Page 48 - All About History - Issue 08-14

Spain were fixed on England and it made sense for
the queen to create a marriage alliance with one
of these major powers for her and the country’s
safety. King Philip made no secret of his desire
to marry Elizabeth, but she had no interest in
marrying Mary’s former husband. Henry of Anjou
was suggested as a match, but he was still a child.
Elizabeth spoke instead of being married to her
nation, but scandal struck when Dudley’s wife Amy
died suddenly after apparently falling down the
stairs in 1560. It was rumoured that Dudley had
committed the deed for his queen, and Elizabeth
was forced to expel him from her court.
In 1561, Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary Queen of
Scots, returned to Scotland from France. For
many Catholics, Mary was the true successor and
she did little to downplay those clamouring for a
Catholic monarch. Her arrival was perfectly timed,
as Elizabeth was on the verge of death due to
smallpox. However, she recovered and, with the
scandal over Dudley dissipating, Elizabeth chose
him to be Lord Protector, bringing him back into
her court, before shocking everyone by suggesting
Although the expansion of trade into India occurred

launched, and Raleigh would follow. When
during Elizabeth’s reign, in terms of exploration named after her: Virginia. The first party
she is best remembered for England’s attempt the nobleman arrived, he saw the settlement
to colonise North America. The Spanish and had failed. The English were desperate to
Portuguese had already laid claim to much of South leave. Raleigh’s second attempt was intended
America, establishing lucrative trade routes, but for Chesapeake Bay, but the first group, led
North America was relatively unexplored. Elizabeth by John White, returned to Roanoke. Raleigh
was reluctant to fund exploratory voyages for much arrived with his second group and found no
the same reasons that she was reluctant to fund trace of survivors. Elizabeth was disappointed
wars: they were expensive and risky. However, she that these costly ventures yielded no results.
could be won around with the promise of riches There was one purpose to these expeditions, as
from one of her favourites and, when sailor Davy de Lisle explains very simply: “Making money.”
Ingram returned to England with alluring tales of
riches and simple inhabitants, geographer Richard Verdict
Hakluyt began plotting a serious expedition to be The Elizabethan era’s reputation for exploration
led by Walter Raleigh. is largely due to the fact that there was money
With the promise of fortune and the flattery to be made from it. Piratical ventures were
of Raleigh, she agreed to a trip to form a colony profitable; colonisation was not.

2. 1585
Following a positive
report, Raleigh dispatches
colonists to settle at
Roanoke in Virginia. By
the time he arrives on a
later ship, the crops have
failed and the English are
desperate to leave.

3. 1587
Raleigh tries again to
establish a colony at
Chesapeake Bay, but
instead the settlers travel 1. 1584
to Roanoke. When Raleigh Walter Raleigh and Richard
arrives, all 150 colonists have Hakluyt convince Elizabeth
disappeared, with only a to fund an expedition to
single skeleton remaining. explore the possibility that
a colony could be founded
on America’s east coast.

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