Foreign Policy Flashcards
What were Elizabeth’s 3 main foreign policy aims? Were they successful?
- Avoid fighting wars (FAILED, BUT KEPT POSITION)
- Maintain Protestantism in England (SUCCEEDED)
- Create a more maritime (sea-based) empire (SUCCEEDED)
What are the 2 key reasons why Elizabeth wanted to avoid fighting wars?
1) Threatened her position (particularly against male rulers)
2) Expensive
What are the 2 suggestions about how Elizabeth wanted foreign policy to affect England’s religion? Which is most likely + did each succeed?
- Wanted to maintain Protestantism in England
(Most likely - succeeded) - Wanted to spread Protestantism across the continent
(Less likely - failed)
Briefly summarise foreign relations between England + Scotland (start-middle-end of reign)
Start: Tense because of Auld Alliance
Middle: Bad because of French Catholic intervention + the threat posed by Mary Queen of Scots
End: More peaceful (Mary gone + French no longer in Scotland)
Briefly summarise foreign relations between England + France (start-middle-end of reign)
Start: Tense - in war + traditionally enemies
Middle: Turbulent - went between improvements (treaties + proposed marriage alliances) to downfalls (invasions, religious issues)
End: More peaceful - change to leadership brought French acceptance of Protestantism reducing threat of a Catholic invasion
Briefly summarise foreign relations between England + Spain (start-middle-end of reign)
Start: fairly amicable - former marriage alliance with Mary
Middle: relations deteriorated - religious differences, contrasting role in Netherlands, started to antagonise each other
End: relations fairly bad - still in a war, but England in fairly good position as Spanish had been pushed out of Netherlands
Briefly summarise foreign relations between England + Ireland
Bad - Elizabeth never defeated by rebellion in Ireland was threatening + expensive to defend against across her reign
