The Tudor explorers
QCA Unit 19

What's the big idea?

Britain was left behind in the race to open up the New World. The Spanish and the Portuguese got there first and carved up South America between them. Inca treasure made Spain the most powerful country in Europe during Tudor times.

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 and tomatoes. The world was opening up for the people who lived in Elizabethan Britain.