We close the week with Queen Elizabeth I. She was keen to join her rivals, Spain and Portugal, in traversing the globe in search of new lands and especially treasure, or, sadly, slaves. It is not known how Francis Drake was brought to her attention, we do know that he was already highly regarded as a seafarer and also a pirate, two things that made a fairly interesting combination, for it showed that he was skilful and also could be swayed for a price, as well as being able to keep some of his discoveries out of the public eye. So he was charged with chasing and bringing to heel any Spanish galleons that he came across relieving them of their treasure, and sharing it with the Queen - and at times when he found no ships at sea he was given command to invade harbours and ports.
The Spanish put a price on his head, of twenty thousand ducats. Interestingly, they called him "El Draque", which translated to the dragon, for his ships breathed flames of gun fire). And with these exploits on mind, perhaps, we could be more correct in thinking that the Spanish Armada was actually a reprisal against these unwarranted actions. Anyway at the bottom of this card you can see a tableau of that very Armada, which took place in 1588.
Queen Elizabeth I seems to have been a bit of a double agent in all this. Secretly she was excited by the thought of riches and treasure, but could not openly praise Drake for his acts of piracy. Then there is the curious tale of one of the men on board his round the world voyage who was executed by beheading after it was thought that he was a spy. Today we know that he was indeed a spy, but one employed by the Queen in order that Francis Drake not keep the best treasures for himself.
In 1596, his hunting of Spanish ships still ongoing, he sailed down to Puerto Rico. There is also the theory this this was to hunt for gold. The Spanish were getting cannier though and it was almost defeat. Weakened, he then succumbed to fever, and dysentery, and on January the 28th, he died, on board his ship.he had requested that his body was dressed in full armour, and buried at sea, near Panama, in a leaden coffin. This was duly done. But though there have been many attempts to locate his coffin in the years thereafter, it has never yet been found.
This set of cards was issued in five languages, Belgian (as "Princesses Célèbres"), Dutch (as "Beroemde Vorstinnen"), French (as "Princesses Célèbres"), German (as "Beruhmte Furstinnen") and Italian (as "Principesse Celebri"). Our card is in French but was printed in Antwerp. Maybe they all were?
The princesses, one per card, are :
- Semiramis
- Cleopatre
- Elisabeth
- Marie Stuart
- Catherine II
- Marie Therese