Support Your Country, Become a Privateer! Throughout history, there have been times when the rulers of the world's nations have had to rely on help from private citizens for protection. Nations with struggling or new navies would often look to already existing resources - merchant ship captains, sailors, and merchant ships - to strengthen their forces. These merchant ship captains and their crews were known as privateers. Some would argue that a privateer was just a pirate with a special government license, while others would say that privateers were patriots who played a crucial role in the protecting their countries from enemies. One of England's most famous privateers, Sir Francis Drake, was held in high regard by Queen Elizabeth I. However, the people of Spain considered Drake to be a thieving pirate. You can find out more about this famous friend of the queen on this web site about Sir Francis Drake.

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