Francis Drake + Exploration

case study -francis drake

circumnavigate

sail around the world

colonies

lands under the control or influence of another counrtry

monopoly

when one person or company controls the supply of something

why did elizabtheans want to explore

• expanding trade

• triangular trade

• adventure

expanding trade

• new world brought new opportunites

• confiict (spain +NL) hit wool and cloth trade hard

• needed to find new markets

• vast majority of America was undiscovered so hoped they would find more riches

• to bring back resources to Britain that were useful and made them rich

triangular trade

• afriacn slave trade

• john Hawkins (navigator) brought slaves from africa in 1562, transported them across the Atlantic and sold them to spanish colonies which gave him ginger, pearl, sugars making profit

adventure

• young eleixathean men (gentry + nobility especially) went on voyages in the hope of making money

new technology

• navigation

• maps

• ship design

improved techonolgy on ships during elzabthe reign

how did ships improve

• galleons were larger than traditional ships meaning that they could have larger cargoes and supplies for long jounrys

how were ships before elizabethan times

• ships had high , buil up bows and sterns known as castles

how were shipsa after elizabethan times

• bows and sterns lowered making ships more stable in heavy sea

what did galleons have different

galleons had different sail types:

• traditional square sails for speed

• lateen (triangular) sails, easy to maneuver

what enables longer, faster and more accurate journeys

having more mast and sails enabled longer, faster and more accurate journeys

what did galleons have

• gun decks

• better fire power as cannons could fire from the sides

• bow and stem

naviagtion

• 1584 Thomas Harriot (english mathematician) used sun to calculate the true sailing direction of a ship

• use an astrolobe - instrument used by sailors

• voyages safer, more direct + faster

• journeys sometimes recorded main it easier for others to follow route mapped out

maps

• 1569, mercartor map developed by Gerardus Mercartor

• used parralell, eavenly spaced lines of longatudie snad lattitudes

• realistic picture of the world

• printing meant they were more wide spread

• before this → maps hand drawn → mistakes

drakes circumnaivigation

hwo long was drakes circumnavigation

• took almost 3 years

• 1577-1580

aims of the circumnaviagtion : what did they want to do

• to raid spanish ships/colonies to steal gold + treasure & lots of money spent on voyage by queen + wealthy english men so they expected a profit

other aims : who did they want to challenge

• to challenge portugease + spanish claim over new world

• pope declared all new discoveries belonged to them + english refused to accept this

other aims : what did they want to discover

• to discover ‘north-west’ passage as they belived there was route to pacific to the north of USA - if they could find, it would open new trade routes

other aims : what did they want to claim

• to claim new/undiscovered lands for england for natural resources eg, gold, silver + fur

other aims : who did they want revenge on

• to take revenge against spanish as he had almost been killed by them when his ship got attacked + he was a devout protestant (saw catholic as enemies)

what was the significance of drake circumnavigation (5)

• sea-faring (England as a regularly ravelling by sea nation)

• encouraging explorations

• Nova Albion

• encouraging colonies in america

• anglo-spanish damaged relations

what was this signifance : sea-faring (England as a regularly ravelling by sea nation)

• voyage almost ended in disaster cause set out with 5 ships and ended with 1 by times he reached Pacific, 1578 (The Golden Hind only survived)

• he + 56 surviving men managed to return to england in 1580

  • were the second crew in history to have achieved this

• boosted english morale + reputation of ships & sailors as being the finest in the world

• however people scared that spain would invade at any time

what was this signifance : encouraging explorations

• drake + crew survived by raiding spanish ships + coloines in South America

• gathered useful info about america’s + kept logs of their voyage that could be shared with other english sailors

what was this signifance : Nova Albion

• June 1576, The Golden Hind need urgent reparing so they stopped at local native american whom gave them hospitality & performed a ceremony

• FD thought it was a coronating (crowning) and made Elizabeth its sovereign (leader) calling it new Albion

• elizabeth ignored pope rules that Americas was spanish + portugals and gave her explorers the right to take any land no other christian leader had claimed

• peaceful wlecome from native samerican encouraged the idea that Europenas could settle (even rule) there

what was this signifance : encouraging colonies in america

• 1578, Elizabeth I gave sir Humfrey Gilbert permission ti go on a voyage to north america but he ended being bankrupt

• 1583 he set sail again and since Gilberts earlier faliure Drake returned to England with wealth + reports encouraging investors + adventures to continue trying to establish their own colonies there

what was this signifance : anglo-spanish damaged relations

• Drake was correct saying attack philps american colonies would anger him

• following year, Elizatbeth knighted Drake on the Golden Hind sending a clear message to Philip II whom regarded their proactive actions as scandalous

• it was one more event deteriorating Anglo-Spanish relations