thedead

you back yet?

This got me an A!
The Granting of an Exploration charter to Sir Humfrey Gylberte benefits whom?

Sir Gilbert received from Queen Elizabeth I the a charter granting full "Authortie and power to the saide Sir Humfrey, his heires and assignes, and every of them, that hee and they, and every of any of them, shall and may at all and every time and times hereafter, have, take and lead in the same voyages, to travel thitherward, and to inhabite there with him, and every or any of there, such and so many of our subjects as shall willingly accompany him and them, and every or any of them with sufficient shipping and furniture for their transportations, so that none of the same persons, nor any of them be such as hereafter shall be specially retrained by us, our heires and successors..."

What all of that mess means is that Sir Gilbert, his heirs, and his "people" may take a voyage and take any of the subjects with him who wish to go.

The document goes on, in such language, to state that any such land found is to be posessed and answerable to the queen, that there was to be an establishment of laws and Christian conduct that was compatible with the laws of England, and that those who go to inhabit the land, and their successors, shall receive all of the benefits of being considered an English citizen under the law. Sir Humfrey was also granted the power to "correct, punish, pardon, governe, and rule by their, or every or any of their good discretions and policies, as well in causes capitall or cimininall, as civill, both marine and other, all such our subject and others, as shall from time to time hereafter adventure themselves in the sayd journeys or voyages habitative or possessive, or that shall at any time hereafter inhabite any such lands, countreys or territiories as aforesayd or that shall abide within two hundred leagues of any sayd place or places, where the sayd sir Humfrey or his heires, [and other "people"]... shall inhabite within sixe yeers next ensuing the date hereof..."

What one must remember when examining legal documents granting power from the high authority to the lesser one is that there is always, always a catch. Sir Humfrey Gylberte was granted the authority to travel, take whomever he wanted, explore unclaimed lands to his heart's content, rule in whatever ways he so chose as long as it was compatible with English law, answerable to the Crown and Christian. The land and it's bounty and everything he found was to be the Crown's, and he, Sir Gylberte, was to be it's keeper.

The Queen must not have expected him to succeed, or perhaps she did. Either way, his authority had a six year time limit upon it. In the case that he did not succeed there was no direct embarrassment to the Crown. In the case that his voyage(s) were successful and he did find lands that weren't inhabited by other European, thus Christian, powers, he was granted a period of time, six years, to subdue the natives and inhabitants, conforming them to the English understanding of Christiandom and law, and establishing within that population that the Crown as the "immediate Soveraignes under God". At the end of six years, which allowed a sufficient foothold to be placed within the land, the English Crown could come and properly stake the land that had been claimed in it's name.

So, this charter is a direct benefit to the Crown of England, Elizabeth I and her successors. She has recruited Sir Humfrey Gylberte to do the initial dirty work of sailing a ship unknown leagues across the ocean, exploration of any lands found there and inhabitation of those lands. In return, he is granted any and all authority needed to rule in such a place. Whatever he finds belongs to the crown and he relinquishes his power at the end of six years.