Francis Drake (Part 1)

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2025

⏱️ 83 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dan tells swashbuckling tales of Francis Drake on the Spanish Main. Francis Drake was England's first imperial warrior forged in the crucible of the 16th-century naval engagements against Spain. This episode covers Drake's early life, his transformation from a passionate Protestant to a relentless scourge of the Spanish, and his legendary feats of seamanship as he led England's first successful circumnavigation of the globe. Dan narrates Drake's audacious attacks on Spanish treasure fleets and his daring circumnavigation that not only enriched England but also laid the foundation for its future naval dominance.

This is Part 1 of 2.

Written by Dan Snow and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Transcript

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0:43.5	junior ISO rules apply. It was treachery. It was brazen.
0:56.2	The English force was fighting for its life against those who had just sworn that they meant it no harm.
1:07.1	Cannonballs smashed through, timbers weakened by nearly a year at sea.
1:11.6	Rigs that had already been worn out, torn by Caribbean storms, were shredded by enemy shot.
1:22.6	Men were cut down. They were hacked through with swords.
1:29.8	Some leapt into the sea to escape.
1:32.5	English ships sank or surrendered.
1:36.8	The Spanish had promised them safe passage.
1:41.4	The English, despite that, had been on their guard.
1:44.4	A Spanish promise here meant less than in Europe.
1:49.3	The norms of European war didn't seem to apply here across the line on the infamous Spanish main.
2:01.6	That stretch of the American mainland
	...

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