Bridging the Oceans: 1550-1600   Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596) Sir Francis Drake is acknowledged to be the most important British seaman and explorer of the Elizabethan age. Corsairs operated in the Mediterranean, specifically along the North African coast. Commanders, a crewmen, and even their armed ships could be called privateers if they had a commission from a bona fide government to capture merchant vessels of an enemy nation. As privateers sailed the coastlines seeking their enemy, they recorded valuable data for their own and future portolani to be used by future English seamen.

Portuguese Map of the World (Cyprus) Unknown artist, c. 1585 Parchment, 114.5 x 218 cm Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris