Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad, 1569-88

Question 1

1569-70?

Answer 1

The Revolt of the Northern Earls: a group of powerful nobles from the north launched a rebellion against Elizabeth, one of the most significant challenges that she faced during her reign.

Question 2

Causes of the Revolt?

Answer 2

-After the religious settlement, Catholicism was only practiced in England privately. Particularly northern England which still remained largely Catholic privately questioned Elizabeth’s position as queen.
-MQOS’ arrival in England in 1568 meant some began to speak out about Mary as queen rather than Elizabeth.
-1569, Elizabeth refused Mary to marry the Duke of Norfolk, a Protestant nobleman from a Catholic powerful family. As a result, Norfolk headed north to meet with the earls plotting a rebellion against Elizabeth.
-The earls and their followers wanted to make England Catholic again, particularly resenting the Bishop of Durham, James Pilkington when he was appointed in 1561.
-The earls had lost much influence on the Royal Court during the reign of Elizabeth, with protestant upstarts like Sir William Cecil, Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester) and John Forster some of Elizabeth’s favourites.
-Elizabeth’s refusal to name an heir, marry and have children raised uncertainty. Catholics feared the chance of civil war and future Protestant monarch after the death of Elizabeth, leading to their continual loss of influence and wealth.

Question 3

Leaders?

Answer 3

-Earl of Northumberland, Thomas Percy, who was treated well by Elizabeth.
-Ann Percy, the wife of Thomas Percy
-The Earl of Westmorland, Charles Neville, who under Mary I had become one of the many powerful Catholics and had married into the highly influential Howard family.
-Jane Neville, wife of Charles and the sister of the Duke of Norfolk
-Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, senior Protestant noble, family links to old, northern Catholic family. Intended to marry MQOS.
-MQOS herself.

Question 4

Marriage plan?

Answer 4

MQOS told the Spanish ambassador that she would “be English queen in 3 months” in 1569 after marriage. Robert Dudley told Elizabeth of the plot, which led to the arrest of the Duke of Norfolk, and his imprisonment in the Tower.

Question 5

Events of the revolt?

Answer 5

-Early November 1569, Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland accompany many of their tenants who rent land, marching south to remove Elizabeth from the throne and replace her with MQOS.
-Rebels take over Durham Cathedral. They destroyed copies of the Book of Common Prayer and Protestant communion table, holding an illegal Catholic mass on the 14th November.
-Rebels march south to Br(accent)anham Moor, near York. Elizabeth responded by moving Mary to a prison further south in Coventry. Elizabeth also managed to keep control of the majority of Northern towns, as many people chose not to join the rebellion.
-Elizabeth raises a royal army under the Earl of Sussex, who overcame the rebels near the River Tees in northeast England in mid-December 1569. Westmorland escaped to France, however Northumberland was executed.
-The rebels were waiting for support from the Spanish when they captured Hartlepool, however they never arrived.

Question 6

Aims of the revolt?

Answer 6

-Restoration of Catholicism as official religion of England,
-Increase of power and influence of northern English nobility.
-Removal of nobles who had guided Elizabeth’s religious policies away from power..

Question 7

Outcomes of the Revolt?

Answer 7

-Northumberland was beheaded in York in 1572.
-Westmorland died of poverty in France in 1601.
-Duke of Norfolk was imprisoned, and then later released, to then plot another rebellion against the Queen.
-450 others involved were executed.
-Failure of the Revolt showed extent of support for Elizabeth as many people in northern towns opted out against rebellion, with Elizabeth’s opponents frustrated by the failure of the Revolt.

Question 8

Reasons for the failure of the revolt?

Answer 8

-Most Catholics still remained loyal to Elizabeth as they valued the tolerance and stability during her reign. Many landowners, in Cheshire and Lancashire particularly, also remained loyal as they did not want to risk the wealth that they had gained after King Henry VIII had dissolved monasteries because of support of a failed revolt.
-Rebels failed to get support from Pope, France and Spain, and so revolt did not have enough strength to succeed.
-Rebels’ aims were unclear, some focused on religion while others simply wanted to overthrow Elizabeth.
-Elizabeth’s response to the rebellion was well-organised and swift. Officials secured key towns in the north once the rebellion had ended.

Question 9

Significance of the revolt?

Answer 9

-Showed MQOS was incredible and should remain in prison.
-Pope had excommunicated Elizabeth from the Catholic church and called for loyal Catholics to depose of her, encouraging further Catholic plots of rebellion against her.
-Loyalty of English Catholics was now doubtful, forcing the government to impose harsh regulations on them.
-Elizabeth’s control over the north had been strengthened.

Question 10

What led to the Ridolfi plot?

Answer 10

-The failure of the Revolt of the Northern Earls and the Papal Bull in 1570 meant that Elizabeth and her Privy Council treated Catholics with suspicion.
-Earl of Huntingdon, a committed Protestant, led the council of the north, implementing laws against Catholics. This angered them, and ensured that they were now prepared to plot against the monarch if they had the monarch’s backing.
-This led to the Ridolfi plot in 1571.

Question 11

What were the causes of the Ridolfi plot?

Answer 11

-Robert Ridolfi, an Italian banker and spy for the Pope, wanted to help English Catholics remove Elizabeth from power.
-After the Duke of Norfolk had been released from prison, although kept under close guard, he was involved in the Ridolfi plots’ occurrence.

Question 12

What was the plan of the Ridolfi plot?

Answer 12

-Dutch Catholics, led by the Spanish Duke of Alba would invade the south of England,
-English Catholics in the north would lead a second rebellion.
-Elizabeth would be murdered and be replaced by MQOS.
-Mary would subsequently marry the Duke of Norfolk.

Question 13

What were the actual events of the Ridolfi plot?

Answer 13

-March 1571, Ridolfi went to Netherlands to discuss rebellion with the pope Phillip II and the Duke of Alba. Ridolfi had a signed letter by the Duke of Norfolk declaring himself as a Catholic and pledged to lead a rebellion with Phillip’s support.
-Philip II instructed the Duke of Alba to prepare 10,000 troops across the English Channel for rebellion support.
-Sir William Cecil discovered the plot and by autumn 1571, was able to prove that Norfolk was guilty of high treason, involved in plotting against Elizabeth. Ridolfi remained abroad and never returned to England.
-When Parliament reconvened in May 1572, it demanded the execution of the Duke of Norfolk and MQOS. Elizabeth signed Norfolk’s death warrant leading to his execution in 1572. Still, Elizabeth was reluctant to punish MQOS and refused to remove her from the succession as she knew a murder could incite rebellion by English Catholics and/or make Spain and France unite in a Catholic rebellion against her.

Question 14

Failures/aftermath of the Ridolfi plot?

Answer 14

-Elizabeth’s spies found coded messages and gold coins in the North of England.
-They cracked the code using a cipher key found under the doormat of Norfolk’s house.
-He confessed his involvement and was executed in 1572.
-Ridolfi was abroad and avoided arrest.

Question 15

Significance of the Ridolfi Plot?

Answer 15

-Proved the threat from the Spanish, Philip II, in plots against Elizabeth.
-Threat from the Spanish meant that Elizabeth had to improve French relations, as England could not cope with two attacks at once.
-Government now had to monitor Catholics more closely and treat them more severely. Two laws were passed in 1581 telling that Catholics could be fined for hiding priests and would be charged with treason if they converted people to Catholicism.

Question 16

Causes of the Throckmorton Plot.

Answer 16

-Developed by Sir Francis Throckmorton, who came from a powerful Catholic family.
-Plot was supported by the Duke of Guise, a French noble as well as several Spanish nobles also.

Question 17

Plan of the Throckmorton Plot.

Answer 17

-Duke of Guise would lead a French invasion, supported by Spanish troops.
-English Catholics would join in an uprising to secure MQOS as the new Catholic queen of England.
-Elizabeth would be murdered,

Question 18

The events of the Throckmorton Plot.

Answer 18

-Philip II offered to help pay for the revolt and pope approved the conspiracy.
-Young English Throckmorton would pass letters between MQOS and the plotters.

Question 19

Failures/aftermath of the Throckmorton Plot.

Answer 19

-Throckmorton was already under surveillance, and so the plot was quickly discovered by Elizabeth’s spies, including Sir Francis Walsingham in May 1583, Elizabeth’s Secretary of State. They found papers in Throckmorton’s house in November that revealed his involvement in the conspiracy.
-Under torture, he confessed his involvement and was executed in May 1584.
-Mary was placed under close guard to ensure she would not be involved in future plots.

Question 20

Significance of the Throckmorton Plot.

Answer 20

-Revealed the extent of the threat of foreign Catholic powers, English Catholics and MQOS.
-Throckmorton’s papers included a list of Catholic sympathisers in England, confirming government fears of internal corruption.
-Showed potential threat from France and Spain, and so Elizabeth had to improve relations with them so they would not unite against her.
-Catholics treated by government with greater caution. Many fled England after the plot. Up to 11,000 were imprisoned and the fine of hiding priests was implemented as an Act of Parliament in 1585.

Question 21

Causes of the Babington Plot.

Answer 21

-Anthony Babington planned a rebellion to replace Elizabeth from the throne with MQOS.
-He needed the former Scottish monarch’s support of the rebellion.

Question 22

Plan of the Babington Plot.

Answer 22

-Babington and five other men would murder Elizabeth.
-Coded messages were sent to Mary, hidden in beer barrels and taken to her room.
-Mary sent a reply stating that it was “time to set the gentlemen (assassins) to work.

Question 23

Events of the Babington Plot.

Answer 23

-Planned that Duke of Guise would invade England, overthrow Elizabeth and place MQOS on throne. Philip II and pope supported plot.
-Anthony Babington wrote to Mary in July 1856 about the conspiracy.
-Sir Francis Walsingham intercepted the letters from Babington to Mary, clearly revealing her awareness, support for and involvement in the conspiracy.
-Babington and other plotters were sentenced to death and hung, drawn and quartered.

Question 24

Failures/aftermath of the Babington Plot.

Answer 24

-One of Mary’s servants worked for Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham and intercepted the letters.
-The letters were decoded using the cipher key to reveal the plot.
-Mary was arrested, trialled and murdered in 1587 for treason.

Question 25

Significance of the Babington Plot.

Answer 25

-Elizabeth’s situation was less secure than after previous plots.
-1585, Spain and England virtually at war.
-Elizabeth’s government became determined to crush the Catholic threat.
-The persecution of Catholics intensified. 31 priests were executed nationwide in 1586.
-Plot led to the execution of MQOS, ending the hopes of replacing Elizabeth with a Catholic heir.

Question 26

Importance of Sir Francis Walsingham?

Answer 26

-His actions provided intelligence that defeated plots like the Throckmorton and Ridolfi Plots.
-His intelligence unmasked the involvement of MQOS, pressuring Elizabeth to execute her, doing this in early 1587, signing her death warrant in February.
-His actions deterred further plots against Elizabeth.

Question 27

Describe Walsingham’s spy network.

Answer 27

-Walsingham had a network of spies and informants in every town,.
-Some of his agents were paid and trained by the government.
-Others were paid informants, often people who would know or were likely to know potential plotters against Elizabeth. They sometimes were Catholic priests like John Hart, who would be an informant in return for a Royal Pardon.
-Walsingham also had foreign Spies, with agents in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and North Africa.

Question 28

Describe Walsingham’s use of ciphers?

Answer 28

-He used ciphers (codes) for all correspondence, so letters were written in code and translated out of code once received.
-Walsingham also had the means of deciphering the codes of papers plotting rebellion against Elizabeth, after he hired specialists like Thomas Phelippes, to help him to do this.

Question 29

What was Walsingham’s torture and use of execution like?

Answer 29

-Some priests were tortured, to deter others and force them to give up information. Under Walsingham 130 priests and 60 supporters were executed.
-Threat of execution and torture was often more effective, as it would mean that many would be willing to be informants for Walsingham on plotters against Elizabeth.
-Walsingham only used torture and execution in the most severe cases as he did not want the ordinary public to sympathise with plotters.

Question 30

Who were Walsingham’s agent provocateurs?

Answer 30

-Walsingham employed agent provocateurs to encourage those seen as a threat to Elizabeth to plot against her to justify their eventual arrest and execution. Walsingham used individuals like Gilbert Gifford to open communications between Mary and Babington plotters. This encouraged Mary herself to become actively involved in the plot of rebellion, which led to her execution.

Question 31

Why was MQOS executed?

Answer 31

-She had been involved in a series of plots against Elizabeth like the Revolt of the Northern Earls, the Ridolfi Plot, the Throckmorton Plot and the Babington Plot.
-Walsingham’s spies had unearthed evidence to prove Mary’s links to Babington plotters, leading to her trial and conviction under the Act of the Preservation of the Queen’s Safety.
-Spanish were posed as a real threat by 1587, with rumours of invasion. The fact that Philip II had been involved with previous plots involving Mary like the Ridolfi Plot, heightened Mary’s threat and the reasons for her execution.
-Mary remained a figure for English Catholics to rally around, seeing her as a legitimate queen.
-Pope’s excommunication of Elizabeth in 1570 made Mary an alternative Catholic monarch who would replace Elizabeth if a foreign invasion occurred successfully.

Question 32

Significance of MQOS’ execution?

Answer 32

-Mary was an anointed monarch, so her executing her was set as a dangerous precedent to subsequent rebellion. Elizabeth in the wrong circumstances could meet a similar fate. Therefore, the execution made Elizabeth and her heirs more vulnerable in the future.
-The execution further angered Spain and gave Philip II another reason to invade England, as Mary left her claim to the English throne to Philip after her death.
-The execution made the succession even more uncertain, increasing the chance of a civil war in the event of Elizabeth’s death.
-The execution removed an important threat to Elizabeth, as Mary had been the figurehead focused on replacing Elizabeth on the throne in each plot of rebellion against her.

Question 33

Discuss the religious rivalry between England and Spain.

Answer 33

-Mary Tudor, Spain and England allies.
-Under Protestant Elizabeth, relationship soured:
-Philip II, with support of the pope, with his papal bull, viewed Protestantism as a threat to the Catholic church.
-Many English Protestants saw Spain and Catholicism as a threat.
-Philip II became involved in Catholic plots conspiring against Elizabeth.
-Spain viewed the Elizabethan religious settlement as an abandonment of the Catholic faith.
-Spain supported Catholic missionaries and sent them to England.
-Tensions increased in 1580s when Elizabeth’s tolerance of Catholics declined, with any Catholic priest now viewed as a traitor.

Question 34

Reasons for political rivalry between England and Spain.

Answer 34

-Spain was the most powerful and wealthy country in sixteenth century Europe.
-English sailors like John Hawkins and Francis Drake attacked Spanish ships and ports, embarrassing and costly for Spain.
-Philip II was married to Mary Tudor, who gave him power in England. When Elizabeth became queen, she rejected a proposal of marriage from Philip, with the monarch viewing this as an insult.
-Philip did not want England to become allies with France. This was a concern if MQOS became Queen of England, as she was a former Queen of France.

Question 35

What was Spanish policy like in the Netherlands?

Answer 35

-Netherlands was Spanish since 1400s, though many of the Dutch became Protestant.
-Brutal Spanish campaign under Duke of Alba aimed to restore Catholicism there.
-Spanish Catholics executed many Dutch Protestants following the Council of Troubles, “Council of Blood” in 1568.
-Spanish campaign in the Netherlands angered the Elizabethan government, who saw Spain as a hostile, direct threat to English Protestantism and England itself.

Question 36

Response by the English to this Spanish policy?

Answer 36

-English government decided to secretly help the Dutch Protestants, the Sea Beggars, against the Spanish:
-allowed Dutch rebel ships safe passage in the English ports.
-provided financial support to others fighting the Spanish like volunteers led by John Casimir, a foreign mercenary.
-English privateers like Sir Francis Drake were encouraged to attack Spanish shipping and colonies in Latin America.
-Elizabeth even proposed marriage to the French heir, the Duke of Alencon, so he would be persuaded to fight against Spain in the Netherlands.

Question 37

Next events in the Netherlands?

Answer 37

-1576, Spanish government in the Netherlands found war there unaffordable.
-Lack of funds meant that Spanish troops were left unpaid, leading to the Spanish Fury, when Spanish troops looted Antwerp.
-After the looting, all 17 Dutch provinces, Catholic and Protestant, joined in an alliance against the Spanish, drawing a document called the Pacification of Ghent, calling for all Spanish troops to be expelled from the Netherlands.

Question 38

Spanish were able to restore influence?

Answer 38

• By late 1584:
  -Spain had restored control of the Netherlands under the Duke of Parma.
  -England’s allies, William of Orange and the Duke of Alencon, had died.
  -Treaty of Joinville in 1684 strengthened relations between Catholic France and Spain.
  -Dutch Catholics were ready to make peace with Spain, strengthening Philip’s position there.

Question 39

Is war nearing between England and Spain?

Answer 39

-1587, was very close.
-Philip II blamed English support of Sea Beggars for worsening the situation,
-Philip blamed English privateering on the attack of Spanish shipping (as privateer’s boats were privately owned, Elizabeth automatically could deny her responsibility for their actions).
-Elizabeth’s government blamed the Spanish for a series of plots against the monarch.

Question 40

Discuss the commercial rivalry between England and Spain.

Answer 40

-1550s marked the fall of the wool industry.
-1570s, England and Spain emerged as rivals in trade.
-Both competed for access to the markets of the New World, Turkey, Europe, Russia, China and North Africa.
-Spain had conquered Mexico and Peru in the early 1500s. This provided the Spanish government with vast amounts of gold and silver, which was regularly shipped back to Spain as well as giving them control in trade of sugar cane and tobacco.
-They also had dominated the exploration of the New World, and so were control of large parts of the Americas, and so the trade there.
-By Elizabeth’s reign, Britain had emerged as a trade rival.
-England had to resort though to piracy to gain wealth from the Americas, attacking Spanish ships and stealing precious goods.
-Sailors like Sir Francis Drake journeyed great distances on trading voyages to different parts of the world.
-English sailor John Hawkins started to capture, sell and buy human beings, taking from West Africa to the Americas, beginning the involvement of Britain in the trade of enslaved Africans.

Question 41

What was English hostility towards Spain like?

Answer 41

-Spain represented a major barrier to English trade as:
-They had control of the Netherlands and the Scheldt and Rhine estuaries closed off one of the principal trade routes used by English traders in Europe, reducing the income and profits of English merchants.
-Spanish control over the New World also denied English traders from profit-making opportunities, because all trade had to be licensed by the Spanish government.
-Therefore the efforts of English traders to find ways of making an income did anger the Spanish government and increased tensions and conflict.

Question 42

Discuss privateering.

Answer 42

-English merchants, financed by private investors including Elizabeth herself, raided Spanish colonies as well as ships voyaging to/from the New World.
-In one raid in 1572, Sir Francis Drake captured £40,000 of Spanish silver at the port of the Nombre de Dios, worth around 8 million pounds today.
-Elizabeth also encouraged the Dutch rebels, Sea Beggars, to attack Spanish ships sailing between Spain and the Netherlands.
-In 1568, the Spanish attacked John Hawkins en route to the Americas at San Juan de Ulua. England seized control of a Spanish treasure ship heading to the Netherlands to pay Spanish soldiers.
-1579, Drake captured Spanish treasure ship Cacafuego, carrying treasure of 30 million pounds today.
-By 1580, loss of silver meant that the Spanish government in the Netherlands were bankrupt and could not pay their soldiers.

Question 43

Relations between Spain and England?

Answer 43

-In the early 1580s, actions of Drake and other privateers had put England and Spain on the brink of war,
-Elizabeth, when she knighted Drake, demonstrated her defiance of and hostility towards Spanish commerce in Europe and the New World. Her actions showed the support of the financial losses of the Spanish government as a result of English privateering.
-For Philip II, Drake and other privateers were little more than pirates who needed to be removed by war if necessary. Therefore, removing Elizabeth and Drake by wat was the only remaining way of protecting the commercial interests of Spain.

Question 44

What were the events of the English campaign in Netherlands between 1885-88.

Answer 44

-England had strong relationship in trading with the Netherlands in the sixteenth century because of wool and cloth industries and both countries had large Protestant populations.
-Catholic Spain ruled Netherlands from 1556, angering many Dutch Protestants. Early 1560s, Philip II orders troops in the country to enforce Catholicism as the only accepted religion in the country alongside unpopular taxes. This caused rebellion to break out in the country, with Dutch prince, William of Orange, leading a Protestant military campaign against Spanish rule.
-Elizabeth responded to these events cautiously. Unofficially, she had backed the Dutch for years, bit she was reluctant to support the rebellion militarily as she knew this could lead to war with Spain. Eventually, however, she agreed to support the Dutch Revolt, signing the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585, officially confirming England to be in war with Spain.
-In the terms of the treaty, England paid for 7,400 English soldiers led by the monarch’s trusted advisor the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley, who would work on the rebel government, the Council of State.
-However this did not work as desired as Dudley did not get on well with the Dutch and so returned to England in disgrace.
-The Spanish kept control of the Netherland, and tensions between Spain and England were alleviated.

Question 45

Reasons that the English campaign in the Netherlands failed?

Answer 45

-Elizabeth still wanted to negotiate with Philip II, and so England was not officially at war with Spain yet and so Dudley was not given enough resources to defeat the Spanish.
-Some of Dudley’s officers, William Stanley and Rowland York, defected to the Spanish, which damaged English relations with the Dutch rebels.
-Dudley and Elizabeth ultimately had different aims, the Earl wanted to end Spanish rule, making the Netherlands independent, however the monarch wanted the Netherlands to return to how it was governed in 1548, by the Spanish, though with certain freedoms added.

Question 46

Results of the English campaign in the Netherlands?

Answer 46

-Dudley’s force only really disrupted the Duke of Parma’s troops, rather than defeat them.
-Dudley succeeded however to stop the Spanish from capturing a deep-water port, Ostend on the English Channel. This was important as it denied the chance for the Spanish Armada to link up with the troops of the Duke of Parma in 1588.

Question 47

How did Drake attack Cadiz?

Answer 47

-Since January 1586, Spain had gradually built up its Armada, an enormous invasion fleet that was due to help the Spanish army invade England.
-In March 1587, Elizabeth ordered Sir Francis Drake to attack the Spanish navy. Between 19-22 April, he attacked a major Spanish naval port, Cadiz, destroying 30 ships, with 4 ships captured, as well as the destruction of much of the fleets supplies. The English then took all the food and weapons onboard from the Bay of Cadiz and fled. The attack became known as the “singeing of the King of Spain’s beard”, named this by Drake himself due to the huge embarrassment on the Spanish monarch.
-Drake then continued to attack Spanish treasure ships and coastal ports.

Question 48

Importance of Drake’s attack on Cadiz?

Answer 48

-Spain had to take a break from building the Armada in order to defend itself from Drake.
-The disruption from Drake did not stop the Armada, however he delayed it by a year.
-This bought the English more time to prepare for the eventual Spanish attack and attempted invasion in 1588.

Question 49

4 reasons for King Philip II to launch Armada?

Answer 49

-Religious conflict
-Politics and diplomacy
-Changing circumstances
-Acts of provocation

Question 50

Why did religious conflict make Philip Il launch the Armada?

Answer 50

-A devout Catholic, he had already failed in plots to overthrow Elizabeth.
-The Armada and its subsequent invasion gave him another opportunity to replace her and place a Catholic monarch on the English throne.
-The papacy wanted to overthrow Elizabeth since it’s excommunication with their in 1870.
-Pope promised absolution (forgiveness of sins) for everyone involved in the Armada.

Question 51

How did politics and diplomacy lead Philip II to launch the Armada?

Answer 51

-Treaty of Joinville in 1584 meant that Spain could attack England without the risk of waging war with France
-Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585 meant that English soldiers already were at war with Spain, justifying Philip II’s attack on England.
-England would be a useful addition to the Spanish Empire, confirming complete Spanish control of the Atlantic.

Question 52

How did changing circumstances lead Philip to launch the Armada?

Answer 52

-Spain acquired a Portugal in 1580, giving Philip access to Portuguese ports and ships
-Duke of Parma’s success in the Netherlands in 1579 meant that Spain’s position there was again secure.
-Elizabeth’s hesitation to fully support the Dutch rebels was a sign of her weakness, and was a motivator for Philip to launch the attack.

Question 53

How did acts of provocation make Philip launch the Armada?

Answer 53

-Drake’s actions in the New World threatened Spanish commercial interests
-Elizabeth’s backing of the Dutch rebels threatened Spain’s interests in Holland.

Question 54

What was Philip’s strategy?

Answer 54

-Order the Armada, of 130 ships, 2431 guns, 7,000 sailors, 34,000 soldiers and 180 priests and monks, with supplies to last four weeks, to travel along the English Channel from Lisbon on the 28th May to collect Spanish soldiers from the Netherlands in Calais.
-There, the Armada would unite with the Duke of Parma’s troops and transport 27,000 soldiers to Kent.
-The Spanish army would then attack London, with the majority of the weaponry on the ship for a land invasion, in order to end Elizabeth’s reign and establish a new Catholic English government.

Question 55

Tactics involved for Armada?

Answer 55

-For a successful invasion, Spain needed control of the English Channel so that they could transport the Duke of Parma’s troops to England.
-Vital for the English navy to disrupt their shipping, as the Spanish had a bigger and better army than the English and were more likely to defeat them if they landed successfully in Kent.

Question 56

Why was the Armada such a threat?

Answer 56

-If they succeeded, Elizabeth could lose her throne and her life.
-English Protestants, like those on the Privy Council, could be persecuted if a successful invasion occurred in the efforts to restore Catholicism in England.
-For many, the war with Spain was a struggle of life and death, to preserve both their religion and their lives.

Question 57

Leader of the Armada?

Answer 57

Duke of Medina-Sidonia was fleet commander, inexperienced in sea battles, though each ship was led by an experienced captain.

Question 58

Discuss the events of the Spanish Armada.

Answer 58

-28 May- Armada leaves Lisbon
-19 June- Fleet arrives at Corunna for final preparations
-21 June- fleet sails to England in crescent formation
-29 July- fleet spotted on the coast of Cornwall, news sent to London via lighting beacons (lighthouses)
-31 July-4th August- Fleet attacked by English navy, though Spanish suffer little damage
-6 August- Armada arrives at Calais to pick up Spanish soldiers from Netherlands, though they are absent
-7th August- Drake leads attack on Armada using 8 old English ships as fire ships, caused the Spanish fleet to disperse in chaos, with many cutting their anchors to escape the flames
-8th August- Battle of the Gravelines, English inflict damage onto Spanish who cannot defend themselves in the sea battle, Medina-Sidonia attempts fleeing, though English chase him and his fleet
-Spanish route through English Channel blocked, so Armada sails through North Sea

Question 59

Reasons for English victory against Armada?

Answer 59

-Communication problems
-Better-equipped and better-armed ships
-Spanish panic
-Weather
-Superior English tactics
-Lack of provisions and supplies on Spanish ships

Question 60

How were English ships better-armed and better-equipped?

Answer 60

-English ships band mounted cannons and smaller gun carriages, meaning that they could be reloaded and fired at the slower Spanish cannons
-This damaged Spanish ships and undermined Armada’s chance of uniting with Duke of Parma’s troops to invade England

Question 61

Spanish panic and mistakes that contributed to their defeat?

Answer 61

-Key turning point was Battle of Gravelines, due to English use of fire ships, producing panic amongst Spanish fleet, causing the majority to cut their anchors, allowing them to taste defeat, unable to go through the British Channel and forced to sail through the North Sea
-Famous Spanish ships not designed to travel through rough English Channel and North Sea. They were larger, slower and harder to manoeuvre than English ships
-Day delay in Calais, eventually pointless for Spanish, gave English more time to prepare
-Spanish underestimated strength of English navy; cannons only really designed for land battles rather than sea, also their cannonballs were not fit perfectly to be used by the cannons in these ships
-Lack of experience of Commander Duke of Medina-Sidonia

Question 62

How did weather lead to English victory?

Answer 62

-Most Spanish ships survived the battle, although the Armada were defeated. The violent storms in the North Sea though meant that 50% of the crew died
-Ships ran out of food and water as they struggled home in the stormy weather
-Surviving sailors often unable to live more due to exhaustion and illness
-Gale force winds caused destruction of the majority of Spanish ships as they retreated home
-Many were destroyed off the west coast of Ireland

Question 63

How were English tactics superior?

Answer 63

-English got close enough to Spanish ships to fire on them, though stayed far away enough to prevent Spanish sailors and soldiers from boarding their ships, which destroyed and damaged a number of Spanish ships and ensured that English losses were minimal,
-Drake and other skilled tacticians used fire ships at the Battle of the Gravelines, which was vital due to its causation of Spanish panic, breaking strong Spanish crescent formation and making it easier for English to attack them.
-English ships much faster than Spanish ships
-Spanish not able to regroup due to heavy bombardment by English cannons.

Question 64

How were Spanish provisions and supplies lacking for long voyage?

Answer 64

Spanish at sea for 10 weeks and by early August their four weeks’ worth of food had rotted, damaging Spanish morale and their motivation to fight the English.

Question 65

Spanish communication problems?

Answer 65

-No line of communications between Duke of Medina-Sidonia and Duke of Parma
-No deep-water ports as Dutch rebels still held Ostend, meaning that Spanish Armada could not stop as Spanish Netherlands ports to meet there with Duke of Parma’s army at sea, after it had embarked on a series of smaller ships, making communication very difficult.

Question 65

Consequences of Armada for English?

Answer 65

-English navy strengthened
-Elizabeth’s authority enhanced
-Stronger alliances in Europe
-Protestant cause strengthened in England

Question 66

English navy strengthened?

Answer 66

-Defeat of Armada showed strength of English navy.
-Boosted confidence to explore also, encouraging English merchants to trade with Europe.
-English only lost 100 men, compared to the number of 20,000 for the Spanish, however thousands of English men did die years later of disease.

Question 67

Elizabeth’s authority enhanced?

Answer 67

-Queen took centre stage at victory parade in London, portraying herself as a military victor; a monarch of a major word power, reflected in some portraits taken of her in later parts of her reign.
-Elizabeth however remains weary of Spanish, French and any other Catholic threat, and so continued to build English defences,

Question 68

Effect on foreign policy?

Answer 68

-Anglo-Dutch alliance strengthened, meaning that Protestantism in Holland survived, strengthening its cause in Europe.
-Meant that England began to have allies un Europe who were Protestant and no longer were isolated.

Question 69

Protestant cause in England?

Answer 69

-Victory of the “underdog” suggested that God was on the side of the Protestants.
-Commemorative medal struck that said, ‘God blew and they were scattered’, meaning that England became United by victory; with some Englishmen encouraged to prioritise their country over their faith, or for those who had wavered over Protestantism and Catholicism, were compelled to accept Protestant rule, and so the victory helped cement Protestantism in England.

Question 70

Consequences of Armada for Spanish?

Answer 70

-Major financial setback for humiliated Philip II, refusing to be beaten, and began to prepare a second Armada
-Spanish war with England though did remain for the longevity of Elizabeth’s rule
-Spanish prestige ruined, more countries motivated to challenge Spanish power, leading to the gradual decline of the Spanish Empire.