Queen Elizabeth I of England awarded Francis Drake a knighthood in 1581. Sir Francis Drake was a sea captain, privateer, navigator, and politician of the era. Queen Elizabeth sent him to start an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific cost of the Americas. It resulted in circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition with Drake being the captain until the end of the voyage. Sir Francis Drake was also vice admiral in command of the English fleet when it overcame Spanish Armada. His exploits made him a hero to the English, but a pirate to the Spaniards.
