E X T E N S I O N ELIZABETH S SEA DOGS The Spanish used huge ships to bring the gold and silver of the lands they conquered to their King. Because the treasure did not represent the productivity of the nation, it created severe inflation that would cripple1 economic activity in the nation. Blinded by the glitter of gold and silver, Philip did not recognize the effect that his plunder would have on his own people. Of course, he also did not recognize the crimes he was committing against those he murdered or enslaved in his quest for riches. Ironically, he felt himself to be the victim of criminal behaviour. To protect the riches from the Americas, he built large ships, galleons, with huge structures that resembled castles at the bow 2 and stern 3. While impressive in the water, such ships were not easy to sail. Elizabeth and many of the notable men of England funded4 the pirate ships that hunted for the galleons that were not able to remain in convoys. Some of her pirates hunted in Caribbean waters, while others hunted closer to home. The destruction of his treasure ships was one of the irritants that moved Philip to war against Elizabeth. The ships that the English used in these attacks were radically different in design from the galleons. They were smaller and did not have the huge structures that made the galleons slow and difficult to sail. They were also better armed. The fact that the men who sailed them would share in the booty they took from the galleons probably made them more effective sailors than those who sailed the Spanish ships. Among the pirates that Elizabeth backed was Sir Francis Drake. Not only did he loot5 the ships of the Spanish treasure fleet, but he also attacked many of the places in the Americas where the Spanish collected treasure. The Spaniards were so frightened by him that they called him El Draque, the dragon. On returning to England, in 1581, he met with Elizabeth and presented her with the booty he had taken from the Spanish. She was no doubt pleased by the return on her investment, a sum that was enough to pay England s foreign debt and to 1. cripple: paralyse. 2. bow: the forward part of a ship. 3. stern: the back end of a ship. Sir Francis Drake 4. funded: financed. 5. loot: plunder, sack. 89