Elizabeth's Pirates

Elizabeth I thought of herself as a bulwark against her Catholic enemies. But England was a relatively poor state and open to invasion. Elizabeth's solution was to support privateers – licensed pirates – such as Sir Francis Drake, who picked off Spanish treasure ships and contributed part of their booty to the public purse.

This sniping at the big boys of Europe gave England a reputation as a rogue state, and infuriated Philip of Spain. Invasion became reality and the Armada set sail. Who did Elizabeth turn to then? Her pirates …

The rogue state

The pirates

The Armada

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