Francis Drake Expedition Years. Francis drake

The pirates of the Atlantic and the Caribbean managed not only to remain in the memory of their descendants as dashing bandits, but also to give rise to an independent cultural phenomenon. Soon after rumors of treasures being shipped from America to Spain spread throughout the Old World, the Atlantic was filled with pirates. For more than two centuries they tormented "merchants" in the Atlantic, and then - through the efforts of the military fleets of the great powers - they disappeared from the seas.

From the seas, but not from the pages. Thanks to the efforts of writers, a classic image of a pirate was formed. If you rely on fiction, the sea robbers look almost invincible. The Spanish "golden galleons" are captured en masse, and when they land on the shore, the soldiers are unable to offer serious resistance. However, this picture is inevitably incomplete. First of all, stories about invincible filibusters were compiled mainly from the memories of the participants in pirate raids themselves, that is, people who were at least lucky enough not to end their careers on the gallows or in the jungle. In addition, the authors who wrote about the adventures of filibusters endlessly abused - and continue to abuse - the turnover "Spanish soldiers", without specifying what is hidden behind this turnover applicable to Latin America.

As a result, a phantasmagoric picture is drawn: infantrymen in recognizable morion helmets under the command of arrogant hidalgos hide whole regiments in every village lost in the wilderness of Mexico or Cuba, but at the sight of the enemy they quickly begin to celebrate a coward. In reality, things were much more complicated.

The settlements of Spanish America were usually protected from looting by local colonial militias under their own governors, as well as armed blacks and Indians. For example, in 1555, Havana was defended from a raid by French corsairs by 40 regular soldiers, 100 blacks (mostly armed slaves) and another hundred Indians.

Although they had little warm feelings for the Spaniards, robbers from the outside seemed scarier. However, the soldiers among them were frankly unimportant. So in reality, the Spanish colonies had much less power for self-defense than one might think. Meanwhile, the resolute governor, who did not neglect his duties, and the defenders, confident in their strength, were often able to defend even a small colony from pirate raids. This episode will be discussed.

Her Majesty's Pirate

Among the sea robbers of the "golden age" the first among equals was, of course, Francis Drake. He began his career in the slave trade, but soon turned his attention to a much more profitable business. Corsairs first attacked Cartagena - a town on the South American coast - back in 1543, and since then the Spanish settlements have not known peace. Drake already had sufficient experience and some means to take part in the galleon hunt.

He enthusiastically began to "get the Spaniard", and Queen Elizabeth I personally invested in the expedition. A few years later, terror against Spanish trade brought Drake a knighthood, royal favor and, finally, wealth. The queen, having thousands of percent of the profits from each campaign, simply ignored the notes of the Spanish ambassador, raining down one after another.

We must pay tribute to the pirate: Drake not only robbed and killed. In a round-the-world robber expedition, he managed to make several important geographical discoveries. However, the key occupation and the main source of wealth was, of course, robbery. England and Spain were not at war, but who cared. On the ocean expanses, all peace treaties lost their force.

The peak of Drake's fame came in 1588, when, with his participation, the Spanish Invincible Armada, a fleet sent to land troops in Britain, was defeated. Drake bathed in the rays of glory, possessed a huge fortune - a rich man, a national hero, a man who enjoys great confidence in the Empress. No one could have imagined that the greatest pirate was on the verge of collapse.

After the collapse of Spain's plans, the British decided to move the war to the Pyrenees. The purpose of the campaign was Lisbon, the capital of Portugal and at that time the key base of the Spanish fleet. An important nuance: it was a private project. Queen Elizabeth was simply one of the "investors" and invested her personal money, although her share was the largest. The fleet was also not a centrally equipped squadron, but a collection of various vessels: from powerful warships to armed "merchants". After the victory over the Spanish Armada, a great mood reigned in the ranks of the British.

All the more bitter was the disappointment. An attempt to break into Lisbon ended in a grand fiasco. The Spaniards exhausted the English landing force with skirmishes, continuously shelled it from the sea, and eventually forced the unlucky destroyers to retreat. Moreover, on the way back, the British fleet stopped because of the calm. The Spaniards were just waiting for this: they had a powerful galley fleet that did not depend on the wind. And when boarding, the Spanish marines then had no equal.

Drake himself escaped captivity only thanks to great luck: the Spaniards took turns seizing the English ships, and his turn could soon come, but, fortunately for the pirate, the wind finally blew, so that the squadron managed to escape. The leaders of the campaign lost control of the fleet, the Spaniards caught and captured the stragglers.

Upon his return, a huge scandal erupted. At least a third of the ships and people died or fell into the hands of the Spaniards, the Spanish fleet, which was written off from the accounts, celebrated the victory, and most importantly: in the commercial sense, the campaign brought one devastation. Elizabeth's personal losses ranged from 50 to 100 thousand pounds sterling - just insane numbers for those times.

The enraged queen turned out to be just one of the shareholders who believed that they were simply, in modern terms, thrown. In addition, sailors rebelled, who, on the occasion of the failure of the campaign, were not paid a salary, but this problem was solved simply: the most active troublemakers were hanged. Drake, on the other hand, received a real slap in the face: the empress, who had cooled sharply towards him, appointed the pirate commander of the coastal defense of Plymouth with a ban on going to sea. A greater humiliation for the old sea dog could not be imagined. The once brilliant corsair could restore his thoroughly tarnished (or rather, dried up!) reputation in only one way: to achieve a truly grandiose success.

panama trek

England, of course, did not completely forget her admiral. Within a few years, the impression of the Lisbon failure faded, and in 1595 the corsairs received a new task: to arrange an expedition across the Atlantic with the ultimate goal of capturing and ruining Panama. America was for Spain what Siberia is now for Russia, the main source of national wealth. Silver was continuously mined in the West Indies, brought to the Iberian Peninsula in grandiose convoys, and Panama was one of the key Spanish colonies in America. Bonanza: the capture of this city made it possible to recoup any expenses and made it possible to fill the treasury of England, which had been fairly impoverished from protracted wars.

The shadow of Lisbon still hung over the expedition: Drake was paired with another famous pirate, John Hawkins, as well as General Baskerville. The corsair himself intended not only to conduct a good raid, but to restore the reputation of the first among the "sea dogs" of Elizabeth.

This desire at all costs to achieve some out of the ordinary result affected the course and outcome of the expedition. In total, Drake received six royal warships for his campaign, two dozen private ships and more than forty transport, landing, messenger - in a word, auxiliary ships. More than four thousand sailors and soldiers participated in the expedition.

Is it a lot or a little? Many years later, Henry Morgan would take over Panama with more than half as many men and ships. True, Morgan's base would be in Jamaica, while Drake had to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Be that as it may, with a good organization of the campaign and a minimum of luck, the task of the expedition looked quite solvable. However, Sir Francis Drake's supply of luck has already been drained to the bottom ...

Captives from an accidentally captured Spanish vessel testified that a galleon of the "silver fleet" was being repaired in the harbor of Puerto Rico. The information was completely true: the ship was indeed being repaired in the harbor, the repair was delayed, and the cargo - silver and gold - was stored in the local cathedral. However, on the way to Puerto Rico, the pirate fleet had something to do. On September 24, the ships approached the Canary Islands.

The problem is that Don Alonso de Alvarado, a seasoned veteran of the wars with the Turks and a stern professional, has recently been appointed governor of these regions. At the head of 300 soldiers and 1200 militias, he took the fight on the island of Gran Canaria. The Spaniards had nowhere to retreat, besides, Alvarado knew the possible landing sites like the back of his hand and guessed exactly where to expect the landing.

The ships of the corsairs stumbled upon the powerful and accurate fire of the guns rolled out to the beaches, on one of the ships the binnacle was broken, the other was forcibly rescued with a hole at the waterline. An attempt to even collect fresh water on the islands failed. The campaign for precious moisture had simply disastrous consequences: the British were attacked from an ambush, and two sailors, including the ship's doctor, were captured.

The captured pirates turned out to be frank and even talkative people: messenger sailboats rushed from Gran Canaria to the west with a message about the approach of the pirates, their goals and the approximate composition of the squadron. The hooligan raid on the Canaries failed, but the cherished galleon loomed ahead, still hiding in Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, the "flare" of the squadron in the Canary Islands stirred up a hornet's nest. Captain General Pedro de Guzman came out to intercept the corsairs. Guzmán, like his Canarian counterpart, was an old warrior who also had five brand new light frigates of the original design under his command and was now eager to try them out. Not far from Guadeloupe, the Spaniard found two barges that had strayed from Hawkins' detachment. One of the "British" left, but the other Spaniards captured, shook out the route of the British from the prisoners and rushed to Puerto Rico to save the precious galleon.

While the "English" were moving towards Puerto Rico, the faster Spanish frigates reached the harbor. Guzman developed a vigorous activity to prepare the fort for defense. The guns from the frigates went to reinforce the forts. The galleon itself, already without gold on it, was flooded in the fairway of the bay of the city of San Juan. Batteries were hastily erected on the shore and immediately camouflaged. Finally, Don Pedro prepared a stunning surprise for the pirates...

On November 22, English ships approached San Juan. It can be seen that the Spaniards took care of the defense, but, what luck, there are no cannons in their forts. No one is firing on the invaders. You can come close to the fortifications and calmly, watching the Spaniards on the shore, decide how to take them. Drake ordered to anchor some hundred meters from the coast and the helplessly silent fort and called the commanders to his ship - to consult and have lunch at the same time.

The meal was interrupted in the most rude way. There were cannons in the forts, but Don Guzman, with great composure, lured the British under fire. The embrasures come to life and the fort starts spewing cannonballs! The English squadron simply asked for it to be shot: no matter where you hit, you still get there.

A chair was knocked out from under Drake, several captains in his cabin were killed or wounded at once. Regarding the fate of Hawkins, Drake's relative and old ally in the slave trade at the dawn of his youth, English and Spanish historians are still arguing. The British believe that the old pirate died of dysentery a little earlier, the Spaniards - that he, along with others, was killed outright on deck. Many small ships that accompanied the squadron sank opposite the Spanish fortifications, the corsair fleet retreated to a safe distance in a panic.

Drake tried to get into the harbor in the dark. At night, two dozen landing boats, with 50-60 people each, entered the bay, but were discovered. There was no surprise attack. The British approached a short distance to one of the frigates and eventually burned one of them - "Santa Magdalena". However, it would be better if they did not do this: the fire of the Magdalena lit up the entire harbor. From the shore, cannons and muskets were often and accurately fired, since it was not difficult to hit the target with such illumination.

In the flames of the Magdalena, Drake's hopes of capturing Puerto Rico and the galleon with jewels burned down. Guzmán waited until the British had gone to sea and soon moved the silver and gold to Spain as a matter of routine. The Spanish commander had every reason to be pleased with himself and his people.

Last chance

But Drake was in complete disarray. The expedition has already suffered heavy losses, several captains, including the living legend of piracy, John Hawkins, no longer need any treasures, and the holds are still empty. What to do next? Go back to England and become a laughing stock? In London, they know how to count money and they will not forgive a second failure. So, you need to move forward. Drake had the great goal of the whole campaign - to conquer Panama.

On December 27, 1595, the ships anchored at the town and fort of Nombre de Dios, in the northern part of the isthmus. The inhabitants and the garrison fled to the forests. There was no booty in the city, and the pirates made an obvious decision: to take Panama, which required going through the isthmus. Thomas Baskerville was responsible for the land part of the expedition, and he led the march of 750 corsairs to the Pacific Ocean.

However, among the seasoned Spanish commanders who met Drake and his team, there was also a third fighter - Alonso de Sotomayor. The governor of Chile was about to sail to Spain when he learned about the raid of pirates. Now he erected redoubts in the path of filibusters. While the British, under heavy rains, made their way through the jungle, driving away snakes and crocodiles, the Spaniards erected a wooden fort in their path and made blockages.

Sir Baskerville tried to take these fortifications on the move. However, for the British, the war in the jungle was new. Walking through the mud to a small fortress, from which arquebuses and crossbows are fired, is a dubious pleasure. In addition, the Spaniards, who lived here for years, fired at the pirates directly from the forest in loose formation. Baskerville himself was wounded and eventually ordered a retreat. In the jungle, he left more than half of the detachment, and not all of them fell victim to the fire of the Spaniards. People got sick, got into the teeth of crocodiles, any wound in these parts quickly began to fester.

But the main problem was water. In the jungle, this is a real broth of microorganisms, but there was nowhere to get alpine springs. Pirates set sail from Nombre de Dios and still try to find some prey, but for further searches it is sometimes necessary to land on the shore and stock up on water. At one fine moment, something happened on the surviving ships that could have happened a long time ago - dysentery began.

One of the patients was Drake. In mid-January, he fell ill and never left the cabin. On January 28, the admiral and pirate died quietly on board the ship. Baskerville betrayed his remains to the sea in a lead coffin, and he himself decided to turn off the campaign that ended so badly.

Of the entire flotilla, only eight large ships returned to Plymouth, 3 thousand people died, including two corsairs of the first rank - Admirals Hawkins and Drake. Thus ended the greatest pirate of his time. And just at the moment when the remnants of the squadron appeared in the Plymouth roadstead, another silver fleet with a precious cargo on board entered the Spanish harbor.

Literature devoted to the campaigns of the corsairs of the Caribbean and the Atlantic usually tells about the successes of the pirates. The history of the ruin of Maracaibo, the capture of Puerto Bello, the raids on Veracruz and Cartagena, or the adventures of the "Golden Hind" of the same Drake really show bright, bloody and dramatic plots in the history of world piracy.

However, the Spaniards who were subjected to these raids were not whipping boys at all. Drake's latest expedition does a good job of showing what could happen if a colony could not be taken by surprise and had enough determined soldiers with a smart commander at its head.

"Maxim Maksimychi" from the distant outskirts of the Spanish Empire, perhaps, were not as colorful personalities as the robbers of the seas. Corsairs like Drake will be remembered by anyone who, at least as a child, was interested in the history of piracy. John Hawkins was somehow immortalized by Stevenson, who gave his hero almost the same name. The fictional Captain Blood uses Henry Morgan's recognizable tactics.

Their opponents did not get even a tenth of that glory. Meanwhile, Alvarado or Guzman appear as much more worthy people: competent and cold-blooded commanders, they stubbornly and successfully defended their villages. Although the towns of Spanish America were in those days microscopic villages lost in the selva, the Spanish commanders and soldiers had something to protect, and often they managed to take cruel revenge on their tormentors.

Added: 05/17/2011

At the beginning of the journey

Francis Drake was born in 1540 (in 1543 according to other sources) on a farm near Tavistock in Devonshire (Tavistock, Devonshire). He was the eldest of 12 children in the family of a poor country priest Edmund Drake (Edmund Drake). Apparently, Edmund Drake was somehow connected with the sea - most likely, he served as a ship's priest.

Already at the age of 9-10, Francis Drake entered as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that sailed to continental Europe. At a young age, Drake proved himself so well that already in 1561 he inherited his first ship, the 50-ton Judith (Judith), from the old captain.

In 1561-1567, Drake, as the captain-owner of the ship, conducts trading activities, including the slave trade (at that time, the business itself was quite legal). In 1567 he takes part in the expedition of John Hawkins (John Hawkins) to the West Indies. The enterprise ended in disaster. In the harbor of San Juan de Uloa (modern Mexico near Veracruz), where the British went to recover from a strong storm, they were locked and defeated by the Spanish squadron. Of the five English ships, only Judith Drake returned to England.

(However, Hawkins also survived - he will still play a role in the fate of Drake).

It should be noted here that this expedition of Hawkins was not in itself a pirate expedition in the present sense of the word. The British brought slaves to the West Indies for sale. But since the Spaniards considered the New World to be their fiefdom, they could not like such activities.

One way or another, the defeat at San Juan de Uloa was a landmark event for Francis Drake. He becomes an implacable enemy of the Spaniards.

Royal corsair.

In the late 60s, early 70s of the 16th century, Drake on two small ships - Pasha and Swan hunts for Spanish caravans and robs Spanish ships in the Caribbean (and at the same time collects information about the Spaniards and gains experience)

July 4, 1569 Drake married Mary Newman. This marriage was childless. Mary Newman died 12 years later.

In 1572, Drake undertakes the first land operations to capture and plunder settlements on the Isthmus of Panama from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast (and at the same time land caravans). These enterprises did not bring any special income to Drake, but his name is becoming widely known.

In 1572, Francis Drake received a license from Queen Elizabeth for private activities.

In 1573, in cooperation with the French pirate Guillaume Le Testu, Drake raided a Spanish silver caravan. During the sortie, the pirates lost more than thirty people, including Drake's brothers - John and Joseph. But the booty was very significant. This allowed Drake to purchase the estate upon his return home and become the shipowner of three ships.

Iron Pirate.

On the advice of John Hawkins, Francis Drake enters the royal service, participates in the suppression of the Irish uprising of 1575, acquires the necessary contacts and connections, at the same time Drake was recommended to Secretary of State Francis Walsingem and introduced to the Queen. He had the opportunity to present to Elizabeth I his plan for an expedition to the west coast of America and received support.

Of course, the participation of the English queen, as well as other "powerful" sponsors of the Drake expedition, was carefully hidden.

December 13, 1577 Francis Drake, at the head of a squadron of 5 ships on the flagship Pelican (Pelican), left Plymouth on his most famous campaign. By this time, he was already surrounded by the glory of the "iron pirate", an experienced navigator and an excellent naval tactician.

It is not known for certain what the main goals were set for Drake's expedition by the court of Elizabeth I - England was at peace with Spain, and the participation of the state in Drake's enterprise was not advertised.

But the results of this voyage are well known.

September 26, 1580 Golden Hind (Golden Hind), having completed its round-the-world passage, anchored in Plymouth. In addition to purely material booty (and this is almost 2 annual budgets of England), there were other equally important historical and political results of this voyage. Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake on April 4, 1581 aboard the Golden Hind.

According to historian J. M. Trevelyan (G. M. Trevelyan.) "This was the most important knighthood ever bestowed by an English sovereign, for it was a direct challenge to Spain and a call to the people of England to turn to the sea and seek their strength there"

Sir Francis Drake bought an estate in Buckland (Buckland Abbey, Devon) - a knighthood obliged him to have his own castle, was elected mayor of Plymouth, appointed inspector of the royal naval commission, and in 1584 became a member of the House of Commons of the British Parliament.

In February 1585, Drake married 20-year-old Elizabeth Sydenham, who came from a wealthy and noble family. However, this marriage was also childless.

Admiral of the Royal Navy

In 1585 - 1586 Drake commanded a large formation of 21 ships. Under his command were 2300 soldiers and sailors. Drake's Vice Admiral was the famous Captain Sir Martin Frobisher. The campaign in the West Indies, the sack of Cartagena and San Augustin in Cuba brought England more than 300 thousand pounds. Art. and about 240 guns.

Another significant campaign was made by Drake in April 1587. At the head of a squadron of 13 ships, he suddenly attacked the Spanish Cadiz, where the famous Invincible Armada was formed. Drake's flotilla sank and burned 30 of the 60 Spanish ships, including a 40-gun 1000-ton Spanish galleon, another large Spanish galleon was boarded in the inner harbor of Cadiz. At the end of this campaign, the Sagrish castle was destroyed, about 50 small caravels and other small ships were sunk and captured, and the San Felipe caracca, returning from the East Indies with a rich cargo, was captured.

Admittedly, this campaign by Drake delayed the attack of the Invincible Armada on England for at least a year, which undoubtedly allowed the latter to be better prepared for the Spanish invasion.

Of course, Sir Francis Drake was a direct and active participant in the defeat of the Invincible Armada (132 ships!) In 1588. On his ship Revenge, he participated in battles at Plymouth, at Portland, at the Isle of Wight, near Calais and at Gravelines.

The outstanding role of Francis Drake in the confrontation with Spain was noted even by the opponents and enemies of England. Pope Sixtus V wrote: “Did you hear how Drake and his fleet forced the fight on the Armada? With what courage! Do you think he showed any fear? He is a great captain!"

Apparently, after this, luck turned away from Sir Francis Drake. His subsequent campaigns and enterprises were either unsuccessful or simply a failure.

Sir Francis Drake made his last voyage with Hawkins to the West Indies. However, the Spaniards, who were trained and learned a lot in recent years, managed to repulse the British. This voyage was not particularly successful. Moreover, the British squadron suffered from tropical fever and dysentery.

In November 1595, on the roadstead of San Juan (Puerto Rico), John Hawkins died after a serious illness. And on January 28, 1596, in Nombre de Dios (where he was wounded in the leg in 1572), Francis Drake himself died of dysentery.

The chronicler writes that, having felt the approach of death, the "iron pirate" put on armor in order to accept death as it should be for a warrior and a knight.

Under volleys of ship guns, the lead coffin with the body of Sir Francis Drake sank to the bottom of the sea.

Sir Francis Drake(eng. Francis Drake; c. 1540 - January 28, 1596) - English navigator, slave trader, prominent politician of the era of Elizabeth I, a successful pirate, the second after he made a round-the-world trip, vice admiral, reputed to be a thunderstorm of the seas.

First Englishman to circumnavigate the world (1577-1580).

Childhood and youth

The future "Iron Pirate" of Queen Elizabeth, the first English navigator around the world, was supposedly born in 1540 in the English town of Crowndale, Devonshire.

Francis became the first child in a farmer's family. When 11 more children were born one after another, the father, Edmund Drake, became a rural preacher to feed a large family. In 1549, the family, having leased their land, moved to the south-east of England, to the county of Kent (eng. Kent). This move had a huge impact on the fate of the boy. At the age of 13, Francis, who from childhood dreamed of long-distance sea voyages, fame and fortune, became a cabin boy on his uncle's merchant ship (barge), who fell in love with the hardworking, persistent and prudent young man so much that he bequeathed the ship after his death to his nephew. Thus, after the death of his uncle at the age of 16, Francis became the full captain of his own ship.

Life full of adventure

In 1567, Drake set out on his first serious voyage to the West Indies, commanding a ship on a slave trading expedition of his relative, Sir John Hawkins. During this expedition, near the Gulf of Mexico, the British ships were attacked by the Spaniards, and most of the ships were sunk. Only two sailboats survived - Drake and Hawkins. The British demanded from the Spanish king that he pay them for the destroyed ships. The king, of course, refused, then Drake "declared war" on the Spanish crown.

In 1572, the navigator went on his own repeated campaign to the Spanish possessions in the West Indies, as a result of which he captured the city of Nombre de Dios (Spanish: Nombre de Dios), then several ships near the harbor near the Venezuelan city (Spanish. Cartagena).

During this expedition, an English corsair attacked in the area of ​​the Isthmus of Panama on a Spanish squadron heading from Panama to Nombre de Dios, called the "Silver Caravan", in the holds of which there were approx. 30 tons of silver. August 9, 1573 Drake returned to Plymouth (Eng. Plymouth) a rich man, fanned by the glory of a successful corsair, "thunderstorm of the seas."

On November 15, 1577, the English Queen Elizabeth I ordered her faithful privateer to go on an expedition to the Pacific coast of America. On December 13, 1577, Francis Drake on the flagship Pelican (Pelican) with a displacement of 100 tons left Plymouth on his most famous campaign at the head of a flotilla consisting of 4 large ones (Elizabeth, Sea Gold, Swan, "Christopher") ships and 2 small auxiliary vessels. By that time, he was already surrounded by the halo of glory of the "iron pirate", an experienced navigator and a talented naval tactician.

The official purpose of the voyage was to discover new lands, however, in fact, Drake was supposed to rob Spanish ships, replenishing the treasury of England with Spanish gold.

Francis went south to (Spanish: Estrecho de Magallanes), which the squadron passed successfully, but at the exit from it fell into a fierce storm, scattering the ships of the squadron. One ship crashed against the rocks, another was thrown back into the strait, and its captain decided to return to England.

The flagship "Pelican", the only one of all the ships "made its way" to the Pacific Ocean, where it was renamed the "Golden Doe" (Eng. Golden Hind) for its excellent seaworthiness. After a storm, he anchored among the previously unknown islands, calling them "Elizabeth".

Involuntarily, Drake made an important geographical discovery: it turned out that (Spanish: Tierra del Fuego) is not part of the unknown southern mainland, but only a large island, beyond which the open sea continues. Subsequently, the wide one between Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego was named after him.

His further journey consisted of robberies off the coast and, for which the Viceroy of Peru sent 2 ships to capture the pirate. He escaped the pursuit to the northwest, robbing jeweled ships and capturing prisoners along the way. It is impossible to establish the exact number of ships that became victims of the pirate today, but it is known that the booty was fabulous. A particularly large jackpot was waiting for the "sea wolf" in (Spanish: Valparaiso) - the pirates seized a ship that was in the harbor, loaded with gold and expensive goods, and a large supply of golden sand was stored in the city. But the main thing is that on the Spanish ship there were secret nautical charts with a detailed description of the western coast of South America.

The Spanish cities and settlements on the coast did not expect the British to attack and were not ready for defense. Moving along the coast, the pirates captured city after city, filling the holds with gold. Not far from the Isthmus of Panama, they managed to board the large Spanish ship Carafuego, which contained more than 1.6 tons of gold and a huge amount of silver bars. In the Mexican harbor of Acapulco (Spanish Acapulco), Drake captured a galleon loaded with spices and Chinese silk.

The privateer passed along the South American Pacific coast to the north, and then explored the coast far north of the Spanish colonies, approximately to modern Vancouver (eng. Vancouver; a city on the west coast of Canada). On June 17, 1579, the ship landed on an unknown shore, presumably in the San Francisco area (eng. San Francisco), and according to another version, in modern Oregon (eng. Oregon). The pirate declared these lands an English possession, calling them "New Albion" (eng. New Albion).

Map of the movements of the Drake flotilla (1572-1580)

Then he crossed the Pacific Ocean and went to Mariana Islands(Eng. Mariana Islands). After repairing the ship and replenishing provisions, he headed for the Cape of Good Hope, then, bypassing Africa from the south, on September 26, 1580 moored at Plymouth, having completed the 2nd circumnavigation of the world after Magellan in 2 year 10 months and 11 days. At home, the pirate was greeted as a national hero, he was awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen.

From the circumnavigation of the world, Drake brought to England not only treasures worth a huge amount of 600 thousand pounds sterling (this was 2 times the size of the annual income of the kingdom), but also potato tubers - descendants are especially grateful to him for this.

It should be mentioned that his campaign caused a major international scandal, since there was no official state of war during this period between Spain and England. The Spanish king even demanded that the Queen of England punish Drake for piracy, compensate for material damage and apologize. Of course, Elizabeth was not going to punish anyone or compensate for the damage, on the contrary, from now on, Francis Drake rested on his laurels. He was awarded the post of mayor of Plymouth, became an inspector of the naval Royal Commission, which controlled the state of the fleet, and in 1584 was elected a member of the House of Commons of the British Parliament. Since the knighthood required to have his own castle, Sir Francis bought an estate in Buckland (Eng. Buckland Abbey, Devon).

However, the famous adventurer was clearly burdened by land life. When in the mid 80's. relations between the two countries escalated, Drake offered his services to the Queen and was ordered to form a fleet to attack Spain.

Soon, having received the rank of vice admiral, he prepared 21 ships for the campaign. In 1585, an impressive squadron went to sea, but the captain did not dare to go to the coast of Spain, heading for the Spanish possessions in America, which he thoroughly plundered, capturing a number of large cities, including Santo Domingo (Spanish: Santo Domingo), Cartagena (Spanish: Cartagena) and San Augustin (Spanish: San Augustine).

In 1587, Drake launched his exceptionally audacious attack on the most important Spanish port of Cadiz (Spanish: Cadiz): with 4 warships, he broke into the port, sank and burned more than 30 Spanish ships. As Francis himself put it, he deftly "burned the beard of the Spanish King." And on the way back, the corsair off the Portuguese coast destroyed about 100 enemy ships. However, the richest booty was brought to the corsair by a Portuguese ship sailing from India with a cargo of spices, which was of such value that every sailor of the flotilla already considered his fate "arranged."

In 1588, Sir Francis, along with other English admirals, defeated the Spanish "Invincible Armada". In 1589, he commanded the combined forces of the fleet ("English Armada"), under his command there were over 150 warships.

Drake's "English Armada"

The corsair tried to capture the Portuguese Lisbon, but due to the lack of siege weapons, he suffered a crushing defeat. It seems that this time Drake's luck left, he could not take the city, and out of 16 thousand people only 6 thousand survived. In addition, his military campaign cost the English treasury 50 thousand pounds sterling, which the stingy Queen could not endure , and the Iron Pirate lost her favor.

The next expedition to the shores of America for new treasures was the last for the corsair (1595-1596). Failures pursued the squadron, in addition, the weather was disgusting and diseases spread among the crews. Drake took the ships to an unfavorable place near the island of Escudo le Veragua (Spanish: Escudo de Veraguas). Food was running out, people were dying of dysentery and tropical fever. Sir Francis himself soon fell ill, and on January 28, 1596, at the age of 56, he died of dysentery near Puerto Bello (modern Portobelo in Panama). According to tradition, the famous navigator was buried under the volleys of ship guns in the ocean, putting the body in a lead coffin. The remnants of the squadron under the command of Thomas Baskerville returned to Plymouth without their admiral.

Personal life

In 1569, Francis Drake married a girl named Mary Newman (eng. Mary Newman), it is known that the first marriage was childless, and Mary died 12 years later.

In 1585, he married a second time to a girl from a rich and noble family, Elizabeth Sydenham(Eng. Elizabeth Sydenham). The couple moved to their new estate "Buckland Abbey", today there is a large monument in honor of the "royal pirate". As in his first marriage, the famous navigator had no children; his entire fortune subsequently passed to his nephew, who was also named Francis.

Francis Drake: Memory

Curious facts

Drake Francis (circa 1540-1596), English navigator.

Born 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 1000 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.

A legendary pirate, he served the Queen of England, defeated the Invincible Armada and circumnavigated the world. 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 Francis Drake began his illegal activities in the status of a slave trader, but then the British crown had not yet prosecuted this occupation. Drake, along with his uncle, took African slaves to the New World and traded in petty robbery, until in 1567 they were treacherously attacked by Spanish ships. 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) to circumnavigate 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 (Drake brought 600 thousand pounds sterling from his trip, 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 the Old World 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. 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.