The British, French, and Dutch ExplorersSocial Studies 8

Introduction▪ Although the Spanish and the

Portuguese took the early in lead in navigation and exploration, it didn’t take long for the British to follow suit.

▪ Letters of Patent: given to John Cabot and his three sons by Henry VII. ▪ They entitled the bearer to claim

land in the name of the King. ▪ English explorers were

commissioned to find the Northwest Passage.

John Cabot in traditional Venetian garb

Drake and the Sea Dogs▪ The conquest of the Inca and the

Aztec empires by the Spanish made them very rich (richest in Europe).▪ Gold, silver, and emeralds were

making their way across the Atlantic and the Pacific to Spain.▪ The English were growing jealous.▪ The decided to make ships that

were smaller, more maneuverable and had many guns.

Sea Dogs cont.

▪ Soon these new ships were raiding the ships on the Spanish Main and stealing their gold.▪ These acts were secretly supported by the

queen, Elizabeth the First as it stopped the Spanish from getting money.

Some of the most famous Sea Dogs were:

Capt. John Hawkins

Capt. Martin Frobisher

Capt. Francis Drake

▪ He was a hero to Britain, but a terrorist to the Spaniards. ▪ Stole millions of dollars of gold and silver

from Spain.▪ The largest involved two ships. He stole one

ship near Lima that had 25,000 Peruvian pesos (~ $13,ooo,ooo).

▪ He heard news of another ship not far off. Drake gave chase and eventually captured the treasure ship, which proved their most profitable capture. Aboard Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Drake found 80 lb (36 kg) of gold, a golden crucifix, jewels, 13 chests full of royals of plate and 26 tons of silver.

Drake cont.

▪ In addition to being a pirate, Drake was also an accomplished explorer.▪ He circumnavigated the Earth for the second

time (1577-80) even though he was seizing ships and sacking towns along the way.▪ Drake was knighted by Elizabeth I on the deck

of his ship the Golden Hind.▪ The queen also took a significant portion of his

loot for the royal treasury.

The French and the Dutch

▪ The French sent explorer Jacques Cartier to Canada and up the St. Lawrence River claiming the land for France (New France).▪ The Dutch too got wealthy due to

navigation. They set up the Dutch East India Company and took over the trade of spices in Southeast Asia.▪ Olivier van Noort first of the Dutch to

circumnavigate the globe.