Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Sir Francis Drake & Privateering (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Sir Francis Drake & Privateering - Summary
During the early Elizabethan period, pirates and freebooters were unchallenged and created a commercial problem for Elizabeth. Pirates and freebooters sailed around the Caribbean, Atlantic and English coasts lines stealing and plundering ships. This impacted England's wealth and security. Elizabeth aimed to resolve it. Elizabeth gave consent to a group of English privateers. These privateers contributed to Elizabeth’s wealth, increased England’s power abroad and strengthened England’s navy. Elizabeth supported and profited from the privateers' voyages as they stole Spanish gold, treasures and ships. This ultimately resulted in a further deterioration of Anglo- Spanish relations which later on in Elizabeth’s reign resulted in war. |
What is a Privateer?
Privateering was when a person privately owned their own ship and would be commissioned to attack enemy ships and take their cargo
Many men were attracted to privateering in the Elizabethan era
Privateering could provide men with large amounts of:
Power
Influence
Wealth
During the Elizabethan period, some privateers became very influential and created problems between England and Spain. Examples of English privateers are:
Sir Francis Drake
Walter Raleigh
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Students often confuse a privateer with a pirate. Pirates are criminals. Their actions are crimes because they steal for personal gain of wealth and power. Privateers are not considered criminals. This is because the government or monarch of their country employs them to steal. Privateers pass on the stolen cargo to the government. The monarch may allow the privateer to keep a small portion of what they have stolen.
Who was Sir Francis Drake?
Sir Francis Drake was an ideal privateer for Elizabeth
He was a Puritan, which meant he hated Catholics
He went to sea often as a child. He grew up to become an experienced sailor
Drake’s first voyage was in 1566
Drake's cousin, John Hawkins, hired him. Hawkins made his money in the slave trade
Spanish ships attacked the fleet in 1568. Only two out of the six ships survived the attack. This formed Drake’s lifelong hatred of the Spanish
Elizabeth became aware of Drake’s reputation as an explorer and pirate
Drake had made two successful voyages to the West Indies between 1570 and 1571
Elizabeth hired Drake as a privateer in 1572
From 1572 to 1580, Elizabeth sent Drake on numerous voyages
Drake’s voyage in 1578-80 was very successful for Elizabeth
In 1579, Drake captured the Spanish treasure ship Cacafuego off the coast of Ecuador. Cacafuego contained cargo worth £140,000
Drake plundered a vast amount from the ports in Chile and Peru
As a reward, Elizabeth knighted Drake on his ship, the Golden Hind
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A common mistake that students make is to confuse Sir Francis Drake with Sir Francis Walsingham. Sir Francis Drake was an explorer and Sir Francis Walsingham was Elizabeth’s spymaster. Remember this alliteration:
“Walsingham Watches for Warnings; Drake Discovers Doubloons.” This should remind you of the key differences between the roles that Walsingham and Drake had in Elizabethan England.
The Significance of Drake on Anglo-Spanish Relations
Drake’s actions impacted England’s relationship with Spain
By 1577, events in the Spanish Netherlands had worsened England’s relationship with Spain
England feared that Spain would invade
Drake's Actions and the Impact on Relations with Spain
Drake’s actions | Spain’s reaction |
|---|---|
The stealing of £400,000 of Spanish treasure | Spain felt angry that the stolen treasure had boosted England’s economy. England could afford to protect itself if Spain planned to invade England |
The claiming of New Albion as a British territory | Spain saw England as a threat to their empire. England may threatened Spanish domination of the Americas by establishing their own colonies |
The circumnavigation of the globe | Spain felt challenged. England had proven its strength as a seafaring country. Spain could not allow England to have a better navy |
The knighting of Drake on board the Golden Hind | Philip II of Spain was angry. Philip saw Drake as nothing more than a pirate. Elizabeth’s public knighting of Drake signified how bad Anglo-Spanish relations had become |
Worked Example
Describe one feature of the role of privateering
2 marks
Answers:
One feature of the role of privateering was to steal cargo or ships from rival countries (1). In the Elizabethan period, privateers like Sir Francis Drake stole the cargo from Spanish ships (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
To achieve full marks, you must provide detailed knowledge to support the identified feature from the question.
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
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