Main Notesss

• The Age of Exploration (also called the Age of Discovery) began in the 1400s and continued through the 1600s. It was a period of time when European nations, led by Portugal and Spain, began exploring the world. They discovered new routes to India, much of the Far East, and the Americas.  In the 15th Century several factors combined to create the conditions needed for these voyages to take place: changes in religion, a new era of curiosity and learning, developments in technology and threats to existing land trade routes.
• The British Empire has its origins in the Age of Exploration, with its first colony established in 1585 at Roanoke.  Although the colony failed subsequent attempts such as that at Jamestown were successful, with tobacco providing Virginian planters with huge profits.  Colonists brought new ideas and technology to the Native Americans (like farming techniques and weapons).  They also brough new diseases which wiped out many Native Americans. 
• Africa had only limited colonisation before 1880 because it lacked the conditions necessary for any plantation system (cultivable land with easy reach of the sea).  It consisted of highly organised states who would not tamely submit to European control.  Europeans needed to deal respectfully with the West African rulers as they had the means to provide the fresh slaves Europeans wanted for their New World colonies.
• Slavery would become an important source of income for the British Empire (and for other European colonial powers like Spain, Portugal and France). Between 1500-1850 more than 11 million Africans were transported to European owned plantations in America and the West Indies. This was part of the triangular slave trade. Plantation life was hard and dangerous, and slaves were treated harshly.  
• Spain was the first European power to dominate the New World, growing rich on plunder from the Aztec and Inca Empires.  She used much of her wealth to facilitate religious wars in Europe.​