exploration

Question 1

what did Francis Drake do

Answer 1

circumnavigated the world between 1577 and 1580

Question 2

why did Drake become a privateer

Answer 2

• made on the first voyages to Africa to capture people as slaves to sell in the ‘New World’ of america
• sold slaves at a spanish port
• were betrayed and got attacked by spanish warships

Question 3

how did new technology make ships faster and easier to steer

Answer 3

lateen (triangular sails)

Question 4

what made sailing through hostile waters much safer

Answer 4

improved defences and weapons

Question 5

what did the astrolabe do

Answer 5

allowed sailors to judge how far north or south they were

Question 6

how many ships did Drake start and end with

Answer 6

started with 5 ships and 164 men
ended with one ship

Question 7

the age of trade

Answer 7

• actions of explorers increased queens and country’s income
• real prize lay in trade - buying and selling the goods
• before elizabeth’s reign, the majority of trade was with other european countries
  -> people began to look further east where spices could be brought
  -> initially you had to go through a middle man - someone who brought the spices then sold them to europe making a hugh profit
  -> england was keen to find routes around to cut of the middleman

Question 8

trade with the east:

Answer 8

• several attempts were made to find a direct route to India and China
• in 1582, elizabeth sent Ralph Fitch to india and the far east and when he returned he told her trade was very much possible
• the east india company was established in 1600 to oversee this trade
• brought products to england that had rarely been seen before, like spices, silk and porcelain

Question 9

the human trade:

Answer 9

• in 1564, the queen authorised Drake and Hawkins to kidnap several hundreds of west africans
  -> they were taken by ship to the south american coast where they were sold as slaves
• throughout elizabeth’s reign, england’s involvement in the slave trade grew and many more slave traders made their fortunes
• demand grew for slaves to work in the americas and produce materials to be returned to england

Question 10

the new world:

Answer 10

• english and other european sailors crossed the atlantic ocean into the americas
• there voyages were about gaining wealth, influence and establishing colonies

Question 11

raleigh’s new world:

Answer 11

• in 1584, elizabeth gave sir walter raleigh permission to explore, colonise and rule any land that was not already ruled by a christian
• in return he had to give the queen 1/5 of the gold and silver he found there
• aim was to increase england’s influence and gain the country more wealth
• raleigh did not sail for north america himself, but send other to form the first english colony in what is now the USA
• a colony was established at Roanoke but did not last
• a second was established in 1587 and seemed set to succeed
  -> however, when the colonists leader John White, returned after a trip to England, the other colonists had disappeared
  -> only clue was the word ‘croatoan’ carved into a tree, the name of a local tribe
• it was not until James I (elizabeth’s successor) that a successful colony would be established

Question 12

how successful were the voyages in increasing wealth for england

Answer 12

• by raiding spanish ships and ports, Drake brought back riches to england
• sailors like Hawkins made his fortune and added to the country’s wealth by trading african slaves
• england built the foundations of the great trading empire it became
  -> many trading companies established under elizabeth became very important in the following century

Question 13

how successful were the voyages in increasing power for england

Answer 13

• english naval power was a growing force under elizabeth
• was clear england could hold its own in any sea battle and was able to exert its influence over many weaker countries

Question 14

how successful were the voyages in increasing territory for england

Answer 14

• england failed its first attempt to build a colony in america
• other countries beat england in the race to colonise south america
• english explorers and settlers persevered and over the next few centuries england began to build up more and more territory oversea