Foreign Policy - Spain

Question 1

Give 3 examples of the positive Anglo-Spanish relationship

Answer 1

• England and Spain shared cloth trade links in the Netherlands (under Spanish influence)
• Philip proposed to Elizabeth 1559
• Philip persuades Pope not to excommunicate Elizabeth twice

Question 2

Why did Anglo-Spanish relations deteriorate from 1560-85?

Answer 2

• Rise in power of Dutch Protestants
• Piracy
• Trading competition in the Caribbean

Question 3

Explain how trading competition in the Caribbean led to a deterioration of Anglo-Spanish relations

Answer 3

• John Hawkins wanted to stop Spanish trading monopoly in Caribbean
• September 1568 - Hawkins’ fleet blockaded in Mexican port of San Juan de Ulúa
• Only 2 of his ships managed to escape

Question 4

How did piracy contribute to deteriorating Anglo-Spanish relations?

Answer 4

• November 1568 - Elizabeth seized 400,000 florins from Spanish vessels sheltering from storm
• Money intended to pay army of Duke of Alba, Philip’s general in the Netherlands
• In response, Alba seized English ships and property in Netherlands

Question 5

When did Elizabeth seize money for Duke of Alba’s army from Spanish ships? How much money was seized?

Answer 5

• November 1568
• 400,000 florins

Question 6

What aims did Philip have for the Netherlands?

Answer 6

• Philip wanted more Spanish political control of Netherlands to help root out heresy

Question 7

Outline the main events in the Netherlands

Answer 7

• 1572 - Elizabeth expels Sea Beggars and their landing in Netherlands sparked revolt
• 1576 - Rebellion spreads to all provinces of Netherlands - Pacification of Ghent
• 1579 - Union of Arras make peace with Spain
• 1584 - William of Orange assassinated; France supports Philip for joining Catholic league
• 1585 - Treaty of Nonsuch between Elizabeth and Union of Utrecht
• 1594 - Spanish expelled from all northern Netherlands

Question 8

Who were the Sea Beggars?

Answer 8

• Dutch Calvinist pirates
• Led by William of Orange

Question 9

When did Elizabeth expel the Sea Beggars from English ports?

Answer 9

• 1572

Question 10

What happened after Elizabeth expelled the Sea Beggars?

Answer 10

• Sea Beggars land in Netherlands and were unchecked by Spanish garrison there
• Rebels start revolt against high taxation and Spanish rule

Question 11

When did all of the provinces in the Netherlands revolt and what did they produce as a result?

Answer 11

• 1576
• Pacification of Ghent
• Called for expulsion of all foreign troops and restoration of provinces’ autonomy

Question 12

How did the provinces stop working together?

Answer 12

• 1579
• Provinces became divided and led to two separate groups
• Union of Utrecht - largely northern and Protestant
• Union of Arras - largely southern and Catholic

Question 13

When did the Union of Arras make peace with Spain? What were the outcomes of this agreement?

Answer 13

• 1579
• Duke of Parma becomes new governor-general
• Reconquest of northern provinces begins

Question 14

How did Anglo-Spanish tensions deepen following 1579 Union of Arras working together

Answer 14

• Elizabeth briefly considered marrying French Duke of Anjou - he considered invading Netherlands to rid of Spanish
• Elizabeth knights Francis Drake who circumnavigated globe
• Elizabeth supports Portuguese pretender, Don Antonio - Spain annexed Portugal in 1580

Question 15

How successful was Parma’s reconquest of the north by 1580?

Answer 15

• Only Holland and Zeeland left in Protestant hands

Question 16

When was the Treaty of Nonsuch made? What were its outcomes?

Answer 16

• 1585
• Between Elizabeth and Union of Utrecht
• Elizabeth pays for 6400 infantry and 1000 cavalry under Robert Dudley’s (Earl of Leicester) command

Question 17

How many soldiers were agreed to be given to the Dutch in the Treaty of Nonsuch?

Answer 17

•7000

Question 18

Was the Robert Dudley’s invasion successful?

Answer 18

• No
• Soldiers badly paid, prepared and disciplined
• Officers, Stanley and Yorke, deserted and joined Spanish
• Dudley proclaimed governor of Netherlands which quarrelled with Dutch

Question 19

By what year had all the Spanish been expelled from the northern Netherlands?

Answer 19

• 1594

Independent by 1609

Question 20

What were the outcomes of the Dutch revolt?

Answer 20

• Northern Netherlands became an independent state
• Southern Netherlands still under Spanish control, but gained some autonomy
• No major foreign power established in the Netherlands

Question 21

What year did the Spanish Armada attack?

Answer 21

• 1588

Question 22

When did the English fight the Spanish Armada?

Answer 22

• 1588

Question 23

How did Spain fail in Battle of Graveyards?

Answer 23

1. Long distance from England; gave time to prepare from Cornwall
2. Poor weather, south westerly winds in channel
3. Poor leadership by Duke of Medina Sidonia
4. Poor coordination and communication
5. Philip assumed the fleet would scare Elizabeth to compromise over Netherlands and return to Catholicism

Summary, poor weather, leadership, communication and coordination + Philip’s assumption led to its failure

Question 24

When did the English see the Armada from Cornwall?

Answer 24

• 19 July 1588

Question 25

Who led the Spanish Armada?

Answer 25

• Duke of Medina Sidonia

Question 26

Should England be credited of its victory over Battle of Graveyards?

Answer 26

- Yes 1. Alerted itself early with beacons to signal armada’s arrival 2. Positioned navy to force the Armada to sail into the channel’s south-westerly winds 3. Fleet had long range guns 4. Fireships to disorganise the armada Summary; beacons, positioned, fireships, guns

Question 27

When was the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 27

• 29 July 1588

Question 28

What was the outcome of the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 28

• Duke of Medina Sidonia had to pull away from English gunfire • And take fleet on a dangerous journey home around west coast of Ireland and north coast of Scotland

Question 29

How was the Spanish Armada’s journey home? How much of the original fleet survived?

Answer 29

• Bad weather wrecked many ships • Fewer than half of original fleet returned to Spain

Question 30

Did Spain give up after first armada? When did it gave up?

Answer 30

- no - Second Armada 1597 failed due to storms and weather - Third Armada 1601 landed in Ireland but failed to reinforce and defeated - Gave up in 1604

Question 31

Was Elizabeth completely successful over Spanish threat?

Answer 31

- No - 1592 Failed to support Henry IV over Spain’s invasion of France ; Henry declared himself Catholic - 1596 Raleigh and Essex failed counter-Armada over Spain, failed to establish permanent base but captured Gaidiz and 50 ships destroyed - 1597 second counter-armada failed due to poor weather and disagreements