AQA GCSE History (8145) — British Depth Studies
Today, international trade involves signing contracts, but in Elizabethan times, it often involved hijacking ships and selling human beings. John Hawkins was the pioneer of the Triangular Trade, establishing a brutal but highly profitable system during the 1560s.
First, during his 1562–1563 voyage, Hawkins sailed to West Africa, hijacked Portuguese ships to capture approximately 300 enslaved Africans, and traded them in Hispaniola for hides, ginger, and sugar. Then, his second voyage (1564–1565) saw Queen Elizabeth I become a secret investor, providing the ship Jesus of Lübeck. Hawkins sold hundreds of enslaved people in Spanish Main ports like Borburata, returning to London with a massive 60% profit for his investors.
Finally, his third voyage (1567–1569) ended in disaster and changed English foreign policy forever. After trading enslaved Africans, Hawkins' fleet sought repairs in Mexico but was surprise-attacked by the Spanish at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa in September 1568, despite a truce. Over 300 sailors were killed or captured, and only two ships escaped. Hawkins later used this naval experience to redesign English galleons, making them faster and lower to the water to help defeat the Spanish Armada.
Why would a monarch publicly knight a man that another country considered a dangerous pirate? Francis Drake, nicknamed El Draque by the Spanish, made his name through aggressive Privateering missions that enriched England and enraged King Philip II.
Drake initially focused on attacking Spanish treasure in the Americas. In 1572, he attacked Nombre de Dios, and in 1573, he successfully ambushed Spanish silver mule trains in Panama with the crucial help of Cimarrones. Following these successes, Drake departed Plymouth in 1577 with five ships to begin a Circumnavigation of the globe. Using captured Spanish and Portuguese rutters, alongside Renaissance navigation tools like the astrolabe and quadrant, he successfully navigated the treacherous Pacific routes.
During this three-year voyage, Drake raided Spanish settlements and famously captured the Cacafuego in 1579, taking 26 tons of silver and 80lb of gold. He also claimed New Albion (California) for England and proved Java was an island. When his only surviving ship, the Golden Hind, returned to England in 1580, the treasure was worth over £400,000. Elizabeth I’s share paid off the entire national debt, and her decision to knight Drake in 1581 served as a massive diplomatic insult to Spain.
Imagine trying to build a new agricultural town thousands of miles from home, but only bringing soldiers who do not know how to farm. This poor planning was the fatal flaw behind Sir Walter Raleigh’s attempts to colonise Virginia.
Raleigh was the organiser and main investor behind the expeditions, but Elizabeth I forbade him from leaving court, so he never actually sailed to the Americas. After receiving a royal charter in 1584, Raleigh launched the first colonisation attempt at Roanoke in 1585. First, the 107 male colonists arrived too late in the year to plant crops. Then, their ship, the Tiger, hit a reef and seawater ruined their seed and food supplies. Finally, starvation forced the English to aggressively demand food from the local Algonquian people, sparking a conflict where the English killed Chief Wingina. The colonists abandoned the settlement in 1586.
A second attempt in 1587 included families and women to encourage a permanent settlement. However, Governor John White was forced to return to England for supplies and was delayed for three years because of the Spanish Armada. When he finally returned in 1590, the settlement was entirely deserted, with only the word "CROATOAN" carved into a post. Despite failing due to the "wrong mix" of colonists, poor timing, and lack of supplies, Raleigh's efforts established England's territorial claim in North America.
Students often write that Walter Raleigh sailed to America and founded the colony himself. He did not; he was strictly the wealthy organiser and investor who stayed at the royal court in England.
When asked to 'Describe' an event like the Roanoke colony, use clear sequential language ('First', 'Then', 'Finally') to build a chronological account that examiners can easily follow.
Use the 1568 Battle of San Juan de Ulúa as a specific turning point in your essays to explain when Anglo-Spanish relations shifted from tense rivalry into open hostility.
When explaining the failure of Roanoke, specifically mention the 'wrong mix' of colonists (too many soldiers, not enough farmers) as a key reason for their starvation.
Triangular Trade
A three-stage trade route involving the transport of manufactured goods from England to Africa, enslaved people from Africa to the Americas, and raw materials back to England.
Spanish Main
The mainland coastal regions of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, covering parts of northern South America and Central America.
Privateering
State-sanctioned piracy where the monarch granted 'Letters of Marque' allowing individuals to legally attack and seize enemy cargo.
El Draque
Meaning 'The Dragon', this was the terrifying nickname given to Francis Drake by the Spanish.
Cimarrones
Escaped African slaves in the Americas who allied with Francis Drake to ambush Spanish silver trains.
Circumnavigation
The act of travelling entirely around the globe, which Francis Drake was the first Englishman to successfully command.
Rutters
Captured Spanish and Portuguese maritime charts and logbooks that detailed secret navigation routes.
Astrolabe
A Renaissance navigational instrument used by sailors to calculate latitude by measuring the angle of the sun or stars.
Quadrant
A quarter-circle measuring instrument used in navigation to determine altitude and location at sea.
Virginia
The region in North America claimed by England and named in honour of Elizabeth I, the 'Virgin Queen'.
Roanoke
An island off the coast of modern-day North Carolina that served as the site for Raleigh's failed colonisation attempts.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for History
Triangular Trade
A three-stage trade route involving the transport of manufactured goods from England to Africa, enslaved people from Africa to the Americas, and raw materials back to England.
Spanish Main
The mainland coastal regions of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, covering parts of northern South America and Central America.
Privateering
State-sanctioned piracy where the monarch granted 'Letters of Marque' allowing individuals to legally attack and seize enemy cargo.
El Draque
Meaning 'The Dragon', this was the terrifying nickname given to Francis Drake by the Spanish.
Cimarrones
Escaped African slaves in the Americas who allied with Francis Drake to ambush Spanish silver trains.
Circumnavigation
The act of travelling entirely around the globe, which Francis Drake was the first Englishman to successfully command.
Rutters
Captured Spanish and Portuguese maritime charts and logbooks that detailed secret navigation routes.
Astrolabe
A Renaissance navigational instrument used by sailors to calculate latitude by measuring the angle of the sun or stars.
Quadrant
A quarter-circle measuring instrument used in navigation to determine altitude and location at sea.
Virginia
The region in North America claimed by England and named in honour of Elizabeth I, the 'Virgin Queen'.
Roanoke
An island off the coast of modern-day North Carolina that served as the site for Raleigh's failed colonisation attempts.
