Francis Drake Begins His Circumnavigation Voyage
Francis Drake departed Plymouth on December 13, 1577, beginning the voyage that would circumnavigate the globe.
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The Event
Francis Drake departed Plymouth on December 13, 1577, beginning the voyage that would circumnavigate the globe.
The Wider Story
The expedition combined navigation and exploration with attacks on Spanish shipping and settlements. Its material rewards were connected with imperial rivalry and privateering.
Putting the Event in Perspective
Drake did not become the first person to circle Earth.
Reading the Historical Record
Earlier expedition survivors had already completed a circumnavigation, and the costs to attacked communities belong in the account.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: sixteenth-century English sailing ships leaving Plymouth harbor, no naval attack. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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