RELATIONS WITH SPAIN

• DRAKE IN THE AMERICAS

  • Drake was hired as Elizabeth's privateer in 1972, he was a Puritan which meant he hated Catholics and he was a very successful pirate on his voyages which caught Elizabeth's attention
  • 1577 - Elizabeth sends Drake to sail around the tip of South America. Elizabeth secretly orders Drake to attack Spanish colonies. Drake became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world. He returns in 1580 with £400,000 of Spanish treasure and only one ship left, The Golden Hind.
  • 1572 - Drake travels to Panama. He captures £40,000 and returns to England in 1573. As Elizabeth is attempting to repair relations with Spain, she does not publicly celebrate Drake's return. Elizabeth is privately impressed with Drake's achievements.
• DRAKE'S DISCOVERIES

  • During Drake’s circumnavigation, he claimed a region of northern California for Elizabeth, known as Nova Albion or New Albion.
  • New Albion was important for Elizabethan England
  • It was England’s first attempt to create a colony in the Americas
  • It motivated other English explorers to travel to the Americas
  • Elizabeth wanted to expand her empire to challenge Spain’s domination of the Americas
• DRAKE'S VOYAGE

  • Drake’s voyage in 1578-80 was very successful for Elizabeth
  • In 1579, Drake captured the Spanish treasure ship Cacafuego off the coast of Ecuador. Cacafuego contained cargo worth £140,000
  • Drake plundered a vast amount from the ports in Chile and Peru
  • As a reward, Elizabeth knighted Drake on his ship, the Golden Hind
• SIGNIFICANCE OF DRAKE ON RELATIONS


  • The stealing of £400,000 of Spanish treasure. Spain felt angry that the stolen treasure had boosted England’s economy. England could afford to protect itself if Spain planned to invade England
  • The circumnavigation of the globe. Spain felt challenged. England had proven its strength as a seafaring country. Spain could not allow England to have a better navy
  • The knighting of Drake - Philip II of Spain was angry. Philip saw Drake as nothing more than a pirate. Elizabeth’s public knighting of Drake signified how bad Anglo-Spanish relations had become
• WHAT DID SPAIN DO IN 1567

  • In 1567, Spain sent the Duke of Alba to the Netherlands to regain control of the region
  • Alba established the 'Council of Troubles'
  • The Council condemned many thousands of Protestants to death
  • The events in the Netherlands alarmed many English Protestants
  • If Spain treated Protestants in this manner, English Protestants worried about what could happen to them. Spain could declare war against all Protestantism
  • Elizabeth’s privy council pressured her to protect the Dutch rebels
• WHAT DID ELIZABETH CHOOSE TO DO ABOUT NETHERLANDS

  • Elizabeth chose a non-aggressive strategy
  • England was weaker than Spain
  • A war with Spain might cause a Civil War between English Catholics and Protestants
  • She did not want to trigger a war with Spain
  • She believed that applying the right amount of pressure on Philip would force Spain to withdraw from the Netherlands
  • Elizabeth’s tactics against Spain included:
  • Helping the Dutch rebels indirectly by sending money to the Netherlands
  • Encouraging Privateers to attack Spanish ships and colonies
  • Improving England’s relationship with France
• ANGLO-FRENCH RELATIONS

  • In the 1570s, Elizabeth offered the promise of marriage to the Duke of Alençon
  • Alençon was the heir to the French throne. A marriage between Elizabeth and Alençon would be a strong union
  • She believed an alliance with Alençon would worry Philip enough to return the Netherlands to the Dutch
  • Philip’s worry about an Anglo-French union increased when Elizabeth encouraged Alençon to fight the Spanish in the Netherlands
  • Elizabeth knew her strategy was risky
  • She had no intention of marrying Alençon. If he discovered this, he would turn into an enemy
• POG

  • Despite Spain's riches, the Spanish gov could not afford to fight the war against the Dutch.
  • In Nov 1576, Spanish troops mutinied. The Spanish gov had not paid the soldiers for months. The soldiers destroyed and robbed Antwerp.
  • The violence united Dutch Catholics and Protestants. The 17 Dutch provinces created the Pacification of Ghent. The document demanded Spain to leave and stop its religious persecution.
  • In Feb 1577, Philip accepted the terms of the POG. Elizabeth agreed to send troops if Spain broke their promise. Within a few months, Philip broke the POG and sent an army
• ELIZABETH MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY

  • Elizabeth did not send the armed forces she had promised
  • Elizabeth gave Casimir(her mercenary) the money to raise an army of 6,000 volunteers
  • A mercenary leading a voluntary army meant Elizabeth was not directly sending an English army to fight against Spain
  • Casimir failed to beat the Spanish forces in the Netherlands
  • Elizabeth ignored advisers like Dudley who pleaded Elizabeth to send a royal army to the Netherlands
  • Her government highlighted how important an independent Netherlands was to England, as they could be a large Protestant ally
• ELIZABETH MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY

  • Many historians believe that Elizabeth missed an ideal opportunity to free the Dutch from Spanish rule. By 1579, the situation in the Netherlands had changed because:
  • The Duke of Parma replaced Don Juan as governor of the Netherlands
  • Parma made Spain’s forces in the Netherlands much stronger than England’s
  • The Dutch rebels' leader, William of Orange, had lost influence among Dutch Catholics, as they began to make peace deals with Spain, as the southern Dutch province were mostly Catholic
  • The Duke of Alençon decided to withdraw his troops in 1579
• SPAIN REGAINS CONTROL

  • Spain's Strength
  • In 1580, Philip II successfully captured Portugal. He gained its empire and military forces. This increased Spain's wealth and power in Europe.

  Elizabeth's Weakness

  • Elizabeth refused to send troops into the Netherlands. She knew that Spain had become more powerful after gaining Portugal into its empire.
  • Elizabeth relied on the Duke of Alençon. In 1581, she gave him £70,000 to re-send an army into the Netherlands. Alençon failed to defeat Spain again and returned to France in 1583.
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  • 10th June 1584- The death of the Duke of Alençon - Henri of Navarre was France’s new heir. His Protestant faith made the French create a Catholic League to stop him. The resulting civil war meant England could no longer use France’s military strength against Spain. England would have to face Spain without an ally 
  • 10th July 1584 - The murder of William of Orange - The Dutch rebels no longer had a leader. They looked to Elizabeth as a figurehead of Protestantism to fill the role of William of Orange. Without a leader, Spain could easily defeat the Dutch rebels. Philip II could target England next
• TREATY OF JOINVILLE 1584

  • 31st December - The Treaty of Joinville - The Catholic League and Philip II allied to fight against French Protestants. Spain and France had become allies against Protestantism. The Eradication of English Protestantism could become France and Spain’s next objective