Francis Drake
Francis Drake was a key player in the fight
against the The Spanish Armada. One of the commanders of the English fleet, he
was related to the Hawkins family, but was not born into the
commerce industry. His father (Edmund) had once been a sailor, but at the
time of Francis' birth, he was a yeoman-farmer of Tavistock. In 1549,
Edmund Drake was forced to leave Devon due to his religious affiliations,
so Francis went to sea at an early age. He started out as an apprentice in a
collier, plying between Tyne and Thames, and later became it's owner.
He served the John Hawkins for a while, and accompanied John on
the 3rd of his slave voyages. After that, he went into business for
himself, and soon prospered, owing to his talent for taking calculated
risks. Francis was a born leader, an opportunist, and a man who always knew
his own abilities as well as those of others. He was often daring, but never
reckless. Drake has been called by many names, ranging from 'pirate' and
'hypocrite', to 'Saviour of his country', 'Creator of naval warfare' and
'Father of English Strategy'. The Spanish simply called him 'El Draque' -
the Dragon.
Francis Drake was a sincere Puritan, believing strongly
that God had a special care towards England and Queen Elizabeth I. In
his earlier years, he was also a privateer, fighting England's enemies
with the consent of his government, but with his own weapons. It was Drake's
willingness to fight without the 'official' support of his country, which
served the Queen's purposes at the time. For political and economical
reasons, Elizabeth could not afford to openly go to war against Spain, nor
could she stand by and do nothing. Drake was prepared to face the enemy, and
to take risks (not to mention blame), should she need to disclaim him
later.
Before the Armada, Francis had long been a prime seaman, and an
outstanding sea-fighter. By 1585, he was the leading exponent of English
sea-warfare. His precise year of birth is unknown, but he may have been
around 40 years old in 1588. He was shortish and thick-set, and at the time
of the Armada, had a small, trim beard. He was Vice-Admiral of the main
fleet.