The Englishman may be remembered for circumnavigating the world, but Sir Francis Drake also happened to be Queen Elizabeth I's favorite pirate. Indeed, part of his globetrotting mission was to take treasure from the Spaniards, which he brought back to his appreciative monarch (who got a half-share of the loot). The pirate-patriot's greatest act was also a blow against the King of Spain: a raid on the Spanish port of Cadiz that destroyed several ships being assembled for the great Armada that was to be launched against England.