The Personality Of Sir Francis Drake Essay Example

Francis Drake had many accomplishments, but his most famous ones were, circumnavigating the globe, resulting in helping the Earth advancing. His raids against the Spanish were key to the rise of the British Empire, and his supreme identity as a brave navigator. For these three reasons, Francis Drake is a hero.

The first thing to remember is that Francis Drake was essential in helping the Earth advance by becoming the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. In 1577, the Queen of England chose him to become the leader of an expedition that was intended to pass around South America through the Strait of Magellan and to explore the land beyond that. The expedition ended in 1580, but he also created a reputation for himself by becoming a pirate to the Spanish.


Secondly, his raids against Spain was extremely successful, also resulting in angering the king of Spain. In 1580, his circumnavigation expedition ended, when he returned he gifted the Queen countless gifts he had stolen from the Spanish by raiding their trading ships. These events gave him a reputation of a pirate by the Spanish, they often called him “El Draque” or “The dragon”. The Spanish believed he was a pirate and despised him because he would attack their vessels, steal their treasure, and raid their ports. 

Although this may be true, Francis Drake’s massive importance to building England's empire destroyed Spain’s. He did this by raiding the Spanish at Santa Domingo, Cartagena and St. Augustine, and Florida. Not only did he raid he Spanish, but he also took up the hobby of slave trading. If it wasn’t for Francis Drake’s vital role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the British wouldn’t have been able to have the opportunity to settle in the United States.

Without a doubt, he was an extremely brave navigator, known for his tactics and strategy. After he navigated through the Strait of Magellan, becoming the first Englishman to do that, he discovered the Tierra del Fuego, a group of islands south of the Strait of Magellan. Because of his thousand of conquests, including the defeat of the Spanish Armada, he was knighted by the Queen of England upon his ship the Golden Hind, much to the resentment of Spain. Also his privateering in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean were known as the staging grounds for the destruction of the Spanish Armada and the rise of the British Empire.

In conclusion Francis Drake was a hero because he was one of the naval heroes of Elizabethan period, although his raids with Spain have led to charges of piracy for several years. His circumnavigation of the world was key to expanding knowledge of the world's geography. However, Drake also used his naval skill to undertake the hobby of slave trading. The English believed him to be a patriot because of the wealth he brought them and had achieved the highest rank in the Navy. He started out as a common man, who rose into the mighty dragon the Spanish feared, to becoming the most accomplished naval captain of the Elizabethan Era.