Rivalry, War and the Spanish Armada Flashcards
List 4 causes of the conflict with Spain.
- Trade and commercial rivalry
- Religious rivalry
- Political rivalry
- English involvement in the Netherlands
List 3 reasons why was there trade/ commercial rivalry between England and Spain. (Examples)
- England’s main trade abroad was wool in Antwerp
- Overproduction of wool led to a slump in trade, and Spain tightening control over the Netherlands caused chaos in Antwerp in 1550
- To replace the wool trade, some new markets were found in Russia and India, but the New World was a much better option
- A lot of money could be made by trading with the Spanish Empire in North and South America/ attacking their ships; piracy
- Trading with colonists was illegal as it required a licence from Spain, which they rarely gave to foreigners
- Piracy in the New World was so profitable that Elizabeth turned a blind eye to it as long as she was given a share of the money
- 1572, Nombre de Dios: Francis Drake knew Spanish ships were anchored there, full of gold and silver. He attacked the town, and took £20,000 (£30 million) worth of silver
- 1579, The Cacafuego: while circumnavigating the world, Drake heard it had left South America a couple days earlier. He pursued it and captured £140,000 worth of cargo
List 4 reasons why there was religious rivalry between England and Spain.
- Philip saw Elizabeth as a heretic, especially after her excommunication in 1570
- He was a devout Catholic who was likely to try to return countries to Catholicism
- During the 1570s, Elizabeth started to increase penalties against Catholics
- Mary, Queen of Scots was executed in 1587
List 5 reasons why there was political rivalry between England and Spain.
- Spain was involved in plots to overthrow Elizabeth
- Elizabeth supported Huguenots; French Protestants
- Elizabeth had rejected Philip’s offer of marriage in 1559
- Philip was wary of an alliance between England (his traditional ally) and France (his enemy)
- Spain signed the Treaty of Joinville with France in 1584, increasing fears of a Catholic invasion
List 6 reasons why England was involved in the Netherlands.
- In the Netherlands in 1572 Dutch Protestants rebelled against the Spanish Catholics in charge
- Philip II responded by sending an army of 10,000 men led by the Duke of Alva (and a larger one later, led by the Duke of Parma in 1578), the brutality of which increased Spanish hatred in England
- Spain ruling the Netherlands was risky for England as they were just across the English Channel
- English pirates could attack Spanish ships in the Channel
- The Earl of Leicester, among others, wanted Elizabeth to help fellow Protestants
- After the assassination of William of Orange (the leader of the Dutch rebels) in 1584, Elizabeth had to help the Dutch rebels, or else they’d be defeated
List 3 things Elizabeth did to help the Netherlands.
- She unofficially allowed rebel ships to stay in English ports
- From 1581 she sent the rebels funds
August 1585, Treaty of Nonsuch: - England sent an army of 7000
What did Elizabeth gain from the Treaty of Nonsuch?
- English soldiers could use the ports of Brill and Flushing as bases
What 4 things did England do after the outbreak of war with Spain in 1585?
- Counties were ordered to supply men to guard the coast
- Warning beacons were set up
- Trading ships were converted into fighting ships
- In 1585, Elizabeth sent Francis Drake on an expedition to the New World, and he returned with £30,000 worth of treasure
What caused a delay in the sailing of the Spanish Armada?
- In 1587, Drake sailed into Cadiz harbour (Spain) and heavily damaged the ships there
- He also destroyed the Armada’s food supplies
- He attacked the San Felipe and returned to England with £114,000
- This delayed the sailing of the Armada by a year
- This event was known as ‘the singeing of the King of Spain’s beard’
- Drake was also known as ‘El Draque’ (The Dragon)
What was the Spanish plan for invading England?
- The Armada would sail through the English Channel to Calais to meet up with the Duke of Parma
- The Duke of Parma and his 30,000 troops would be picked up and they would sail to England
- They would capture ports in the South of England and march on London
- English Catholics would also rebel, and Elizabeth would be overthrown
Compare the leadership of the Spanish and the English
Spain:
- Duke of Medina Sidonia had been appointed to lead the Armada
- He was the second choice as the first had died in 1587
- He had no naval experience and was hesitant to accept the role
England:
- Lord Howard, Lord High Admiral, supported by Francis Drake and John Hawkins
- All had experience
- Drake and Hawkins were very good at hit-and-run tactics
Compare the ships, weapons, sailors and armies of the Spanish and English.
Ships:
- Spain had 130 ships that were slow and hard to manoeuvre
- England had almost 200 ships, quite a few of which were designed by John Hawkins to be faster, lighter and more manoeuvrable
Weapons:
- Spain had 2000 cannon that were heavy, short range and hard to reload
- England had under 2000 culverins that were long range and easy to reload
Sailors:
- Spain had 8000
- England had 14,000
Soldiers:
- Spain had between 20,000 and 30,000 experienced soldiers
- England had 20,000 that were poorly trained stationed at Essex, Tilbury and Kent
When did the Armada set sail, and what happened?
- May 1588
- They ran into storms, lost supplies and had to go back for repairs
- They continued to sail in a crescent formation up the English Channel
- The Armada were spotted in Cornwall on 29 July
- Beacons were lit to send the news to London
- The Armada was pursued by the English fleet, who fired at them, but they faced no serious damage
- Philip had commanded them to get close enough to the English ships to board them and then capture them, but the English kept their distance
- On 6th August, the Armada arrived in Calais
What was the first issue with Philip’s plan to invade England?
- Good communication was needed between Medina Sidonia and Parma as the Spanish ships could have been attacked by Dutch pirates
- This was impossible as Medina Sidonia was at sea
What did the English do in Calais? What were 3 effects of this?
- During the night of August 7th old English ships were filled with flammable materials, set on fire and carried by the wind towards the Spanish sips
- They panicked, cut anchor and broke out of their crescent formation
- They could no longer link up with Parma
- They had lost their anchors, so they also couldn’t take shelter in a harbour
