The First British Empire originated in the late 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I granted licenses to conduct overseas exploration and establish colonies to Humphrey Gilbert and Walter Raleigh. During the Age of Discovery, Portugal and Spain established large empires which England envied and sought to emulate. By the 17th century, England had established colonies in North America, the Caribbean, and Asia through the East India Company. The most profitable early colonies were in the Caribbean, involved in the sugar trade which Britain monopolized. However, the American War of Independence resulted in Britain losing its oldest North American colonies by 1783, after which it focused on expanding its Asian, African, and Pacific interests.

1. The First British Empire (1583-1783).
Origin and historical background:
The First British Empire originated from Queen Elizabeth I granting Humphrey Gilbert a license to conduct
overseas explorations in the name of the Crown (1578). The same license was later given to Walter Raleigh (1584).
Gilbert explored the Caribbean while Raleigh founded a colony in today’s North Carolina territory.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of
the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires
generated,[5] England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the
Americas and Asia. A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England
(Britain, following the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland) the dominant colonial power in North America.
By the 17th century, England had created a series of settlements in North America and on various Caribbean
islands. In Asia, the East India Company was established, where it traded under the Crown’s license and acquired
influence and territory in the area. Initially, the most profitable colonies were in areas of the Caribbean such as in St.
Kitts, Barbados, and Nevis, where various sugar plantations developed and where Britain had the monopoly on trade.
By the end of the 17th century, England had colonies in New England, Virginia, Maryland, the Bermudas, Honduras,
Antigua, Barbados, Nova Scotia, and Jamaica.
Britain also continued to establish colonies in North America. Some of these colonies were bought; for example,
Florida was originally ...

2. The American War of Independence resulted in Britain losing some of its oldest and most populous colonies in North
America by 1783. British attention then turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific