Tobacco Is First Introduced to England
Tobacco was first introduced to England by explorer Sir Walter Raleigh on July 27, 1586, at the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I. This marked the beginning of tobacco's rise in popularity, which would later evolve into a major export for the English colonies in North America, especially from the 17th century onwards. Although Christopher Columbus had encountered tobacco among native peoples during his 1492 voyage and brought it back to Europe, it was the English who became prominent in its cultivation and trade. The establishment of the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1607 played a crucial role in the tobacco industry, thriving particularly after 1610 when settlers began to grow tobacco crops. The favorable climate and soil in Southern Virginia contributed to its success, leading to the expansion of tobacco cultivation into neighboring regions. Smoking tobacco gained popularity across Europe, partly due to the pleasurable experience it provided and the (then believed) health benefits it offered. Tobacco's commercialization not only ensured the survival of the English colonies but also fostered economic growth, becoming integral to Britain's overseas commerce in the 18th century. Additionally, the demand for labor on tobacco plantations significantly contributed to the development of the British slave trade, as planters imported enslaved Africans to work the fields.
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Tobacco Is First Introduced to England
Tobacco Is First Introduced to England
The English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh introduced tobacco to England on July 27, 1586, when he presented some at the English royal court of Queen Elizabeth I. Tobacco became immensely popular and eventually developed into a major export for the English colonies established on the mid-Atlantic seaboard of North America beginning in the 17th century; without it they may very well have failed.
Raleigh was not the first European to discover tobacco in the New World. Christopher Columbus found it being used by the native peoples during his first voyage in 1492. He brought some back to Spain, from whence its use and popularity spread to other parts of Europe. However, it was the English who eventually became leaders in its cultivation and export.
The struggling colony of Jamestown in Virginia, founded in 1607, took on a new life after 1610 when more settlers arrived and the first tobacco crops were grown. Southern Virginia had just the right soil and climate for growing tobacco, and so it became a major export. Cultivation also spread into neighboring North Carolina and other regions across what is now the American South. Smoking became a popular habit across Europe and spread into other parts of the world, for various reasons, including the enjoyable flavor of tobacco and the addictive substance known as nicotine which is present in it. At the time, people also believed that tobacco smoke improved a person's health, and it was commonly used as a treatment for ailments ranging from asthma to the bubonic plague.
Thanks to the tobacco crop, England's colonies on the mid-Atlantic not only survived but prospered. Virginia was by far the largest and wealthiest of them all, and the tobacco trade became an important part of Great Britain's overseas commercial interests during the 18th century. The tobacco industry also encouraged the lucrative British slave trade, since tobacco farmers began to import African slaves as a cheap source of labor for their plantations.