Francis Drake’s name conjures images of high-seas adventure, epic naval battles, and legendary exploration. His exploits as a sailor, privateer, and navigator during the 16th century made him one of England’s most iconic figures.
Drake was also associated with the Hawkins slave trading business, supported the attack on Rathlin Castle that resulted in murder of 600+ people, and does not appear to be motivated beyond personal interest.
So, who was Francis Drake? To understand and accurately paint him as a protagonist for my historical fiction series, I delve into his life, examining the circumstances that shaped him and explore the accomplishments that made him both a hero—and a villain.
Early Life: Humble Beginnings in Tavistock
Francis Drake was born around 1540 in Tavistock, Devon, in a middling farming family in the the southwest of England. The family’s modest status – after all, his birth was not important enough to record – would have provided little indication of the things Drake would go on to achieve, however history judges him.
His father, Edmund Drake, was a tenant farmer and preacher and a staunch Protestant in a time of significant religious turmoil. This was the period of the Protestant Reformation, an upheaval which led to widespread religious persecution, under the reigns of monarchs before and after Queen Mary I. Mary was a devout Catholic.
I believe that the world in which Drake lived is a part of what makes him and is an important antagonistic force in the story.
Applying this research allows me to frame the backdrop the and one that I attempt to capture and paint in the historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna. This is a world that motivates personal profit at any price and represented by several crystallized and ephemeral villains.
In 1549, Drake’s family fled from Tavistock. There are two accepted versions of the plight. the first was due to religious upheaval in the West. They relocated to the more Protestant Kent, where Edmund found work. The second version highlights the cruelty of the environment – Edmund Drake, who is a lay reader of prayers, and an accomplice assaulted and robbed two people, then fled to escape the crime. In some accounts, the accomplice was actually an ordained minister. Regardless of the version that is the truth, the Drakes never return to Tavistock.
This displacement and constant threat of persecution instill in young Drake a sense of underdog who had little to lose. I think this sense developed into resilience and a willingness to take outsized risks—traits that would define his career.
Another trait which also likely evolved from this was lack of trust and reliance on others. This could have been a combination of influences—the hostile environment reinforced by his upbringing. Drake, like his father, was a devout Protestant and likely relied on the conviction that God has individual plan for him. Like most people of this era, he likely questioned what part of his fate was planned, and which was his personal initiative.
This combination of environmental and developmental factors could have resulted in a belief that he needed nobody and nothing else. While Drake was certainly obedient to the royal authority, he was loyal to himself. This trait would be a recurring theme during his life.
Apprenticeship at Sea: The Foundation of a Sailor
Francis Drake’s entry into the world of seafaring began in his early teens when he became an apprentice to a shipmaster who traded goods between England and France as well as along the English coast. The name of the master is not known, nor was the name of the ship recorded.
This apprenticeship provided him with a solid foundation in seamanship and navigation, skills that were crucial for survival and success at sea. As an apprentice, Drake would have been responsible for a variety of tasks, from maintaining the ship to managing cargo and learning the intricacies of navigation. It was during this time that Drake began to hone the abilities that would later make him an authoritarian leader, skilled mariner, and observant, talented navigator.
This early, lawless world also plays an influence here. The seas were a very dangerous place, fraught with the threats of piracy, treacherous weather, and hostile encounters with ships from other nations. Like the highway brigands, might defined right. Surviving and thriving in such an environment required not just skill, but also quick thinking and an ability to adapt—qualities that Drake will need to draw on in his upcoming adventures.
The Rise of a Privateer: Drake’s Early Expeditions
Drake’s first documented taste of adventure came in the 1560s when he joined his relative, John Hawkins, on a series of slave trading expeditions to the Caribbean. These voyages were part private enterprise, part military expeditions to flex England’s naval muscles and establish a foothold in the lucrative trade routes dominated by Spain.
These ventures depended on the repugnant, but mutual commercial interest of both English and Spanish parties. Covered by sham diplomacy, the strategy was to make a lot of noise and threats, “attacking” defended Spanish ports, while quiet business negotiations—trading gold for human souls—were conducted.
This presumption of common business interests was shattered in the expedition of 1568, during during which Hawkins (and Drake) were betrayed by the new Spanish Viceroy at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa. His royal instructions regarding the economic development of Spain’s new world colonies were very different. He was to develop and encourage commercial activity granted by the Treaty of Tordesillas, benefitting Spain exclusively, by any means necessary.
The Viceroy signed a truce to allow the English to repair and refit their fleet and to allow his ships entrance into the harbor occupied by the English. Once he bought himself enough time, he attacked the English “Protestant pirates.” The treacherous attack resulted in a devastating defeat and destruction of the majority of the English fleet, and executions or galley enslavement of the English crew who were captured.
The stinging defeat left a deep impression on Drake, crystallizing his “enemy” and fueling a lifelong hatred of Spain. After Drake licked his wounds, he returned with vengeance. His reputation as a fierce privateer—a pirate licensed by the English crown to attack and plunder enemy ships—began to grow.
The San Juan de Ulúa episode in the opening paragraph is from the upcoming historical fiction novel First Blood.
Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation of the Globe
Drake’s most famous expedition began in 1577 when Queen Elizabeth commissioned him to lead a fleet on a voyage that would take him around the world.
This journey lasted nearly three years and was marked by extraordinary challenges – navigation, military, equipment, and logistics. Drake and his crew faced everything from treacherous weather to hostile reception.
Despite these challenges, Drake’s voyage was a resounding success. He became the first Englishman, and the second European (after Magellan’s pilot Juan Elcano), to circumnavigate the globe. Drake returned to England in 1580 with a wealth of treasure plundered from Spanish ships and settlements along the way.
This accomplishment enshrined him as a national hero – one that dealt a significant blow to Spanish influence in the New World. Queen Elizabeth I, knighted Drake aboard his ship, the Golden Hind.
The Spanish Armada: Drake’s Role in England’s Defense
While a significant part of the Queen’s Privy Council distrusted him, Drake’s reputation and competence as a naval commander culminated in his involvement in one of the most significant naval engagements of the 16th century—the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Under Philip II, Spain had amassed a large fleet with the intention of invading England and overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I. Drake played a crucial role in the defense of England, leading daring attacks on Spanish ships and ports even before the Armada set sail.
One of Drake’s most famous exploits during this period was the raid on the Spanish port of Cádiz in 1587, where he destroyed numerous ships and supplies, delaying the Armada’s sailing for over a year. Drake overruled his captains and carried his personal war to his enemy’s doorstep by sailing into Cádiz, guns blazing.
This action earned Drake the nickname “El Draque” (The Dragon) among the Spanish. A few weeks later, Drake captured the carrack São Filipe with over £100,000 of gold, spices, and silk (value at the time).
So, Who Was Francis Drake: Hero, Pirate, or Both?
Francis Drake’s legacy is complex. To the English, he was a hero—a key figure in the country’s rise as a global naval power. His daring exploits and successful raids against the Spanish made him a legend in his own time.
To the Spanish and others, Drake was a pirate — a ruthless, lawless marauder who attacked and plundered without mercy.
In his own mind, he followed God’s plan and furthered his own ambitions. I think that he wanted to be an equal to the nobles through his actions for England, but that never came to be. Elizabeth, while supportive, did not trust anyone. And her principal secretary Cecil, Lord Burroughs, had an innate distaste for Drake as a low-born upstart and a loose cannon in an environment where delicate diplomacy was required to stave off war.
His raids on Spanish territories and ships furthered his own ambitions against a personal enemy he created.
His circumnavigation of the globe explored new trade routes, and his daring raids enriched his investors (not the least of which was the Queen and members of the Privy Council). He paved the way for future English expeditions, including the later formation of the (British) East India Company, and England’s eventual establishment of a global empire.
His life and exploits have inspired countless stories, including my historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna, which seeks to capture the spirit and adventure of Drake’s early years.
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The image of the young man above this article is an AI-generated portrait. It was prompted on a 1591 portrait of Sir Francis Drake by Marcus Gheeraerts when Drake was approximately 51 years old.
Further Reading
Doran, Elizabeth, and Norman Jones. The Elizabethan World. Routedge, 2011.
Drake, Francis (1st Baronet). The World Encompassed. N. Bourne, 1628.
Fernández-Armesto, Felipe. The Spanish Armada: The Experience of War in 1588. Oxford University Press, 1988.
Jariabek, Paul. “Opening Scene of the Historical Fiction Novel Sic Parvis Magna,” n.d. https://jariabek.com/my-historical-fiction/adventures-of-francis-drake/adventures-of-francis-drake-sic-parvis-magna-update/.
Jariabek, Paul. “Researching Francis Drake’s Ship,” n.d. https://jariabek.com/my-historical-fiction/adventures-of-francis-drake/francis-drakes-ship-the-tiger/.
Kelsey, Harry. Sir Francis Drake: The Queen’s Pirate. Yale University Press, 2000.
Sugden, John. Sir Francis Drake. Barrie & Jenkins, 1990.
Historical Fiction of Paul Jariabek
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