The conflict with Spain

• King Philip II of Spain

  • As King of Spain, Philip II was one of the wealthiest men in the world
  • Spanish explorers had returned from voyages to South America with vast treasures from Spain's new colonies
  • Philip II's conquests overseas had received the Pope's blessing, so he saw it as his religious duty to expand his power and influence
  • In 1554, two years before he became king, Philip II married Queen Mary I of England
  • As long as he was married, he would be joint monarch with her
  • The aim was to unite the Catholic world, but Mary and Philip had no children
  • When Elizabeth became queen, Philip did not waste time and quickly issued a marriage proposal
  • She did not refuse, but just kept him waiting
  • For a number of years England and Spain were at peace
• Problems in the Netherlands

  • As well as being King of Spain, Philip II also ruled the Netherlands
  • In August 1566, there was a Protestant uprising in several Dutch cities
  • Although the initial disagreement was about taxes, it soon took on a religious dimension
  • There was an outbreak of iconoclasm when Catholic icons were smashed, and rioting took place
  • Philip II was ruthless in his response
  • He sent Spanish soldiers in to restore order
  • This led to even more resistance among the Protestant Dutch rebels
  • Although she did not want an all-out war with Spain, Elizabeth agreed to send money to the rebels and allowed English volunteers to go and help
  • She also offered protection to rebel ships known as the Geux de Mer which she allowed to stay in English ports up until 1572, greatly angering the King of Spain
• Other priorities

  • Aiding the Protestant rebels in the Netherlands was not an easy decision for Elizabeth
  • In addition to the religious links, England had strong trade links with the Dutch, particularly the cloth trade
  • Conflict was bad for business
  • Philip II was also not keen to get involved with the rebellion, as he had more pressing matters to deal with closer to home in Portugal
  • He sent a powerful army led by the Duke of Alva to crush the rebellion but it just made the situation worse
• A declaration of war

  • In 1584, the leader of the Dutch rebels, William of Orange, was assassinated by a Spanish Catholic
  • Things grew more chaotic in the Netherlands and finally, in 1585, Elizabeth sent troops to support the Protestant rebels
  • She did not want Spain to get too powerful but she was also concerned about France becoming increasingly involved
  • She sent the trusted Robert Dudley and 7,000 soldiers
  • Although Dudley achieved very little, this was a clear act of war against Spain
• Why was there conflict between Spain and England?

  • Philip had been married to Elizabeth's sister and wished to marry Elizabeth but she would not agree
  • England was Protestant and Spain was Catholic
  • The Pope called for all Catholics to challenge Elizabeth in 1570
  • Sir Francis Drake and other English sailors had spent years raiding Spanish ports in the Americas and staling treasures in the 1570s
  • Elizabeth sent soldiers to help Protestants rebelling against the Spanish in the Netherlands
• Who ruled the sea?

  • Henry VIII had spent a fortune building a strong navy that could make England powerful at sea
  • As an island nation, England was vulnerable to attack by sea and so a strong navy had always been considered important
  • Before 1500, ships were seen as a way to get to a battle rather than as part of the fight itself
  • The Tudor period in England saw ships being built with both attack and defence in mind
  • The navy had grown during Henry's time but it was under John Hawkins, who was appointed by Elizabeth, that England's navy reached its high point
  • However England was not alone in building up its fleet as King Philip II of Spain was determined to build the most powerful navy in the world and she spared no expense in trying to achieve this aim