Sir Francis Drake

English admiral Sir Francis Drake was the second person to circumnavigate the globe and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era, not only that, but he was also one of the most famous explorers. In his youth, he commanded a ship as part of a fleet bringing African slaves to the “New World”, making it one of the first English slaving voyages. Later, he was secretly commissioned by Elizabeth I to set off an expedition against the colonies of the Spanish empire – the most powerful in the world at the time. Aboard his flagship ‘the Pelican’ – later renamed ‘the Golden Hind’ – Drake made his way into the Pacific, up the coast of South America, across the Indian Ocean, and back into the Atlantic.

In 1577, Drake was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and explore the coast that lay beyond. Drake successfully completed the journey and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I upon his triumphant return in 1580. In 1588, Drake saw action in the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, though he died in 1596 from dysentery after undertaking an unsuccessful raiding mission.

Born: 1540
Died: January 28, 1596

Nationality: England