About the birth of the British colonial empire and its growth until the end of the nineteenth century

1. The British colonial empire
About the birth of the British colonial
empire and its growth until the end of the
nineteenth century

2. Birth of the British Empire
• After the Hundred Years’ War England lost nearly
all its continental territory. So the country had to
look for other sources of wealth. In the context of
the Age of Discovery, England developed its trade.
• Under the reign of Elizabeth I, England fought
against Spain and Portugal to obtain new
territories. During this period, there were some
important sailors such as Francis Drake, Walter
Raleigh or John Hawkins. In 1600, the East India
Company was created to administer colonies and
overseas trade.
• At the beginning of the 17th century, the king
James I of England, concluded the Treaty of
London with Spain. At peace with its main rival,
England began to develop its empire all around
the world.

3. American colonies
• The English settled in North America and the first
permanent settlement was Jamestown, founded in
1607. The second permanent settlement was
Plymouth, founded in 1620 by the English pilgrims.
• The number of American colonies continued to
increase during the century and these territories were
managed by English landlords who created plantations.
• Because of the need of workers in these plantations,
the Royal African Company was created in 1672 and it
received the monopoly of the trade of black slaves
between Europe, Africa and America. This was the
triangular trade.
• So slavery became the basis of the British Empire in
America. Until the abolition of the slave trade in 1807,
Britain was responsible for the transportation of 3.5
million African slaves to America.

4. Assertion of British power
• From the beginning of the 17th century, England and
the Netherland were competing for the spice and
textile trade in India. They finally reached for an
agreement and decided that the spice trade was left
to the Netherland and the textile trade to England.
But the textile trade soon became more profitable
than the spice trade and the British company had
overtaken the Dutch by 1720.
• The British Empire became the dominant colonial
power but it still was in competition with France.
With the signing of the Treaty of Paris after the
Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), France had to cede
its colonies in North America to England, especially
the Canadian territory. England became the world’s
most powerful maritime power.

5. Loss of the American colonies
• From the second half of the 18th century, relations
between the thirteen American colonies and Britain
became strained.
• The American colonists were revolted because British
Parliament wanted to govern and overtax them without
their consent. In fact, American colonists were not
represented at the Parliament so they decided to reject
English authority.
• In response, England decided to send troops in America
to impose its rule.
• In 1775 began the American War of Independence and
the United States declared its independence in 1776.
• The war lasted until 1783 and the Peace of Paris
recognized the American independence.

6. Exploration of the Pacific Ocean
• Since 1718, American colonies were a place of exile
for British criminals. But after the loss of the thirteen
colonies, the British government decides to turn to the
newly discovered lands of Australia.
• In fact, the captain James Cook claimed the Australian
continent for Britain in 1770.
• A penal settlement was established and the first
shipment of convicts arrived in 1788. Britain continued
to transport convicts to Australia until 1840.
• The Australian colonies became very profitable,
especially because of the wool exportation and the
gold rushes in the colony of Victoria. This contributed
to an important population growth in big cities such as
Sydney or Melbourne.

7. Napoleonic France
• France challenged again Britain under Napoleon
who wanted to invade Britain.
• Unable to fight against Napoleonic European
powers, Britain decided to focus on maritime
forces.
• The British Royal Navy won a decisive victory over
French and Spanish Navies during the battle of
Trafalgar in Spain in 1805.
• Napoleon attacked and occupied British colonies
but he was finally defeated and Britain was again
the beneficiary of peace treaties.

8. East India Company in Asia
• The East India Company drove the expansion of the British
Empire in Asia and joined its force with the Royal Navy to
invade new territories such as Singapore or Malacca.
• The Company had been engaged in a very profitable opium
export trade in China since the 1730s. This trade, forbidden
by the Chinese emperor, helped Britain to recover the money
spent on the British importation of tea. Britain gained the
island of Hong Kong after the First Opium War (1839-1842).
• During the late 18th century and the early 19th century, a
series of Acts of Parliament were passed to regulate the East
India Company’s affairs.
• After the Indian rebellion of 1857 which failed, the company
was dissolved. Queen Victoria was crowned Empress of India
in 1876. This was the peak of the British Empire’s power.

9. The colonial heritage in the world
• The British colonial Empire had a strong impact on its
many colonies. After the decolonization, civil wars
broke out in Africa.
• Moreover, old colonies' economy was weakened by the
end of British influence because they weren't
independent enough and local governments had
difficulties to rule their countries.
• As a conclusion, the British Empire had impacts all
over the world even after the progressive
decolonization of the 19th century.
• In fact, it was the largest colonial empire ever known
and was also called the “empire on which the sun
never sets”.