Sir Frances Drake: Why's he so legendary?

Question

Why was Drake the essential "Batman" of Elizabethan England? And, what did Drake do that sparked the flames of interest in the english people to the extent they were a wildfire of myth producing gossipers. Why should Drake be remembered in history at all.

Answer 1

I don't think "Batman" is the most appropriate character for Drake. After all, Batman is always Mr. Nice Guy. Drake was hardly ever Mr. Nice Guy. He was a thief (perhaps a charming thief in his way); a pirate, certainly; and a tough, even sometimes cynically brutal leader. For an example of that cynical brutality, consider Drake's execution, on trumped-up charges, of one of his "gentleman volunteers" during the circumnavigation voyage, just to make sure that the crew thought twice before contemplating mutiny.

"Robin Hood" strikes me as being more apt than "Batman". But, although Drake certainly robbed the rich (Spaniards and Portuguese) for all he was worth, he wasn't big on giving to the poor. Far from it, in fact. He invariably stole much more than his due share of the loot, defrauding his crew and his investors.

And yet, in most other senses, Drake was very much like Robin Hood. A bold and daring leader of outnumbered underdogs, always seeking to attack where and when least expected. Highly intelligent, using intelligence information (such as that obtained from Cimaroons - escaped black slaves) to identify weak points in the Spanish logistics chain for getting their silver and gold across the Panama isthmus. To find his counterparts today, look amongst the leaders of the SAS, Delta Force, the Rangers. Because that is essentially what Drake was: a prototype special forces leader.

His claim to greatness and memorability lies probably in four or five particular exploits, linked by the reputation that he enjoyed in his own lifetime. His name didn't hurt, either, sounding a bit like "Dragon" in Spanish.

The great exploits that I'd single out are: -

[1] His 1572 capture of Nombre de Dios, the port on the Spanish Main from which the bullion from the Peruvian mines was collected by the Spanish treasure fleets. As it happened, he came away from that empty handed, because the treasure fleet had left shortly before he captured the town. This disappointment merely serves to display his leadership qualities: he held his crew together, and went back for another attempt to intercept the 1573 annual treasure convoy. And that time, he succeeded, bringing back enough loot to buy himself a fine manor in Devon.

[2] His circumnavigation, of course, in 1578-80. This was a great feat of skill and daring. The Pacific was a "Spanish lake" at this time. Drake kept going on in his ship the Pelican (later renamed Golden Hind) even when his four accompanying ships deserted or foundered in storms: the ship was frighteningly small, only a little over 100 feet in length. Once into the Pacific, he ran riot, looting several Spanish ports, and eventually capturing the richest single-ship treasure galleon ever taken: Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion. When the Golden Hind finally arrived back in England, it carried only 58 survivors of the original 164 who had departed almost three years previously, and its circuitous voyage had carried it about 36,000 miles. But it had been worthwhile. The profits that Drake admitted to making (and we know that he made a far from full declarations to the customs officer!) gave his investors a 4,700% return on their investment. Furthermore, he brought back charts and notes (including much captured from the Spanish) that would allow future English sailors to trace his ocean paths with much greater certainty than had previously been possible. As the greatest economist of the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes, commented: "The booty brought back by Drale may fairly be considered the fountain and origin of British foreign investment." Drake's profits from the circumnavigation led to the forming of the British East India Company (with profound effects for India, Malaya, Singapore, Burma, etc.).

[3] In 1585, Drake returned to his old Caribbean hunting grounds, capturing and subsequently ransoming the heavily defended port of Cartagena. His tactics for this operation, involving considerable subterfuge and psychological warfare, are still taught in the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School as a prime example of special operations in the days of sail.

[4] In 1587, Drake led his most dazzling raid of all, against the Spanish mainland port of Cadiz, using subterfuge (he flew French colors) to pass the guns of the castle defending the narrow entrance. Cadiz was the prime Atlantic coast port being used to assemble the ships and supplies for the Armada. 48 hours later, Drake had sunk or captured 38 Armada ships, fired all of the warehouses with their Armada supplies, and carried back many of those war supplies to equip the English to fight successfully when the Armada finally did sail the next year. Nor was this all. On the way home, Drake diverted to capture a Portuguese carrack (Portugal was an unhappy satellite of Spain at this time) laden with treasure from a voyage to India. It was the second-greatest single ship prize ever taken by a pirate or privateer - the greatest having been Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion. And the Portuguese carrack also yielded charts and papers that revealed the mysteries of the East India trade routes to eager English eyes.

[5] As has been previously asserted, Drake's role in defeating the 1588 Armada was secondary to that of Frobisher and, above all, the weather. Nevertheless, it was probably at Drake's urging that the English unleashed fireships against the battered Armada sheltering in Calais Roads, forcing the Spanish to cut their cables and stagger out into the North Sea, where storms left only 50% of the Armada ships to struggle home. Oh ... and with uncharacteristic generosity, Drake himself donated two of the eight fireships that drove the Armada to its destruction.

So there you have him. A real hero. Real in the sense that he was by no means nice. A hero because of his staggering accomplishments.

Answer 2

He is one of the products of english myth making.
He was essentially a pirate who sailed the world in search of plunder from other ships which he shared with Queen Elizabeth.
His part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada was marginal, other.
sailors such as Frobisher were more effective.
The main cause of the defeat of the Armada was the storm that forced them round the northern tip of Great Britain and wrecked most of their ships on the Scottish and Irish coasts.

Answer 3

He was probably the most well respected sailor and explorer in English history, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world.
He also thrashed the "Great Spanish Armada" in the late 16 th century.

Answer 4

Murray H pretty much has it. Nothing to add.