Cranbrook Ward's 'Sons of the Empire' celebrated the British Empire. The British Empire began in the late 1500s under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The empire ruled over 400 million people making it the largest empire in history. Trade and political partnerships played a very important part, but for some it meant loss of land, discrimination and prejudice. Many African princes became extremely rich selling their own people into slavery. Britain helped abolish the slave trade in 1807, however Parliament did nothing to stop young white British children working down mines, up chimneys or in workhouses at that time. Many countries benefited from education, medical care and railways, but others fell into civil unrest.