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In fact, the colonization of Ireland was an act of last resort for England.

After all, rabbits do not eat the grass next to the nest, not only the Chinese understand, but the English actually understand.

Long before the large-scale colonization of Ireland, the English set their sights on areas outside of Europe.

In the early Tudor period, during the reign of Henry VII, it was the first recorded expedition of England abroad.

The expedition was an overseas expedition in search of gold and silver mines in July 1480.

At that time, British navigators set out from the port of Bristol to the west of Ireland in search of the legendary "Brasil Island", which is said to be rich in mahogany, a very valuable dye for the woolen industry.

Unsurprisingly, the English did not return in vain, but the port of Bristol became an important base for English navigators and expeditions.

In the eighties and nineties of the fifteenth century, the English continued to carry out expeditions, but they all ended in failure, which greatly dampened the desire of the English to explore.

At the same time, Spain and Portugal have reaped a lot of benefits.

The Portuguese bypassed the Cape of Good Hope and opened a new route to India, and entered the east, reaching Japan and the Ming Empire.

The Spaniards crossed the Atlantic, discovered the Americas, and expanded their colonies, sending shiploads of gold and silver from the Americas to Spain, supporting the first empire on which the sun never set.

More critically, in May 1493, under the arbitration of Pope Alexander VI, Spain and Portugal divided the dividing line of the colonies.

The meridian line 100 leagues west of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands was established as the dividing line, and all land west of the line was assigned to Spain and all land to the east was to Portugal.

Intuitively, South America was not allowed to be entered by the Portuguese except for Brazil, while the vast parts of Africa and Asia belonged to Portugal.

As a result, there were very few areas that England could explore, at the time.

In order to reach Asia, to find that Eastern Empire, the English thought that there were only two paths.

One is from the northeast, that is, the road to Russia, passing through the North Pole and thus reaching the east.

The second is to start from the northwest, that is, in the direction of North America, and thus reach the east.

In 1596, the adventurer John Brown from Venice. Cabot met with Henry VII in an attempt to pass the north-western route and thus occupy some undiscovered lands for the king.

Henry VII granted a charter to Cabot and his sons, giving them the privilege of going on overseas expeditions, and asking all the English people to help Cabot and his sons in their expeditions.

So, the Cabot father and son flew the banner of the King of England, and according to the authorization of Henry VII,

"To sail to all the eastern, western, and northern shores of the Pacific (not to the south, lest they conflict with Spanish interests) and explore the university, which is unknown and barbarous, and any island, country, region, or province inhabited by pagans, wherever they are located in the world, conquer, occupy, and occupy any town, castle, city, or island that they find capable of dominating."

It can be said that this is the first clear expression of the principle of "effective occupation" that Britain adhered to in colonial expansion.

Since then, this has been the criterion for colonial expansion.

The fleet led by the Cabot father and son arrived in Newfoundland, where cod and other popular European marine products were produced, and then planted the flag of the English royal family.

After that, it sailed to a corner of the coast of North America.

The second time, in 1498, Cabot discovered Greenland, Baffin Island, St. Lawrence Bay, and Maryland for England, but Cabot disappeared and died nine times out of ten.

etc. John. After Cabot's death, his son Sebastian. Cabot continued to receive the support of the English royal family, and in the early 16th century, he continued to explore North America and discover the Gulf of Adson for England.

The most profitable thing was the discovery of Newfoundland, a large fishing ground that not only created a great deal of wealth for England, but also cultivated crews for European seafaring.

John of the Big Mouth. Although Cabot first told Henry VII about the Newfoundland Fishery, he revealed it to the King of Portugal and Spain, thus making the Newfoundland Fishery impossible for England to monopolize.

Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and England, all of which had crews trained from Newfoundland, were staffed, and there was even a rumor about it.

A fleet without Newfoundland fishermen will never be a first-class fleet.

But on the whole, the expedition to England's Northwest Passage was a failure for the people of the time.

If the northwest fails, then turn to the northeast!

In 1548, London merchants tried to find a way to sail east from the Arctic and find a route to the east.

Just failed.

However, in 1553, Hugh. Sir Willoughby and Richard. Chancellor, financed by a commercial company, led a fleet to the North Pole in search of a shipping route to the East.

Of course, Edward was aware of this and acquiesced.

Of course, he knew that this voyage would definitely not find a route to China, the Arctic was too cold, and with the current conditions, it was impossible to reach the East.

However, Edward still wrote letters in Latin, Greek, and other languages, and sent letters to the monarchs of all countries along the way, saying that they were only here for trade and peace (isn't it ironic), asking for asylum.

In this way, Sir Wibillow was relieved and bold to go to the Arctic region and contribute to England.

The Eastern Route is not the goal, but Russia and Eastern Europe are Edward's goal.

This voyage was sure to pass through Russia and Eastern Europe, thus finding a new trade route for England.

Finding Russia not only opened up a new market for England, but more importantly, it allowed England to become a second-hand dealer and obtain a lot of benefits at a very small cost.

For example, Russian goods such as wax, cattle and sheep, timber, animal skins and furs are in a state of monopoly by England, which brings huge benefits to England.

Moreover, England can also open up the market in Eastern Europe, which is really good business.

A while ago, news came from Russia, Richard . Chandler had already arrived in Russia and commissioned merchants from Eastern Europe to bring a letter to England.

In the letter, he briefly recounted his experience of losing contact with Sir Wibilo in a gale, only to learn that Russian fishermen had found Sir Wilbillow's frozen body.

Moreover, he promised that after arriving in Moscow, he would sign a treaty of commerce with the tyrant Ivan IV and fulfill the king's request.