17. Yüzyılda İngiliz Tüccarlar ve İpekyolu: Keşifler Dönemi'nde İngiliz Tüccarların İpek Yolu'na Ulaşma Teşebbüsleri

Abstract

British merchants provided silk from Venetian merchants during the 16thcentury. The profit of this exchange was low and unsatisfactory. English merchants and adventurers, thus, with the support of the English Monarchy attempted to find out new and alternative routes to Persian silk. At the beginning, not to face the Ottomans British Merchants and adventurers tried to access Persia through Russia. They first established a Venice Company. Then, they established Levant Company at the end of the 16th century. Routes to Caspian Sea through Russia was almost vacant and not practical but British merchants insisted using alternative directions during this period. In 1581 Newberry, a British merchant and adventurer, sailing over the Euphrates River accessed to Baghdad and Persian Gulf through Felucca for the first time. He was the first British merchant who used this route Great Caravan Road which was already known and frequently followed by the merchants from Portugal to access India. Silk is the main reason to access Persia for British merchants because it was the main commodity and raw material of British and European industry after the end of the 16th century. There was a great profit in silk industry and trade in European mainland. The British could work out Persian silk and market it to European countries, thus, earn great profit out of this exchange. The profit was even better once British Merchants use English wool instead of cash. Therefore, British merchant has never given up their desire and attempts to access Persian silk and Silk Road. This paper aims to investigate British desire to access Silk Road using alternative directions and routes