The Age of Drake: The Story of the Greatest Age in English Sea History

v, 399 pp. "Elizabethan England, a country in the springtime of modern history, was set in a dangerous world of ideologies and despots, religious persecution, broken treaties, and war under the pretense of peace. The economic and political history of England during this remarkable age is largely reflected in the history of her maritime activities, and in this important volume, James A. Williamson, the leading authority on Tudor sea history, gives a fascinating account of maritime England in the sixteenth century. Following the exploits of such famous naval figures as John Hawkins, John Oxenham, Walter Raleigh, Martin Frobisher, and Francis Drake, Dr. Williamson details the slave-dealing activities along the Guinea coast and the Spanish Main, the piratical raids in the West Indies, the search for Cathay through the North West Passage, Drakes circumnavigation in the Golden Hind and his brilliant action against the Armada when the destiny of England and the Reformation hung in the balance for ten fateful days in 1588." "Sir Francis Drake (c.?1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English sea captain, slave trader, and privateer of the Elizabethan era. Drake carried out the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580, and was the first to complete the voyage as captain while leading the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation. With his incursion into the Pacific Ocean, he claimed what is now California for the English and inaugurated an era of conflict with the Spanish on the western coast of the Americas, an area that had previously been largely unexplored by western shipping. He has also been credited for introducing the potato to England; one of the most important European staple food during the Renaissance and Modern era. Elizabeth I awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. As a Vice Admiral, he was second-in-command of the English fleet in the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He died of dysentery in January 1596, after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico. Drake's exploits made him a hero to the English, but his privateering led the Spanish to brand him a pirate, known to them as El Draque. King Philip II allegedly offered a reward for his capture or death of 20,000 ducats, about £6 million (US$8 million) in modern currency."