Chapter 20 - Foreign affairs Flashcards

1
Q

why did elizabeth’s status as a single woman create considerable difficulties?

A
  • it meant that the succession, should she die without issue, was at the forefront of ministers thinking
  • but elizabeth considered her marriage and succession to be part of the royal prerogative and were therefore not areas for discussion by either the council or parliament
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2
Q

who were the candidates for marriage in the early years of elizabeth’s reign?

A
  • Robert Dudley
  • Philip II
  • The archdukes Ferdinand and charles, sons of the emperor ferdinand
  • prince erik of sweden
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3
Q

what were the problems with dudley potentially marrying Elizabeth?

A
  • it horrified william cecil, whose own influence would have been seriously eroded
  • furthermore, the marriage would have created many political risks, a consequence of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of leicester’s first wife, Amy.
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4
Q

why was Philip II not a serious candidate for marriage?

A

he offered his hand as a polite gesture, but probably lacked serious intent because of his profound catholicism.

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5
Q

what happened when ministers first raise the issue of marriage in January 1559?

A

elizabeth deflected the pressure gracefully

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6
Q

why was the situation around succession when parliament met in 1563 very different to 1559?

A
  • Elizabeth had been stricken with smallpox in October 1562 and for a time it seemed she might die, thereby creating a succession crisis
  • councillors were perfectly aware of the disasters that might ensue should the queen die; civil war, foreign invasion and religious strife were all possible outcomes
  • the level of panic among her councillors should not be underestimated
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7
Q

who were the potential successors for elizabeth at the time she had smallpox?

A
  • Mary queen of scots
  • the disgraced Lady Catherine Grey
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8
Q

how had Lady Catherine grey disgraced herself?

A

by secretly marrying the earl of hertford without the queen’s approval

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9
Q

how did elizbath react when parliament (with some MPs being prompted by members of the privy council) pressed her to marry in 1566?

A

she reacted furiously bainshing leicester and the earl of pembroke from the presence chamber, publicly rebuking other members of the council and summoning members of both houses of parliament for a ferocious tongue-lashing.

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10
Q

what was proposed in 1579 with regard to marriage?

A

when elizabeth was declared still capable of bearing a child, a marriage to the duke of anjou was suggested, however some councillors were horrified that this would lead to an infant child (under french influence) as successor

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11
Q

why was James Stuart a good potential successor?

A

he had a good hereditary claim, was protestant and by 1600 he already had 2 sons

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12
Q

what did councillors do once people began to realise james would be the successor?

A

they began to try and woo him, robert cecil kept contact with james and ensured an untroubled succession, for which he received due reward

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13
Q

what was significant about the peacefulness of James’ succession?

A

never before had a change of dynasty happened so smoothly, and much of this was down to cecil

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14
Q

why did MQS pose a continous problem to elizabeth from the time she fled to england until her execution?

A

some english catholics saw her as the rightful monarch and she became the focus of plots to overthrow elizabeth

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15
Q

why was the treason law tightened?

A
  • after elizabeth was excommunicated in 1570, in the eyes of the catholic church, catholics in england no longer needed to obey her
  • this frightened elizabeth and her council so the law was tightened
  • after the excommunication protestants were deemed loyalists and catholics traitors
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16
Q

when was the Ridolfi plot?

A

1571

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17
Q

what was the plan for the ridolfi plot?

A

involved a conspiracy for mary to marry the duke of norfolk and overthrow Elizabeth

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18
Q

what was the significance of the ridolfi plot?

A

it allowed burghley to ensure the execution of norfolk for treason

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19
Q

when was the throckmorton plot?

A

1583

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20
Q

what were the details for the throckmorton plot?

A
  • foreign landing in sussex followed by overthrow of elizabeth and her replacement by Mary
  • foiled by the efficiency of Sir Francis Walsingham’s espionage network
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21
Q

what was the significance of the throckmorton plot?

A
  1. led to the creation of the bond of association
  2. worsened anglo-spanish relations
  3. Tightened conditions of mary’s captivity
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22
Q

when was the parry plot?

A

1585

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23
Q

what did the parry plot aim to achieve?

A

the assassination of Elizabeth

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24
Q

what was the significance of the parry plot?

A

it led to an acceleration of parliamentary proceedings on a bill to ensure the queen’s safety

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25
Q

when was the babington plot?

A

1586

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26
Q

what were the details of the babington plot?

A

Mary complicit in a plot to assassinate elizabeth but it was exposed by Walsingham’s codebreaker, Thomas Phelippes

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27
Q

why was elizabeth reluctant to execute MQS?

A

they were cousins and elizabeth was reluctant to press for the execution of another anointed monarch

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28
Q

where was Mary put on trial?

A

Fotheringhay castle

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29
Q

who was ordered to try mary?

A

privy councillors and nobles assisted by judges

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30
Q

why did several of those ordered to try mary plead illness?

A
  • some feared regicide
  • others were more concerned that to condemn to death the mother of thier possible future monarch might not be a particularly sensible career move
31
Q

what happened at Mary’s trial?

A
  • she was plainly guilty, however on elizabeth’s command no sentence was pronounced
32
Q

how long was the delay whilst elizabeth tried to avoid having to execute MQS?

A

4 months

33
Q

how did burghley (cecil) try and pressure elizabeth to sign MQS’ death warrant?

A
  • he used his old tactic of parliamentary pressure.
  • parliament duly petitioned elizabeth, but she refused to sign the warrant until 1 february 1587 and gave contradictory orders about its dispatch
34
Q

when did elizabeth sign mary’s death warrant?

A

1 February 1587

35
Q

how did mary meet her end?

A

with great dignity and composure

36
Q

how was mary viewed in the eyes of many english catholics?

A

a martyr for the catholic faith

37
Q

why did anglo-spanish relations deteriorate towards the end of the 1560s?

A
  • the trading activity of John Hawkins. Hawkins attempted to break the Spanish trading monopoly in the caribbean. He so infuriated spanish interests that in September 1568 his fleet was blockaded in the mexican port of San Juan de Ulua and only two of his ships were able to escape
  • the situation in the netherlands
  • the english found opportunities to harass the spanish
38
Q

what was the situation in the netherlands towards the end of the 1560s?

A
  • Philip II wanted a tighter form of poltical organisation in the netherlands under more direct spanish control, which would help to root out heresy.
  • elizabeth came under pressure from protestant councillors to aid the dutch protestants who feared danger.
  • she was reluctant to take action, having suffered heavily from her french adventure, and had qualms about aiding rebels who were fighting sovereign authority.
39
Q

what did the english do to harass the spanish in November 1568?

A
  • a storm forced several spanish vessels, carrying 400,000 florins which was intended to pay the duke of alba’s army, to seek shelter in english ports
  • elizabeth impounded the money
40
Q

what did alba do in response to elizabeth impounding the 400,000 florins?

A

he seized english ships and property in the netherlands

41
Q

what other factors served to sour anglo-spanish relations by the early 1570s?

A
  • the breakdown of anglo-spanish and anglo-dutch trade
  • philip’s encouragement to the northern rebellion in 1569 and the ridolfi plot in 1571
  • excommunication of elizabeth
42
Q

who were the sea beggars?

A

dutch pirates licensed by the rebel leader william of orange

43
Q

how did elizabeth contribute (possibly inadvertently) to the detioration of anglo-spanish relations in 1572?

A
  • by expelling the sea beggars from english ports.
  • they were forced to land in the dutch port of brielle and their occupation of the port, unchecked by the spanish garrison there, sparked off full-scale revolt against the rule of spain
44
Q

what had happened in the netherlands by 1576?

A
  • all of the provinces of the netherlands had risen against what they saw as atrocities by the spanish army
  • collectively, they produced the pacification of ghent, a situation favoured by elizabeth
45
Q

what did the pacifaction of ghent call for?

A

the expulsion of all foreign troops and the restoration of the provinces’ autonomy

46
Q

what happened after the pacification of ghent?

A

the provinces quarrelled amonst themselves and the french were prepared to invade the netherlands. This was not what elizabeth had hoped for and she even contemplated marrying the duke of anjou to retain english influence in the netherlands

47
Q

what did divisions among the provinces in the netherlands lead to?

A

the emergence of 2 separate entities, the Union of Utrecht (largely northern and protestant) and the union of Arras (largely southern and catholic)

48
Q

what did the spanish making peace with the union of arras mean?

A

the new governor-general, the duke of parma, could begin his reconquest of the northern provinces

49
Q

what strengthened spanish power in 1580, worsening matters for England?

A

the annexation of portugal

50
Q

how did elizabeth adopt a more overtly anti-spanish position after the annexation of Portugal?

A
  • she supported the portuguese pretender, Don Antonio
  • knighting Francis Drake for circumnavigating the globe (during which he irritated the spanish hugely)
  • treating the spanish ambassador contemptuously
51
Q

how did the situation in the netherland deteriorate further after 1580?

A
  • Parma’s reconquest of the north gained momentum, leaving only the provinces of Holland and Zeeland in protestant hands
  • william of orange, the rebel leader, was assassinated in 1584
52
Q

what did the treaty of joinville do? (1584)

A
  • Philip II and the catholic league in France came to an agreement.
  • this alarmed elizabeth because the Guise family led the catholic league and with the guise’s as his allies, Philip II no longer had a political motive to prevent him from supporting Mary, Queen of Scots.
53
Q

when was the treaty of joinville?

A

1584

54
Q

how did elizabeth try and countaract the tems of the treaty of joinville?

A

she made an alliance with the dutch protestant rebels in the treaty of nonsuch in 1585 and sent troops to the netherlands under the command of the earl of leicester

55
Q

what was the problems with the troops elizabeth sent to the netherlands after the treaty of nonsuch?

A
  • the troops, badly and irregularly paid, were so ill disciplined that they alienated the dutch
  • the dutch felt betrayed when two officers, william stanley and rowland yorke, deserted and joined parma
  • leicester quarrelled with the dutch. (the dutch thought elizabeth was trying to do a deal behind their backs with Parma)
56
Q

what did the fiasco with the troops elizabeth sent to the netherlands cause philip to believe?

A

it encouraged philip to think that he could exploit the divisions between the english and dutch

57
Q

what had philip convinced himself about the armada?

A

he was doing god’s work and was engaged in a catholic crusade

58
Q

why was the sailing of the armada delayed?

A

the english attack on spanish ships in the harbour at cadiz in april 1587

59
Q

when did the armada finally set sail?

A

22 July 1588

60
Q

what was the objective of the armada?

A

to reach the port of gravelines, in the spanish netherlands, where it was intended that the spanish army, commanded by parma, would board the ships so that an invasion of england could be launched

61
Q

when was the armada sighted?

A

29 July, off the coast of cornwall

62
Q

what was the armada forced to do after being defeated in battle?

A

because of unfavourable winds, it was forced to try and return to spain by the hazardous route of sailing north towards and then back south to the west of ireland. they lost many more ships in storms as a result

63
Q

what fronts was the war against spain fought on?

A
  • at sea off western europe
  • in the caribbean
  • on land in france, the netherlands and ireland, where it was connected to a revolt against elizabeth’s rule
64
Q

what did many believe about the war against spain?

A

england was involved in a war for both national and religious survival against a universal catholic conspiracy

65
Q

what did policy makers agree on about the war with spain?

A

national and/or religious considerations were paramount

66
Q

what differences in views on strategy for the war with spain were there?

A
  • some took a ‘minimalist’ view, which in effect concentrated limited resources in the netherlands to confront the duke of parma
  • others such as john hawkins favoured a more expansive naval campaign, which they argued could be self-financing, while accepting that a land campaign in the netherlands was also necessary
67
Q

how did those who favoured a expansive naval campaign support their case?

A
  • by arguing that war in the netherlands tended to be expensive and difficult
  • while england had enjoyed success with small-scale naval attacks in the caribbean and on mainland spain in 1585 and 1587
68
Q

what events in the war at sea happened in 1595?

A
  • the english made three attacks on mainland spain and its colonies
  • these included the capture and occupation of cadiz and the sinking of four galleons. however it was short lived and there was no strategic follow up
  • Hawkins and drake advocated an attack on panama, which they regarded as the weakest point in the spanish empire, but the attack failed and both hawkins and drake died at sea
69
Q

what was the significance of the capture of cadiz?

A
  • it humiliated philip II and prevented spanish merchant vessels from sailing to the west indies, which proved a blow to the spanish
  • ## it also provoked philip to order a fleet to invade england in 1596, however by the time it set sail it was well into autumn and was defeated by storms.
70
Q

how did events in ireland impact the war at sea?

A
  • the spanish also tried to exploit a rebellion in ireland for their own ends
  • to prevent a possible spanish attack on ireland, a fleet under the earl of essex’s command was despatched to attack the spanish fleet in harbour in north-west spain in 1597.
  • Essex’s fleet was driven back to the Azores, suggesting that the need for booty had once again superseded wide strategic considerations.
  • the spanish fleet succeeded in setting sail for ireland and, but for the wind, might well have landed virtually unopposed there.
  • further fear of invasion in 1599, prompted almost entirely by false intelligence, created a huge panic in england.
  • thereafter, naval activity was directed almost entirely by the need to prevent spanish landings in ireland.
  • in the end, little had been achieved at very great cost.
71
Q

who was made commander of english forces in the netherlands in 1589?

A

Sir Francis Vere and he proved to be highly capable

72
Q

what factors combined to ensure that the territories that had been lost to the duke of parma were recovered?

A
  • Sir Francis vere was capable and formed a positive relationship with the dutch leader, maurice of Nassau.
  • the spanish faced problems, their troops mutinied on a regular basis and were overcommitted in France
73
Q

by when had the spanish been expelled from all the lands of the northern netherlands?

A

1594

74
Q

why were english objectives in the netherlands achieved triumphantly?

A

the northern netherlands became an independent state; the southern netherlands, while remaining under spanish sovereignty, also achieved a degree of autonomy.

therefore no major foreign power was entrenched in the netherlands