Agriculture and Trade in 16th Century England

Crop Specialization and Efficiency

• Between 1450 and 1650, grain yields per acre increased significantly.
• Landowners expanded cultivated land, including marshes and woodlands.
• The eldest son inherited most of the land (primogeniture), while younger sons pursued other careers.
• Farmers (yeomen) became more market-oriented, and landlords adjusted land tenure.
• Enclosure movement: land owners bought common lands, leading to a decline in common pasture areas.

Expanding Trade Routes

• In the 1570s-80s, Sir Francis Drake explored potential trade routes to Asia via Cape Horn.
• London replaced Antwerp as a major trade center.
• The English established the East India Company in the 1600s.
• The 1600s saw the first permanent English colony, Jamestown (Virginia).

New World Colonies

• Cash crops, particularly tobacco, became economically important in Virginia.
• Colonists sought religious freedom and political participation (represented in assemblies).
• Colonies were more decentralized compared to Spanish empires.
• Trade increased between the colonies and England (often taking 100 days for a round trip).
• English reliance on African slave labor.

Spanish Economic Decline

• Population decline occurred in Spain by the 1600s (due to harvest failures, plagues, wars, emigration).
• There was a price revolution (inflation); this was partly due to the influx of gold and silver from the New World.
• The Spanish monarchy declared bankruptcy; suspended loan payments.
• Difficulty competing with English/Dutch in trade.