Piracy
A further twenty merchantmen and armed pinnaces joined forces with the expedition.
Role range: 1585-1604
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Willliam Burrows Biography and Timeline
Follow Willliam Burrows through 4 dated historical records for England.
Willliam Burrows, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
4Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1587–1587Years on this page
1587
Piracy
Queen Elizabeth gave the English privateer, Sir Francis Drake, the command of a fleet whose mission was to inspect the Spanish military preparations, intercept their supplies, attack the fleet and if possible the Spanish ports.
Role range: 1585-1604
Piracy
The cost of these boats was met by a group of London merchants, whose profits were to be calculated in the same proportions as their investment in the fleet; the Queen, as owner of the four Royal Naval vessels, was to receive 50% of the profits
Role range: 1585-1604
Piracy
To that end, the Queen put at Drake's disposal four Royal Naval galleons: the Elizabeth Bonaventure, which was under Drake's own command; Golden Lion, captained by William Burroughs; Rainbow, under Captain Bellingham; and Dreadnought under Captain Thomas Fenner.
Role range: 1585-1604
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.