In Search of a Kingdom: Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire, Bergreen - B+

     In November 1577, the "pirate, plunderer, and scavenger," Francis Drake, set out from Portsmouth with a small fleet to circumnavigate the globe. The only person who knew of his intentions was the Queen. Drake was to also raid the west coast of South America, and otherwise harass the Spanish. England had naval ambitions and eyes on the New World. Drake was the man Elizabeth trusted to expand her remit, and tackle the Spanish. "Drake became the catalyst in England's great transition from an island nation to the British Empire." He had been born in 1541, went to sea early, became a slaver, and a man who despised the tyranny of Spain. His fleet, reduced to three ships, entered the Straits of Magellan on August 20, 1578. Two weeks and 350 miles later, they entered the Pacific.  The heavy weather did not relent and the Marigold, captained by his brother Thomas was lost with all 28 hands. The Elizabeth, captained by a nobleman who despised Drake, was separated, and returned to England. He sailed on with only the Golden Hind. He raided Spanish settlements along the coast. In March 1579, he captured a treasure ship with 26 tons of silver. He captured a second treasure ship, and sailed north to what is today British Columbia. It was time to return to England. They sailed to the Philippines and on to Indonesia. They then encountered the most dangerous moment of their trip. The Golden Hind ran aground on a submerged shoal somewhere in the middle of the ocean. For twenty hours, they lightened the ship, even throwing their cannons overboard. A strong wind nudged them free. They sailed 6,000 miles across the Indian Ocean and rounded the Cape on June 15, 1580.  In September, they sailed into Portsmouth. "Drake's success was Spain's humiliation. He had not simply beaten Spain to distant outposts and trade routes, he had not simply outdone Magellan* and other would be circumnavigators, he had stolen vast wealth from Spain in a flagrant display of global piracy."

   The plunder from his trip was worth approximately a million-and-a-half pounds. Half went to Elizabeth, 10,000 to Drake, 40,000 for his crew, a return for his investors, and the rest to the Treasury. Financially, both Elizabeth and the nation were now in good stead. Elizabeth conferred a knighthood on Drake in April 1581. Drake's flagrant attacks on the Spanish combined with Spain's desire to eradicate Protestantism in England led a  deterioration the relations between the two countries. The Pope encouraged Philip II of Spain to invade England and Philip decided to act. The 1587 execution of Mary Queen of Scots strengthened his resolve. Spain's plans were massive; over a hundred ships and thousands of soldiers were readying to invade England. Drake, who had been raiding in the Caribbean, was given a prominent role in preparing the defense of the realm. He conducted a very successful raid on the Spanish port of Cadiz in the spring of 1587, and spent a month plundering as far as the Azores. England, with no standing army and with half of its population Catholic, had to defend on the seas. The Armada set sail on May 19, 1588 in a crescent 7 miles wide. One hundred and thirty ships, manned by almost 9,000 sailors and carrying over 21,000 soldiers, headed north. The vastly outnumbered English however, were  smaller, faster, more agile and possessed of better armaments. After struggling against heavy seas and weather, the Armada arrived off the Cornwall coast on July 19. The Spanish sailed east toward Dunkirk where an army supposedly awaited transport. All the while the English harassed them.  Off of Calais, the Spanish sought out the Duke of Parma's army, but he never showed. At this point, the English had more ships than the Spanish. They attacked and severely crippled the Armada in the Battle of Gravelines. The fatal decision to return home by sailing around Scotland and Ireland was made and the weather destroyed much of what was left of the fleet. It is estimated that English guns sank a fifth of the fleet. Twenty-six ships floundered off the Irish coast. Only half of the Spanish made it home. The English losses were less than 100 men.

   "The victory over the Spanish Armada solidified Elizabeth's claims to Empire." The memory of the success was cited during the Napoleonic Wars and the Second World War. The Spanish Empire began its long decline, and Drake slowly fell from favor. Although he continued to sail and fight, there were no more glorious successes. He died of dysentery off the Panama coast in January, 1596. History, though, has treated him kindly. John Maynard Keynes stated that the wealth he brought home settled the kingdom's debt and set it on the road to empire and prosperity. His sailing skills were unparalleled and his aggressive style became the template for the Royal Navy of the future.

    This is an excellent history book and one that filled in a few blanks for me.  I've never paid much attention to what the Spanish did in America, but this book reminds us that it was genocide, theft, rape and plunder on a massive scale.  Drake's skills are apparent and the author has no hesitation about praising him, yet acknowledging that he was a pirate. 

*Ferdinand Magellan is credited with the first circumnavigation of the world, but he did not survive the trip. He was killed in the Philippines. .