What is Francis Drake?
[[Image:sfdrake42.jpg|thumb|300px|Portrait miniature of Drake by [[Nicholas Hilliard]], 1581]] Vice Admiral '''Sir Francis Drake''' (1540&nbsp;– 27 January 1596) was an English [[sea captain]], [[privateer]], [[navigator]], [[slave trade|slaver]], and [[politician]] of the [[Elizabethan era]]. He was born in [[Tavistock]] and grew up in [[Kent]], where he learned to be a sailor. Soon he was a shipmaster (captain). Queen [[Elizabeth I]] awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581, which he received on the Golden Hind in Deptford. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the [[Spanish Armada]] in [[1588]]. He also carried out the second [[circumnavigation]] of the world, from 1577 to 1580 during which he attacked towns of the [[Spanish Empire]]. He had always been a powerful enemy to the Spanish. He died of [[dysentery]] in January 1596<ref>According to the English calendar that was then in use, Drake's date of death was 27 January 1595, as the New Year began on 25 March.</ref> after he had unsuccessfully attacked [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]. His exploits were legendary. He was a hero to the English but a [[pirate]] to the [[Spaniard]]s. King [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] was reported to have offered a reward of 20,000&nbsp;[[ducat]]s,<ref name=Cummins>Cummins, John, ''Francis Drake: The Lives of a Hero'', 1996, Palgrave Macmillan. {{ISBN|0312163657}}</ref> today worth about £4,000,000 (about US $6,500,000) for him to be killed. == References == {{reflist}} {{bio-stub}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Francis}} [[Category:1540 births]] [[Category:1596 deaths]] [[Category:English admirals]]