The foundations of the British Empire were laid when England and Scotland were separate kingdoms. In 1496, King Henry VII of England, following the successes of Spain See more

In 1695, the Parliament of Scotland granted a charter to the Company of Scotland, which established a settlement in 1698 on the See more

The 18th century saw the newly united Great Britain rise to be the world's dominant colonial power, with France becoming its main … See more

Between 1815 and 1914, a period referred to as Britain's "imperial century" by some historians, around 10 million sq mi (26 million km ) of territory and roughly 400 million people were … See more

In 1578, Elizabeth I granted a patent to Humphrey Gilbert for discovery and overseas exploration. That year, Gilbert sailed for the Caribbean with the intention of engaging in piracy and establishing a colony in North America, but the expedition was … See more

Exploration of the Pacific
Since 1718, transportation to the American colonies had been a penalty for various offences in Britain, … See more

By the turn of the 20th century, fears had begun to grow in Britain that it would no longer be able to defend the metropole and the entirety of the empire while at the same time maintaining the policy of "splendid isolation". Germany was rapidly rising as a military … See more