Sir Francis Drake Completes His Circumnavigation of the Globe, September 26, 1580
n the late 1500s, Reformation was sweeping across Europe and the grand colonizing nations of the old world were at odds with each other over matters religious and secular. It was during this time that one Englishman accomplished a momentous first for country. On the 26th of September, 1580 Francis Drake piloted his sole surviving ship of an expedition that began with five into the bay of Plymouth, England, having accomplished a complete circumnavigation of the globe. In the annals of maritime history, few journeys are as storied or considered to be as significant as this one. It cemented Protestant England as a formidable oceanic power, opened the waters of the Pacific Ocean to contested trade, and resulted in vast claims of English land in North America almost thirty years before the settlement at Jamestown.
Francis Drake’s journey 1577-1580, by unknown artist, c1590
Francis Drake had set out from his native Plymouth three years prior in 1577, armed with a privateering license from Queen Elizabeth I of England, along with strict instructions to explore the Straights of Magellan and come to no trouble—unless that trouble brought her nemesis, the Catholic Spanish Empire, economic grief. This commission was intended to further the cause of small, isolated, Protestant England in the global struggle for dominance that had gripped Europe and its sprawling dominions across the Atlantic.
Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596)
Francis Drake with Queen Elizabeth I
On behalf of his Queen, Drake had sailed to the eastern coast of South America where he raided Spanish “gold ships”. He then sailed down past the hazardous southern tip of Argentina which now bears the name “Drake’s Passage”. He continued up the west coast of Chile where he attacked yet more Spanish shipping and, finding the way back home impeded, he chose to cross the Pacific Ocean instead. In this manner he skirted around the southern tip of Africa and then set tack and sheets back westward to his native England, his darling wife, and the monarch who had given him permission for such well-intentioned piracy.
Francis Drake surveys the plunder from a Spanish ship
It is of note that on the Pacific leg of his journey, Drake landed in California which he named New Albion. There he held the first English-speaking worship service in the region, one that interrupted a frenzied ceremony that the natives of the Miwok tribe were holding in which—according to his chaplain Fletcher’s account—they tore at their own skin and threw themselves down upon rocks from a great height in hopes to appease their gods. Drake led his men in the singing of hymns on behalf of the poor souls who were calmed and sufficiently intrigued to interact with the Englishmen, and friendly relations were then established. It was a common and beneficial tactic of Drake’s to befriend the natives of the land which he explored. By his generous conduct he hoped his own dealings with them would compare favorably to that of the Catholic Conquistadors, whose reputation preceded him into these parts. Drake and his expedition proved the means of liberating many who had been slaves in Spain’s employ and they afterwards served as guides on his journey.
Cross commemorating the landing of the “Golden Hinde”, captained by Francis Drake, in California in June 1579—Point Reyes National Seashore, near Drakes Bay, California
Panoramic view of Drakes Bay, California, showing the white cliffs which inspired Drake to call the place New Albion after the famed White Cliffs of Dover, England
Drake returned to England on the September 26, 1580, hailing a fishing boat in Plymouth harbor and asking the astounded man if Queen Elizabeth still reigned. If she did not, and a monarch favorable to Spain or the Pope reigned in her stead, his life would be forfeit. The fisherman assured him that his Queen still reigned, England still prospered and yet the plague was wreaking havoc in Plymouth. Drake chose then to drop anchor offshore and sent a letter to the Queen that her “little pirate”, as she called him, had returned, and had returned with the spoils of the Spanish Empire in his ship’s hold. By the end of that day the mayor of Plymouth and the remarkable Mrs. Drake boarded his battered ship, The Golden Hind, and gave the intrepid explorer his due welcome.
A full-sized replica of Drake’s ship, The Golden Hind, moored at Tower Pier, London, which view wouldn’t have changed much since Drake’s time. This replica completed a circumnavigation of the globe in 1974-75, commemorating Drake’s feat four centuries prior.
Drake was then kept waiting in Plymouth harbor for his Queen’s summons for many weeks as she weathered the outraged demands of the Spanish ambassador to hang her privateer for his looting. Then Spain misstepped, diplomatically at least, and incited a rebellion in England’s satellite dominion of Ireland. Here was all the excuse for war and ill relations that Queen Elizabeth had waited for while keeping herself technically blameless, and no sooner had a state of quasi-war been declared than she invited Francis Drake up to London, with the stipulation of bringing to her “a sample of his labors”.
A memorial statue to Drake in Plymouth, England, showing him with navigational tools and a globe
An engraving of Queen Elizabeth knighting Sir Francis Drake aboard his ship the Golden Hind
The spoils of gold and silver that Drake brought back from this voyage were so immense it took over a week to unload. It is said to have been sufficient to clear England’s national debt. It was much needed for a nation soon to be at war with most of the European continent and its many bankers, and one that warranted Francis Drake’s knighting by Queen Elizabeth aboard his ship, seven months after his return.
As a reward for his contribution to England, Queen Elizabeth commissioned a coat of arms for Drake: at the top can be seen a ship atop a globe, pulled by a Divine hand, and a banner that reads Auxilio Divino, which means “by Divine aid”; at the bottom is another banner reading Sic Parvis Magna, which means “great achievements from small beginnings”, a nod to Drake’s rise from the common people to a man of stature, nobility, and legend
In conclusion, Sir Francis Drake’s historic circumnavigation of the globe stands as a testament to human courage, the tenacity of man’s God-given urge for dominion, and the still relevant labors of exploration. Despite facing formidable obstacles and unknown dangers, Sir Francis Drake’s unwavering resolve and navigational expertise enabled him to achieve what was then considered an almost impossible feat—one that provided chronicles of peoples and civilizations now lost to us and maps by which North America was settled. His voyage not only expanded the horizons of the known world but also set the stage for England’s rise as a formidable maritime power, ensuring that America’s future would be one where the principles of the Reformation would have their say in its foundation.
Buckland Abbey, Devon, England was the home of Drake from the time he purchased it in 1580 until his death; it remained in the family until 1946
“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little,
when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess,
we have lost our thirst for the waters of life,
having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity,
and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas,
where storms will show Your mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back the horizon of our hopes,
and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ.”
—Sir Francis Drake (attributed)
Drake’s burial at sea, dressed in his full armor, in a sealed lead-lined coffin, near Portobelo Bay, Panama
Image Credits: 1 Map of Drake’s circumnavigation (wikipedia.org) 2 Sir Francis Drake (wikipedia.org) 3 Drake with Queen Elizabeth I (wikipedia.org) 4 Spanish Treasure (wikipedia.org) 5 Cross marker (wikipedia.org) 6 Drake Bay, California (wikipedia.org) 7 Golden Hind replica (wikipedia.org) 8 Drake statue (wikipedia.org) 9 Knighting of Sir Francis Drake (wikipedia.org) 10 Drake Coat of Arms (wikipedia.org) 11 Buckland Abbey (wikipedia.org) 12 Drake’s burial at sea (wikipedia.org)