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Lesson 3 – Age of Empire
Spanish Empire
Most famously known for the voyage of Christopher Columbus, who “discovered” America in 1492, Spain was
one of the first European nations to build its empire in the New World. Impressively, Spain explored, conquered
and colonised much of Central and South America. Most notably, they were able to conquer two ancient
societies: the Incas and Aztecs, who already lived in the area for hundreds of years.
Initially, Spanish explorers were trying to find a trade route to Asia,
because they were interested in buying silks and spices from this
area. However, they landed in the New World, and benefitted
greatly in other ways. There were many opportunities for Spain to
build its empire in the Americas, and the government really wanted
to do this. They set up, or took control of many famous colonies,
including Havana, Santo Domingo, Portobelo, Argentina, and
Panama.
As a result of empire building in the Americas, Spain earned a lot of money. They gained control of many
valuable resources, including: gold in Mexico; treasures from the Incas in northern South America; sugar in the
Carribean; and silver from Peru. Spain benefitted greatly from this, as most of the money was sent back to the
rulers in Spain. Unfortunately for the colonies in the New World, these resources did not help development.
French Empire
Lesson 3 – Age of Empire
The French were jealous of Spain and Portugal, who had established trade routes with Asia. King Francis I of
France sent explorer Jacques Cartier to look for the Northwest Passage around the continent of America. He
thought he found this when he navigated into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River. Here, he and his
men eventually travelled into what is now eastern Canada, and the north-eastern United States.
In this area, which would later be the colony of New France, permanent settlements
were built and trading posts were set up. Furs and timber were the main resources
that the French were able to buy and trade, which were very valuable back in
Europe. The French traded and interacted with the native aboriginal peoples that
already lived in these areas. In some cases, these were co-operative relationships,
but in others they resulted in war. Notably, the French introduced new diseases
into the region – sometimes on purpose. On the other hand, many French men had
children with native women, which led to the beginning of Métis people: half nativehalf French.
Elsewhere, France had a major colonial impact on Africa. At first, the French sent pirates to the Atlantic Ocean
off the coast of Africa to try and steal goods and resources from Spanish and Portuguese ships. Later, they sent
up colonies in Western Africa to join in valuable trading. In these areas, the French were interested in trading
gold, ivory and slaves. The French would sell European goods in exchange for slaves, which they would send to
the New World to work and grow crops. French colonies in Africa were responsible to increasing France’s
wealth and power on a global stage.
British Empire
Along with establishing colonies in the New World, Britain also built her empire in Africa, Asia and the South
Pacific. At its peak, it was the largest formal empire in the world’s history. Due to a strong navy and ship-
Lesson 3 – Age of Empire
building industry, the small islands were able to send out many great voyages of exploration. They had a variety
of motives for colonisation, depending on the location they were exploring.
In the New World, they established and conquered settlements to control resources like fish, cotton, sugar,
timber and fur. In Africa, they established ports to trade goods for slaves to be used in the New World. Later on,
they developed colonies in central Africa like Egypt and Sudan to control oil and other valuable natural
resources. They largely influenced development in South Africa, and controlled that area for years under the
British Empire.
John Cabot and James Cook were two famous English
explorers from Britain, even though their missions did not go
as planned. Cabot was searching for a route to Asia so that
Britain could benefit in the silk and spice trade there.
However, he found Newfoundland, and Britain laid a claim to
what is now Canada. This resulted in conflict with France for
years to come. Cook, on the other hand, was sent on a
voyage to observe the planet Venus from the Southern
Hemisphere. On his way back, he stumbled across the eastern shore of Australia, which eventually led to British
colonisation there.
Dutch Empire
Initially, the Dutch explorers were interested
in securing trade routes in the Middle East. In
Lesson 3 – Age of Empire
1602, Holland set up the Dutch East India Company. This meant that the Dutch could build forts and establish
colonies in the area around India and the surrounding islands. To get there, they had to sail very far and
navigate around the south coast of Africa.
To make it easier to ship the spices and other goods from the Middle East, they found it was possible to
sail directly north-east from the cape of Africa to India. With this in mind, Holland set up a strong port colony on
the southern tip of Africa. This served as a midpoint for the spice trade for the Dutch East India Company.
In the New World, the Dutch influence was felt in several areas. Present day New York City was originally
a Dutch city called New Amsterdam. The surrounding area was called New Netherland. New Amsterdam was a
very successful shipping port which allowed the Dutch to trade resources from the New World. As well, the
Dutch also raided other nations’ ships to steal their goods. The problem with New Netherland was that it was
surrounded by British colonies, making it difficult to expand. In fact, the area was surrendered to the British in
1664 and renamed New York.
Russian Empire
Russia is now the world’s largest nation in
terms of territory. Much of this was gained
during the growth of the Russian empire. Rather
than through exploration, Russia’s empire was
built through conflict and force.
In 1700, Tsar Peter of Russia wanted to
gain territory in the Baltic States. In conflict with
Lesson 3 – Age of Empire
Sweden, Russia gained control of Estonia, Livonia and Ingria. (Only Estonia still exists as a country today.) After
this, Peter was named the first emperor of Russia. In the next 100 years, Russia continued to fight for territory
with Sweden. By 1809, Russia had grown to include part of Poland and Finland.
As a result of their forceful growth, they gained enemies as well. Britain and France in particular did not
support Russian expansion further into Europe. They saw Russia as a threat to their own empires and power in
the world. France tried to invade Russia but failed. However, in the Crimean War, Britain and France defeated
Russia and forced them to give back some territory. The Russian empire was put to an end by the Russian
Revolution in 1917 when Tsar Nicholas was replaced by a new government system with less focus on
imperialism.
German Empire
Germany built up an empire as a result of trying to put itself back
together in the 19th century. When Kaiser Wilhelm I became the
first emperor, Germany was a large area with a lot of different
parts. The first job for Wilhelm was to unite these German states.
From there, the Kaiser and prime minister Otto von Bismarck
looked to expand Germany’s reach in Europe and elsewhere.
Wilhelm I and his successors used a very strong military to defeat
their rivals and gain territory for the German empire in Europe.
They fought wars with Austria, Denmark and France to name a few. As a result, Germany was seen as a threat
to the British and French empires, and was a leading cause of World War I.
Lesson 3 – Age of Empire
Near the end of the 19th century, Germany also colonised several areas in Africa. These included present-day
Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo. The push
for colonisation in Africa was due to a belief among Germans that owning colonies was a true sign of a strong
nation. Along with other European nations, Germany sent governors to Africa to scramble to establish colonies
in the areas. Germany benefitted by developing industries in this area and mining valuable resources like
minerals and precious metals.
After World War I, the German Empire ceased to exist. In the peace agreement, Germany was forced to remove
its presence from their colonies in Europe and Africa. This was a punishment as Britain and France blamed
Germany for starting the war.