Early Elizabethan England, 1558-88: Elizabethan Society and the Voyages of Exploration
Elizabethan voyages of exploration were driven by a mixture of the search for trade and profit, national prestige, and rivalry with Catholic Spain, which already controlled a large American empire. In the 1560s John Hawkins pioneered English involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, carrying enslaved Africans to sell in the Spanish Caribbean, while Francis Drake became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, sailing from 1577 to 1580 in his ship the Golden Hind and returning with plundered Spanish treasure that made the voyage hugely profitable; Elizabeth knighted Drake aboard his ship in 1581. Walter Raleigh sponsored England's first attempts to found a permanent colony in North America, at Roanoke Island, in territory the English named Virginia after the unmarried 'Virgin Queen'; a first colony was established in 1585 but abandoned within a year, and a second group of settlers sent in 1587 later vanished without trace, becoming known as the 'Lost Colony'. Although these particular colonies failed, the voyages of this period expanded English maritime skill and ambition and deepened the rivalry with Spain that would culminate in the Armada of 1588.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the motives for exploration as separate factors: the search for trade and profit, national prestige, and rivalry with Catholic Spain over access to the wealth of the Americas.
- Learn Hawkins's role precisely: in the 1560s he pioneered English involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, carrying enslaved Africans to sell in Spanish colonies in the Caribbean.
- Learn Drake's circumnavigation precisely: he sailed around the world from 1577 to 1580 in the Golden Hind, returned with valuable plundered Spanish treasure, and was knighted by Elizabeth aboard his ship in 1581.
- Learn Raleigh's Roanoke ventures precisely: he sponsored attempts to found a colony in Virginia (named after Elizabeth); a first colony (1585) was abandoned within a year, and a second group of settlers (1587) disappeared, becoming known as the 'Lost Colony'.
- For 'describe two features of' questions, choose two specific features of a named voyage or venture (e.g. Drake's circumnavigation and its outcome; the Roanoke colony's founding and disappearance) rather than a general account of 'exploration'.
- For 'explain why' and 16-mark judgement questions on the reasons for or the success/significance of exploration, keep economic motives (profit, trade), political motives (national prestige, rivalry with Spain) and outcomes (Drake's success against Roanoke's failure) clearly separate, each supported by a named fact.
Worked example
Explain why Elizabethan voyages of exploration are significant in the years 1558-88. You may use the following in your answer: Francis Drake's circumnavigation, and Walter Raleigh's Roanoke colony. You must also use information of your own.
- Plan the two given factors plus one of your own: Drake's circumnavigation, Raleigh's Roanoke colony, and a third point such as John Hawkins's slave-trading voyages.
- Develop the Drake point: his circumnavigation of the globe from 1577 to 1580 in the Golden Hind, and his return laden with plundered Spanish treasure, showed England's growing maritime skill and profitability, and his knighthood in 1581 gave the voyage royal approval.
- Develop the Raleigh point: his sponsorship of the Roanoke colony in Virginia, named after Elizabeth, represented England's first serious attempt to found a permanent settlement in North America, even though the 1585 colony was abandoned and the 1587 settlers later vanished.
- Add the own-knowledge point: Hawkins's slave-trading voyages in the 1560s show that English exploration in this period was also directly tied into profitable, and deeply harmful, transatlantic trade networks alongside exploration for its own sake.
- Conclude by linking the points: whether through plunder, colonisation attempts or trade, Elizabethan voyages expanded England's maritime experience and ambition and directly increased tension with Spain, contributing to the rivalry that led to the Armada in 1588.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1What did John Hawkins pioneer in the 1560s?Show answer
Answer: English involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, carrying enslaved Africans to sell in Spanish colonies in the Caribbean.
Q2In what ship, and over what years, did Francis Drake circumnavigate the globe?Show answer
Answer: The Golden Hind, from 1577 to 1580.
Q3When and where was Drake knighted by Elizabeth?Show answer
Answer: In 1581, aboard his ship.
Q4Who sponsored England's attempts to found a colony at Roanoke Island in Virginia?Show answer
Answer: Walter Raleigh.
Q5What happened to the group of settlers sent to Roanoke in 1587?Show answer
Answer: They vanished without trace, becoming known as the 'Lost Colony'.
Q6Give one motive for Elizabethan exploration, other than profit.Show answer
Answer: National prestige (or rivalry with Catholic Spain, which already controlled a large American empire).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Describe two features of Walter Raleigh's Roanoke colony ventures.
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Explain why Elizabethan voyages of exploration are significant in the years 1558-88. You may use the following in your answer: Francis Drake's circumnavigation, and Walter Raleigh's Roanoke colony. You must also use information of your own.
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'Elizabethan exploration was mainly about profit rather than national prestige.' How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer: Francis Drake's voyage, and Walter Raleigh's colony. You must also use information of your own.
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