ASPECTS OF BRITISH HISTORY
imperialistic ambitions under Elizabeth. He had spent a lot of money on warships and
guns, making English guns the best in Europe.
The New Trading Nation
Elizabeth I (1558–1603) was the first of three long-reigning queens in British
history (the other two are Queen Victoria, 1837–1901, and Queen Elizabeth II,
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succeeded in 1952). Her reign is considered by many as the Golden Age of English
history, whose symbols were Francis Drake and William Shakespeare5.
The discovery of America placed England at the centre of the world’s trading
routes, and brilliant naval commanders (especially Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter
Raleigh6) enabled England to dominate these trade routes.
Elizabeth and her advisers considered trade the most important foreign policy
matter, as Henry VII had done. For them England’s greatest trade rival was also its
greatest enemy. This idea remained the basis of England’s foreign policy until the
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