Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada

Question 1

When did Elizabeth come to power

Answer 1

1558

Question 2

Who were Elizabeth’s parents

Answer 2

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

Question 3

What problems did she face on the throne

Answer 3

Religion, poverty, sucession, foreign policy and weak rulers

Question 4

How did she try to fix religious tension in the UK

Answer 4

She allowed Catholics and Puritans (Protestants) to keep their private beliefs as long as they went to the Church of England in public. This failed and the Pope excommunicated her in 1570.

Question 5

Who did she execute

Answer 5

She executed Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 because she saw her as a threat to her throne.

Question 6

How did she strengthen her political control

Answer 6

By keeping her unmarried status

Question 7

Who did she defeat

Answer 7

The Spanish Armada - a vast fleet of warships from the then world super power. By defeating Spain, England was on the way to being a world power by her death and one which had set up its first colony.

Question 8

How could she be compared to ‘Bloody Mary’

Answer 8

• She executed many more people than her Father (Henry VIII) who killed around 57,000 people
• Arrested an MP when he complained
• Hunted, tortured, and executed Catholic priests who came into England to undermine her power

Question 9

How did she treat Parliament

Answer 9

She bullied and controlled Parliament, and ran the government as she wished

Question 10

What myth did she encourage

Answer 10

The ‘Gloriana’ myth

Question 11

How did she try to fix poverty

Answer 11

Poverty was especially high in the countryside, caused by harvest failures and rising prices. So, she passed the Poor Law (1601) but people were still starving.

Question 12

How did she try to fix their losses in recent battles (Foreign policy)

Answer 12

She inherited a defeat against France and had recently lost Calais, the last of the their land in France. But, she defeated the Armada which was a spectacular victory for England.

Question 13

How did she deal with succession problems

Answer 13

She refused to marry anyone

Question 14

How did she become a strong ruler

Answer 14

The monarchs before her were Edward, who was a child, and Mary, whose reign was full of problems. She developed a strong image, used good advisers and kept Parliament in check. Her reign is mostly seen as a period of strength and stability.

Question 15

How did the Queen keep hold of her power

Answer 15

She chose good advisors, especially Lord Burghley and then his son, Sir Robert Cecil.

Question 16

Why did she want lots of portraits of herself

Answer 16

She wanted to be represented as a pure and powerful woman.

Question 17

Who was the most powerful empire in the late 16th century

Answer 17

Spain. Spain’s king, Philip II, ruled much of the New World (North and South America) and much of western Europe.

Question 18

Why did King Philip want to invade England

Answer 18

When Elizabeth I executed the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots in 1587, Philip was personally angered and, wanting England for himself, decided to invade. He had also not forgiven Elizabeth for refusing to marry him and was angry because English sailors were robbing Spanish treasure ships

Question 19

What was King Philip’s plan

Answer 19

Philip’s plan was that an armada (am armed fleet of warships) of 130 ships would sail to the Netherlands, pick up 30,000 Spanish troops and invade England. However, the Armada was delayed by an English attack on Cadiz harbour in 1587.

Question 20

What happened at the battle between Spain and England

Answer 20

In 1588, Philip’s Armada finally set sail. When the Armada anchored at Calais, the English used fireships (a ship loaded with burning material) to scatter the Spanish fleet and then attack it at the Battle of Gravelines in July 1588. The Armada was forced to abandon its invasion attempt and was destroyed by storms, which Philip I called the Protestant Wind, whilst trying to sail home round the north of Scotland.

Question 21

What did the battle represent

Answer 21

The conflict with the Spanish Armada represented the height of the long struggle between Protestant England and Catholic Spain. Until recently, both English and Spanish historians believed that the Armada was the time when Spain’s fortunes changed and England became great. But, modern historians believe that though this wasn’t good for Philip, it wasn’t as terrible for him as if was thought to be although it did give Elizabeth a better reputation around the world.

Question 23

What was England’s battle plan

Answer 23

Order traders and fishermen to bring over 150 ships to join Elizabeth’s navy of 28 warships at Plymouth. Order noblemen, called Lords Lieutenant, to train small bands of men to defend the coast. Gather an army of about 5000 men to defend London. Depend mainly on the famous skills of England’s sailors.

Question 24

What made England’s ships better than Spanish ones

Answer 24

England has less ships, but their ships had more resources and were better built. The Spanish - on the other hand - had lots of ships but they didn’t know what to do with them as they hired young nobles to use the ships instead of people with more experience.

Question 25

What happened as a result of the Middle Way’s failure?

Answer 25

There were many attempts to assassinate her (such as the Babington Plot) so that England could become Catholic again.