Challenges at Home and Abroad Flashcards
1
Q
why did the Northern Earls revolt?
A
- wanted England to be Catholic
- they lost a lot of their influence at court under Elizabeth
- Elizabeth not having an heir created uncertainty, the earls feared a future Protestant monarch
2
Q
what was the marriage plan?
A
- Mary would marry the Duke of Norfolk and remove Elizabeth to become queen
- Mary told the Spanish that she would become queen
- however, Robert Dudley told Elizabeth of the plan leading to Norfolk’s arrest and imprisonment
3
Q
why did the revolt of the Northern Earls fail?
A
- support from Spain never arrived
- many northern landowners remained loyal to Elizabeth
- many landowners didn’t want to risk losing wealth gained by backing a failed revolt
4
Q
what was significance of the revolt of the Northern Earls?
A
- it showed Mary could not be trusted
- the pope excommunicated Elizabeth and called on Catholics to remove her
- the loyalty of England’s Catholics was now in doubt
- Elizabeth’s control over the north of England was strengthened
5
Q
give background information to the Ridolfi plot of 1571:
A
- one of the Catholic plots
- the failure of the earl plot meant that Elizabeth treated Catholics with suspicion
- laws were implemented against Catholics, which angered them
- this led to the Ridolfi plot of 1571
6
Q
describe the progress of the Ridolfi plot (1571):
A
- Ridolfi was a spy for the Pope
- Ridolfi plotted to kill Liz, put Mary on the throne
- Ridolfi travelled to the Netherlands to discuss the plot with Philip II and the Duke of Alba
- Philip told Alba to prepare troops and send them across the English Channel
- Sir William Cecil discovered the plot, so Ridolfi remained abroad and never returned
- Duke of Norfolk was executed but Mary left unpunished
7
Q
what was the significance of the Ridolfi Plot 1571?
A
- reinforced the threat from Spain
- confirmed that Catholics remained a threat
- the Spanish threat meant that England needed to improve their French relations, as they could not fight both countries
- the government began to monitor Catholic activity
8
Q
what was the Throckmorton plot 1583?
A
- the French Duke of Guise plotted to invade England to overthrow Liz and free Mary
- Philip II offered to pay for the revolt and the pope approved of the conspiracy
- Throckmorton would pass letters between the plotters and Mary
9
Q
why did the Throckmorton plot 1583 fail?
A
- Sir Francis Walsingham discovered the plot in May 1583
- in November 1583, Walsingham’s spies found Throckmorton’s papers
- Throckmorton was arrested and tortured
10
Q
why was the Throckmorton plot significant?
A
- revealed the Catholic threat
- confirmed government’s fears of enemies within
- Catholics treated with suspicion
11
Q
describe the events of the Babington plot 1586:
A
- the Duke of Guise would invade England, murder Liz and put Mary on the throne
- Babington wrote to Mary about the plot
- Walsingham intercepted
- Babington and the plotters were sentenced to death
- in Oct 1586, Mary was sentenced to death
- Liz signed Mary’s death warrant in Feb 1587 and Mary was beheaded shortly after
12
Q
why was the Babington plot significant?
A
- Liz’s situation was more precarious than before
- by 1585, Spain and ENG were virtually at war
- Liz’s government became determined to crush the Catholic threat
- persecution of the Catholics intensified
- Mary was executed
13
Q
why was Sir Walsingham important?
A
- his actions provided intelligence that defeated Catholic plots
- his intelligence unmasked the activities of Mary
- his actions deterred further plots against Elizabeth
14
Q
what was Walsingham’s spy network?
A
- he had a network of spies and informants in every town
- his agents were paid and trained by the government
- others were paid informants
- he used spies abroad
15
Q
what was Walsingham’ use of ciphers?
A
- he used ciphers for all correspondence
- he also had the means of decoding the codes of the plotters
16
Q
what was Walsingham’s use of torture and execution?
A
- some priests were tortured
- the threat of execution and torture was often more effective as it provided him with informants
- he only used torture and execution in the most serious casees
17
Q
why was Mary, Queen of Scots executed?
A
- she was involved in a series of plots
- Walsingham’s spies unearthed evidence that Mary was involved with the plotters
- the Spanish threat was very real
- Mary was a rallying point for disgruntled Catholics
- Mary was an alternative monarch who could take the throne
18
Q
what was the significance of Mary, QoS’s execuution?
A
- made Liz’s heirs more vulnerable in the future
- angered Spain and gave Philip II reason to attack ENG
- made succession more uncertain, increasing chances of a civil war
- removed an important threat to Liz, as Mary was the focus of many Catholic plots
19
Q
what were the consequences of English victory in the war?
A
- English navy strengthened: boosted exploration, encouraged trading
- Protestant cause stronger: suggested God was on the Protestant side, people accepted Protestant rule
- Foreign policy: ENG had Protestant allies in Europe and was no longer isolated
- Liz’s authority enhanced: she was portrayed as a military victor, reflected in portraits
20
Q
what were the consequences of English victory for Spain?
A
- the defeat of the Armada was a major military and financial setback for Philipp II
- Spain’s war with ENG continued for the rest of Liz’s reign
- Spanish prestige was broken and countries became more willing to challenge Spanish power
21
Q
describe the events of the Armada 1588:
A
29 July: the Armada is spotted in the English Channel
31 July: battle of Plymouth, two SPA ships are captured
3 - 4 Aug: battle of the Isle of Wight, SPA ships are outgunned and move further up the channel towards Calais
8 Aug: battle of Gravelines, fireships cause SPA to panic, the SPA fleets never links up and is scattered
22
Q
why was England victorious?
A
- communication: Parma and Medina Sidonia Dukes didn’t talk
- provisions: SPA didn’t have enough food and were at sea for 10 weeks, damaged SPA morale
- tactics: Drake’s use of fireships, ENG had a good distance from SPA ships
- ships: the guns on ENG ships could be quickly reloaded
- panic: SPA panicked because of the fireships and their ships drifted
- weather: gale force wind caused destruction to SPA ships as they went home
23
Q
why did Philip II launch the Armada?
A
- religious conflict
- acts of provocation
- politics and diplomacy
- changing circumstances
24
Q
what was Philip II’s strategy?
A
- he ordered the Armada (130 ships and 2431 guns) to sail across the Channel to the Netherlands
- from there the ships would join the SPA troops under the Duke of Parma
- the SPA army would then attack London, end Elizabeth’s reign and establish a Catholic government
25
what were Philip II's tactics?
- he needed control of the Channel to transport the troops to England
- it was vital that the English Navy disrupted the Spanish shipping as it meant they would be less likely to defeat the bigger and better army later
26
why was the Armada such a threat?
- if it succeeded, Elizabeth could lose her throne and potentially her life
- for English Protestants, an invasion meant the restoration of Catholicism and Protestant persecution
27
explain the Spanish religious rivalry:
- under Mary Tudor, SPA and ENG were allies, when Liz came, that relationship fell apart
- Philip II saw Protestantism as a threat
- English Protestants saw Catholicism as a threat
- Philip II became involved in Catholic plots
28
explain Spanish policy in the Netherlands:
- the Netherlands had been Spanish but many became Protestant
- Spanish campaigns aimed to restore Catholicism
- SPA Catholics executed many Dutch Protestants
- Spain's campaign in the Netherlands angered Elizabeth's government
29
explain the English response to the Spanish:
- Liz's government decided to secretly help the Dutch
- they allowed rebel ships, financial support
- they attacked Spanish shipping
30
explain the Spanish Fury and the Pacification of the Ghent:
- by 1576, Spain realised war in the Netherlands was unaffordable
- this resulted in the Spanish Fury and they looted Antwerp
- after the looting, Dutch provinces formed an alliance called the Pacification of the Ghent
31
explain the restoration of Spanish influence:
- by late 1584, Spain controlled the Dutch again, England allies were dead, Dutch Catholics were ready to make peace with Spain
32
explain how England and Spain were close to war:
- Philip II blamed English support of the Dutch rebels for making the situation worse
- Philip II blamed English privateers for attacks on Spanish shipping
- Liz's government blamed Spain for a series of plots against Elizabeth
33
explain the Spanish commercial rivalry:
- ENG and SPA were trade rivals
- they competed against each other
- Spain had conquered Mexico and Peru which gave them vast amounts of gold and silver
- by Liz's reign, sailors were journeying great distances around the world
34
explain the English hostility towards Spain:
- Spain represented a major barrier to English trade
- SPA control of the Netherlands close off some of the main trade routes used by English merchants
- SPA control of the New World denied English traders profitable opportunities
- therefore, English traders' efforts to making money brought them into conflict
35
explain privateering:
- English merchants raided Spanish colonies
- Drake captured lots of money
- Elizabeth encouraged Dutch rebels to attack Spanish ships
- by 1580, the loss of silver meant that the Spanish government could not pay its soldiers
36
explain the deteriorating relations:
- Elizabeth knighted Drake which demonstrated her defiance towards Spain
- her actions showed the support of Spain's financial loss
- for Philip II, privateers needed to be removed
37
give background information to the war with Spain:
- England signed the Treaty of Nonsuch with Dutch rebels, making war more likely
38
describe the campaign in the Netherlands:
- it was not a great success
- Elizabeth still hoped to negotiate with Philip II
- some of Dudley's officers defected to the Spanish side, hurting relations with the Dutch rebels
- Dudley and Elizabeth had different aims in the Netherlands
39
what were the results of the campaign in the Netherlands?
- Dudley could only disrupt Spanish forces, not defeat them
- Dudley did manage to stop the Spanish from capturing a deep-water port, which meant that the Spanish Armada couldn't link up with the Duke of Parma's troops
40
explain Drake's attack on Cadiz: Singeing the King of Spain's beard
- since Jan 1586, Spain had been building up its Armada
- in March 1587, Liz ordered Drake to attack the Spanish navy, he destroyed their ships and supplies
- Drake then continued to attack Spanish coastal ports and treasure ships
41
v what was the importance of Drake's attack on Cadiz and Spain?
- Spain had to take a break from building the Armada in order to defend themselves against Drake
- the disruption Drake caused delayed the Armada by a year
- because of this, England had more time to prepare for the eventual Spanish attack and invasion in 1588
