Direct involvement in Netherlands

• • after the Treaty of Joinville was signed in 1584, Elizabeth had to intervene directly in the Netherlands
• • in the middle of 1585, Dutch Protestants offered Elizabeth the sovereignty of the Netherlands
  • she refused because she refused to depose an anointed monarch, Phillip II
• • in August 1585, Elizabeth signed the Treaty of Nonsuch with Dutch Protestants
  • This put England and Spain at war: Elizabeth was to intervene directly on the side of the rebels
  • England financed an army of 7,400 English troops under leadership Robert Dudley
• • in October 1585, Elizabeth sent Francis Drake to raid Spanish New World settlements to try and disrupt Spanish trade and finances
  • this angered Phillip
  • Phillip said he would invade England by the end of 1585
• • however, English intervention in the Netherlands was not very successful
  • Dudley made little progress because he had limited men and resources to fight the Spanish
  • Dudley accepted the title of Governor General of the Netherlands, which implied she was deposing Phillip as king of the Netherlands
• • the intervention of the Netherlands by the English ended by 1588
• the English campaign was not successful between 1586-1588 because:

  • Elizabeth was never fully behind the rebels, she did not give Dudley enough money for a large campaign and she still hoped to negotiate with Spain
  • Dudley wanted to liberate the Netherlands from the Spanish, but Elizabeth wanted the Dutch to have autonomy like in 1548
  • relations between English and Dutch leaders were poor because of Elizabeth’s lack of commitment