Elizabeths Foreign Policy Flashcards
Marriage and succession
-was expected to marry
-her ministers believed that her marriage was important for the survival of her dynasty
-refused to bow down to pressure from her ministers
-she also made it clear that her marrying a European power struggle
-there were problems with her marrying a European prince:
-England would be dragged into a european power struggle
There was also problems with her marrying a member of the English nobility:
-there would be rivalry among the English nobility
General foreign policy under Elizabeth
She used marriage as a tool in her foreign policy.
A number of princes were in the mix for marriage
-Philip of Spain
-Eric of Sweden
-Francis (brother of French King)
This act of balancing each contender became useful in the 1570s when she passed child bearing age
By the 1570s, relations with Philip of Spain had broken down and he had been convinced by by the pope to wage war against England
Relations with Mary, Queen of Scotts
-Elizabeth is relatively vulnerable due to her lack of a marriage partner
-in 1562, she caught smallpox, making the problem of the succession even more difficult
-her natural successor at this was Mary but she was catholic
-Mary had been captive since 1568, meant that plotters could use her to cause rebellions
-May was executed in 1587 when she was involved in Babington Plot
-The execution of Mary led Philip to launch the Spanish Armada against England in 1558
-The failure of the Armada put the Mary affair to an end
-Mary would remain unmarried for the rest of her reign remaining the virgin queen
Foreign Policy (1580-1603)
-Elizabeth later foreign policy was dominated by Spain
-in 1585, the initial tensions turned into outright conflict with the beginning of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604)
-Elizabeth sent troops to the Netherlands. To help support Dutch Protestants, this proved to be a disaster.
-Philip sent the armada to invade England in 1588, however, tactics and good luck caused thi plan to fail
How did Elizabeth react to Spain annexing Portugal in 1580
Supported Portugal pretender Don Antonio
When was the treaty of onsuch and who did Elizabeth sign it with
10th Aug 1585- Dutch rebels fighting against Spanish rule
Elizabeths policy towards Spain was weak and unconvincing- assess the validity of this view
Weak and unconvincing-
-The alliance with the Dutch Protestants in 1585 resulting in the Treaty of Nonesuch, resulted in Elizabeth sending troops under the Earl of Leicester to assist Dutch fighters in the Netherlands.
-This support was very badly organised and are regularly paid, which resulted in the alienation of the Dutch and the ultimate unsuccessful in this office alliance.
Effective and stable-
-However elements of Elizabeth policy towards Spain was effective and well considered. Elizabeth expulsion of the sea burgers in 1572, well within the knowledge that they be heading to the Spanish Netherlands to cars provocation, was a way of guiding at the Spanish without being directly implicated.
-April 1587- successful English attack
-Furthermore the threat of the Spanish armada was ultimately defeated in 1588 without any of them are taking place in English style, therefore her policy towards Spain and the threat of its armada was clearly effective and allowed for the stability of the Elizabethan state.
Effective but weak as relied upon looks-
Effective and stable -
