Francis Drake was an English seafarer, privateer and naval commander of the Elizabethan age. He circumnavigated the globe, raided Spanish possessions and played a prominent role in the campaign against the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Francis Drake was born in Tavistock and died in Portobelo. Drake circumnavigated the globe from 1577 to 1580, raided Spanish possessions and shipping, and was knighted by Elizabeth I; in 1588 he served as a senior commander in the English fleet opposing the Spanish Armada.
In John Stack’s Armada, Thomas Varian is a rising captain in Francis Drake’s navy, trusted for his courage but concealing a Catholic faith that could destroy his career and place his life in danger. In Margaret George’s Elizabeth I, Elizabeth must preserve Protestant England through war with Spain, unrest in Ireland, financial pressure and uncertainty over the succession, while the trusted advisers of her youth are replaced by a younger generation led by Robert Cecil. Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, James VI of Scotland and the poets and playwrights of the Elizabethan court form part of a world in which public image is inseparable from government. Further fictional perspectives on Francis Drake can be found in Rory Clements’ Martyr, David Field’s Pirates and Patriots, William Havelock’s The Dragon’s Forge, William Havelock’s The Edge of the Map, and Steven Veerapen’s The Queen’s Gold.
