Hello everyone and welcome to the history of England, episode 300, trade and exploration

and wild. I have reached 300 episodes. Sadly of course I have messed up the numbering in various

ways, with the Anglo-Saxon England remake for example, then there was Jane Gray. So actually,

I think I've done about 323 episodes but I could be wrong about that. So essentially when the

shouting's over, when all said and on, and it's a game of two halves Jim, I have missed the opportunity

for a celebration. Oh well. Last time I spent a bit of time on Africa and the issues around

the development of trade between Europe and Africa. I have no doubt that many of you deeply

resented being forced to listen to an episode that appeared to have very little to do with the history

of England and I would like to apologise for that and cast Rose Petals at your feet to make it up to you.

This time there'll be much more about the English. We will talk about how the English

and nation noted for being able to push its way where it wasn't wanted, being able to push its way

into the Africa trade and into the Caribbean, to the irritation of the Portuguese and Spanish.

Since as far as they were concerned, this all belonged to them because the Pope said so.

We will begin with the start of trading ventures in Elizabethan England generally,

and then we'll switch back to Africa to the growth of trade there and then the infamous campaign

of one John Hawkins of Devon, cradle of English Elizabethan seafaring.

England's international trade did not start with Elizabeth, of course. She had depended on the trade

in wool and cloth with flanders for many centuries, and for thus farceable this is the trade that will

dominate policy and draw Elizabethan eyes. In the Africa trade, activity from England started in

the 1530s as we will see, despite the embargo of the papacy. Before that, John Cabot had sailed to

Newfoundland and Canada in 1497. Relative riddals happened for a while, and English seamen

found competition with the French and Portuguese ships a problem on the Newfoundland banks.

...