1. We only recently learned that the Vikings colonized North America, and are told the rest of the world never knew of it till 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Except, the Vatican had an official Bishop of Vinland in 1121AD. What? Apparently he eventually left the Church to go live amongst the natives!
2. If you believe mainstream chronology (more on this later) then you know that Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the world in the 2nd Century BC. If he was that good at math, it's pretty obvious to look at their modern map and realise that the Mediterranean is a small sliver of the Earth's surface!
3. Surely, a seafaring culture might be tempted to explore? The Phoenicians ruled the seven seas for a thousand years, the traded trinkets to humans, royal purple eye to bronze alloy. But, where did they get the tin they needed to make bronze with?
4. Several "ancient" tin mines were discovered near Lake Michigan.
5. Very few cultures sailed beyond the Pillars of Hercules. Iberia is Ancient Spain, was conquered by the Carthaginians (who were the Phoenicians). On the south west region, a mysterious place called Tartesso existed, a trading culture way richer than it should be. Could this have been the Phoenicians launching port to the America's?
6. The Muslims conquered Spain early in their history, and held on to it for hundreds of years. After the crusades finally weakened their empire, the Vatican finally endorsed a Christian invasion which occurred in many phases. Spain was finally fully "liberated" when they finally conquered the south. Guess the year! 1492. What did they find there?
7. Christopher Columbus was in Spain for years trying to get funding for an expedition to India. His brother Bartholomew was in England trying the same. Suddenly, Spain agrees to fund him. Did the Spanish Catholic monarchs recently learn (from the newly conquered South) that there was vast and bountiful lands out there, and thus let Columbus go find the other side of "India" all the sudden, even though they turned him down for years prior?
8. John Cabot was some failed merchant from Venice with limited experience in navigation. Yet King Henry VII (7) gave him letters patent to claim lands to the West for England. Cabot plopped an English AND Venician flag in North America in 1497. By the way, say Venician again. Now say Phoenician. Did Henry choose Cabot because he was relatively obscure and he wanted to explore without much noise?
9. The "official" rule was if you claim a new land, it extends to the entire connected land mass. At this point, Columbus only actually discovered the Carribean. SCANDAL! Did England just Trump Spain? Does England jointly own the America's with Venice?
10. Not on my watch! Says Spain with its unrivaled navy, backed and endorsed by the Holy See. The Pope splits up the new world between Spain and Portugal, England is not impressed. Henry the VII tried to stop the political marriage of Catherine to his son who would become Henry VIII (8). Yes, that one. History books tell us she couldn't produce a male heir which led to Anne Boleyn and the Church of England breaking from the Vatican. How romantic. What bullshit. Perhaps he had his male babies killed so that Spain wouldn't have an heir on the throne? The Schism with the Pope was because he wasn't being allowed to explore the new world.
11. It's around here, in 1534 that the Jesuits form as a Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation.
12. Queen Mary was Catherine's child, thus tried to restore Catholic rule and relations with Spain. Of course, English loyalists who knew what was at stake had to get Elizabeth, Anne Boleyns child, on the throne. The Spanish tried to assassinate her many times throughout her life to no avail. In 1558 Elizabeth finally wrestled the Church from the papacy forever.
13. In 1559 she revived and expanded the navy. Before this she endorsed "Pirates" like Sir Francis Drake to rob Spanish ships full of new world gold, and also explore (he made it all the way to California). At last England could freely explore without needing the Pope to approve, but Spain still ruled the seas and had developed a huge stake in South America.
14. By the way, look up exploration missions of this era. Notice how England stops exploring for a HUNDRED YEARS?! Now you know why.
15. England had a claim to North America, but to secure it they needed to earn it. They had to defeat the Spanish at sea. The circumstances of how she sunk the Spanish Armada is curious. The seasoned and skilled Spanish commander randomly died and is succeeded by some amature. Bad weather fucks them over. Elizabeth DECIMATES the fleet and barely looses a ship. I suspect some epic revenge spying and sabatoge happened. Now England ruled the ocean, and soon after the East India Trading Company is born. Go look up their flag.