7. Not Piracy

They may have been preying on ships, attacking them, stealing their cargoes and holding their crews to ransom, but they knew for sure that they weren't pirates. They were loyal English sailors in Queen Elizabeth I's service. After all, she was making money from their victories, and no Queen could possibly be profiting from piracy, could she?

Well, the Spanish had no doubts. They were certainly pirates. And they were seriously annoying.

Chapter 7 of A History of England is about the seamen of Elizabeth's reign and their exciting acts of derring do (or piracy).

The illustration shows the captain of the Spanish galleon Our Lady of the Rosary surrenders to Sir Francis Drake of The Revenge
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