Walter Raleigh & the Colonisation of Virginia (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Author
Zoe WadeExpertise
History
What Opportunities & Issues did Raleigh Encounter in Virginia? - Timeline & Summary
From 1578, England desired colonies in the Americas. Throughout this period, Anglo-Spanish were poor. This caused Spain to restrict English marchants' access to the valuable markets in the Americas. Spain's empire dominated the Americas. Elizabeth knew that the ability to rival Spain in Europe stemmed from establishing American colonies. Through expeditions of discovery, the English believed the Mid-Atlantic region of North America was the ideal place for settlement. They called the region 'Virginia' and singled out Roanoke Island as the first English colony. The reality of colonisation did not match Elizabeth's vision. The voyages of multiple explorers ended in failure and the loss of investors' money. The numerous expeditions planned by Sir Walter Raleigh also failed. Raleigh made fundamental mistakes in the planning stage. He did not recruit an assortment of colonists. The settlement lacked the necessary survival skills. The colonists did not value their relationship with the indigenous people, the Algonquians and the Croatans. This was pivotal in causing the settlers to flee in 1586 and the disappearance of the whole colony on Roanoke Island by 1590. |
Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was important to Queen Elizabeth
Raleigh was an explorer, author and historian
He was one of Elizabeth's favourite courtiers
After the success of Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the world in 1580, Elizabeth's government desired to explore more of the Americas
Elizabeth gave Raleigh a grant to find a suitable colony for English settlers
The grant did not cover all of the costs of travelling and settling a new colony
Raleigh needed to attract new investors to raise enough money for the voyage
Elizabeth did not allow Raleigh to lead the voyage himself. He was responsible for:
Investigating a suitable territory in North America to establish a colony
Using his fame and influence to persuade enough people to become colonists
Developing a plan to transport the colonists to the Americas
Choosing a governor of the new colony to maintain law and order
Ensuring other explorers could duplicate his plan to establish more colonies
The Failed Attempts to Colonise North America, 1578-83
Raleigh was not the first Englishman to attempt to establish a colony in North America
The table below explains what caused previous explorers to fail to colonise the Americas:
The Failure of Previous Colonisation Attempts in America
Explorer | Date of attempted colonisation | Reason for failure |
|---|---|---|
John Cabot | 1497 | Henry VII funded Cabot's voyage to North America. He discovered Newfoundland and claimed the land for the English king. He undertook a second voyage in 1498. He never returned |
Sir Humfrey Gilbert | 1578 and 1583 | Gilbert gained Elizabeth's permission to establish an English colony in North America. It ended in failure and Gilbert returned bankrupt. He set sail for the Americas again in 1583. He reached Newfoundland and began to explore more of America's coastline. His ship reached Nova Scotia when a storm hit. Gilbert drowned |
Exam Tip
An exam question may ask you to explain why Elizabethan colonisation attempts failed. The table above demonstrates how dangerous colonisation was in the 16th century. Explorers often died on their voyages due to the difficult environment. This did not just have a personal impact. Investors gave a considerable amount of money to explorers. If an expedition failed, it had financial consequences on the investors. These failures impacted Raleigh in 1584. Raleigh was Gilbert's half-brother and witnessed Gilbert's death. Gilbert's failure also made investors more reluctant to fund high-risk explorations to the Americas.
Raleigh Investigates Virginia, 1584
In 1584, Raleigh sent an expedition to discover a suitable place in North America to establish a colony
The expedition found an ideal location. Captain Arthur Barlowe called the area 'Virginia' in his report back to England
The name Virginia was important. It symbolised the region was for the 'Virgin' Queen Elizabeth. It also represented how other European colonists had not touched the region
The expedition sent back positive reports of Virginia
The English explorers encountered the indigenous community called the Algonquians
The Algonquians had an organised system of government
They met Chief Wingina, the ruler of several settlements on Roanoke Island. The English understood that they needed to work with the indigenous people in America
The expedition reported that the Algonquians were friendly
The English traded knives with the Algonquians for meat, nuts and vegetables
The expedition brought two Algonquians called Manteo and Wanchese back to England
Mathematician Thomas Harriot learnt Algonquian and taught Manteo and Wanchese to speak English
Harriot made an English-Algonquian dictionary to help future communication
How did the 1584 expedition raise the necessary funds for the Virginia project?
Raleigh used the 1584 expedition to persuade investors to fund a Virginia colony
He argued that the colony would have economic benefits for England
The Algonquians wanted English wool. The colonists could trade wool for valuable raw materials like gold and tobacco
The settlers could create products for English merchants to sell
Raleigh promised to take the cargo of any Spanish ship the expedition saw. Sir Francis Drake's voyage showed that this tactic made a substantial amount of money for investors
Raleigh invested his own money into the voyage. This showed investors how much he believed in the Virginia project
Raleigh could not persuade Elizabeth to fully fund the project
The threat of Spain concerned Elizabeth
Spain wanted to invade England
Spain owned a lot of territory in the Americas
Elizabeth was cautious with money
She knew the expedition could become costly
She did not want to bankrupt the royal treasury with the Virginia project
Elizabeth gave some financial support for the voyage
She did not want to bankrupt the royal treasury with the Virginia project
This backing encouraged other nobles to invest, for example, Sir Francis Walsingham
Organising the Virginia Project
It was important that Raleigh planned the Virginia project in detail
The concept map below shows how Raleigh organised the voyage in 1585:
How did Raleigh organise the Virginia Project?
A concept map showing the organisation of the Virginia project in 1585
The English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island in the winter of 1585
Exam Tip
An exam question may ask you to what extent Raleigh's planning of the Virginia project caused its failure. Raleigh made many mistakes in the planning process. The most significant issue was how late in the year the voyage left England. Raleigh underestimated how long the voyage to Roanoke Island, Virginia would take. The 107 colonists on board were not experienced sailors. By the time the settlers reached Virginia, it was too late to grow crops to survive the winter. Other issues caused the Virginia project to fail. These included the resistance of Chief Wingina and the actions of the English colonists when they arrived on Roanoke Island.
Why was the Colonisation of Virginia Significant?
There were several motivating factors behind the colonisation of Virginia. These were:
Taking power away from Spain
England could attack Spain's American colonies from Virginia
England wanted to rival Spain's supremacy in the Americas. An English colony in the Americas would increase England's trade and influence with the indigenous people
England wanted to create an empire as powerful as Spain's. Elizabethan attempts to colonise the Americas in the 16th century led to Britain possessing the most powerful empire by the 19th century
Boosting the economy
Merchants desired to find new groups to trade with. The conflict with Spain prevented English merchants from trading wool in the Netherlands
The climate of the Americas had similarities with the Mediterranean. If England could create colonies in the Americas, England could gain resources without trading with Spanish-controlled territories. For example, England could grow their own fruit and spices
England would gain access to valuable, rare raw materials. Tobacco and sugar were growing in popularity in England
Why Did the Virginia Colony Fail in 1585-86?
Raleigh's Virginia project failed
The surviving colonists left Virginia and arrived back in England in 1586
The illustration below explains the reasons why the first Virginia colony failed by 1586:
Reasons for the failure of the Virginia colony
An illustration explaining the difficulties the colonists faced on Roanoke Island by 1586
Worked Example
Describe two features of the failure of the Virginia colony by 1586
4 marks
Answers:
One feature of the failure of the Virginia colony was the colonists' inexperience (1). Raleigh brought together craftsmen who could not use their skills in Roanoke, for example bakers and weavers (1).
Another feature of the failure of the Virginia colony was the colonists' interaction with the indigenous people (1). The colonists relied on the Algonquians for their survival. Chief Wingina grew tired of the English. By spring 1586, he persuaded other chiefs to attack the settlers (1).
The Mystery of Roanoke, 1587-90
In 1587, England sent another voyage to Roanoke Island, Virginia
Historians are unsure about exactly what happened to the colonists
The storyboard below explains, to the best of historians' knowledge, the events in Roanoke in 1587-90:
IMAGE
A storyboard explaining the issues around the second colonisation attempt of Roanoke Island, 1587-90
Exam Tip
The lost colony of Roanoke shows the dangers of colonisation in the 16th century. An exam question may ask you to explain why the settlement of Roanoke Island failed by 1590. First, the colonists did not treat the indigenous people with respect. By attacking the Croatans, the colonists angered a tribe that had been friendly to them. This increased the chance of the colony failing. Second, White took women and children on the voyage. While this would mean the colony could grow the colony's population, it also reduced their ability to protect the settlement. If local tribes attacked, there would be fewer trained soldiers able to fight back. Third, White left the island unsupervised for three years. When White reached England, the Spanish Armada delayed his journey back to Roanoke. As a result, the colony had no leadership, which caused its disappearance.
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