Spanish Armada

• Causes:

  • Religious Differences
  • Marriage Rejection
  • Spain supported plots against Elizabeth
  • Piracy
  • England supported the Dutch revolt
  • France at Civil War
• Played a significant role in the increasing patriotic pride people felt in England and it did much for Elizabeth’s image - people believed that divine providence had intervened for the English (strong weapon in the propaganda war)
• Elizabeth had delayed the conflict as long as she could as she knew it would be costly: she had to obtain loans of £75,000 from wealthy subjects and borrowed £56,000 from the City of London at 10% interest
• Armada set sail for England through the channel, it is sighted and beacons are lit along the coast, little damage is inflicted, and anchor near Calais so English send fireships; Armada panics and scatters out of their crescent formation. Strong winds push the fleet to the Gravelines, where the English inflicted a lot of damage; storm forces the Spanish north and the English turn back, Armada sails home but has to pass Scotland and Ireland - many ships wrecked/lost
• Casualties on both sides, however Spanish lost many more (2000 men Vs 100 men), and England lost no ships whereas Spain lost 52 - despite England's victory several thousand men died from illness and disease on the weeks following
• 1599-1600: Elizabeth was forced to sell Crownlands and also considered selling some jewellery because the situation had become so desperate; she reduced court expenditure and kept positions vacant to avoid paying salaries
• However lack of patronage encouraged bribery and corruption at court, continuation of the war caused debate amongst councillors
• Cecil preferred to respond to situations diplomatically, but younger councillors argued for a more proactive policy with naval attacks against Spain (Essex pushed for a more active policy)
• Philip was supportive of Elizabeth during his marriage to Mary I as he wanted her queen instead of Mary queen of Scots (as she was married to the french, also Phillip believes he can ’fix’ Elizabeth and make her Catholic)
• Their relationship changes change when Elizabeth becomes Queen; he proposed, on the condition she agree to become a Catholic she rejects him; he marries a french princess, and they still wrote letters, remaining friends
• Causes of conflict between Spain and England was

  • Elizabeth challenging Spain’s global domination - she encouraged her ships to plunder Spanish ones in the New World
  • She sent troops to help the protestant revolt against Spain in the Netherlands - she claimed she wasn’t attacking Phillip and just defending her neighbours
• We can’t trust about the Tilbury speech because she didn't actually say it until 11 days after the end of the Armada - timing is vastly different; “Heart and Stomach of a King” line was not in the speech - added later
• The medals given out had on them the words ‘he [God] blew and they [Armada] were scattered’
• William Cecil created a fake, forged letter that claimed even the English Catholics cared more for their queen than the Pope; he also said that it would be good if the survivors died of disease so they don’t need to be paid
• Of those who fought in the campaign more than half had died of diseases and starvation - if they told someone they hadn’t been paid they could be arrested
• The impact of the war was economic crisis - Elizabeth had to take out loans/borrow money (couldn’t afford to pay the soldiers)
• The Victorians portrayed the Spanish Armada, as glorious to try and show a link between the ‘golden age’ of Elizabeth I onto Victoria; highlighted the victory and the power of the Navy
• The counter armada was being planed by Elizabeth in 1589 - it failed, was disastrous but it was concealed from England and Europe public opinion (want rid of Philip and any surviving Spanish ships but was not victorious)
• Armada Portrait:

  • Hand on globe pointing to America (new world)
  • Windows have scenes from battle - right Spanish ships being destroyed
  • Pearls are everywhere - purity and virginity - difficult to gather so many, demonstrate extreme wealth; one over right over her privates
  • Massive arms, tiny waist and a large ruff - everything is larger (trying to com off as superior - image of power)
  • Looks as close to a man as possible, body entirely concealed
  • Has the feather normally worn by Prince of Wales (son of king, heir to the throne)—both a queen and a prince
  • Perhaps the dress she wore at Tilbury

  
• Tilbury Speech; may have worn Armada portrait dress or perhaps armour (look like warrior, perhaps emulating Athena, goddess of warfare), Dudley’s men defending he tells Elizabeth to come say the speech - Dudley dies after he gets ill on the way home
• Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

  • "Lieutenant and Captain General of the Queen's Armies and Companies", a letter from Leicester to Elizabeth I, written at the Armada camp and signed with his nickname, "Eyes”
  • Dudley dies when returning from the Armada - the last letter he writes her she keeps next to her bed
• Royal prerogative: The Spanish Armada had a detrimental impact on Elizabethan England she couldn’t pay her loads back from her nobles or pay her soldiers their wages as the cost was incredibly high (had to sell crown lands), also Armada 2