Section 1: The Development of Imperialism c1857-c1890 Chapter 4: Attitudes to Empire– the Role and Influence of Individuals
Chapter 4: Attitudes to Empire– the Role and Influence of Individuals
What was the Role and Influence of Explores on the Empire?
David Livingstone
• A Scottish explorer who became his travels as a missionary doctor, after 7 years of missionary work he had
little success and instead turned to exploring
• He travelled between 1841-56 and was funded to return in 1858
• He tried to open a path for commerce and Christianity
• He explored in South Africa, the Kalahari Desert, Luanda, Zambezi and tried to discover the source of the Nile
• He discovered Lake Ngami (1849) and Zambezi (later Victoria) Falls (1855)
• He wrote 2000 letters about his exploration of the Zambezi river and conducted a series of celebrated lectures
at Cambridge University, recollecting the geography, minerals, disease, languages, and cultures he had
encountered
• He conducted missionary work and research in South Africa (1857). His book entitled Missionary Travels and
Researches in South Africa became an instant bestseller, selling 28 000 copies in the space of 7 months
• He worked well with native people and treated them with respect
• He was determined to end the slave trade in Central and East Africa
• He lost contact with Europe for about 6 years and Stanley was sent to find him
• Dies in 1873 of malaria and dysentery. Once his death was known he quickly became a national hero
John Kirk
• A Scottish physician
• He had a sense of Christian duty and had a desire for a respectable colonial position – he was committed to
removing slavery in Africa
• He was appointed the chief medical officer and economic botanist for Livingstone’s Zambezi expedition
• He became a medical officer and vice-consul in the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1868) and lived the rest of his life
as a diplomat and eventually ruled the island. He negotiated the handover of control from the sultan to the
Imperial British East African Company
• He collected many aquatic specimens which he wrote about and sent his findings back to Britain
• Zanzibar was of commercial interest to Britain because of its clove and ivory exports. It was wealthy and home
to East Africa’s first steam railway. Kirk ensured that Zanzibar acted as Britain’s client state, ensured that the
slave trade was eradicated there and it gave Britain a toehold in East Africa
Sir Richard Burton
• A linguistic scholar (spoke 29 languages), explorer, soldier, diplomat, and adventurer
• He wrote about birth, marriage, death, fetishism, ritual murder, cannibalism, bizarre sexual practices,
pornography, homosexuality and the sexual education of women. He was involved in various controversies
and scandals
• He explored Islamic cities e.g. Mecca, Somaliland (1855) and Zanzibar (1857-8)
• He explored East Africa with Speke and was the first European to see Lake Tanganyika (Speke was
temporarily blinded at the time). He debated with Speke about the true source of the Nile
• He wrote 43 volumes on his explorations including travel books, 5 on West Africa, 30 volumes of translations
including a 16-volume edition of Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra and works on Muslim life and manners
• He was not known for religious conviction, nor was he a supporter of British imperial policy – his motivation
was mostly his spirit of adventure
John Speke
• Joined Burton on the quest to find the source of the Nile
• Was the first European to find Lake Victoria which he argued was the source of the Nile – Burton disputed
this. The debate sparked public interest in the area but Speke died in a shooting accident in 1864 the day before
he was due to appear in a public debate against Burton
Chapter 4: Attitudes to Empire– the Role and Influence of Individuals
What was the Role and Influence of Explores on the Empire?
David Livingstone
• A Scottish explorer who became his travels as a missionary doctor, after 7 years of missionary work he had
little success and instead turned to exploring
• He travelled between 1841-56 and was funded to return in 1858
• He tried to open a path for commerce and Christianity
• He explored in South Africa, the Kalahari Desert, Luanda, Zambezi and tried to discover the source of the Nile
• He discovered Lake Ngami (1849) and Zambezi (later Victoria) Falls (1855)
• He wrote 2000 letters about his exploration of the Zambezi river and conducted a series of celebrated lectures
at Cambridge University, recollecting the geography, minerals, disease, languages, and cultures he had
encountered
• He conducted missionary work and research in South Africa (1857). His book entitled Missionary Travels and
Researches in South Africa became an instant bestseller, selling 28 000 copies in the space of 7 months
• He worked well with native people and treated them with respect
• He was determined to end the slave trade in Central and East Africa
• He lost contact with Europe for about 6 years and Stanley was sent to find him
• Dies in 1873 of malaria and dysentery. Once his death was known he quickly became a national hero
John Kirk
• A Scottish physician
• He had a sense of Christian duty and had a desire for a respectable colonial position – he was committed to
removing slavery in Africa
• He was appointed the chief medical officer and economic botanist for Livingstone’s Zambezi expedition
• He became a medical officer and vice-consul in the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1868) and lived the rest of his life
as a diplomat and eventually ruled the island. He negotiated the handover of control from the sultan to the
Imperial British East African Company
• He collected many aquatic specimens which he wrote about and sent his findings back to Britain
• Zanzibar was of commercial interest to Britain because of its clove and ivory exports. It was wealthy and home
to East Africa’s first steam railway. Kirk ensured that Zanzibar acted as Britain’s client state, ensured that the
slave trade was eradicated there and it gave Britain a toehold in East Africa
Sir Richard Burton
• A linguistic scholar (spoke 29 languages), explorer, soldier, diplomat, and adventurer
• He wrote about birth, marriage, death, fetishism, ritual murder, cannibalism, bizarre sexual practices,
pornography, homosexuality and the sexual education of women. He was involved in various controversies
and scandals
• He explored Islamic cities e.g. Mecca, Somaliland (1855) and Zanzibar (1857-8)
• He explored East Africa with Speke and was the first European to see Lake Tanganyika (Speke was
temporarily blinded at the time). He debated with Speke about the true source of the Nile
• He wrote 43 volumes on his explorations including travel books, 5 on West Africa, 30 volumes of translations
including a 16-volume edition of Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra and works on Muslim life and manners
• He was not known for religious conviction, nor was he a supporter of British imperial policy – his motivation
was mostly his spirit of adventure
John Speke
• Joined Burton on the quest to find the source of the Nile
• Was the first European to find Lake Victoria which he argued was the source of the Nile – Burton disputed
this. The debate sparked public interest in the area but Speke died in a shooting accident in 1864 the day before
he was due to appear in a public debate against Burton
