A legendary pirate, he served the Queen of England, defeated the Invincible Armada and sailed around the world. He was hated and adored, 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 this occupation was not yet pursued by the British crown. Drake, along with his uncle, took African slaves to the New World and engaged in petty robbery, until in 1567 they were treacherously attacked by Spanish ships. Drake managed to get out of that alteration. Now Drake's lust for profit is mixed with fierce hatred of the Spaniards and a thirst for revenge - he acts alone, sinks and plunders the merchant ships of Philip II by dozens, ruthlessly destroys coastal cities.
The Spaniards in the Caribbean 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 him "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 Queen Elizabeth I of England, who offered the pirate (at that time, Drake had already earned a notoriety for numerous robberies and slave trade) civil service. Moreover, she financed, together with other shareholders, his expedition to the east coast of South America. Financial support for the campaign was largely a secret action, in any case, Elizabeth never issued a privateer license confirming the fact of service to the crown. In addition, the official goal of the expedition was the discovery and exploration of new lands, but in fact Drake went to the New World to mercilessly plunder Spanish ships and ports.
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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 merit (during his raid, Drake plundered many Spanish ships and settlements, noticeably shaking the confidence of the Spaniards in their superiority at sea) before the British crown, Francis Drake also has major geographical achievements. So he found out that Tierra del Fuego is not, as previously thought, part of the southern continent. And passing between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica on his famous ship "Golden Hind", he immortalized his name in the name of the strait forever (Drake Passage - the strait connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans). In addition, he became the second person in history (after Magellan) who traveled around the world, and unlike Magellan, from the circumnavigation he returned to the point of departure alive. And immeasurably rich.
Knighthood
Returning to Britain from a voyage around the world, Drake was treated kindly by the Queen of England. The fame of him spread throughout the country and the world - a trip around the world, untold looted riches (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 the crown turned Drake into a national hero. Queen Elizabeth personally visited Drake on the ship and knighted him on deck. This is how the pirate Francis Drake became Sir Francis Drake. And the Spaniards later called it "the cause of all wars with England."
Drake and potatoes
In addition to countless riches, Drake brought another valuable artifact from his expedition - potato tubers. And although the first who brought 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 comes up not only at home - in the German city of Offenburg, a monument is erected to the famous corsair, on which he holds potato tubers in his hand with the inscription-dedication “Sir Francis Drake, who spread potatoes in Europe. Millions of world farmers bless his immortal memory. This is help to the poor, a precious gift from God that relieves bitter need."
Invincible armada
Despite the achievements and successes of the British fleet, Spain still reigned at sea. In order to finally put an end to the daring raids of the British, the Spanish crown initiated the creation of the Invincible Armada - a huge 130 ships of the navy, assembled with the aim of invading England and defeating the piracy that 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 Francis Drake, who at that time became Admiral, 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 sent torched ships filled with sulfur, tar and gunpowder at the Spanish armada. The armada split across the harbor in confusion and became easy prey for the maneuverable English ships. The victory over the Armada further strengthened Drake as a national hero and favorite of Queen Elizabeth. However, not for long.
Queen's disfavor
The Queen's favor was not permanent. After the defeat of the Armada, virtually all of Drake's ventures were unsuccessful. He could not capture Lisbon, having spent a substantial sum from the treasury, and fell out of favor. Elizabeth did not forgive him for his failure and even assigned an overseer to him - Admiral Thomas Baskerville. The next campaign became 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 the 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.