• About WordPress
    • WordPress.org
    • Documentation
    • Support
    • Feedback
  • Log In
  • Read
    • Books
  • Travel
    • Tours
    • Hotels
    • Videos
  • Connect
    • About
    • Submissions
    • Contact

    Sign in


    • Read
      • Books
    • Travel
      • Tours
      • Hotels
      • Videos
    • Connect
      • About
      • Submissions
      • Contact
    Sign in

    Tag: privateering missions

    Sir Francis Drake: Pirate, Explorer, Human Rights Pioneer

    You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember Me     Forgot Password

    LiteraryTraveler May 17, 2007
    2 Comments

    Featured Posts

    • Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash 1
      Literary Traveler’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide
      • November 28, 2022
    • Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s tallest peak, under overcast skies. Photo by: Heidi Lachapelle, circa August 23, 2021 2
      Katahdin: “The Great Mountain” and Six Witty Wanderers
      • November 14, 2022
    • 3
      Chasing the Northern Lights: Driving Iceland’s Ring Road (with Gísli the Outlaw)
      • October 25, 2022
    • 4
      I have seen Sakhalin
      • October 19, 2022
    • 5
      Falling for New Hampshire: Oktoberfest at Purity Spring Resort
      • October 7, 2022

    Recent Posts

    • Mexico City Muse
      • September 14, 2022
    • Into Denali: Not quite following in Chris McCandless’ footsteps
      • August 26, 2022
    • Touring Colombia with the Ghost of Gabo
      • July 5, 2022

    Categories

    • Articles (472)
    • Author (10)
    • Books (125)
    • Cruises (4)
    • Gear (29)
    • Hotels (30)
    • Interviews (5)
    • Movies (14)
    • My Personal Legend (4)
    • Newsletter (1)
    • Recent Articles (6)
    • Reviews (7)
    • Theater (4)
    • Tours (54)
    • Travel (82)
    • TV (3)
    • Uncategorized (54)

    Author

    Francis

    Newsletter Signup

    Sign up to receive emails about upcoming events, site updates, and other news!

    Select list(s) to subscribe to


    By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Literary Traveler, PO Box 1254, West Concord, MA, 01742-2968, http://www.literarytraveler.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

    Our Story….

    At Literary Traveler we help readers explore their literary imagination. Since 1998, Literary Traveler has provided informative and inspiring travel writing featuring writers and the places that they have traveled. We also have featured a wide variety of literary tours, and literary events to help readers find exciting and interesting places to visit. We have offered unique tours with organizations like Classical Pursuits the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In the past we have promoted and participated in literary tours and cruises on The Delta Queen and The Queen Mary 2. Please check out our travel videos and travel blogs. 

    If you are interesting in writing for Literary Traveler please see our travel writing guidelines. If you are interested in advertising or listing your tours, please contact us at 1-855-LIT-TRVL, 1-855-548- 8785 or use our contact form to request our updated Media Kit. We also consult with various destination marketing organizations, tour companies and hotels and resorts.

    We use and recommend Boston Corporate Photographer Brian Smith for our still photos and video needs. We also highly recommend Travel Writer Steve Jermanock's Active Travels as a top Boston Travel Agency for planning your next adventures.

    © 2023 - Literary Traveler

    Forum Description

    by Jennifer Ciotta Most pirates, evil by nature, swashbuckling creatures who roamed the Earth's seas, have seldom been portrayed correctly in literature and film.  Often seen as the "romantic life," real piracy served as an odious career ... literally.  It was a well-known fact in the barbaric 16th century that when pirates arrived in port towns, the aroma in the air rose to putrid levels. At sea, atrocious sanitary conditions prevailed.  Rats scurried along makeshift beds in sleeping quarters while most food carried squirming weevils.  Infected limbs were amputated without anesthesia.  Burning, hanging and beheading mortally punished disobeying pirates and their victims, yet "walking the plank" was a rarity.  Sensitivity was an aberrant characteristic among these outlawed sailors. However, there was a pirate who embodied some form of humanity and a bit of pacifism.  His name was Sir Francis Drake.  Born somewhere between 1541-1543 into an English, working class family, young Drake took to the high seas by age twelve.  As an apprentice, he quickly learned the ropes, sailing from Devon, England--his place of birth--to Africa with his cousin, Sir John Hawkins.  These missions, comprised of hauling African slaves to the New World, secured Drake's reputation as a competent sailor and congenial sea captain. Drake did, however, obtain one bitter enemy: the Spanish.  In 1567 on a seafaring mission, Drake, as commander, and his men dropped anchor in a Mexican port.  Spanish ships approached in a seemingly friendly manner, yet it proved to be a well-plotted act.  The Spaniards viciously attacked Drake's English fleet, ending in bloody murder and sinking ships.  Sir Francis Drake never forgot, nor forgave, this horrific incident. Additionally, from an economic standpoint, the two countries, England and Spain, were caught in a relentless trading feud, which resulted in many destroyed ships and lives.  Therefore, rulers of both nations hired "privateers" to attack ships and seize goods from their enemies.  Queen Elizabeth I contracted Drake to carry out such privateering missions against the Spanish and Portuguese.  Yet more often than not, privateers morphed into pirates, sailors who attack ships and raid coastal lands.  The word "privateer" remains virtually left out of modern vocabulary.  In its place are the words: pirates, buccaneers, swashbucklers, corsairs, etc. What made Drake so unique in his conquests was the way he chose to pirate.  Perhaps his Protestant upbringing spurred a sense of kindness in the captain.  During his famed voyage around the world from 1577-1580, Sir Francis Drake held religious services, twice a day, for the crew.  This stems as a surprising detail for any pirate, since many corsairs bombarded Jesuit priests and their churches, thus having little respect for religious ideology. A most unusual incident occurred on a prior mission in 1572.  At Nombre de Dios (Panama) Drake and his men chose to aid an injured captain over confiscating valuable treasure. Way before his time, the captain peacefully collaborated with escaped slaves from Panama, since these natives, known as cimarrones, loathed their Spanish conquerors as much as Sir Drake. Possibly his most famous booty came from the treasure-filled Spanish ship, Cacafuego.  Securing the treasure aboard and capturing sailors was a giant feat, but the even larger gain, was Drake's self-control.  The Spanish crew suffered few casualties, and testimonies from the attack proved that little violence occurred and injuries were borne inadvertently.  In fact, Drake experts Michael Turner and Susan Jackson agree: Drake was admired by friend and foe for his humane treatment and kindness towards his enemies, when they had surrendered to him in battle.  Subsequent generations, and especially, those of this century, could have learnt valuable lessons in human rights and decency from Sir Francis. Yet Drake knew he must show a strong character in instances of wrongdoing.  The great pirate, in fact, had his friend and shipmate, Thomas Doughty, beheaded due to a charge of mutiny.  Even though Drake had a soft side, he could quickly revert back to his ruthless, revenge-seeking demeanor at any given moment. As a navigator and politician, the sea captain proved to be an efficient leader on land as well as at sea.  Drake was compared to Italy's Christopher Columbus, since he sailed around the world from 1577-1580.  During this voyage, Drake discovered that Tierra del Fuego was a group of islands, instead of the original thought that it was connected to South America.  Thus it was possible to sail below South America, around Cape Horn.  This newfound knowledge created an immense impact on world geography at that time.  He also sailed the furthest north of any European explorer, landing his leaky ship, the Golden Hind, at the area which is comprised of Washington, Oregon and California.  Unfortunately, to this day, the harbor at which Drake docked and repaired the Golden Hind has never been found.  Crossing the Pacific Ocean, Drake visited the Spice Islands or East Indies where he gathered six tons of spices--something new and exciting for the English. Francis Drake came home a national hero to England, and a despised warrior to the Spanish.  In 1581, Queen Elizabeth knighted the sea commander, making him Sir Francis.  Settling down in Plymouth, he served as a highly regarded Deputy Lord Lieutenant as well as a town councilor, mayor, town governor, MP and first citizen.  In addition, he paid, by his own financial means, for town repairs and fortification.  Historians note that Drake remained "down-to-earth" despite living amongst the vicious snobbery of Queen Elizabeth's 16th century England. In 1595, Sir Francis sailed on his last voyage with his cousin Sir John Hawkins.  He attempted yet failed to conquer Panama City.  Sir Francis Drake died of dysentery off the coast of Panama.  His men buried their beloved commander at sea.

    Report

    There was a problem reporting this post.

    Harassment or bullying behavior
    Contains mature or sensitive content
    Contains misleading or false information
    Contains abusive or derogatory content
    Contains spam, fake content or potential malware

    Block Member?

    Please confirm you want to block this member.

    You will no longer be able to:

    • See blocked member's posts
    • Mention this member in posts
    • Invite this member to groups
    • Message this member
    • Add this member as a connection

    Please note: This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

    Report

    You have already reported this .