History UsefulNotes / SirFrancisDrake

Sir Francis Drake towers over many in the public imagination. He is perhaps the Ur-Example of the dashing pirate-adventurer who has been everywhere and done everything. He is the inspiration for the likes of Han Solo and Jack Sparrow. He is the guy who singlehandedly made pirates cool.

* The SyFy Original ''The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake'' features Adrian Paul in the title role, on a [[Creator/RayHarryhausen Harryhausen-esque]] quest for the Fountain of Youth.

Of course, it's not all good things. Like all national heroes, Drake's reputation was conflated with time and distance, with the positives well remembered, and the negatives quietly downplayed. Like all Privateers, Drake was technically a pirate, except that he had a piece of paper from the government authorizing him to do so. Many of the things he did in service to the Crown would probably get him classified as a terrorist by today's standards: one of those "outside-the-box" strategies he used against the Armada was to employ fireships, considered at the time to be a ''very'' dirty tactic, on par with landmines. Like all pirates, his raids on Spanish port cities resulted in indiscriminate killing of soldiers and civilians alike. And lest we forget, his first command was a slave ship. And not even a "legitimate" slave ship, but an illegal venture of his cousin's, capturing free Africans and selling them on the black market, in an attempt to bypass the legal channels over which Spain held a monopoly.

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* Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' video game series, claims to be a descendant of Francis Drake[[note]]The historical Francis Drake never married and had no known descendants, though the third game implies that Nate made up the name[[/note]]. In ''[[VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune Drake's Fortune]]'', we learn that Sir Francis faked his death and went on one last secret voyage to find El Dorado.

!!!Tropes Associated with Sir Francis Drake Include:
* AwesomeMcCoolname: “Drake” is an old English word for “Dragon.” The Spanish simply called him ''El Draque.''
* BoldExplorer: He set the standard for the 16th Century adventurer.
* {{Determinator}}: His hatred of Spain made him one of these in his early days. He was severely wounded during the raid on Panama and still kept going, blind to the pain, until his crew finally made him call it a day.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: As far as the Spanish Empire was concerned. Some random peasant boy from the West Country eventually became Spain's public enemy number one.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Drake’s first raid on Panama left him and his crew with more gold and silver than they could possibly carry back to the boats. They had to actually bury a lot of it with the intent of coming back later. Some have theorized that this act was the origin of the BuriedTreasure cliché in Pirate lore.
* GuileHero: Comes with the territory when you’re a Sea Dog.
* HilariousInHindsight: England did eventually claim a region of North America as "New England." It was on the ''other side'' of the continent, but still...
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: How else does a rapacious slave-trader get a statue built of him?
* {{Pirate}}: Second only to Blackbeard in the popular imagination.
* RagsToRiches: It's right there in his family motto.
* RefugeInAudacity: Pretty much his entire Privateering career was this. Hit the biggest port in Panama on your first expedition? Insane! Sail around the Americas and raid Spanish territory from the other side? Madness! Attack the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, where they’re on their home turf and at their strongest? Suicide! And yet, somehow, he always pulled it off.
* SeaDogBeard: Ironically, did not have one. The pointed goatee was the fashion of the time, and Drake’s was one of the pointiest.
* ShroudedInMyth: The final resting place of Drake’s casket was never found. Likewise, his journals were confiscated by the English government when he returned from his Famous Voyage, presumably to preserve the secrecy of the mission.
* ValuesDissonance: As mentioned, Drake started out as a slave trader, which was a perfectly legal profession at the time. The Spanish authorities arrested him because he was English; only Spanish merchants were allowed to sell slaves in the Caribbean. He was also a participant in the notorious Ratlinn Island Massacre.

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!!!Works Featuring or Associated With Sir Francis Drake Include:

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* The SyFy Original ''The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake'' features Adrian Paul in the title role, on a Harryhausen-esque quest for the Fountain of Youth.

* Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' video game series, claims to be a descendant of Francis Drake[[note]]The historical Francis Drake never married and had no known descendants, though the third game implies that Nate made up the name[[/note]]. In the first game, we learn that Sir Francis faked his death and went on one last secret voyage to find El Dorado.

* The 1950s B-Movie TheThingThatCouldntDie features Francis Drake’s legendary landing in Northern California in the backstory, where the monster of the movie is an undead former member of Drake’s crew that Drake had buried there.

* ValuesDissonance: As mentioned, Drake started out as a slave trader, which was a perfectly legal profession at the time. The Spanish authorities arrested him because he was English; only Spanish merchants were allowed to sell slaves in the Caribbean.

[[caption-width-right:150:'''Sic Parvis Magna'''[[note]]"Greatness from humble beginnings."[[/note]]]]

[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/176px-1590_or_later_marcus_gheeraerts_sir_francis_drake_buckland_abbey_devon_2716.jpg]]
->[[caption-width-right:150: '''Sic Parvis Magna'''[[note]]"Greatness from humble beginnings."[[/note]]]]

'''Sir Francis Drake''', (c. 1540-1596). Sailor. Adventurer. Pirate. ''Legend.''

Born a preacher’s son in a small town in western Devon, Francis Drake would go on to bigger things. Over the course of his short life, he would become a sailor, a commander, and one of the most successful pirates of all time. One of the “Sea Dogs,” Privateers commissioned by [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]] to harass Spanish treasure fleets, Drake would become a national hero to England, and a hated boogeyman to Spain.

Under Elizabeth, England experienced a period of political stability and cultural growth, where it began to come into its own as a nation and a potential player on the world stage. England being a Protestant nation, this development did not sit well with Spain, the Catholic superpower of the day. That, plus Elizabeth’s clear intent to rule in her own right rather than honor the Spanish King Phillip II's (actually somewhat legit) claim to the English throne, meant that Spain and England were very soon butting heads. Unfortunately for England, in the 16th Century Spain had naval supremacy. The grand and glorious Royal Navy of future centuries was barely a gleam in anyone’s eye. So, England did what she could with what she had. And what she had was a RagTagBandOfMisfits known as the Sea Dogs, who would plunder and pillage and engage in acts of dubious morality in the name of Queen and Country (and Spanish gold). And Francis Drake was the most famous.

Drake’s maritime career began at a young age, serving as an apprentice to a small Chatham merchant and discovering an aptitude for navigation. At 23 he was given his first command, in the merchant fleet of his cousin (and fellow future Sea Dog) John Hawkins. His career was largely unremarkable until 1568, when he and Hawkins were captured by the Spanish authorities for illegal slave trading. Their ships taken and their crew killed, Drake and Hawkins barely made it back to England alive.

In 1577, Drake set out to become only the second person known to successfully circumnavigate the globe. Given a top-secret assignment by the Queen herself, Drake put his famed navigational skills to the test, to sail around the Americas and into the Pacific, to assess the boundaries of the Spanish Empire, and to hit them right where they lived. And he did his job disturbingly well: by striking targets on the Pacific coasts of Peru and Mexico – places the Spanish thought were simply too far away to be targets for English Privateers – Drake ascended to the very top of Spain’s shitlist, becoming the most hated and feared pirate of his day. Somewhere on North America’s Pacific Coast (people are still debating exactly where), he stopped for a resupply, then planted a flag and claimed the land for England, declaring it ''Nova Albion'' – New England.

Of course it’s not all good things. Like all national heroes, Drake’s reputation was conflated with time and distance, with the positives well remembered, and the negatives quietly downplayed. Like all Privateers, Drake was technically a pirate, except that he had a piece of paper from the government authorizing him to do so. Many of the things he did in service to the Crown would probably get him classified as a terrorist by today’s standards: one of those “outside-the-box” strategies he used against the Armada was to employ fireships, considered at the time to be a ''very'' dirty tactic, on par with landmines. Like all pirates, his raids on Spanish port cities resulted in indiscriminate killing of soldiers and civilians alike. And lest we forget, his first command was a slave ship. And not even a “legitimate” slave ship, but an illegal venture of his cousin’s, capturing free Africans and selling them on the black market, in an attempt to bypass the legal channels over which Spain held a monopoly.

That being said, Drake’s achievements were nothing to sneeze at. Being only the second commander to sail around the world (and he lived to tell about it; even Magellan couldn’t say that) was an unparalleled accomplishment. And it cannot be argued that he possessed a keen strategic mind and no small reserve of courage, without which England could not have endured against Spain as long as it did. And of course, it was that bravery and sense of adventure which inspired whole generations of English sailors to follow his example, to go forth, explore, colonize, and lay the foundations of what would be one of the world’s greatest empires.

* The 1950’s B-Movie TheThingThatCouldntDie features Francis Drake’s legendary landing in Northern California in the backstory, where the monster of the movie is an undead former member of Drake’s crew that Drake had buried there.

* Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' video game series, claims to be a descendant of Francis Drake[[note]]The historical Francis Drake never married and had no known descendants, though the third game implies that Nate made up the name[[/note]]. In the first game we learn that Sir Francis faked his death and went on one last secret voyage to find El Dorado.

* Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' video game series, claims to be a descendant of Francis Drake[[note]]The historical Francis Drake never married and had no known descendants[[/note]]. In the first game we learn that Sir Francis faked his death and went on one last secret voyage to find El Dorado.

Born a preacher’s son in a small town in western Devon, Francis Drake would go on to bigger things. Over the course of his short life, he would become a sailor, a commander, and one of the most successful pirates of all time. One of the “Sea Dogs,” Privateers commissioned by [[TheVirginQueen Elizabeth I]] to harass Spanish treasure fleets, Drake would become a national hero to England, and a hated boogeyman to Spain.

Under Elizabeth, England experienced a period of political stability and cultural growth, where it began to come into its own as a nation and a potential player on the world stage. England being a Protestant nation, this development did not sit well with Spain, the Catholic superpower of the day. That, plus Elizabeth’s clear intent to rule in her own right rather than take a husband and give up her sovereignty, meant that Spain and England were very soon butting heads. Unfortunately for England, in the 16th Century Spain had naval supremacy. The grand and glorious Royal Navy of future centuries was barely a gleam in anyone’s eye. So, England did what she could with what she had. And what she had was a RagTagBandOfMisfits known as the Sea Dogs, who would plunder and pillage and engage in acts of dubious morality in the name of Queen and Country (and Spanish gold). And Francis Drake was the most famous.

Of course, fate had other plans for Francis Drake. In 1585, the long-simmering tension between England and Spain finally boiled over, and the so-called "Anglo-Spanish War"[[note]]Not a traditional war, but rather a long period of hostility punctuated by the occasional dust-up at sea.[[/note]] broke out. And this time, Philip II of Spain was determined to crush this upstart Queen and her pathetic little island once and for all. He commissioned the building of the Spanish Armada, the largest invasion fleet ever yet assembled. Drake was named Vice Admiral of the English forces, and immediately started running pre-emptive strikes on Spanish ports, designed to delay the construction of the Armada and disrupt supply lines. His most famous strike was the raid on Cadiz, where he managed to destroy or disable almost thirty vessels, setting back the invasion preparations significantly.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Who would have thought that some random peasant boy from the West Country would grow up to be the Spanish Empire’s Public Enemy Number One?

That being said, Drake’s achievements were nothing to sneeze at. Being only the second man to sail around the world (and he lived to tell about it; even Magellan couldn’t say that) was an unparalleled accomplishment. And it cannot be argued that he possessed a keen strategic mind and no small reserve of courage, without which England could not have endured against Spain as long as it did. And of course, it was that bravery and sense of adventure which inspired whole generations of English sailors to follow his example, to go forth, explore, colonize, and lay the foundations of what would be one of the world’s greatest empires.

In 1577, Drake became only the second person known to successfully circumnavigate the globe. Given a top-secret assignment by the Queen herself, Drake put his famed navigational skills to the test, to sail around the Americas and into the Pacific, to assess the boundaries of the Spanish Empire, and to hit them right where they lived. And he did his job disturbingly well: by striking targets on the Pacific coasts of Peru and Mexico – places the Spanish thought were simply too far away to be targets for English Privateers – Drake ascended to the very top of Spain’s shitlist, becoming the most hated and feared pirate of his day. Somewhere on North America’s Pacific Coast (people are still debating exactly where), he stopped for a resupply, then planted a flag and claimed the land for England, declaring it ''Nova Albion'' – New England.

Drake himself would not live to see the end of the War. While campaigning in the Caribbean he contracted dysentery, and died in 1596 at the age of 55. He was buried at sea, in full armor, in a lead casket, off the coast of Panama.

* RefugeInAudacity: Pretty much his entire Privateering career was this. Hit the biggest port in Panama on your first expedition? Insane! Sail around the Americas and raid Spanish territory from the ''other side?'' Madness! Attack the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, where they’re on their home turf and at their strongest? Suicide! And yet, somehow, he always pulled it off.

Born a preacher’s son in a small town in western Devon, Francis Drake would go on to bigger things. Over the course of his short life, he would become a sailor, a commander, and one of the most successful pirates of all time. The most famous of the “Sea Dogs,” Privateers commissioned by [[TheVirginQueen Elizabeth I]] to harass Spanish treasure fleets, Drake would become a national hero to England, and a hated boogeyman to Spain.

* Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' video game series, claims to be a descendant of Francis Drake. In the first game we learn that Francis Drake faked his death and went on one last secret voyage to find El Dorado.

->[[caption-width-right:150: '''Sic Parvis Magna'''[[hottip:*:"Greatness from humble beginnings."]]]]

Of course, fate had other plans for Francis Drake. In 1585, the long-simmering tension between England and Spain finally boiled over, and the so-called “Anglo-Spanish War” [[hottip:*: Not a traditional war, but rather a long period of hostility punctuated by the occasional dust-up at sea.]] broke out. And this time, Philip II of Spain was determined to crush this upstart Queen and her pathetic little island once and for all. He commissioned the building of the Spanish Armada, the largest invasion fleet ever yet assembled. Drake was named Vice Admiral of the English forces, and immediately started running pre-emptive strikes on Spanish ports, designed to delay the construction of the Armada and disrupt supply lines. His most famous strike was the raid on Cadiz, where he managed to destroy or disable almost thirty vessels, setting back the invasion preparations significantly.

->[[caption-width-right:150: '''Sic Parvis Magna'''[[hottip:*:"From the humblest beginnings can greatness arise."]]]]

->[[caption-width-right:150: "From the humblest beginnings can greatness arise."]]

Born a preacher’s son in a small town in western Devon, Francis Drake would go on to bigger things. Over the course of his short life, he would become a sailor, a commander, and one of the most successful pirates of all time. The most famous of the “Sea Dogs,” Privateers commissioned by Elizabeth I to harass Spanish treasure fleets, Drake would become a national hero to England, and a hated boogeyman to Spain.

Under Elizabeth, England experienced a period of political stability and cultural growth, where it began to come into its own as a nation and a potential player on the world stage. Being a Protestant nation, this development did not sit well with Spain, the Catholic superpower of the day. That, plus Elizabeth’s clear intent to rule in her own right rather than take a husband and give up her sovereignty, meant that Spain and England were very soon butting heads. Unfortunately for England, in the 16th Century Spain had naval supremacy. The grand and glorious Royal Navy of future centuries was barely a gleam in anyone’s eye. So, England did what she could with what she had. And what she had was a RagTagBandOfMisfits known as the Sea Dogs, who would plunder and pillage and engage in acts of dubious morality in the name of Queen and Country (and Spanish gold). And Francis Drake was the most famous.

Of course it’s not all good things. Like all national heroes, Drake’s reputation was conflated with time and distance, with the positives remembered, and the negatives conveniently overlooked. Like all Privateers, Drake was technically a pirate, except that he had a piece of paper from the government authorizing him to do so. Many of the things he did in service to the Crown would probably get him classified as a terrorist by today’s standards: one of those “outside-the-box” strategies he used against the Armada was to employ fireships, considered at the time to be a ''very'' dirty tactic, on par with landmines. Like all pirates, his raids on Spanish port cities resulted in indiscriminate killing of soldiers and civilians alike. And lest we forget, his first command was a slave ship. And not even a “legitimate” slave ship, but an illegal venture of his cousin’s, capturing free Africans and selling them on the black market, in an attempt to bypass the legal channels over which Spain held a monopoly.

* {{Pirate}}: Perhaps the most famous of them all.

* HilariousInHindsight: England did eventually claim a region of North America as "New England." Although it was on the ''other side'' of the continent.

Of course, fate had other plans for Francis Drake. In 1585, the long-simmering tension between England and Spain finally boiled over, and the so-called “Anglo-Spanish War” broke out. And this time, Philip II of Spain was determined to crush this upstart Queen and her pathetic little island once and for all. He commissioned the building of the Spanish Armada, the largest invasion fleet ever yet assembled. Drake was named Vice Admiral of the English forces, and immediately started running pre-emptive strikes on Spanish ports, designed to delay the construction of the Armada and disrupt supply lines. His most famous strike was the raid on Cadiz, where he managed to destroy or disable almost thirty vessels, setting back the invasion preparations significantly.

* {{Determinator}}: His hatred of Spain made him one of these in his early days. He was severely wounded during the raid on Panama and still kept going, blind to the pain, until his crew finally made him call it a day.

* The 1950’s B-Movie ''The Thing That Wouldn’t Die'' features Francis Drake’s legendary landing in Northern California in the backstory, where the monster of the movie is an undead former member of Drake’s crew that Drake had buried there.