Customer Reviews

Sir Francis Drake: Slave Trader and Pirate (Wicked History)

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The first book I read in Scholastic's series was Mary Tudor: Courageous Queen or Bloody Mary? (Wicked History), who has a "bad reputation" in history for executing Protestants. So she fit into the infamous category. Francis Drake, however, has a swashbuckling reputation owing to his exploits benefiting England. History is usually written by the victors. However, this book did try to present a more evenhanded view of Drake. He was a pirate - even Queen Elizabeth knew this. During the famous victory over the Spanish Armada, Drake disobeyed the fleet commander in order to attack and loot a ship carrying the Spanish soldier's pay! He also heavily expanded the slave trade. Yet, he did have a personal code - he often released his prisoners unharmed. This little book provides information on most of Drake's expeditions, including his feat of sailing around the world, and how his expeditions impacted the war with Spain and helped England gain wealth and naval supremacy.

There is one problem with the book, which the author readily admits - not much is known about Drake before he came to command his own ship or even about many of his expeditions - so there are quite a few instances of "Drake probably did..." and "It is likely that Drake...." However, this is preferable to making unsupported statements, even in a non-scholarly work. And again, the list of recommended sources for more information is a great feature.

Overall, this is a great entry to a wonderful series.