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'The first British Empire'
In 1578, Queen Elizabeth I granted a patent to Humphrey Gilbert for discovery and overseas exploration.[17] That year, Gilbert sailed for the West Indies with the intention of engaging in piracy and establishing a colony in North America, but the expedition was aborted before it had crossed the Atlantic.[18][19] In 1583 he embarked on a second attempt, on this occasion to the island of Newfoundland whose harbour he formally claimed for England, although no settlers were left behind. Gilbert did -
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'First British Empire'
In 1578, Queen Elizabeth I granted a patent to Humphrey Gilbert for discovery and overseas exploration.That year, Gilbert sailed for the West Indies with the intention of engaging in piracy and establishing a colony in North America, but the expedition was aborted before it had crossed the Atlantic. In 1583 he embarked on a second attempt, on this occasion to the island of Newfoundland whose harbour he formally claimed for England, although no settlers were left behind. -
First British colony : Jamestown in Virginia, America
One year before Jamestown was founded the King of England granted a charter to the Virginia Company of London. This charter gave the company the right to settle, explore and govern limited parts of the New World. And so it began when, on December 20, 1606, a group of some 100 men, including Captain John Smith and commanded by Captain Christopher Newport, sailed away from a port near London, beginning an adventure to the New World. -
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Rise of the "Second British Empire"
During its first century of operation, the English East India Company focused on trade with the Indian subcontinent, as it was not in a position to challenge the powerful Mughal Empire, which had granted it trading rights in 1617. This changed in the 18th century.British India eventually grew into the Empire's most valuable possession, "the Jewel in the Crown"; covering a territory greater than that of the Roman Empire, it was the most important source of Britain's strength. -
Loss of 13 colonies
The British empire looses Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the war of independence. It deprived Britain of some of its oldest and most populous colonies. -
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Britain's Imperial Century
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Defeat of France
In 1815 Wellington’s army beat Napoleon’s army in the Battle of Waterloo and ended over twenty years of war. Following the defeat of Napoleonic France in 1815, Britain enjoyed a century of almost unchallenged dominance, and expanded its imperial holdings across the globe. -
Canada becomes first self-governing 'dominion'
Canada became the first colony to be transformed into a self-governing 'Dominion'; a status which came to imply equality with United Kingdom. In turn, other parts of the empire followed suit: Australia became a Dominion in 1900, New Zealand in 1907, South Africa in 1910 and the Irish Free State in 1921.At the Imperial Conference of 1926, prime ministers adopted the Balfour Report which defined the Dominions as:... autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subo -
High water mark of the British empire
The rise of the British Empire The Empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after the war. The British empire now exercises authority over one fifth of the world's entire population. At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. -
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Decolonisation and Decline
Though Britain and the Empire emerged victorious from the Second World War Britain was left virtually bankrupt.At the same time, anti-colonial movements were on the rise in the colonies of European nations.The "wind of change" ultimately meant that the British Empire's days were numbered. Britain adopted a policy of peaceful disengagement from its colonies. Between 1945 and 1965, the number of people under British rule outside the UK itself fell from 700 million to five million. -
India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain
India, the "Jewel in the Crown" , became independent in 1947 and with it the imperial endeavour came to an end. -
Handover of last major British territory
After the end of the Second World War, as part of a larger decolonisation movement by European powers, most of the territories of the British Empire were granted independence, ending with the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. Most former British colonies are members of the Commonwealth, a non-political, voluntary association of equal members. 15 members of the Commonwealth continue to share their head of state with the UK, the Commonwealth realms. -
British Overseas Territories
Britain retains sovereignty over 14 territories outside the British Isles, which are renamed the [British Overseas Territories](a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QySH24UQ6Mo&feature=related).
