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Francis Drakes New Albion?
In 1579 Drake landed at point reyes in marin county California. He claimed all lands above the existing New Spain at that time. Is there anywhere I can find a map of New Spain at that time, prior to further acquisitions by Spain showing the extent to modern North America he was laying claim to. I can find a map by Ortellius but it is obviously old and out of shape. Does New Spain extend above the 38° parallel at that time at all?
1 Answer
- Anonymous7 years agoFavorite Answer
"Claims" are one thing, making them practical as possessions of a country is quite a different thing. Drake must have known that, without serious military effort by England, impossible to mount on the other side of the world by a relatively small and poor nation, as England was then, "New Albion" would have been simply an insult to Spain, and not a practical colony to hold and defend.
Spain was the big colonising nation in that area at that time, and thus vulnerable to guerilla raids by enterprising individuals such as Drake from small nations.
Drake was fond of making similar gestures of insult towards Spain, mere pinpricks from a geographical or military point of view, but certainly seen as insults by the Spain of that time. He was simply having fun at the expense of a big nation, and promoting his own nation at the same time.