British The Empire (1603 --) The Stuart dynasty, Kings of Scotland and England from 1603, always considered themselves Kings of Great Britain. It is thus reasonable to talk of the British Empire from 1603, and it is usual to think of this as the trans-oceanic dependencies of an Insular state. However, it is worth remembering that for almost the whole time from 1689 to 1820 the monarchs of Britain also ruled considerable continental territories, just as in the period from 1016 to 1453. The trans-oceanic British Empire, begun in the first Elizabethan age (1558-1603), ceased to exist in the second Elizabethan age (1953-??).On the death of the childless Elizabeth in 1603 the kingdoms of England and Ireland fell into the lap of her nephew James Stuart, king of Scotland. In this way the British Isles came under one monarch for the first time. Although James considered himself king of Great Britain (and Ireland), the parliaments of England and Scotland considered otherwise and maintained the distinction between the two countries. Shortly afterwards the first really successful English colony in North America, was established. The town was named after James, and the colony after his predecessor, the Virgin Queen. The rule of lord protector Oliver Cromwell between the execution of James' son Charles (1649) and the restoration of Charles' son Charles II (1660) did little to interrupt the growth of the Empire. The American colonies continued to grow at the expense of the native Americans, and, increasingly, at the expenses of other European powers (Jamaica taken from the Spanish in 1655, New York from the Dutch in 1664). Meanwhile the Catholic Irish were treated little better than the native Americans, with almost all of the land reserved for protestant landlords from Britain. In 1688 Charles' brother James II, the last Stuart king to reign in Britain, was overthrown because of his Catholicism and the birth of an heir to a Catholic wife. In a prime example of the "Whig interpretation of history", this has become known as the "glorious revolution". James' daughter by a previous marriage, Mary, and her solidly Protestant husband, Prince William of Orange (the Netherlands), were invited to become joint monarchs. An invading Dutch army convinced James and his Tory supporters that their cause was lost. By this nearly bloodless coup the position of the parliament of England, as the source of the legitimacy of the monarch, was established. Henceforth the monarchs of Britain reigned, but did not rule. Mary died in 1694 and William III in 1702, thus ending the personal union between Britain and the Netherlands. The Stuart dream of a United Kingdom of Great Britain was finally realized under the last of that dynasty, Mary's sister Anne. Under financial strain and intense political pressure from England, the Scottish parliament voted itself out of existence in 1707. The union thus created has no effect on the above maps, which show all lands under the one monarch. Oddly enough, the Stannaries parliament, elected by Cornishmen, continued to sit until 1752, and was never actually abolished. When Anne died in 1714, the parliament of Great Britain found a new Protestant king in George of Hanover, creating a new personal union with that north German principality. Meanwhile the American colonies on the Atlantic coast continued to expand, and Hudson Bay was settled by fur traders of the Hudson Bay company. Trading posts in India were established by the East India company. The great leap forward in Britain's colonial enterprise occurred during the Seven-years war (1756-63) against France and its allies. This conflict, initially between Britain and Prussia on one side, and France, Austria, Sweden and Russia on the other, has been called, justly, World War Zero. The superiority of the British navy led to French defeat in Canada and India, and the occupation of Spanish Havana and Manila. Britain gained all of North America east of the Mississippi, but reserved the unsettled regions for the natives. This restriction was one reason for resentment by the British settlers on the Atlantic coast. In India, the East India backed company, by British troops, annexed Bengal, one of the most populous provinces of the tottering Mogul Empire. Britain's control of eastern North America lasted less than 20 years. An administration insensitive to the rights and desires of the American colonists led to the revolution of 1776. By 1781, a French fleet and a Franco-American army was able to force the surrender of the main British force in North America, and the independence of the United States was recognized in 1783. Only Canada and Newfoundland remained British. The former acquired a majority English-speaking population from the influx of loyalists from the United States, and gradually pushed its territories westward. Partly to compensate for the loss of America, a penal colony was founded in Australia in 1788. By the end of the Napoleonic wars (1797-1815) Britain had gained South Africa and Ceylon from the Dutch, and Hanover had extended its territory in Germany. In India, the East India Company steadily enlarged its territories and sphere of influence. 13,000 British troops failed, however, in an invasion of the Spanish territories in Argentina and Uruguay. Meanwhile, in 1801 Ireland had been invited to join Great Britain to form a United Kingdom encompassing the whole of the British Isles (except for the Isle of Man which was, and still is, administered separately). Hanover separated from Britain in 1820, but the royal family maintained its close ties with Germany. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg (which remains the ruling house of Britain although they renamed themselves Windsor in World War One). The British Empire expanded enormously during her reign (1837-1901), as a consequence of the industrial revolution which put Britain first in the world economically. Following the 1857 Indian Indian Mutiny, Britain took direct control of the whole sub-continent. The last Mogul Emperor was dethroned, and Victoria became Empress of India. Singapore was colonized in 1819, and Hong Kong in 1842. British expansion in South and East Asia was mostly over by 1886, by which time the focus of attention had moved to Africa. By 1912 the European carve-up of Africa was complete, and about a third of the continent's area and about half its population ended up under British rule. Egypt remained nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, but was under Briti sh control from 1882. Meanwhile Canada was extended to the Pacific coast in 1871, and all of Australia and New Zealand annexed by 1842 (although it would be generations before the interior of Australia was fully explored, let alone settled). Overseas trade and colonies: movement toward globalization- local, regional, and intra- European trade predominated. At the end of 17 th century English imports = 360000 tons, only 5000 for East Indies. 1/10 th of English and Dutch exports shipped overseas. More importantly the were bring back products bought by the wealth, suck as pepper and spices from the indies, west Indian and brazilian sugar, and asian coffee. Wheat, timber, and navel stories from the Baltic, wines from france, wool and fruit from spain, silk from italy. In 1716, transoceanic trade consisted of 50% of trade. Trade patterns int erlocked Europe, Africa, asia, the east, and the Americas. The Conquered: Native America civilization was virtually destroyed because their unique qualities and degree of sophistication not much appr eciated by Europeans. Losses from European disease, replaced by European institutions, religion, language, and culture. In Africa, European involvement in the slave trade led to devastating effects. In Central and South America, a new civilization arose we call Latin America. A multiracial society; Spanish and Portuguese settlers who arrived in the western hemisphere were few in numbers compared to native Indians. Many males used native women as sex toys or marriage. Spanish rule author ized interracial marriage. Catholic Missionaries: Were very active in spreading Christianity. New world, Spanish, and Portuguese were determined to Christianize the natives. The captured natives and taught them to convert, how to trade and encouraged the growth of crops.