Francis Drake: Explorer, Privateer and Slave Trader – Untangling the Legend

This episode follows Francis Drake from his early years in Plymouth through his circumnavigations, raids on Spanish possessions and role in England’s first Atlantic trade ventures. We separate contemporary records—letters, ship logs, royal warrants—from later propaganda and legend to assess how Drake helped shape Elizabethan maritime policy, commerce and imperial ambition. The discussion also examines the evidence for his participation in the slave trade and what it reveals about the human costs of the empire he helped build. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices