Elizabethan Trade (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Goods from Asia, especially spices, were highly valued by the Elizabethans. They were difficult to get and had to travel long distances, which meant they were very expensive. For most of the 1500s, the trade in spices was controlled by Arab merchants in the Mediterranean and the Portuguese, who developed routes to India around the southern tip of Africa.

From the 1580s onwards, England began to take steps to control this trade. This began with the Turkey Company in 1581, which controlled the English spice trade in the Mediterranean. Then, in 1600, the East India Company was established to open direct trade with Indian merchants. This led to the Company - and then Britain - taking control of large areas of Asia, including India.

The main trade routes

• From the 1580s onwards, there was a growing demand in England for goods such as silk, cotton and spices

  • These goods came from Asia

  • Merchants knew they could make fortunes if they could secure regular supplies of them in England

• Spices such as nutmeg, cloves, pepper and cinnamon were sold for enormous prices in England

  • They were highly valued for both preserving and flavouring food

• Since the Middle Ages, spices from India had been purchased by Arab traders

• The traders then sold them in Mediterranean ports like Alexandria and Constantinople

• From the 1500s, Portuguese ships started bringing Asian spices directly to Europe

• The route involved sailing around the southern tip of Africa

• This trade made Portugal very rich

  • They built forts on the east coast of India and Sri Lanka to protect their spice trade

• When Spain invaded Portugal in 1580, people in England were worried that the supplies of spices would be interrupted

  • This led to the creation of the Turkey Company in 1581

  • The company created a monopoly for English merchants trading in the Mediterranean

  • It also led to other merchants exploring ways of opening direct trade routes with India

Trade with India

• Ralph Fitch's travels in the East (opens in a new tab) between 1583 and 1591 inspired others to try to open up trade routes with India

• In September 1600, the East India Company was formed to attempt to create direct trade links with the East by sailing around the southern tip of Africa

• James Lancaster (opens in a new tab)was given command of four ships and made the Queen's special envoy to make deals with rulers in the East

• Under Lancaster, the East India Company's first expedition in 1601 was a huge success

• It established a warehouse in Java (modern-day Indonesia)

  • The warehouse was used to store spices and ship them to England

• By the time Lancaster returned home in 1603, Queen Elizabeth was dead

• The East India Company went on to open many more warehouses and trading posts in India

  • During the 18th century, it took direct control of enormous areas of India and had its own private army

• The East India Company became the biggest trading company in the history of the world

  • In 1858, all of India (including Pakistan and Bangladesh) came under direct British rule and Queen Victoria was made Empress of India