By Ben Briggs

• Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to sail around the world. • He was born in 1542 and died in 1596.•He was born in Devon and went to sea at an early age.•Drake was an Elizabethan sailor and navigator.• In 1585, Elizabeth commissioned Drake to raid Spanish settlements in the Caribbean.•In 1570 and 1571, Drake made two profitable trading voyages to the west Indies.•In 1585, Drake sailed to the west Indies and the coast of Florida where he sacked and plundered Spanish cities.

Sir Francis Drake sailed round the world, he started his route in Plymouth. He set sail and went through the straits of Magellan (southern tip of south America) into the pacific, coasted up the western shores of the Americas, crossed to Asia and the Philippines, and finally returned to Britain on September 26, 1580. On the way round the world Sir Francis Drake collected an amazing amount of money - it was enough to pay off the national debt, he had also returned with lots of new foods and spices. Sir Francis Drake was knighted for his courage and the money he brought back with him.

Sir Francis Drake also became an MP and was also awarded a very big house ( his crew received nothing!)

In 1587, Elizabeth I put Drake in command of an expedition to attack a Spanish fleet which was getting ready to attack England. Drake sailed right in to Cadiz harbour and wrecked the ships there, before going on to capture another hundred Spanish ships elsewhere. It is said he’d ‘singed the king of Spain’s beard’. By 1588, he was Vice-Admiral of the fleet which defeated the Spanish armada. As a sailor, adventurer, navigator, politician, engineer and landowner, Drake was as famous in his own lifetime as David Beckham is today. He was one of the most famous men in Elizabethan times.

1542 - Drake is born1567 – Drake’s first voyage, slave trading1570 - West Indies1571 – West Indies1572 – Attack Spanish in the Caribbean1577 - Secret mission against the Spanish in

America1578 - Renamed Drakes ship from pelican to

Golden Hinde

1578 – First Englishman to navigate straits of Magellan

1580 – Arrived back in England after going round the world

1581 – made a knight by Elizabeth I1585 – Sailed to the west Indies1587 – Destroyed Spanish ships in the Port of

Cadiz1588 - Acted as Vice Admiral against the Spanish

Armada1595 – failed voyage to the Caribbean1596 – Drake dies of dysentery, off the coast of

Puerto Rico

• 1552-1618• Sir Walter Raleigh was a generation younger than Drake.• Sir Walter Raleigh was one of the most colourful men of his day – a poet, courtier, soldier and sailor.• He charmed the Queen and gained her favour by suppressing rebellion in Ireland.• In 1592, Raleigh married one of Elizabeth’s maids of honour without her permission and was briefly sent to the tower. • Raleigh was in charge of Cornwall’s defences during the Armada, but did not sail with the fleet• Raleigh can also be spelt Ralegh, in fact nearly forty variations of his name have been recorded!

Sir Walter Raleigh’s ship.

Sir Walter Raleigh thought there were new places to be discovered and that was when his exploration began. He travelled to America a lot and he sponsored the first English colony in America. (Which failed.) He is credited with discovering the potato and tobacco but these were already known by the Spanish. He set off to find El Dorado ( he failed.) In 1616 he was allowed again to go and look for El Dorado ( this was also a failure.) He attacked the Spanish instead which led to his downfall.

(As you can see not all of his missions were very successful although he did write some very famous books, including History of the World!)

1552 – Raleigh was born1578 – Sail to America1580 – Raleigh butchered 600 people to

suppress rebellion in Ireland1585 – Sponsored first English colony in

America, as we know it now north Carolina1585 – Colonists return home starving1587 – Attempts to set up new colony in the

same place, all colonists disappear1587 – He is knighted

1592 – Imprisoned in the tower1595 – Failed voyage to El Dorado1596 – Assists in leading attack on Spanish1603 – James I comes to the throne1603 – Raleigh is sentenced to death for

treason1616 – second failed voyage to El Dorado1618 - Executed

Elizabeth's successor, James I of England and VI of Scotland, disliked Raleigh, and in 1603 he was accused of plotting against the king and sentenced to death. This was reduced to life imprisonment and Raleigh spent the next 12 years in the Tower of London, where he wrote the first volume of his 'History of the World' (1614).

In 1616, Raleigh was released to lead a second expedition to search for El Dorado. The expedition was a failure, and Raleigh also defied the king's instructions by attacking the Spanish. On his return to England, the death sentence was reinstated and Raleigh's execution took place on 29 October 1618.

Sir Francis DrakeThe Golden Hinde

Sir Walter RaleighThe Falcon

Galleons were powered by wind and voyages could take many months or years. The ships were large and difficult to manoeuvre. They were broad and slow with decks specially for cannons.

the excitement of travelling to new places where no British people had ever been.

to become rich by finding new places to trade and to bring back expensive goods like spices, silk and precious metals

to find a new place to live where they would be able to practise their religion in freedom. It must have been very hard for them during the 118 years the Tudors ruled because they were often forced to change their religion depending on the religion of the monarch.

It was licensed piracy! Queen Elizabeth gained a lot of wealth from plundering and stealing.

Life was very cramped and the sailors lived in these conditions for many months and sometimes even years. The sailors often slept on the deck and had only the clothes they wore.

The ships were dirty and infested with mice.

Tudor sailors had to take food that would last. They preserved food by drying, salting, smoking and pickling and took food which kept naturally, like nuts. Food was often infested with worms and other creatures.

The sailors did not eat fresh food and so were often short of vitamins, which led to diseases like scurvy making their teeth fall out and giving them lots of sores. 

Ships biscuit or ‘hard tack’ would have to be tapped before eating to get rid of the insects!

More tradeDiscovery of tobaccoDiscovery of potatoes and maizeBetter knowledge of the worldColonising other countriesMore accurate mapsBetter ship buildingVocabulary/languageBetter navigation

Thank you for listening.

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