Italy Community

✅1587 | The Corsair Francis Drake and the Capture of the Carrack São Filipe

The main aspects of the Portuguese dynastic crisis were resolved after the occupation of Lisbon by the troops of the Duke of Alba in 1580 and the pacification of the Azores by the Marquis of Santa Cruz in 1583, leading to the formation of the Iberian Union under the crown of Philip II.

At that time, political, economic, and religious tensions between Philip II's Spain and Elizabeth I's England had intensified, and by 1585, the two countries had entered into war. After several English raids on Spanish establishments and ships in the West Indies, Spain began preparing an armada to attack England. However, when the English learned of this in April 1587, Queen Elizabeth I ordered a naval force commanded by Francis Drake to enter Cádiz Bay, where they destroyed around thirty Spanish ships. The English then launched a systematic campaign of privateering against Portuguese and Spanish shipping, particularly in the Azores region.

As was customary every year, the ships of the India Run departed from Lisbon for India on a long voyage. In 1586, this fleet included the carrack São Filipe, which left Lisbon but was separated from its accompanying ships due to bad weather. It arrived late at the island of Mozambique, by which time the Indian monsoon was unfavorable for continuing the journey to Goa. The ship prepared to winter in Mozambique, but since the cargo of the shipwrecked São Lourenço was there, it was decided to transfer that cargo to São Filipe and send it back to the kingdom immediately. Thus, in late December 1586, it set sail from Mozambique.

In June 1587, the São Filipe reached the Azores, and on the morning of June 8, while sailing from Terceira Island to Lisbon under the command of João Trigueiros, it was north of São Miguel Island when nine approaching ships were spotted on the horizon.

João Trigueiros ordered battle stations to be occupied and prepared to fight the approaching ships, which he identified as English. It was the fleet of Francis Drake, who had previously attacked Cádiz and landed troops on the Algarve coast, now arriving in the Azores. The English ships approached the São Filipe, and as it did not lower its sails, they took the initiative to open fire, to which the Portuguese carrack responded.

[...] and because the ship was damaged and unfit for combat, with no one left to command it in a fight against so many enemies 'and great gunners,' João Trigueiros, captain of the carrack, recognized 'that he could not avoid being sent to the depths,' and therefore 'considered it the lesser evil to surrender.'

The battle lasted several hours, with the advantage going to the English, who had superior artillery. Eventually, seeing his ship heavily damaged and under continuous bombardment, João Trigueiros decided to surrender.

"When the carrack surrendered, Drake learned that she was the São Filipe, loaded with pepper, Chinese porcelain, bales of silk and velvet, 400 black slaves, and £4,000 in gold and silver (as officially inventoried)."

Despite his history of cruelty, Francis Drake recognized the bravery with which the Portuguese had fought and decided to spare them, providing them with a small ship with water and provisions so they could continue to Lisbon, where they arrived "robbed and poor," according to the chronicler Diogo do Couto.

However, the size and robustness of the Portuguese ship, as well as the value of its cargo, greatly impressed Francis Drake, who immediately decided to take his prize to England. The documents found onboard revealed how the Eastern trade was organized and generated enormous profits, as well as some navigational secrets and the routes used by the Portuguese to reach India.

When the São Filipe arrived in Plymouth on June 26, it astonished the English with its size, quality of construction, and the value of its cargo, which consisted mainly of spices and a chest full of gold and silver jewels, whose contents were meticulously described and inventoried. Never before had such a valuable cargo been seen, with the plunder amounting to £108,049—an extraordinary sum at the time. The profits were divided among Queen Elizabeth (40%), Francis Drake (16%), shipowners, and crews.

Francis Drake was one of the most famous English navigators and privateers. Between 1577 and 1580, he had circumnavigated the globe aboard the galleon Pelican, which was renamed Golden Hind during the voyage. Before him, this journey had only been completed by the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián de Elcano between 1519 and 1522.

I am sharing photos of landscapes, moments and experiences. Nature and sea are the most visited themes in my photo collection, but any attention-grabbing aspect can be photographed. Hope you enjoy it...