491. Was Francis Drake a Pirate?

Englishman Sir Francis Drake (1540-96) was one of the many Buccaneers that roamed the shores of North America on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 1570s. He was an explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, Elizabethan naval officer, and politician. He is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577-80. This included his incursion into the Pacific Ocean, until then an area of exclusive Spanish interest, and his claim to Nova or New Albion for England, an area in what is now the U.S. state of California.   Check out the YouTube version of this episode at https://youtu.be/jCKbhdmFBbY  which has accompanying visuals including maps, charts, timelines, photos, illustrations, and diagrams. Books about Francis Drake at https://amzn.to/3S1xC0W  England History books available at https://amzn.to/4526W5n  Age of Discovery books available at https://amzn.to/3ZYOhnK  Age of Exploration books available at https://amzn.to/403Wcjx     ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet  SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you).  Mark Vinet's HISTORICAL JESUS podcast at https://parthenonpodcast.com/historical-jesus Mark's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet   Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MarkVinet_HNA   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels   Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM  Audio credits: LibriVox Historical Tales by C. Morris, read by KalyndaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.