Francis Drake

1540-1596

Place of Birth: Tavistock, Devonshire, England

Biography:

Like many of his contemporaries, no birth records exist for Sir Francis Drake. It is believed he was born between 1540 and 1544, based on dates of later events. Records show he was 22 when he obtained his first command in 1566. Two portraits help further narrow the date: one painted in 1581, when he was 42, and another painted in 1594, when he was 53.

Francis Drake was the eldest of 12 sons born to Edmund Drake and Mary Mylwaye Drake. Edmund was a farmer on the estate of Lord Francis Russell, the second earl of Bedford, who was also Francis' godfather. Francis was apprenticed to a merchant who sailed coastal waters trading goods between England and France. He took to navigation well and was soon enlisted by his relatives, the Hawkinses. They were privateers who prowled the shipping lanes off the French coast, seizing merchant ships. (from the mins of biography.com)

                                        Legacy:

English admiral Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1577-1580, helped defeat the Spanish Armada and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era.(from the minds of Biography.com)