Exploration And Discovery

Question 1

Reasons for exploration during the Elizabethan age

Answer 1

Expanding trade
Adventure
New technology
The development of standardised maps
Improvements in ship design
Private investment
The triangular trade

Question 2

Expanding trade

Answer 2

• Trade was expanding quickly in the New World.
• English merchants needed new trading opportunities, as war with Spain and in the Netherlands had severely damaged the wool and cloth trades.
• It was vital to find new markets and new products to sell.

Question 3

Adventure

Answer 3

• Some young Elizabethan men, such as Francis Drake, undertook voyages of discovery and exploration.
• The published accounts of these voyages, though often inaccurate, persuaded others to venture into the unknown in the belief that treasure and riches could be found and fortunes made.

Question 4

New technology

Answer 4

Navigation was becoming increasingly more precise. The development of nautical devices, such as quadrants and astrolabes, made voyages safer, direct and faster, leading to more exploration and trade.

Question 5

The development of standardised maps

Answer 5

Maps, such as the Mercator Map of 1569, gave sailors and traders greater confidence that they were going in the right direction, reducing risk and encouraging further voyages.

Question 6

Improvements in ship design

Answer 6

• Ships or galleons had bigger sails, were faster and more manoeuvrable, as well as possessing greater firepower to protect themselves from attack by pirates.
• They also were more stable and could take on more supplies, encouraging longer voyages and exploration.

Question 7

Private investment

Answer 7

• Private investors, including Elizabeth I and her courtiers, funded many of the voyages of discovery.
• Although it was risky, the rewards could be enormous.
• This increased the incomes of both the Crown and the nobility.

Question 8

The Triangular trade

Answer 8

• The trader and explorer John Hawkins discovered that iron goods and guns could be sold in West Africa to buy slaves, which could be sold in the New World in exchange for rum, spices and tobacco, which would then be sold in Europe.

Question 9

When did Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe take place?

Answer 9

Between December 1577 and September 1580

Question 10

Why did Drake Circumnavigate the globe?

Answer 10

He was attacking spain- His main purpose was to raid spanish colonies in the pacific, as relations with spain were declining at this time
Revenge- The spanish had attacked Drake’s fleet at St Juan de Ulúa and most of his men had been killed
Profit- Loot,booty and trade meant there were huge profits to be made from Drake’ proposed journey to the Americas and beyond, so people were willing to invest in the expedition, including Elizabeth I

Question 11

Significance of Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe

Answer 11

Englands reputation as a sea faring power increases
Further trade and exploration
Colonies established in New England
English ships began to trade elsewhere
Declining relations with spain
England increasingly saw her navy as her best means of defence

Question 12

England’s reputation as a sea faring power increased

Answer 12

In spite of the fact that only one of Drake’s five ships, the Golden Hind, survived the voyage, England’s reputation as a sea faring power increased.

Question 13

England increasingly saw her navy as her best means of defence

Answer 13

England increasingly saw her navy as her best means of defence, protecting and extending her trading interests.

Question 14

Further trade and exploration

Answer 14

Drake’s expedition had resulted in Nova Albion, an area near San Francisco, being claimed as English territory with Elizabeth as its queen.
This encouraged further trade and exploration, especially to the New World, where colonies were established in New England.

Question 15

English ships began to trade elsewhere

Answer 15

In china, west africa and india

Question 16

Declining relations with Spain

Answer 16

Drake’s voyage meant that England claimed the right to rule much of North America.
This brought England into conflict with the pope, who had awarded North America to Spain, and with Spain itself, which had already conquered Mexico and Peru, and had established trading posts along the Eastern Pacific coast.
For Philip II, the knighting of Drake on the Golden Hind by Elizabeth I was the final insult that made war between the two countries inevitable.