Empire Knowledge Organiser Key terms Timeline Empire A

Empire – Knowledge Organiser Key terms Timeline Empire A group of countries, people or land ruled by one single country referred to as the “mother” country. Colony A country that is part of an empire. 14. Jewel in the crown The largest and richest part of Britain’s Empire 15 Commonwealth A group of countries that were once part of Britain’s Empire 16 Imperialism The act of building an empire. 1775 -83: Britain was defeated in the American War of Independence and lost its 13 American colonies. Remembered in America on 4 th July. 17 Nationalism Wanting your country to be the best or to be free from someone's empire 18 Britannia A female figure used to symbolise the British Empire 6 1845: The Irish Potato Famine began. 19 East India Company Trading company that gradually took control of India 7 1876: Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India. 20 Famine A shortage of food. 21 The Raj The period of British rule in India after 1857. From the Hindi word for reign. 22 Mahatma Gandhi A leader of the Indian independence movement. 1 1586 Sir Walter Raleigh organised a small settlement in America named Virginia in honour of Elizabeth I. 2 1620: The Mayflower ship set sail for America taking the first English colonisers called the Pilgrim Fathers. 3 1756 -63: The Seven Years War resulted in England winning Canada from the French. 4 1770: Captain Cook claimed Australia for Britain. It became a penal colony. 5 Key places 8 9 Australia Used as a location for criminals. Criminals would be shipped to Australia, where they would be used as a workforce Caribbean Sugar, cocoa and coffee were all grown and taken to Britain. Africa Britain used the people as slaves and made a lot of money selling them at auctions. The Gold Coast was important because it held lots of gold, ivory and silver, which were traded fortunes. India Provided spices, jewels and silks that were traded for money across the Empire. The Kohinoor jewel – one of the biggest diamonds ever found- belonged to an Indian prince and is now amongst the crown jewels. 10 11 Timeline Key places Key terms India Africa Australia America 12 13

Empire – Knowledge Organiser British Empire in Australia British Empire in India 38 Captain Cook The British explorer and captain who landed in Australia and claimed it for Britain. He mapped large parts of Australia, making British colonisation far easier. 39 Aborigine The local, indigenous people of Australia. They were viewed as inferior by the British colonisers, who often killed them if they came into contact. The term given to the exchanging of goods. British traders exchanged many goods with local Indians, and took things like spices back to Europe to sell for a fortune. 40 Penal Colony A colony established for prisoners. Australia was Britain’s largest penal colony, and between 1788 -1868, about 162, 000 convicts were sent to Australia for punishment. Robert Clive helped establish the power and authority of the East India Company. He helped rule India via a series of puppet governments. 41 Overcrowding During the 19 th century, many people felt that Britain was becoming overcrowded. Therefore, they decided to send their ‘’surplus population’ of criminals to Australia. It was hoped this would also make Britain a more crime-free place. 27 Infrastructure The term given to the organisation of a place. Britain improved the infrastructure of India by building railways, roads, schools and hospitals. 42 Sydney was the name given to the capital of Australia, named after the British Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. 28 Railways Britain built railways right the way across India in order to make the movement of goods easier. This, in turn, helped Indians travel across their country. 43 Pacific interests Britain wanted control and domination of the areas of the world around the pacific, and so prioritised colonising Australia as it gave them control over the region. 23 East India Company The group of British traders who set up a form of government in India. They were initially formed as a trading organisation, but swiftly helped grow the British Empire in India. 24 Raj The term given to the period of British rule in India from 1858 -1947. during this time, the English monarch was the head of India. 25 Trade 26 British Empire in Africa 29 Nigeria An African country with rich oil reserves that became a British colony in the late 19 th Century. 30 South Africa An African country with diamond and gold deposits that became a British colony in the mid 19 th century. The gold field known as the Witwatersrand was the largest ever discovered. 31 Cecil Rhodes A British imperialist who helped set up the British colonies in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He also founded the De Beers mining company, which became incredibly wealthy from mining Gold and Diamonds in South Africa. 32 Gold Natural resource that led to British colonisation of southern Africa. 33 Natural resources Materials or substances that occur naturally and can be sold for economic gain. 34 David Livingstone A British explorer who travelled into central Africa and wrote about it’s beauty. 35 Diamonds Natural resource found in mines near Kimberly in South Africa that were mined by Britain. 36 Germany A European power with interests in developing it’s own Empire. It became a threat to Britain, particularly in Eastern Africa. 37 Imperial competition The competition between European powers over who could build the largest Empire and dominate the largest areas of land. British Empire in America 44 Exploration British explorers were keen to travel to North America after it had been ‘discovered’ by Christopher Columbus. The sense of adventure attracted many to take the journey across the Atlantic. 45 Jamestown The first colony established in north America by the British settlers. The colony barely survived after a particularly harsh winter wiped out many of the population, and the local Indian population attacked supply routes. 46 Settlement Many British settlements were established across America’s eastern coast, and these soon became heavily populated by migrants from Europe. 47 Land of plenty America was viewed as a ‘land of plenty’ because of it’s rich vegetation, mild climate, and suitable conditions for growing large crops such as tobacco. Because of this, even more people begun to move there. 48 Religious motivation England was a place in which the battle between Catholics and Protestants was still raging on. Many people grew sick and tired of this and wanted to practice their religion freely. America offered the perfect chance to do this. 49 Freedom Many people migrated to America because it offered political and religious freedom, and people could claim land for themselves.