sourced story
1576-1587Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

English Explorers Search for a Northwest Passage

Locked out of the routes Spain and Portugal already controlled, England looks for a way to Asia through the Arctic instead

On the timeline · around 1576-1587 · A Connected WorldA Connected WorldEnglish Explorers Search for a Northwest Passage155515601565157015751580158515901595

Quick facts

First English attempt
Martin Frobisher, 1576
Later explorer
John Davis, 1587
Passage actually found
1906, by Roald Amundsen
Motive
Bypass Spanish and Portuguese-controlled southern routes

What happened

With Spain and Portugal controlling the southern sea routes to Asia, English merchants and navigators looked for a passage through or around North America's north coast instead. Martin Frobisher was the first Englishman to search for a Northwest Passage, setting out in 1576; five of his men were captured during the voyage and never seen again. John Davis charted the strait between Baffin Island and Greenland that bears his name in 1587, continuing the search. None of these expeditions found a workable passage; that would not happen until Roald Amundsen's expedition succeeded in 1906.

Why it matters

The search for a Northwest Passage pulled England into direct exploration of North America's Arctic coastline decades before England attempted serious colonization further south, and it reflected how thoroughly the Treaty of Tordesillas and Iberian naval power had closed off the routes Spain and Portugal already used.

How we know

The Royal Museums Greenwich's account of the search for the Northwest Passage names Frobisher's 1576 voyage and the loss of five crewmen as the opening English attempt, part of a search that continued for centuries after.

Sources

See something wrong? . Corrections with a source get fixed fastest.

Part of a timelineThe Age of Exploration27 events · How Portuguese and Spanish voyages connected the world's oceans between 1415 and 1600, and what that connection cost the people already living thereView all →
English Explorers Search for a Northwest Passage · The Age of Exploration · SourcedStory