( c. 1540–96)
an English sailor who fought against the Spanish and was the first Englishman to sail around the world. After a career attacking and robbing Spanish ships in the Caribbean , he was given five ships by Queen Elizabeth I to sail around the world, attacking Spanish ships along the way. When he returned three years later (1580) in the only surviving ship, the Golden Hind , Queen Elizabeth made him a knight .
In 1587 the Spanish were preparing to attack England, but Drake led a surprise attack on the port of Cadiz and burnt the Spanish ships. When the Spanish attack, known as the Armada , finally came in 1588, Drake was one of the leaders who defeated it. There is a popular story that he was playing bowls when the Armada was first seen and that he calmly finished his game before turning his attention to the enemy.