Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, slave trader, and explorer of the Elizabethan era. He is best known for his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580, the second to do so after Ferdinand Magellan. Drake's exploits made him a national hero in England, and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581. In Hebrew, he is known as פרנסיס דרייק, in Spanish as Francisco Drake, and in French as François Drake. Drake's raids on Spanish ships and colonies in the Americas, particularly his attack on the Spanish silver train at Nombre de Dios in 1572 and his capture of the Spanish treasure galleon San Felipe in 1587, earned him the enmity of King Philip II of Spain. His most famous voyage, the circumnavigation, was both a commercial success and a propaganda victory for England, as he brought back vast riches and demonstrated the vulnerability of Spain's global empire. Drake's actions played a significant role in the Anglo-Spanish War, which culminated in the failed Spanish Armada invasion of England in 1588, with Drake being one of the key commanders in the English victory.