causes

• long-term causes of conflict (1): religion


  • spanish catholic
  • 1570: E was excommunicated by the pope: gave permission to attack/invade England without angering God
  • Philip had been Mary I's husband wanted to restore catholicism
  • Philip upset by E's marriage rejection
  • angry at harsh Catholic treatment by 1580s
  • supported catholic plots
• long-term causes of conflict (2): netherlands


  • dutch protestants rebel against spanish rule 1556
  • 1585 elizabeth signed the Treat of Nonsuch with dutch, making their help of dutch rebels official
  • elizabeth sent dutch rebels funds to help them attack spanish
  • spanish dealt with dutch rebels harshly, which increased Englands dislike of spain
• long term causes of conflict (3): Privateers


  • 1572- Drake took £40,000 of Spanish silver from Spanish ships & captured the spainish port of Nombre de Dios
  • Attacks on spanish ships by English explorers/privateers such as drake angered the spanish
• short term causes (1): defeat of dutch rebels

  • Duke of Parma curshed rebellion and assainates leader
  • Walsingham and Dudley wanted war
  • 1585 Treaty signed with rebels 7000 troops under dudly sent
  • war declared
• short term causes (2): mary q of scots


  • execution gives 'just' causes for 'Enterprise of england' as they saw it as an unjustified murder