Was it a Voyage of Plunder?

Image showing an aspect of the Spanish gold trade taken from An Account of the first voyages and discoveries made by the Spaniards in America, Bartolome de las Casas, London, 1699.

Nobody really knows why Francis Drake decided to sail around the world. Voyages of discovery and exploration were becoming more common as powerful nations sponsored journeys to find new land and trade routes. Kings, queens and other leaders wanted their share of the riches coming from trade in gold, silver, silk, spices and other exotic goods. Much of the trade was controlled by the Spanish and Portuguese but this did not please England. In fact, some people think that Drake was on a secret mission funded by Queen Elizabeth I to break Spanish control over gold coming from the New World by plundering Spanish ships and settlements. His success in raiding Spanish gold on his circumnavigation of the globe caused the Spanish Ambassador to Britain to call Drake ‘the Master Thief of the Unknown World’.

You can decide whether Drake really was good at plundering Spanish gold by studying the sources below. Don’t forget that you can use the worksheet to record your answers.

Let’s investigate!