Sir francis drake - Essay Example

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake The great Sir Francis Drake was given birth in the region of Devon during the period of 1540 andat a very early age he became a member of the sea1. After 27 years from his birth he became one of the earliest Englishman to indulge in slave trade along with his cousin and close associate John Hawkins2. His indulgence in slave trade is recognized as one of the most important events to the creation and development of the New World. While he was making the trip, his ships were attacked by Spanish squadrons and due to this he lost all his ships except two and since that day he became a fierce enemy of the Spanish people.

During the period of 1570s Drake single handedly further benefited his nation by making two highly profitable trips to the region of West Indies. During the same time period he even was the commander of two ships that made an expedition in the Caribbean region against his Spanish counterparts. He is even credited for capturing the port of Nombre de Dios and due to this along with the treasure he took away from the Spanish he was credited as a privateer3. During the period of 1577, Drake was made part of a secretive expedition which targeted the Spanish colonies and within a one year time period he lost 4 out of 5 ships that he took along.

He was successful in becoming the first ever Englishman to identify Straits of Magellan. During his trip towards the upper side of South America’s western coasts he aggressively countered Spanish ports and became the first person to explore the entire western cost of the region of America as compared to any other European at that time in order to identify the route that passed through the Atlantic region. Due to his failure to find a route he made a turn towards the southern region during 1579 and went across passing the Pacific.

During his trips he came across various regions and even went through the Cape of Good Hope4. By the period of 1580, he returned back home along with various offerings to benefit the British community. He returned with treasures of the Spanish people as well as a full cargo that contained various spices and he became the first individual belonging to the English community to go around the globe. During the same year he was again made the knight of the Golden Hind as a result of annoying the Spain’s King.

5 years later he was able to steal different cities of Spain and while returning he brought along the colonists of the region of Roanoke Island who had been unsuccessful and this led to the creation of the first colony of the New World. During the period of 1587 he single handedly destroyed around 30 ships of Spain that were preparing themselves to conduct an attack on Britain and later he even gained the position of vice admiral of a navy that stood victorious against the Armada5. Sir Drake’s successful life came to an end during the period of 1596 as a result of dysentery.

BibliographyLace, William W.. Sir Francis Drake. New York: Chelsea House, 2009.Petrie, Kristin. Sir Francis Drake. Edina, Minn.: Abdo Pub. Co., 2004.