Ten things you might not know about the explorer, adventurer, pirate, brigand - and rumoured relation of Nathan Drake, hero of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
Hot from Naughty Dog in late 2007 comes Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an all new swashbuckling adventure exclusively available on PlayStation 3. The star of the show is one Nathan Drake, modern-day adventurer, treasure hunter and distant relative of famed English explorer and naval commander, Sir Francis Drake.
It is Nathan’s illustrious ancestor that leads him into his adventure, as he retraces Drake’s steps in search of the fabled treasures of El Dorado. Read on to find out more about Sir Francis, a man feared and acclaimed in equal measure:
1. A tough childhood: Born in England in 1540, Drake lived in a two-room cottage; the family lived in one room and the animals in the other.
2. Global traveller: Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe in his ship the Golden Hind.
3. Massive bounty: King Philip II of Spain so hated Drake that he put a bounty worth $10 million on his head.
4. Cool candidate: Drake took the time to finish a game of bowls whilst Spain’s invasion Armada approached.
5. Cold feet: Drake is believed to be the first person to reach the Antarctic after a particularly bad storm blew his ship off course!
6. The bogey man: A feared pirate, Drake was known as El Dragón to the Spanish and his name is used to this day to scare naughty children!
7. A successful buccaneer: Drake’s most profitable naval haul included 80lb of gold, a golden crucifix, countless jewels, 13 chests full of royal plate and 26 tons of silver.
8. A drinker: When not at sea his local drinking haunt was The Ship Inn in Exeter, England.
9. One lead coffin: In 1596 Drake died of dysentery in the Caribbean and was buried at sea in a lead coffin.
10. Staple diet: Drake’s lasting contribution to Britain was the potato which he introduced in 1586.
Keep any eye out for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and prepare for pulse-pounding blend of exploration, action and adventure on PlayStation 3. Find out more at unchartedps3.com.
Sources: Francis Drake at www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk, US Library of Congress, www.sirfrancisdrakehistory.net
Picture of Sir Francis Drake copyright NPG 1627: Sir Francis Drake after an engraving attributed to Jodocus Hondius oil on panel, circa 1583.
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