What were Francis Drake voyages?

What were Francis Drake voyages?

In 1570 and 1571, Drake made two profitable trading voyages to the West Indies. In 1572, he commanded two vessels in a marauding expedition against Spanish ports in the Caribbean. He saw the Pacific Ocean and captured the port of Nombre de Dios on the Isthmus of Panama.

How many voyages did Sir Francis Drake sail?

Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580.

What places did Sir Francis Drake discover?

He discovered that Tierra del Fuego, the land south of the Magellan Strait, was not another continent as Europeans believed, but instead a group of islands. This meant that ships could sail between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans around the bottom of South America (later known as the Cape Horn route).

What did Sir Francis Drake do on his first voyage?

First Commission from Queen Elizabeth I That year Drake embarked on his first independent voyage to Panama from Plymouth, England. He planned to attack the town of Nombre de Dios, a drop-off point for Spanish ships bringing silver and gold from Peru. With two ships and a crew of 73 men, Drake captured the town.

Who financed Sir Francis Drake’s voyages?

Queen Elizabeth
In 1577, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Drake to lead an expedition around South America through the Straits of Magellan. The voyage was plagued by conflict between Drake and the two other men tasked with sharing command.

What was Sir Francis Drake known for?

Sir Francis Drake is best known for circumnavigating Earth (1577–80), preying on Spanish ships along the way. Later he was credited for his defense of England by raiding Spain’s harbour at Cádiz in 1587 and (according to many sources) by disrupting the Spanish Armada in the English Channel with fire ships in 1588.

How long was Drake’s voyage?

Drake sailed between the five continents of Europe, Africa, North and South America and Asia, a journey taking him 1020 days. Five ships set sail in 1577 from Plymouth, the Golden Hind being the largest at 120 tons. Only the Hind completed the voyage and returned to Plymouth.

Why did Francis Drake go on voyages of exploration?

In 1577 he was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America through the Strait of Magellan and to explore the coast that lay beyond. The expedition was backed by the queen herself. Nothing could have suited Drake better.

What was the outcome of Francis Drake’s voyages?

Sir Francis Drake’s adventurous life was filled with many accomplishments. He played a major role in the destruction and defeat of the mighty Spanish Armada. This helped England to create a great empire in the New World. He also became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.

When did Drake complete his circumnavigation?

1577
The Famous Voyage: The Circumnavigation of the World, 1577-1580. Drake was noted in his life for one daring feat after another; his greatest was his circumnavigation of the earth, the first after Magellan’s. He sailed from Plymouth on Dec. 13, 1577.

Who sponsored Sir Francis Drake?

In 1577, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Drake to lead an expedition around South America through the Straits of Magellan. The voyage was plagued by conflict between Drake and the two other men tasked with sharing command.

What was Sir Francis Drake timeline?

Timeline: Important dates

1540	Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon.
1560	Francis Drake becomes a captain.
1567–72	Voyages to Africa, America and the West Indies.
1577–80	Francis Drake sails around the world.
1581–85	Drake goes into politics: He becomes Mayor of Plymouth and a Member of Parliament for Plymouth.

What happened to Sir Francis Drake’s ships?

Of the five-ship fleet, two ships were lost in a storm; the other commander, John Wynter, turned one back to England and another disappeared. Drake’s 100-ton flagship, the Pelican (which he later renamed the Golden Hind), was the only vessel to reach the Pacific, in October 1578.

What was the reward for the capture of Sir Drake?

Drake’s exploits made him a hero to the English, but his privateering led the Spanish to brand him a pirate, known to them as El Draque. King Philip II of Spain allegedly offered a reward of 20,000 ducats for his capture or death, about £6 million (US$8 million) in modern currency.

Who was Sir Francis Drake’s father?

He was the oldest of the twelve sons of Edmund Drake (1518–1585), a Protestant farmer, and his wife Mary Mylwaye. The first son was alleged to have been named after his godfather Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford.

What did Lord Drake do in the Elizabethan era?

Drake became a member of parliament again in 1584 for Bossiney on the forming of the 5th Parliament of Elizabeth I. He served the duration of the parliament and was active in issues regarding the navy, fishing, early American colonisation, and issues related chiefly to Devon.