The English were determined to get their share of the profits. English seamen, like Drake, attacked the treasure ships and raided in the Spanish main. This was one of the reasons for Philip of Spain’s decision to launch the Armada. Other Tudor adventurers looked to North America, where Sir Walter Raleigh established a colony, or Africa.

Explorers brought back new foods, like apricots, cocoa, tomatoes and tobacco. The world was opening up for the people who lived in Elizabethan Britain.