Elizabethan foreign affairs Flashcards
issues of succession; Mary, Queen of Scots; relations with Spain
why was Elizabeth marrying a topic of discussion
as Elizabeth was single it meant that if she died Mary who was a catholic would come to the throne
why did Elizabeth not want to discuss the marriage/succession
She felt it was the royal prerogative so should not be discussed in court
who was the first choice suitor for Elizabeth to marry
Robert Dudley/ Earl of Leicester
my did Liz not marry Dudley
Cecil tried to prevent it as his own influence would reduce
Would have created political risks as Dudley’s first wife died in mysterious circumstances
what other suitors were there for Elizabeth and why weren’t they chosen
Archduke Ferdinand and Charles of Austria and Philip of Spain - all catholic
Prince Erik of Sweden - protestant but E showed little interest
when was the issue of marriage first raised in parliament
January 1559
Why was the issue of marriage raised again in 1563
the issue seemed more urgent as \Elizabeth had had small pox and almost died
what happened when the issue of marriage was pressed in 1566
Elizabeth was furious and banished Leicester from the presence chamber as Leicester and Cecil had prompted parliament to push the issue
Who would the heir presumptive have been under Henry VIIIs will and why would they not have been suitable
Lady Catherine Grey
disgraced through secret marriage to the Earl of Hertford
when and why was Elizabeth suggested to marry the prince of Anjou
1579
Elizabeth was declared still capable of having a child
why did some councillors not want Elizabeth to marry the prince of anjou
worried it would lead to an infant under french influence as the successor
how did the execution of Mary Queen of Scots impact the succession
Mary’s son James VI of Scotland had the best claim to the throe even though the stuarts had been excluded from the succession in Henry VIIIs will
why was James VI a good successor
he was protestant
had 2 sons by 1600
how did councillors react to James Vi being successor
tried to get into his favour
Essex was in regular contact with him until his death in 1601
Robert Cecil kept contact
How did Robert Cecil help with the succession
ensured the transfer of dynasty went smoothly on James succession
did Elizabeth name James as her successor
no
but her authority had ebbed away and plans were put in place for James succession
when and why did Mary Queen of Scots flee to England
1567
Francis II dies so returned to Scotland from France
Married Lord Darnley
Darnley murdered Mary marries the murderer Earl of Bothwell
set of brief civil war so she fled
when was the Ridolfi plot and what happened
1571
conspiracy of MQS to marry the Duke of Norfolk and then overthrow Elizabeth
Mary, Philip and the pope were involved in the plot
when was the throckmorton plot and what happened
1583
planned landing of French catholic forces in Sussex followed by an overthrow of Elizabeth and replacement by Mary
backed by papal money
how was the throckmorton plot prevented
Walsinghams espionage network
when was the Parry plot and what happened
1585
plot to assassinate Elizabeth
What did the government do after the Parry plot
accelerated parliamentary proceedings on a bill to ensure Elizabeths safety
When was the Babington plot and what happened
1586
Mary complicit in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth
What prevented the Babington plot
Walsinghams code breakers
what happened after the Babington plot
the execution of Mary was secured by Burghley
When was MQS put on trial
October 1586
When was MQS death warrant signed
1st February 1587
Elizabeth was reluctant to sign it so Cecil had to use parliament to petition Elizabeth to sign it
why did relations between England and Spain deteriorate
trading activity of John Hawkins attempted to break the Spanish trading monopoly in the Caribbean
The Spanish wanted tighter political control of the Netherlands to root out heresy and E was pressured into aiding Dutch protestants
England found opportunities to harass the Spanish e.g. November 1568 Spanish vessels carrying 400,000 florins were forced into English ports by a storm and E impounded the money
what sparked the Dutch revolt against Spanish rile
1572 E expelled the sea beggars from English ports so they were forced to land in the Netherlands
Their occupation of the port sparked revolt
What had happened in the Netherlands by 1576
all Dutch provinces had risen against the Spanish army and called for a return to provincial authority
what emerged from the Dutch provinces quarrelling
2 entities
Union of Utrecht in the North (protestant)
Union of Arras in the South (catholic) - made peace with the Spanish
what heightened tensions between England and Spain
E supported Don Antonio (Portuguese pretender)
knighted Sir Francis Drake
treated Spanish ambassadors disrespectfully
When and what was the Treaty of Joinville
1584
Philip II allied with the catholic league
as Philip was allied with the Guises he had nothing stopping him from supporting MQS
How did E counteract the Treaty of Joinville
Treaty of Nonsuch
When and what was the treaty of Nonsuch
1585
E allied with protestant rebels in the Netherlands
sent 7,000 troops under the command of Leicester
Problems with Leicesters intervention in the Netherlands
troops had poor and irregular pay so had little discipline which alienated the Dutch
William Stanley and others deserted and joined the Spanish
English commanders quarrelled amongst themselves
Leicester quarrelled with the Dutch
When did Leicester return to England and resign command
Jan 1558
What was the result of divisions between England and the Netherland
Philip II though he may be able to exploit these divisions - Spanish Armada
What was the motivation behind the Spanish armada
Philip believed he was doing Gods work as a Catholic crusade
What delayed the Spanish Armada
successful English attack of Spanish ships at Cadiz in 1587
When was the Spanish Armada launched
July 1588
How many ships and men were in the Spanish armada
30 ships
17,000 men
what happened when the Spanish Armada anchored in Calais
English fireships attacked and the armada scattered out of its crescent formation
When was the Battle of Gravelines and what happened
29th July
after winds forced the Spanish fleet North towards Graveline
English defeat the Spanish as the English navy has a bigger fleet, faster ships and longer range guns
what happened after the armada was defeated at Graveline
winds pushed them further North
English turned back
To return to Spain the armada had to go around Scotland and Ireland where storms wrecked many ships
less than half of the forces returned
What did Essex do in 1596
led 17 ships and 47 war ships which captured and occupied Cadiz and a Spanish treasure ship (cost Philip 12 million ducats)
no strategic follow up
Why was Philip mad after Essex’s venture
humiliating
prevented Spanish merchant vessels from sailing to the Caribbean
what did Sir Francis Vere do and when
1589
forged positive relations with Maurice of Nassau (Dutch leader)
helped to recover territories in the Netherlands lost to Spain
what had happened in the Netherlands by 1594
the Spanish had been expelled from all Northern Dutch territories and became an independent state
Situation in the Southern Netherlands
under Spanish sovereignty but still had some autonomy so there was no major power entrenched in the Netherlands
