Early Modern Migration - Reasons For Migration

Question 1

Who comprised the largest group of immigrants in Early Modern England?

Answer 1

Protestant refugees fleeing persecution in European countries.

Question 2

What were the four main waves of Protestant immigrants to Early Modern England?

Answer 2

1. Walloons from what is now Belgium in the 1560s.
2. Huguenots fleeing from France after the Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Day in 1572.
3. Another wave of Huguenots from France in the 1680s when King Louis XIV revoked a previous royal edict protecting Protestants.
4. Palatines from the Middle Rhine, part of which is now Germany, who came in the early 18th century due to suffering under French Catholic landlords and poor harvests.

Question 3

What law invited European Protestants to settle in Britain during the early 18th century?

Answer 3

The Foreign Protestants Naturalisation Act of 1709.

Question 4

What was the reason for the small number of Jews being allowed to return to England during the government of Oliver Cromwell?

Answer 4

After the execution of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell allowed them to return nearly 400 years after their expulsion, citing that kings weren’t ruling England and the previous expulsion had no legal basis.

Question 5

Why did Oliver Cromwell accept Jews into England?

Answer 5

Cromwell thought they might provide revenue, assist him in his fight against Catholic enemies, and was persuaded by Dutch rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel to help Jews fleeing persecution in Europe. Additionally, Cromwell believed in the end of the world and that Jews would be recalled from all corners of the world at the time of the Last Judgement, as per Bible teaching.

Question 6

What group of people began arriving in England during the late medieval and Tudor period, originating from northern India through Central Europe?

Answer 6

Nomadic Gypsies

Question 7

Who were some of the Africans living settled lives in Tudor England?

Answer 7

A small number of Africans, including some from North Africa and Moors who had come directly from Spain.

Question 8

What was the state of relations between Protestant England and Muslim North African governments after the Reformation?

Answer 8

Relations were good because they shared a common enemy in Catholic Spain, which had re-conquered Spain and taken control away from its previous Moorish rulers, resented by the North Africans.

Question 9

Who were the Moors who came directly from Spain to Tudor England?

Answer 9

They were immigrants who may have been Muslims originally and possibly converted to Christianity, such as one of the attendants of Queen Catherine of Aragon.

Question 10

What are examples of Black immigrants in Tudor England?

Answer 10

1. The son of a prince sent to England for 2. education.
   A group enslaved on a Portuguese ship attacked by an English ship, brought to England to learn English intending to become translators.

Question 11

Who established the East India Company, and when did they begin trading in Asia?

Answer 11

The East India Company was established by a group of English merchants who started trading in Asia after 1600.

Question 12

What support did the East India Company receive for its establishment and operations?

Answer 12

The East India Company received support from the English Crown.

Question 13

What were the trading posts established by the East India Company called, and where were they located?

Answer 13

The trading posts were called ‘factories’ and were set up on the coast of India.

Question 14

How did the trading posts established by the East India Company evolve?

Answer 14

The trading posts grew to become armed settlements.

Question 15

What was the consequence of the growth of armed settlements for the East India Company?

Answer 15

The settlements required administrators and officers, leading to many Englishmen traveling to work there.

Question 16

By the mid-18th century, which country dominated trade in Asia, and what entity took control of India?

Answer 16

Britain dominated trade in Asia, and the East India Company took control of India.

Question 17

What role did Indian children and women play in the lives of English employees of the East India Company?

Answer 17

Indian children were hired as servants, while women served as nannies and wet nurses for their children.

Question 18

What term was used to describe wealthy East India Company employees, and why were they known by this term?

Answer 18

East India Company employees were known as ‘nabobs’ because many of them became extremely rich due to their time in India.

Question 19

What was the consequence of the desire of nabobs to continue their opulent lifestyle upon returning to England?

Answer 19

They sometimes brought Indian child servants and nannies (ayahs) with them to continue their lifestyle in England.

Question 20

What was the role of the Royal African Company, and when was it established?

Answer 20

The Royal African Company, established in 1660 under King Charles II, had a monopoly over trade with West Africa, protected by the Royal Navy.

Question 21

How did English involvement in the trade in enslaved Africans grow rapidly?

Answer 21

English involvement in the trade in enslaved Africans grew rapidly through the Royal African Company’s activities and the protection provided by the Royal Navy.

Question 22

How did Africans come to Britain during this period?

Answer 22

While the exact methods are unknown, some Africans came directly from the West African coast, while others arrived from the Caribbean and North America, often as servants.