends south from the bed of the Rio Negro to the Strait of Magellan. In the south of Patagonia, in the bay of San Julian, Drake's flotilla made a stop. It is known that Magellan wintered in this bay in June-October 1520.

After a stop in San Julian, Drake's flotilla continued to sail already as part of three ships: one ship received a malfunction and was burned on Drake's orders. Soon the pirates entered the Strait of Magellan, the complex and winding fairway of which they hardly passed in twenty days. The sailors of the crew suffered greatly from the cold: July is the coldest month in the Southern Hemisphere. Finally they were in the Pacific Ocean and headed north to the tropics. But then a violent storm began. Of the three ships, one went missing, apparently crashed and sank in the ocean, and the other re-entered the Strait of Magellan and managed to return to England. Only one of Drake's flagships, the Golden Hind, remained. The ship drifted far to the south. Drake saw that Tierra del Fuego ends here, and the boundless ocean extends to the south. So, essentially by accident, a geographical discovery was made: Tierra del Fuego is an island, but not part of the vast Unknown Land, as navigators previously believed. The strait between South America and Antarctica was later called the Drake Passage.

Finally the ocean calmed down, the weather improved. Drake decided to continue the expedition and sent his now only ship north. The team, anticipating a quick meeting with the subtropics, found a second wind. The hardships of traveling in the region of Tierra del Fuego began to be quickly forgotten when, after the very first attacks on Spanish ships, the holds of the Golden Hind began to be filled with gold and other jewels.

Unless absolutely necessary, Drake did not kill those he robbed. Therefore, Drake's pirate operations almost did not lead to casualties in his team. Drake established almost friendly relations with the Chilean Indians. Rich booty, the availability of food and wine, as well as women from local Indian tribes were a reward to pirates for all the dangers and hardships experienced before. Drake managed to capture a special Spanish galleon (see note), transporting gold and jewelry from the American colonies to the Spanish treasury. Not every pirate had such luck. Wealth had nowhere to ship. I had to return home to England. But how? Drake, of course, could not know about the plans of the Spaniards, but as an experienced captain, he suggested that the Spanish ships, in order to destroy him, would go towards him through the Strait of Magellan. And his guess was absolutely correct. It was necessary to save ourselves, the team and the stolen precious cargo. And Drake went north along the west coast of America. The length of this path is amazing. From Tierra del Fuego, he went by sea, of course with stops on the coast, along the entire coast of Chile, Peru, past the lands of Central America and Mexico, along the west coast of the current USA, reaching 48 degrees north latitude (border with Canada). This path was at least 20 thousand kilometers - after all, the ship did not go strictly along the meridian, but went around the shores of the continents of both Americas. The coast sloped further and further to the west. Drake, fleeing persecution, was probably ready to go around North America to get into the Atlantic Ocean. But it was impossible, because. he did not know if such a path existed. There was no other way out, and Drake turned west, into the endless Pacific Ocean. Turning southwest, he reached the Mariana Islands three months later. After another one and a half to two months, his ship was already making its way between the islands of the Moluccas archipelago. Drake might have encountered Spanish or Portuguese warships in this area, but he somehow managed to avoid such encounters.

The next stage of his voyage was also unique in its kind. Drake's ship from the island of Java took a course across the Indian Ocean directly to the Cape of Good Hope. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the travelers moved north around the western coast of Africa, passed the Iberian Peninsula, entered the Bay of Biscay, and arrived in Plymouth in early November 1580. The journey, which lasted almost three years, turned out to be around the world.

Francis Drake became the second captain after Ferdinand Magellan to circumnavigate the world. At the same time, Drake was much more successful than Magellan. It is known that Magellan was not destined to personally bring his ships to Portugal. He died in the Philippine Islands in a skirmish with the natives. The only one of the five ships of Magellan's flotilla, a year and a half after his death, was brought to Lisbon by the few surviving members of Magellan's team.

In a long and dangerous voyage, Drake managed to save his life and the lives of most of the sailors of the crew of his flagship, the Golden Doe, and personally brought this ship to the English port of Plymouth. The ship carried a large cargo of gold and other valuables.

Captain Drake from a simple pirate immediately turned into an admiral of the British Navy and received other honors from the Queen of England.

The wide strait between Tierra del Fuego and the South Shetland Islands bears the name of the pirate Drake. To an ignorant person it may seem that this is some kind of historical curiosity or misunderstanding. But now that we know the circumstances of the case, we can say that everything is right here, because Drake did a lot for both geographical science and his homeland.

* * *

Several years passed, and Drake resumed his raids on America, but with a huge flotilla of corsairs, which consisted of 30 ships and 2,300 soldiers and sailors. By order of Drake, the soldiers level the city of Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti), then besiege Cartagena (the northern coast of Colombia), threatening this city with complete destruction. As a result, Drake receives 110,000 ducats of ransom (the ducat is a large monetary unit of that time). He returns to England with booty totaling 600,000 pounds.

During another raid on the Spanish colonies, Drake fell ill with dysentery and died. Like his teacher Hawkins, he was buried at sea with honors. From the manuscripts left by Drake, it is clear that he was everywhere, so to speak, without interruption from his main work - piracy, was engaged in the natural sciences. The Portuguese pilot Nuno da Silva testifies that Drake had works by English, French and Spanish authors in his ship's library. He drew well. On his sketches, he depicted birds, seals, trees, Indians, and in general everything that attracted his attention during his travels.

After Drake's death, Thomas Baskerville assumed command of the expedition. Before returning to England, he brought his fleet to the Isle of Pinos (now Youthud) for repairs and rest. By this time, King Philip II of Spain managed to send here a large naval squadron under the command of Bernandino Avellaneda, who was ordered to destroy the British. Baskerville took refuge in Siguanea Bay. But the ships of Baskerville were discovered by Aveland. Avellanda forced them to fight. The British took up defensive positions and then tried to flee. As a result, only eight of the thirty ships that put to sea from Plymouth in September 1595 reached England.

© Vladimir Kalanov,
"Knowledge is power"

The famous English pirate Francis Drake became involved in pirate adventures at the age of 26, in 1567. Even in his youth, he was one of the members of the Hawkins expedition. On May 24, 1572, Drake set out from Plymouth on his next voyage. He decided to carry it out on his own ship "Sevan". Francis' younger brother, John, was entrusted with the management of another ship, the Pasha. Drake during this campaign and other voyages made pirate raids in the Caribbean near the island of Pinos (today it is the island of Youth) and off the coast of Cuba.

Francis returned after numerous "feats" to England on November 3, 1580. Queen Elizabeth met him with great honors. She even presented the pirate with a sword, on which was the inscription that if Drake was hit, it meant that the whole kingdom had been hit. Elizabeth granted Francis the title of sir. He became an Admiral of the British Navy and a Member of Parliament. Strange, isn't it? However, Francis Drake deserved all this. In the autumn of 1580, he returned not just from a pirate campaign. Francis traveled around the world. After reading this article, you will find out what Francis Drake discovered and what are the results of his expedition. We will also dwell on how this famous journey took place.

It is interesting that no one instructed him to circumnavigate the world, and the pirate himself did not plan it. In those days, many geographical discoveries were made by accident, as a result of unforeseen circumstances.

Swimming preparation

Francis Drake in the fall of 1577 completed the preparations for a pirate campaign. He planned to go to the Pacific (western) coast of South America. The preparations were carried out not without the help of influential patrons, among whom was Queen Elizabeth herself. The plan of the campaign was simple: the Spaniards did not expect an attack on the western coast of South America either from the sea or from land. Consequently, it is possible to rob coastal settlements and ships with virtually impunity.

Exit to the sea, stop in San Julian

The ships of Francis Drake (there were 4 in total) left Plymouth at the end of 1577. Already in April of the following year, the pirates reached the mouth of the river. La Platy. After a brief halt, they headed south. Pirates proceeded along the coast of Patagonia. This is the name of the part of modern Argentina, stretching from the Strait of Magellan to the riverbed. Rio Negro. In the bay of San Julian, located in the south of Patagonia, Francis' flotilla decided to make a stop. By the way, it is known that it was in this bay that Magellan wintered in June - October 1520.

Difficulties faced by the team

After this stop, the flotilla went on, however, already in the composition of three ships. The fact is that one ship became out of order and was burned on the orders of Drake. Soon the travelers reached the Strait of Magellan. Its winding and complex fairway was hardly overcome in 20 days. The sailors suffered from the cold. It was July, and this is the coldest month in the Southern Hemisphere. Finally, the team entered the Pacific Ocean and continued north to the tropics. Suddenly, the pirates were overtaken by a strong storm. One ship out of three was missing. Most likely, he crashed and drowned somewhere in the ocean. Another ship re-entered the Strait of Magellan. The pirates sailing on this ship managed to return to England. Only one ship remained. It was Francis Drake's flagship, the Golden Doe.

How Drake Discovered

The ship after the storm was far to the south. Francis Drake noticed that Tierra del Fuego ends here. To the south of it is a boundless ocean. So, by chance, an important geographical discovery was made. It became clear that Tierra del Fuego is an island. Previously it was believed that this is part of the Unknown Land. What Francis Drake discovered was of great importance. Later, the strait between Antarctica and South America was deservedly called

Attacks on Spanish ships, rich booty

The ocean finally calmed down and the weather improved. Noticing this, Francis Drake decided to continue the expedition he had begun. The pirate sent his only ship north. Feeling the proximity of the subtropics, the team perked up. The sailors began to forget the hardships of the journey that they experienced in the Tierra del Fuego region after the first Spanish ships appeared. As a result of attacks on them, the holds of the "Golden Doe" gradually began to be filled with jewelry and gold.

Drake, without urgent need, did not take the lives of those whom he robbed. Because of this, his pirate operations went through with little to no casualties on his crew. Drake established almost friendly relations with the Chilean Indians. The availability of wine, food and women from local tribes, rich booty became a reward for the hardships and dangers experienced before. Drake captured a Spanish galleon that was carrying jewelry and gold from the American colonies to the Spanish treasury. Not every pirate could boast of such luck. The riches obtained were so great that there was nowhere to ship them. It was necessary to return home, but how?

Return trip

Of course, Francis did not know, and could not know about the plans of the Spaniards. However, being an experienced captain, he was able to foresee that the Spanish ships, intending to destroy him, would go through the Strait of Magellan towards them. And so it happened. It was necessary to save people, themselves and the stolen jewelry. And what did Francis Drake do? He decided to head north, moving along the west coast of America. The length of this path is amazing. Drake traveled by sea from Tierra del Fuego (of course, stopping several times ashore) along the coasts of Peru and Chile, past the lands of Mexico and Central America, along the western coast of the modern United States. In he reached 48 degrees north latitude, that is, he reached the US border with present-day Canada. In total, the length of this path is at least 20 thousand km, since the ship did not move strictly along the meridian. The ship rounded the shores of both Americas.

Farther and farther to the west the shore deviated. Fleeing from persecution, Francis was probably ready to get to the Atlantic Ocean, rounding North America. However, this was not possible, because the pirate did not know if there was such a way. There was only one way out - to turn west, ending up in the expanses of the Pacific Ocean. Heading southwest, Drake reached 3 months later. After another 1.5-2 months, his ship was already moving between the islands of the Moluccas archipelago. Drake in this area could well meet with Portuguese or Spanish warships. However, he was lucky to avoid these meetings.

The final leg of the journey

The next stage of the famous pirate's voyage can also be called unique in its kind. Drake's ship sailed across the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope. Travelers, rounding this cape, moved to the north. They decided to sail along the western coast of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. After some time, the pirates reached the Bay of Biscay. They arrived in Plymouth at the beginning of November 1580. Thus, the trip lasting 3 years turned out to be around the world.

Merits of Francis Drake

Pirate Francis Drake is the second captain after F. Magellan, who managed to circumnavigate the world. However, he was much more fortunate than his predecessor. After all, Magellan did not get to Portugal. He died in a skirmish with the natives, which took place in the Philippine Islands. 1.5 years after his death, the only surviving ship was brought to Lisbon by crew members who managed to survive.

The achievements of Francis Drake were not only that he managed to save his life in a dangerous and long voyage. He brought back most of the sailors of the Golden Doe. In addition, Francis Drake's galleon, under the personal command of the captain, was brought to the port. In addition, the ship carried a large cargo of gold and various jewelry.

Immediately after this voyage (1577-1580), Francis Drake from a simple pirate, as he was a few years ago, turned into a respected admiral of the British fleet. The Queen of England herself rendered him every honor. The discoveries of Francis Drake were appreciated.

After that, Francis went to sea many times. He fought with the Spanish ships. Francis in 1588 participated in repelling the attack of the Spanish Invincible Armada. The battle ended in victory for the British. The famous pirate died in 1596, having gone on another trip a year earlier. In the Caribbean, he died of dysentery.

Drake Passage

And today the wide strait connecting the South Shetland Islands and Tierra del Fuego is named after this pirate. An ignorant person may think that this is some kind of misunderstanding or historical curiosity. But now, when we know all the circumstances of this case, we can say with confidence that there is no mistake. That's right, because Drake did a lot for his homeland. But not only for her. What Francis Drake did for geography is no less, if not more important.