1539-1594

English Explorer

Sir Martin Frobisher was one of the first Englishmen to search for the Northwest Passage, and he personally led three expeditions to the Canadian Arctic. He is known as one of Queen Elizabeth I's most aggressive and enterprising seamen, feared by Europeans for his privateering and for his role in the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Martin Frobisher was born into an influential family in England in 1539—his father was the director of the English mint. In his teen years, instead of pursuing higher education, he joined two trading voyages to West Africa. After his adventures in Africa, Frobisher fought in the English army in Ireland and then became a privateer—a pirate commissioned by the Queen to attack enemy ships and then keep part of the proceeds. During his privateer days, he became very interested in the tales of...