6 - Relations With Spain Flashcards
1
Q
What commercial rivalry was present between England and Spain in Elizabeth’s reign?
A
- After the fall of the Antwerp market in the Spanish Netherlands, where the British would export cloth, Britain started to look for alternative methods of gaining finance or trading.
- The New World in South America was a lucrative area, and British pirates started to steal from Spanish colonies or trade with colonists, which was illegal as a license was needed from the Spanish
- Elizabeth did not condemn these actions due to the large financial reward
- However, many of these events took place many years before war was declared, so was not the main contributing factor to the outbreak of war with Spain.
2
Q
What political rivalry was present between England and Spain in Elizabeth’s reign?
A
- Spain was the most powerful country in the world, ruling over the Spanish Netherlands as well as countries in the New World.
- The acts of Sir Francis Drake (stealing from Spanish colonies) and Robert Dudley (intervening in the Spanish Netherlands), angered Philip as he did not want any other country to challenge his authority
- However, political rivalry was not a major reason for the war as Philip initially supported Elizabeth as the Queen of England, as he did not want Mary Queen of Scots on the throne due to her French links (France was his greatest enemy, Philip then feared a joint invasion). Philip was more worried about France instead of England with regards to political power.
3
Q
What religious rivalry was present between England and Spain during Elizabeth’s reign?
A
- Spain was a Catholic country whilst England was a Protestant country. Philip was unhappy about the increased number of penalties put in place against Catholics and wanted to force England back to Catholicism
- Philip II did not intervene when Elizabeth brought Protestantism to the throne and did not invade when she was excommunicated by the Pope. As a result, religion only played a long-term effect on the outbreak of war
