Francis Drake West Indian Voyage, Santo Domingo, 1586

Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). On New YearE??s Day 1586 Drake reached Santo Domingo on Hispaniola Island (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). He captured and plundered the town then demanded, and received, a ransom of 25, 000 ducats. This image shows the English fleet in the bay, and the infantry battalions attacking the town. In 1585 Francis Drake was ordered by Queen Elizabeth to lead an expedition to attack the Spanish colonies. An expedition left Plymouth in September 1585 with Drake in command of 21 ships with 1, 800 soldiers. He attacked Vigo in Spain and held the place for two weeks ransoming supplies. He plundered Santiago in the Cape Verde islands after which the fleet then sailed across the Atlantic, sacked the port of Santo Domingo and captured the city of Cartagena de Indias. During the return leg of the voyage, he raided the Spanish fort of San AugustCin in Spanish Florida. He reached England in July, 1586 and received a hero's welcome. Map and Views Illustrating Sir Francis DrakeE??s West Indian Voyage, 1585-6 by Baptista Boazio

Picture No

12696130

Media ID

47670836

Size

4275px x 3289px (5.9MB)

Credit

LOC/Jay I. Kislak Collection/Science Source/Mary Evans