Sir Francis Drake

In this comprehensive and astute biography of the great sailor hero, Sugden portrays a complex man of fascinating contradictions. Ambitious, vainglorious and sometimes vindictive, he was also a loyal friend and a warrior of surprising humanity and courtesy. More than four hundred years after his death, Sir Francis Drake remains one of the legendary figures of history. Sugden describes his attacks on Spanish cities and ships and the struggle for survival between Protestant England and Catholic Spain from which England emerged as a major maritime nation.