Historians have mapped the trading routes of medieval shipping which helped “sow the seeds of the British maritime empire ... compiled for the interactive map and database.

India, often declared "the jewel in the crown" for the Empire, had won its independence just five years before. In 1952, British troops were fighting independence movements in Egypt and Kenya.

The British Empire once shaded fully a quarter of the world's map pink. The political reach ... The cotton trade, British imperial sea shipping lines, and the need for raw materials to power ...

Save guides, add subjects and pick up where you left off with your BBC account. The British Empire began in the late 1500s under Queen Elizabeth I. By 1913 the empire had grown to rule over 400 ...

Below is a map from 1901 showing the “British Empire” at one of its peak periods. The map doesn't convey the extent of British influence, especially, in Latin America. This is what historians ...

The map below shows the British Empire at its territorial peak in the early 20th century. While proponents say it brought various economic developments to the parts of the world it controlled ...

Historians have mapped the trading routes of medieval shipping which helped "sow the seeds of the British maritime empire ... compiled for the interactive map and database.