Deterioration of Anglo-Spanish Relations 1559-85

Question 1

1559

Answer 1

Phillip offered to marry Elizabeth which showed his support for her

Question 2

1562

Answer 2

Phillip protested to Elizabeth about her support for Huguenot rebels against a Catholic government in France. Elizabeth responded to the complaint by keeping her troops from joining the Huguenot army in Northern France.

Question 3

1563

Answer 3

Phillip banned imports of English cloth in the Netherlands. This was done to protect the Netherlands against infection by plague from England. However, the ban reflected annoyance that the balance of trade had turned in England’s favour while Liz turned a blind eye to piracy in the Channel and to the work of English Merchants in spreading protestant ideas in the Netherlands. Elizabeth responded by banning all imports from the Netherlands, but both sides backed down and normalised trade relations in 1564

Question 4

1566-67

Answer 4

The outbreak of the Dutch rebellion. Spanish Duke of Alba was sent to the Netherlands to crush rioting by Calvinists and to restore the firm government. This act made the northern coast of the channel insecure. Massive alarm in England that Alba’s army might be turned against them once its work in the Netherlands was completed - with the aid of the Guise faction in france

Question 5

1568 - ambassadors

Answer 5

Spain expelled the English ambassador from Madrid and replaced its own ambassador in London with a more hard-line Catholic, De Spes. This added to the tensions of the previous year, although the changes were for apparently innocent reasons. De Spes made contact with MQS

Question 6

1568 - carribbean

Answer 6

In the Caribbean, Spanish government ships attacked John Hawkins’s fleet because it was trespassing on Spain’s monopoly of the Atlantic slave trade, this became a major source of Spanish Grievances.

Question 7

1568 - gold

Answer 7

Elizabeth seized bullion being transported through the channel for Alba’s army. Alba’s army was already owed pay and this action created a real crisis. Alba retaliated by confiscating all English ships docked at ports in the Netherlands and Spain. Trade was not fully restored until 1573

Question 8

1569

Answer 8

De Spes negotiated with the Northern earls, encouraging their rebellion to place Mary on the throne. This showed that Phillip’s ambassador and phillip indirectly was plotting against elizabeth

Question 9

1570 - pope

Answer 9

The pope formally excommunicated Elizabeth and Declared her deposed. Repression of English Catholics began to prevent them from carrying out the pope’s wishes

Question 10

1570 - marriage

Answer 10

Elizabeth began to consider marriage to the Duke of Anjou, one of the brothers of King Charles IX of France, as a way of preventing France and Spain from acting together against her. Elizabeth, aged nearly 40 was using her marriage as a possible diplomatic tool

Question 11

1571

Answer 11

Discovery of the Ridolfi Plot by Cecil, uprising to overthrow Elizabeth in favour of Mary with Spanish military support - in which Phillip and De Spes were implicated. De Spes expelled, repression of Catholics in England intensified

Question 12

1572 - marriage

Answer 12

Treaty of Blois - replaced the idea of marriage to the Duke of Anjou with a formal Anglo-French defensive alliance against Spain. A ‘diplomatic revolution’ but it quickly foundered because Elizabeth was not prepared to go to war in the Netherlands to support French ambitions. England continued to give unofficial support to the Huguenots, especially after the Massacre of St Bartholomew in France in 1572 when thousands of Huguenots were killed

Question 13

1572 - civil war

Answer 13

Intensification of civil war in the Netherlands when rebels seized the port of Brill which destabilised the Netherlands. Elizabeth was accused by Spain of encouraging the rebels by giving them safe harbour and allowing English volunteers to support the rebellion

Question 14

1576

Answer 14

Unpaid Spanish soldiers mutinied in the Netherlands in the ‘Spanish Fury’ ransacking towns across the country. Elizabeth was urged by Leicester to send troops into the Netherlands, but she would only agree to financial help

Question 15

1579

Answer 15

Duke of Parma - Spanish commander began to recover lands lost in the Netherlands to the rebels - increase Spanish stronghold in the Netherlands. Inaction from Elizabeth led to increased danger of a possible spanish invasion of england.

Question 16

1580

Answer 16

Phillip II inherited the Portuguese crown and its overseas empire in Africa and Asia. Spain controlled both of the huge overseas empires that had developed in the sixteenth century

Question 17

1581

Answer 17

Elizabeth began to fund resistance to Parma in the Netherlands. Phillip was aware of this and began to consider attacking England

Question 18

1583-84

Answer 18

Spanish ambassador Mendoza was expelled after being implicated in the Throckmorton Plot to overthrow Elizabeth and install Mary as queen. War between England and Spain was becoming closer, especially with the activities of English privateers capturing Spanish treasure fleets

Question 19

1584

Answer 19

Treaty of Joinville was signed between Spain and French Catholics. This treaty was important because it gave Phillip the impression that if he attacked England, France would not react. - she failed to act and openly declared no support from Phillip

Question 20

1585

Answer 20

Elizabeth signed the treaty of nonsuch with the Dutch rebels - right timing, close to the armada would destabilise Spain. Parma’s success in recovering territory finally convinced Elizabeth that action was needed. She agreed to send 7,000 troops under the Earl of Leicester to maintain the rebellion. - Unofficial start of the anglo spanish war