Exploration Flashcards
What developments were there in Elizabethan times for ships?
Compass
Fast, light ships which could be manouvered to catch the wind
Invention of guns
Why did Elizabeth encourage exploration?
Naval power
Empire
weakening Spain
Trade
NEST
Why was trade encouraged by Elizabeth?
The cloth trade collapsed in 1550s meaning England had to find new trade routes
What companies were established for trade and when?
Muscovy Company - 1555 - Traded with Russia for furs and timber
Eastland Company - 1581 - Traded with the Baltic for timber, tar and canvas
Levant Company - 1581 - Traded with the Eastern Mediterranean for dyes, dried fruit, wine and silk
East India Company - 1600 - Traded with India and the far West for silk, cotton, tea and spices
Who was Francis Drake?
An Elizabethan explorer
Circumnavigated the globe
Raided Spanish ports and helped defeat the Spanish armada
Made contact with the spice islands
Knighted on return by Elizabeth
Who was John Hawkins?
An Elizabethan explorer
Slave trader
Developed better fighting galleons
Assisted in the defeat of the armada
Who was Humphrey Gilbert?
A failed Elizabethan explorer
1579 - Attempted to establish a colony in North America however only his half-brother’s ship made it across the Atlantic
1583 - Planned to claim large amount of land in America to sell to Englishmen, made first claim but failed to establlish a colony.
Died on the journey back where he refused to abandon his overcrowded ship
Who was Walter Raleigh?
An Elizabethan explorer
Established Roanoke Colony (failed - also known as the Lost Colony)
Aided in the colonisation of North America
What was the Lost Colony?
Initially had 600 men in 7 ships
Storm scattered fleet after 5 days
Ships became stuck on sandbank before a storm - Lost most supplies
108 stayed while rest returned to England for supplies
Natives initaially friendly however when food ran low in Winter, planned to attack Englishmen
Ralph Lane struck first, killing the chief, causing the natives to become hostile
1586 - No return from England
1587 - Another attempt at colony, previous one found deserted, John White returns to England for help
1590 - White returns to find settlement deserted again, all inhabitants disappeared
