Table of Contents
Who led the English ships?
Led by Drake and Lord Charles Howard, the Royal Navy assembled a fleet of some 40 warships and several dozen armed merchant vessels.
What was Francis Drake known for?
Sir Francis Drake participated in some of the earliest English slaving voyages to Africa and earned a reputation for his privateering, or piracy, against Spanish ships and possessions. In 1588, Drake served as second-in-command during the English victory over the Spanish Armada.
What did Sir Francis Drake discover?
He discovered that Tierra del Fuego, the land south of the Magellan Strait, was not another continent as Europeans believed, but instead a group of islands. This meant that ships could sail between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans around the bottom of South America (later known as the Cape Horn route).
What did Francis Drake steal from the Spanish?
Drake’s circumnavigation was also a pirate expedition. His biggest prize came in March 1579, when he seized the Spanish treasure ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and liberated it of a dozen chests of coins, 80 pounds of gold and 26 tons of silver.
Why did the English beat the Spanish Armada?
While the Armada tried to get in touch with the Spanish army, the English ships attacked fiercely. However, an important reason why the English were able to defeat the Armada was that the wind blew the Spanish ships northwards.
Why did Spain’s King want to invade England?
England was helping Spain’s Dutch rebels and English ships, under the command of Sir Francis Drake, to attack Spain’s treasure fleet as they returned from the Caribbean. When Elizabeth I executed the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots in 1587, Philip was personally angered and, wanting England for himself, decided to invade.
Why was Francis Drake important to Elizabeth?
In addition to circumnavigating the world, Sir Francis Drake is known for making several voyages to the West Indies as a slave trader. He later served Queen Elizabeth I as a privateer and naval officer charged with striking against Spain’s possessions. He also served as the mayor of Plymouth, England.
How much money did Drake steal?
Capture of Spanish treasure ships Near Lima, Drake captured a Spanish ship with 25,000 pesos of Peruvian gold, amounting in value to 37,000 ducats of Spanish money (about £7m by modern standards).
What was the name of the ship the pilgrims sailed on?
On December 6, 1606, the journey to Virginia began on three ships: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I.
Within a few years, English merchants had practically been overwhelmed in the Baltic and North sea trade, as well as trade with the Iberian Peninsula, the Mediterranean and the Levant.
Why was the Royal Navy important to the British Empire?
From the mid 18th century, it was the world’s most powerful navy until the Second World War. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing the British Empire. Due to this historical prominence, it is common, even among non-Britons, to refer to it as “the Royal Navy” without qualification.
Where did the Royal Navy get its name?
The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK’s armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service. From the middle decades of the 17th century, and through the 18th century, the Royal Navy vied with the Dutch Navy and later with the French Navy for maritime supremacy.