A new perspective on the history of Sir Francis Drake, By Tony Riches, author of Drake – Tudor Corsair

A new perspective on the history of

 Sir Francis Drake,

By Tony Riches, author of Drake – Tudor Corsair

I’d been planning an Elizabethan series for some time, as my aim is to tell the stories of the Tudors from Owen Tudor’s first meeting with Queen Catherine of Valois through to the death of Queen Elizabeth.

I decided to show the fascinating world of the Elizabethan court through the eyes of the queen’s favourite courtiers, starting with Francis Drake. I’ve enjoyed tracking down primary sources to uncover the truth of Drake’s story – and discovering the complex man behind the myths.

It will come as little surprise that just about everything you were taught about Drake at school was wrong, so here are a few historical corrections from my research:

Drake was not first to sail around the world.

Drake recreated the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation. He was the first British captain but nearly suffered the same fate as Magellan, (who was killed by islanders). Drake’s flagship, the Golden Hinde, was the only one of his fleet to return home - with only fifty-six men, three years after setting sail and 36,000 miles later.

Replica of the Golden Hinde – Wikimedia Commons

There was a bowling green at Drake’s manor house, but the story first appeared thirty-seven years after the Armada. From what we know of the tide and weather on that day, Drake’s casual behaviour may well have been justified, but I believe it’s all part of the myth around Drake’s life, which he had good reason to encourage.

 Tavistock memorial plaque - Wikimedia Commons

Drake didn’t profit from the slave trade.

As a young man, Drake sailed with John Hawkins on slave-trading voyages, but once he had his own ships, he freed any slaves he found and became friends with a former slave named Diego. Diego helped Drake forged an alliance with the Cimarrons, escaped slaves who established settlements in the forests of Panama. Diego returned to Plymouth with Drake, where he lived for the next four years, and later saved Drake’s life during an attack by islanders.

 The Drake Jewel – Wikimedia Commons

Evidence of Drake’s views can be seen in the Drake Jewel, on display at the V&A Museum in London. Queen Elizabeth gave a miniature portrait on leather to Drake, and he had the jewel created around it. The design he chose is unusual, and has been described as a symbol of black superiority, as the London gemstone cutters made dramatic use of the contrasting dark and light layers of the sardonyx to create the figure of a white woman, eclipsed by an African man, with the mantle worn by Roman emperors as a sign of his high status.

Drake can be seen wearing the jewel at his waist in his portrait by Flemish painter Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, now at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London:

Wikimedia Commons Courtesy of the National Maritime Museum,

Greenwich, London, Caird Collection.

Drake was not knighted by Queen Elizabeth

The famous image of Drake being knighted by a grateful Queen Elizabeth is a Victorian invention, as she cleverly co-opted the Marquis de Marchaumont, ambassador of France, to do the job, reinforcing her alliance with France against the Spanish.

 Tavistock memorial plaque - Wikimedia Commons

Francis Drake was a self-made man, who built his fortune by discovering the routes used by the Spanish to transport vast quantities of gold and silver. He had a special relationship with Queen Elizabeth, and they spent long hours in private meetings, yet was looked down on by the nobility even after he was knighted. His story is one of the great adventures of Tudor history.

 1564

Devon sailor Francis Drake sets out on a journey of adventure.

Drake learns of routes used to transport Spanish silver and gold, and risks his life in an audacious plan to steal a fortune.

Queen Elizabeth is intrigued by Drake and secretly encourages his piracy. Her unlikely champion becomes a national hero, sailing around the world in the Golden Hind and attacking the Spanish fleet.

King Philip of Spain has enough of Drake’s plunder and orders an armada to threaten the future of England.

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Tony Riches

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors. Tony’s other published historical fiction novels include: Owen – Book One Of The Tudor Trilogy, Jasper – Book Two Of The Tudor Trilogy, Henry – Book Three Of The Tudor Trilogy, Mary – Tudor Princess, Brandon – Tudor Knight and The Secret Diary Of Eleanor Cobham.

 For more information about Tony’s books, please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on  Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches