Roberts 1

Seth Roberts
Jonathan Hebertson
History 1700-076
February 22, 2015
Francis Drakes Rise to Knighthood
Francis Drake was born near Tavistock, England. His birth year is unknown but it is
thought that he was born sometime between 1538 and 1546.1 In 1549, Drakes family moved to
Chatham, which was Englands main shipyard. When Francis was twelve years old his father
made a deal with the captain of a small cargo boat.2 Francis was to work full-time as the
captains apprentice. In exchange for his services, Francis was taught about the sea and provided
food and shelter. The ship Francis Drake was apprenticed on was used to haul coal and timber
across the English Channel to France and the Netherlands.3 It was on this boat under the
guidance of his master that Francis learned about currents and tides, how to read a compass, how
to navigate using the sun and stars; and of critical importance in his later life, how to handle
small ships in tumultuous weather.
When Drakes master died in 1560, he left Drake with claim to the boat. Drake became
captain of his own trading ship. Though Drake made a decent living for a few years, he began to
find such a living rather dull. Drake decided to sell his ship and moved to Plymouth.4 Drake must
have been quite curious, growing up on the docks of Chatham, hearing tales of the things
encountered at sea and in the New World. The tales from returning sailors likely caught Drakes
attention and may have been what inspired his desire for seafaring adventure.

1. Jim, Gallagher, "Sir Francis Drake & The Foundation Of A World Empire," Sir Francis
Drake & The Foundation Of A World Empire (2000): 6-14, History Reference Center,
Web, 21 Feb, 2015.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

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Drake sought out his adventurous desires by seeking aid from a family whom he was
distantly related. This family, the Hawkins family, owned many trading ships and had recently
undertaken slave-trading trips. These were trips in which a fleet of ships would collect slaves
from Africa then sail for the New World to sell them to the Spanish colonists in the Caribbean,
this was very profitable and if necessary, they would sell slaves by force.5 Drake requested
participation in these ventures and soon joined in them.
In 1566, Francis Drake made his first voyage to the New World.6 Under the captain John
Lovell, Drake learned about navigation on the open sea and participated in the raiding of
Portuguese vessels. However, this journey was not fruitful for the company Drake was working
for, because the fleet was not strong enough to force the sale of slaves upon the Spanish colonies.
Since they could not sell the slaves, they returned home empty-handed.7
Luckily for Drake, as they arrived at Plymouth in 1567 John Hawkins was preparing for a
six-fleet voyage that included warships. This fleet would surely have the muscle power to force
the Spanish to purchase the slaves. Drake saddled up and joined this voyage being given the rank
of officer on Hawkins flagship.8 These vessels raided Portuguese settlements along the Cape
Verde Islands and the coast of Africa collecting slaves along the way. They also managed to
capture three Portuguese vessels one of which Drake was appointed in command of; the ship was
called the Gratia Dei (Grace of God).9 Shortly after, a French pirating vessel joined their ranks
and Drake was appointed captain of this larger vessel, the Judith. The fleet now contained ten
ships.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid
Ibid.
Ibid.

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In March of 1568, the vessels arrived in the New World, bringing with them about four
hundred slaves.10 The Englishmen sailed along the coast of Venezuela in search of Spanish
settlements that they could sell the slaves to. Their first stop was unsuccessful but Hawkins sent
two ships, including Drakes Judith, ahead to Rio de la Hacha. Upon arrival the Spanish fired
upon the ships and Drake ordered a cannonball to be shot into the house of the town's governor,
Miguel de Castellanos.11 The rest of the fleet arrived a few days later and Hawkins asked
Castellanos for permission to sell the slaves, he refused, and Hawkins ordered an attack upon the
town the next day. The Englishmen captured Rio de la Hacha, forced the people to purchase the
slaves, and forced Castellanos to pay a ransom to prevent the Englishmen from burning the town
to the ground.12
The fleet continued to sail along the Venezuelan coast selling slaves as they could,
eventually Hawkins felt as though they had collected enough treasures to indicate a profitable
voyage. Hawkins sank one of the Portuguese vessels and the French departed with their share of
the loot.13 The eight remaining ships making up the fleet set sail for England unaware of the great
obstacle developing before them.
Hawkins fleet sailed into a violent storm that blew the ships off course and separated one
of the ships from the fleet. The ship separated from the fleet returned to England, but the other
seven ships were damaged in the storm to a degree in which they could not cross the Atlantic
safely. The ships required repair and San Juan de Ula was the closest port.14

10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.

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Unfortunately San Juan de Ula was an important port for the Spanish fleets. These fleets
were shipping treasures from the New World to the Old World; these Spanish fleets dominated
the waters of the Caribbean with a great deal of naval militant force. Hawkins, and likely all his
crew, were feeling rushed to repair their ships before the Spanish fleet entered the harbor. Four
days after they arrived at San Juan de Ula, Spanish ships were spotted making their way toward
the harbor.15 Hawkins quickly ordered his crew into a defense posture on the harbor. Hawkins
didnt want to fight but knew he needed to control the harbor until the ships were repaired.
Hawkins successfully halted the Spanish from entering the harbor but had no control of their
accumulation around the port. Soon a Spanish fleet massed in the surrounding water next to the
English vessels. The Spanish fleet was carrying the new ruler of Mexico, Don Martin Enriquez.
Enriquez was not happy to find his port captured by the English and began prepping a surprise
attack. 16
On September 23, 1568, the Spanish attacked.17 The English boat known as the Minion
was ambushed by Spanish soldiers while the other ships underwent a barrage of cannon fire. The
crew aboard the Minion was successful in fending off the attack but the other ships were far to
damaged. Luckily for Drake, his ship was far enough from the heat of battle that it did not
sustain substantial damage. As the battle underwent and the sunset approached, Hawkins
organized the transfer of the collected treasures to the Minion and Judith.18 As night settled in,
the Minion and Judith sailed out of the Spanish harbor. They became separated and Drake
decided to venture across the Atlantic himself. He and his crew arrived in England four months
later. Hawkins, aboard the overcrowded Minion, returned, though many of his crew did not.19

15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.

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Drakes experience in the Caribbean was very educational; he learned more about the
New Worlds coasts, had his first captaining experience and got a taste of the Spanish military.
Drake wanted revenge upon the Spanish; he could not get the Queens aid but managed in 1570 to
sail back to the Caribbean. This was not a pirating venture but rather a reconnaissance mission of
the Spanish posts and movements. Drake used the information he had collected on this journey to
return in February of 1571 with his new ship, the Swan.20 Drake proceeded to raid Spanish ships,
obtaining their valuable cargo. The Spanish were not prepared for Drake and he was able to
collect a good sum before returning to England in June of 1571. Drake returned to the Caribbean
in 1572 and again in 1573, robbing the Spanish of their precious treasure and providing himself,
and invariably England with those vary riches.
At some point Drake became inspired to sail to the Pacific. Drake knew that the Spanish
settlements along the western coast of South America were vulnerable and would yield great
profit. For the next few years Drake prepared for his incredibly bold venture. Drake needed a
great deal of support for this voyage and managed to befriend a few advisors of the Queen.21 His
plans were passed on to the Queen from these prominent figures and she soon approved funding
for the voyage. Drake had to keep the Queens involvement in the voyage a secret, as to not cause
a political stir between Spain and England.
In 1577, Drake took command of five ships and sailed out of the Plymouth harbor, south
toward the Cape Verde Islands; here Drake captured a Portuguese vessel. Drake named it Mary
and put a friend of his, Thomas Doughty, in command.22 Drake later promoted Doughty to
command the Pelican, which was the main flagship Drake commanded all the ships from, but
their friendship grew strained as Doughty wanted to take control of the voyage.23

20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid
23. Ibid.

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Drake learned that Doughty was attempting to raise a mutiny and sent him to the Swan.24
Shortly after these incidents Drake and his fleet sailed for South America. It took about sixty
days for Drakes fleet to cross the Atlantic and reach South America. They sailed south along the
coast toward the Strait of Magellan located at the southern tip of South America. Arriving in June
at Port San Julin, Drake knew the next part of the journey was the most treacherous and in turn
needed to address the issue of Doughty. 25
On June 30, 1578, Drake accused Doughty of attempting to invoke a mutiny.26 Drake
assembled a jury to decide his fate. The jury decided upon the death penalty and Thomas
Doughty was beheaded on July 2, 1578.27 Some six weeks later, still at Port San Julin, Drake
divided a diminished crew and supplies amongst three ships, including the Pelican.27 He then
burned the remaining two ships to conceal the voyage from the Spanish and proceeded to the
Strait of Magellan. On August 24, 1578, Drake arrived at the mouth of Magellans strait; here
Drake held a ceremony in which he changed the Pelicans name to The Golden Hind.28
Drake managed to navigate the dangerous passage to the pacific in an astonishing
fourteen days. Upon arrival in the Pacific, Drake steered his diminished fleet north toward
Chile.29 Unfortunately a storm was raging and the strong winds forced Drakes ships southward.
During the storm the ship known as the Marigold was consumed with all it crew.30 The remaining
two ships became separated, one turned back and Drake found his Golden Hind alone in the
Pacific.31 Once the storm settled Drake set a course North toward Chile. Much of his crew was
suffering from scurvy and several died.32
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid.
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid.

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Drake stopped briefly in Chile where his crew had a brief scuffle with the indigenous
peoples, leaving Drake with an arrow wound below his left eye.33 After this incident Drake set
sail for the Spanish settlements to the north along the western coast of South America. Drake
raided several Spanish ports and learned that the Nuestra Seora de la Concepcion, a Spanish
vessel loaded with silver, had left only three days prior to their arrival.34 Drake was confident in
his navigation skills and the boat he was in command of; setting the Golden Hind on the chase.
The Nuestra Seora de la Concepcion may have had a three day head start but the Golden Hind
was a ship designed for speed. On March 1, 1579, The Golden Hind pulled alongside the Nuestra
Seora de la Concepcion; the ship was unarmed and gave no resistance.35
The Nuestra Seora de la Concepcion was carrying an abundance of silver worth well
over $7 million.36 There was so much treasure that it took Drakes crew several days to transfer it
to the Golden Hind. Drake followed up this success with several other ship raids that greatly
filled the Golden Hind. With the Golden Hind weighed down by the massive treasure in its hull it
very likely had lost a considerable amount of its speed. Drake knew this but was also aware that
the Spanish were likely scattering warships in search of their stolen riches.
Drake knew that the Strait of Magellan held to great a risk for his return voyage and
decided to make his way north in attempt to round the North American continent.37 This was not
successful and he found he and his crew in dire need for food and fresh water. On June 17, 1579,
Drakes Golden Hind landed somewhere along the coast of California, likely near San
Francisco.38 Here Drake claimed land for England, naming it New Albion.39

33. Ibid.
34. Ibid.
35. Ibid
36. Ibid.
37. Ibid.
38. Ibid.
39. Ibid.

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Along this coast, Drake and his crew made repairs to the Golden Hinds hull, explored
some of the surrounding area, and collected needed food and fresh water. Now that the Golden
Hind was repaired and loaded with food and fresh water, Drake was ready to make the voyage
across the Pacific. Drakes Golden Hind took around sixty-eight days to cross the Pacific; his
crew spotted the chain of islands known as the Philippines.40 Though, Drake did not stop here,
instead heading south toward the Spice Island. Here Drake purchased valuable spices such as
nutmeg and cinnamon.41
Drake then sailed across the Indian Ocean toward the South East African coast. Along
this portion of the journey the Golden Hind became stuck on a coral reef that it had crashed
into.42 The crew had to repair holes in the hull, transfer the water that flooded in out of the ship
and due to the heavy nature of their voyage, Drakes crew had to dump an unknown amount of
treasures into the sea. The crew successfully freed the Golden Hind, now much lighter, and set
sail toward the African coast. The crew spotted the coast of Africa, followed it south, rounded the
Cape of Good Hope and headed north toward the Plymouth Harbor.
On September 26, 1580, the Golden Hind limped into the Plymouth Harbor.43 Drake
returned to England cautiously, as it had been three years since he had departed on the voyage
and the political situation between England and Spain was ambiguous. Drakes piracy was
breaking a treaty between England and Spain, so he did not know what her official response
would be. Drake sent a message to the queen telling her of his inventory and geological
discoveries.44 She sent a message in return, assuring Drake he need not fear, that he should come
to her court.45
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid.
42. Ibid
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid.
45. Ibid.

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Drakes voyage gained him a knighthood from the queen an enriched Englands treasury.
Drake would go on to become known as one of the greatest commanders of the sea and a great
asset to the queens naval command. Drake started the journey with five ships, only one returned
and he had become the first commander to sail around the world. He made several geological
discoveries and claimed land for England. In Drakes lifetime he went from small time trading
ships to Naval Commander with high prestige amongst England. Drakes rise to knighthood was
a perilous journey with risk at every turn. Drake must have been a bold courageous individual to
have undertaken the journey and made the decisions he did. Drakes life journey ensured his
historic recognition and likely helped England in a variety of ways.

Work Cited
Gallagher, Jim. "Sir Francis Drake & The Foundation Of A World Empire." Sir Francis Drake &
The Foundation Of A World Empire (2000): 6-14. History Reference Center. Web. 21
Feb. 2015.