Sir Francis Drake sacks the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (modern Dominican Republic). He goes on to sack Cartagena (modern Columbia) and St. Augustine (modern Florida). These acts of piracy are among the factors that precipitate war between England and Spain.
The first English colony in the New World is established at Roanoke Island (modern North Carolina), organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and governed by Ralph Lane. It was not successful, and the colonists withdrew in June 1586.
Elizabeth, Queen of England, signs a charter allowing Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh to discover, search, find out, and view such remote, heathen and barbarous lands, countries, and territories, not actually possessed of any Christian Prince, nor inhabited by Christian People.
Following the death of King Henry of Portugal, Spain and Portugal are united under Philip II of Spain. Spain thus becomes the most important colonial power – and the largest participant in the slave trade.
The United Provinces (modern Netherlands) soon becomes an important slave-trading nation and an aspiring colonial power.
Elizabeth, Queen of England, gives a letter of patent to Sir Humfrey Gylberte to discover, find, search out, and view such remote, heathen and barbarous lands, countries and territories not actually possessed of any Christian prince or people.
Paulo Dias de Novães founds the Portuguese colony of São Paulo de Luanda on the African mainland (modern Angola). The colony soon became a major slave-trading port supplying the vast Brazilian market.
Bartolemé Frías de Albornoz, a Spanish-Mexican lawyer, publishes Arte de los contratos (The Art of Contracts), which casts doubt on the legality of the slave trade.
The Parlement of Bordeaux sets all slaves – “blacks and moors” – in the town free, declaring slavery illegal in France.
Tomás de Mercado, a Sevillian Dominican, publishes Tratos y contratos de mercaderes (Practices and Contracts of Merchants), which attacks the way the slave trade is conducted.
John Hawkins of Plymouth becomes the first English sailor to have obtained African slaves – approximately 300 of them in Sierra Leone – for sale in the West Indies. Hawkins traded the slaves illegally with Spanish colonies, which contributed to increasing tensions between England and Spain.