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Secondary sourceBook1628

The World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake

Francis Fletcher (compiled by Drake's nephew) · 1628

A 1628 book giving the fullest eyewitness account of Drake's circumnavigation, compiled from the notes of his chaplain Francis Fletcher.

This is the fullest surviving eyewitness-based account of Drake's famous circumnavigation of the globe.

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The World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake
The World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake, compiled from Francis Fletcher's notes, 1628 edition.

About this source

What it is

Published in 1628, this book is the earliest detailed account of Francis Drake's voyage around the world of 1577–1580. It was compiled from the notes of Francis Fletcher, the chaplain who sailed with Drake, and put together by Drake's nephew. It includes a frontispiece portrait of Drake and a map of the world with two globes.

Why it matters

Drake's voyage was only the second successful circumnavigation of the globe, after Ferdinand Magellan's. Drake used the trip to attack Spanish ships and search for new lands and sea routes, angering Spain while greatly expanding English knowledge of the world. Fletcher was not always friendly towards Drake in his original notes, and it appears Drake's nephew edited the account before publishing it — Drake's own journal, given to Queen Elizabeth I, has not survived.

Look closer

  • Why might Drake's family want to publish a flattering version of Fletcher's notes?
  • What does the loss of Drake's own journal mean for how certain we can be about events?
  • How might an account written by someone other than Drake differ from his own words?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sir Francis Drake on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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