Francis Drake – Ingliando

The Knighthood of Sir Francis Drake

4th April 1581

On this day, Francis Drake, the famous Elizabethan explorer, sea captain and pirate, was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth I on board his ship, the Golden Hind, at Deptford. The knighthood was a reward for Drake’s 1577-1580 expedition, which saw him plundering Spanish ports, capturing Spanish ships, circumnavigating the globe, and more importantly, bringing back a rich cargo of treasure and spices for his queen. To commemorate his successful circumnavigation, Drake presented Elizabeth with a jewel from Mexico made of enamelled gold decorated with an African diamond and a ship with an ebony hull. In return, Elizabeth presented Drake with a jewel and a portrait of herself.

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Drake Leaves to Circumnavigate the World

13th December 1577

On this day Sir Francis Drake set out from Plymouth in the south of England on his famous quest to circumnavigate the world. The expedition was termed a ‘voyage of discovery’, but was in effect an ambitious covert raiding voyage and the start of England’s challenge to the global maritime domination of Spain and Portugal. Drake’s capturing of Spanish ships and plundering of Spanish settlements during the voyage was one of the main factors that eventually led to the start of the Anglo-Spanish war in 1585.

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