The Muscovy Company and English Expeditions to North America in the Last Quarter of the 16th Century

Abstract

The introduction of the article includes the justification of the necessity to determine the role of the English Muscovy Company in the study of the geography of North America in the last quarter of the 16th century. The monopoly of the Muscovy Company and the significance of this commercial firm in the discovery of the northeast coast and Arctic waters of North America have not yet been studied. Documents (charters, reports, letters, petitions, and treatises) directly related to the organization of English voyages to the American Arctic waters, as well as diplomatic documents, are used as materials. Analysis. The reasons and circumstances of the Muscovy Company’s monopoly on the search for the North-West Passage in North America are studied. The company’s contribution to the organization of the expeditions of Martin Frobisher in 1576 and John Davis in 1585– 1587 is determined. The attempts of the Cathay Company and Humphrey Gilbert at the turn of the 1570s–1580s to deprive “Muscovite” merchants of this privilege are analyzed. It is proven that even at the beginning of the 17th century, the Moscow Company retained a monopoly on the exploration of the Arctic seas. Results. With its monopoly on the search for the North-West Passage and its organizational and financial support, the Muscovy Company made an important contribution to the exploration of the north-eastern coast of North America in the last quarter of the 16th century. English navigators had the opportunity to explore Arctic waters, step by step shaping the modern geographical shape of North America on maps.