What is Francis Drake most famous for?

What is Francis Drake most famous for?

circumnavigating Earth 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.

What did 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).

Why did Francis Drake become a pirate?

As a vice admiral, he was second-in-command of the English fleet in the victorious battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. ... 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.

How did Francis Drake change the world?

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.

What was Sir Francis Drake early life like?

Francis Drake was born sometime between 15 in Tavistock, England. His father was a minister for the navy and Francis grew up near the sea. He went to work for a sea captain at a young age and found his home living and working on a ship. Someday he would make his fortune and fame at sea.

What did Magellan find?

What did Ferdinand Magellan discover? In 1520 Ferdinand Magellan discovered the channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, between the mainland tip of South America and Tierra del Fuego island.

What was Francis Drake sponsoring country?

Sir Francis Drake: Privateer for the British Crown 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.

Did Francis Drake have a child?

They had no children. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman who sailed around the world – he left England in 1577 and arrived home again three years later. Drake brought back a lot of treasure from his world trip.

What did Francis Drake do between 1572 1577?

Sir Francis Drake: Privateer for the British Crown Drake did just that in 1572, capturing the port of Nombre de Dios (a drop-off point for silver and gold brought from Peru) and crossing the Isthmus of Panama, where he caught sight of the great Pacific Ocean.