elizabethan - chapter 3.3

Question 1

ever since elizabeth’s accession what had relations between spain and england been like

Answer 1

• tense
• an uneasy peace existed between the two nations

Question 2

why had there been tension between england and spain since elizabeth’s accession

Answer 2

• the Spanish King had been Bloody Mary’s husband
  -> keen to keep his influence, he proposed marriage to Elizabeth in 1559
  -> elizabeth’s reaction angered him
• philip also hated elizabeth’s’ Protestant religious settlement
  -> as a devout Catholic, philip saw elizabeth as a heretic who should not be on the throne

Question 3

what were poor anglo-spanish relations further complicated by

Answer 3

events in the spanish-ruled netherlands

Question 4

why did the dutch people not like being ruled by the spanish

Answer 4

unlike spain, most people in the netherlands were protestant and they disliked the firm hand of the catholic rule

Question 5

when did civil war break out in the netherlands

Answer 5

1556

Question 6

how did philip deal with the civil war outbreak in the netherlands

Answer 6

the Duke of Alba was sent by Philip, along with 10,000 troops, to deal with the rebels in a brutal manner
-> this brutality increase the hatred of spain in england

Question 7

why did elizabeth have strong interest in the events in the netherlands, aside from religious reasons

Answer 7

• the rebellion affected england
• the english economy relied on the cloth trade based at Antwerp
• various trade restrictions were brought in which disrupted english business

Question 8

what was in englands interest to do with the dutch rebellio

Answer 8

it was in england’s interests for the rebellion to be resolved and for the Protestants to overthrow Spanish rule

Question 9

how powerful was spain

Answer 9

spain was the richest and most powerful european power

Question 10

what problem did elizabeth face during the rebellion in the netherlands

Answer 10

• she did not want the netherlands - on englands doorstep, just the other side of the english channel - to be ruled over by a hostile catholic power
• however, if she was too open in her support of the Dutch protestants, she would provoke a war with philip that england could not afford

Question 11

what did england do during the rebellion in the netherlands

Answer 11

• the so-called ‘Peace Party’ on the Privy Council gave indirect help to the rebels
• it was a difficult balancing act
• unofficially, england helped the protestant cause by allowing rebel ships to stay in english ports and by allowing english pirates to attack and disrupt Spanish supply lines to the netherlands
• from 1581, elizabeth also sent the rebels funds to help their fight against Spanish rule

Question 12

what other factors increased anglo-spanish tensions

Answer 12

• attacks on Spanish treasure ships by english privateers such as Francis Drake angered the spanish, as did elizabeth’s support for french huguenots (french protestants)
• encouraged by the pope, philip had also been plotting against elizabeth
• the Spanish Ambassadors in England had been involved in plots surrounding Mary, Queen of Scots which made the english more suspicious of the spanish
• meanwhile, elizabeth’s reaction to the plots had been to persecute the english catholics

Question 13

why did anglo-spanish tension turn to war

Answer 13

• courtiers, including walsingham and dudley, called for military action
  -> both sides made formal alliances
  -> spain signed the Treaty of Joinville with the french in 1584, boosting spanish confidence and raising english fears of a possible catholic invasion
• meanwhile, the protestant cause in the netherlands was struggling
  -> the spanish governor, the Duke of Parma, was successfully crushing the rebellion and the rebel leader William ‘the Silent’ was assassinated
  -> this pushed the english into making formal the unofficial help they had already provided
  -> in 1585, the Treaty of Nonsuch was signed between england and the dutch rebels
  -> england agreed to send 7000 troops - under dudley’s command - to support the rebellion in the netherlands
  -> after years of tension and unofficial conflict, england and spain were formally at war
• philip had already begun to seriously contemplate an invasion of england when, in 1587, mary queen of scot’s was executed
  -> catholic europe was outraged at what it saw as an unjustified murder
  -> for philip, this was the final straw
  -> the time had come for the so-called ‘Enterprise of England’

Question 14

why were plans for spanish invasion on england delayed for more than one year

Answer 14

Francis Drake’s raid on spanish ships at Cádiz, which destroyed much of the spanish fleet and their supplies

Question 15

what did philip prepare for invasion

Answer 15

a huge fleet of 130 ships armed with 2500 guns

Question 16

what was the plan for a spanish invasion of the netherlands

Answer 16

• plan was for the armada to sail up the english channel in order to meet up with the spanish army in the netherlands
• once the troops had been picked up, the plan was for the ships to cross the channel and capture ports on the south coast
• once they had landed, the invasion force would march on london
• the english catholics were also expected to rise up in rebellion in support of the spanish, forcing elizabeth off the throne

Question 17

how big was the spanish army in the netherlands

Answer 17

30,000 men

Question 18

who was in charge of the spanish army in the netherlands

Answer 18

the duke of parma

Question 19

who did philip appoint to lead the armada and why

Answer 19

• the Duke of Medina - a senior spanish nobleman
• he was chosen more because of his rank than his ability

Question 20

what was the spanish leadership like

Answer 20

the Duke of Medina was a poor choice because he had no experience of being at sea

Question 21

who led the english fleet

Answer 21

the english fleet was expertly led by the Queen’s cousin, Lord Howard, and several other men

Question 22

what was the english leadership like

Answer 22

• Howard was Lord High Admiral and was ably assisted by Sir Francis Drake as his second-in-command
• the latter, hated by the spanish, was very experienced at hit-and-run tactics, as were the two other main english commanders involved, John Hawkins and Martin Frobisher

Question 23

spanish resources

Answer 23

philip had huge resources at his disposal

Question 24

english resources

Answer 24

• elizabeth was, compared to philip, weak (resource wise)
• she did not have a full-time army, but had plans in place by ordering every country to provide soldiers
• about 20,000 were gathered but, unlike philip’s professional army, they had little training or equipment

Question 25

what did elizabeth do with her army

Answer 25

- as she did not know where the spanish would land, she had to spread her men across the coast - the main armies were placed in the north of england, in Kent and at Tilbury, in Essex

Question 26

on paper, why was elizabeth relatively weak at sea

Answer 26

there were just 34 battleships in the english navy

Question 27

what happened to make the english navy stronger

Answer 27

private individuals and trading companies were ordered to make their ships available and those were quickly prepared for war -> in this way, about 200 ships were ready for use

Question 28

when did the armada leave Lisbon

Answer 28

may 1558

Question 29

what happened when the armada was first launched

Answer 29

the fleet quickly ran into storms, losing supplies, and forcing the ships back for repairs

Question 30

what happened when the armada was launched for the second time

Answer 30

- they set sail again, this time entering the english channel successfully in a defensive crescent formation - the slower unarmed galleons and store-ships were well protected in the middle and the faster, heavily armed ships sailed on the outside

Question 31

what happened because philip wanted to pick up troops in the netherlands

Answer 31

- picking up troops in the netherlands meant the armada had to pass the entire english coast - given the size of the armada, this would not go unnoticed

Question 32

when and where did the english first spot the armada

Answer 32

19th july, off Lizard Point in Cornwall

Question 33

what happened after the armada was spotted

Answer 33

- a system of beacons that had been built across the south coast were lit to send news of the armada’s arrival to london - church bells were also rung out in warning - as the spanish sailed up the channel, they were followed by the english fleet - there were a few encounters, but the armada successfully maintained its crescent formation and only three spanish ships were lost - however, the armada was in trouble as a key part of philip’s plan relied on close communication between Medina Sidonia at sea and Parma in the netherlands, but this was impossible - the whole mission was poorly planned

Question 34

who had spent years making improvements to english ships

Answer 34

the english explorer and naval commander, Hawkins

Question 35

what were english ships like, thanks to Hawkins improvements

Answer 35

they were now lighter, faster and more manoeuvrable than those in the spanish fleet, which consisted of large, slow galleons

Question 36

what tactic did the english use

Answer 36

- they were careful to keep their distance from the spanish, using light and accurate long-range guns, called culverins, to attack while at a safe distance - this was a good tactical move, frustrating the spanish by making it impossible for them to employ their usual navy tactics

Question 37

what tactics did the spanish usually rely on (which they couldn’t do this time due to the english tactics)

Answer 37

relied on getting close to the enemy, using short-range guns to overcome their adversaries and then employing grappling hooks in order to board enemy ships and take them over

Question 38

what did the armada do when the winds were rising sharply

Answer 38

anchored at Calais

Question 39

what did Drake do when the armada was anchored at Calais

Answer 39

- on the night of 7th august, 8 old english ships were filled with tar and oil and set on fire - these fire ships were then allowed to drift into the anchored spanish fleet - although no spanish ships were actually burnt, the approaching fire ships terrified the Spaniards - the crews panicked and cut their anchor ropes, fleeing out to sea - some crashed into each other and others ran aground - crucially, in the panic the spanish ships were scattered by the wind and were blown towards dangerous sandbanks off the coast of the netherlands - the english had succeeded in breaking the tight crescent formation that the spanish had maintained up to this point

Question 40

what happened after the night of the 7th august

Answer 40

the next day, the two fleets engaged in combat at the Battle of Gravelines, off the coast of Flanders

Question 41

why did the english have the advantage at the Battle of Gravelines

Answer 41

- they had broken the spanish formation and forced the armada to sail into the wind - the manoeuvrable english ships were now a tactical advantage - the spanish were provoked into firing at the english when they were out of range -> their guns were poorly designed and took up so much deck space that they proved impossible to reload after firing just once -> the english culverins, in contrast, could be quickly reloaded and now battered the spanish fleet by firing repeated broadsides

Question 42

what tactic did the english use when firing at the spanish during the Battle of Gravelines

Answer 42

they aimed low, hitting the enemy ships just below the waterline

Question 43

how many ships did the english lose in the Battle of Gravelines

Answer 43

none

Question 44

how many spanish lives were lost in the Battle of Gravelines

Answer 44

about a thousand

Question 45

how many spanish ships were lost in the Battle of Gravelines

Answer 45

5 and more were badly damaged

Question 46

what were there still considerable fears of, even after the english victory at the Battle of Gravelines

Answer 46

fears that Parma might still attempt an invasion

Question 47

defeat of the armada:

Answer 47

- with God’s ‘Protestant wind’ blowing from the south west, the damaged spanish fleet was blown into gales in the North Sea - the change in wind direction meant there was now no chance of the armada meeting with Parma’s troops in the netherlands - the fleet had no choice but to head home - with the english channel manned by the english fleet, the only way back to spain was to sail north - the armada was chased by the english as far as the scottish border - the english then turned back - in september, the spanish fleet sailed around the coast of scotland and ireland - they were battered by storms, running short of supplies, and lacked any accurate map of these areas - many of the sailors fell ill and many vessels were shipwrecked

Question 48

of philip’s fleet, how many ships made it back to spain by the end of the year

Answer 48

only 60

Question 49

how many spaniards had been killed

Answer 49

an estimated 20,000

Question 50

how did philip feel after spains defeat

Answer 50

he was bitterly disappointed at his humiliating defeat

Question 51

what was the english aftermath of spains defeat

Answer 51

- there were great celebrations in england - the victory had enormous propaganda value for elizabeth - national pride was boosted - england’s independence had been safeguarded and protestantism had been preserved - the important role played by the wind in england’s victory was taken as a sure sign of god’s approval of protestantism - the victory paved the way for england to establish itself as a strong naval power - they had shown the importance of guns in sea battles, which had a lasting impact on naval tactics

Question 52

what happened with the anglo-spanish war after the defeat of the armada

Answer 52

- the war dragged on - the english launched an unsuccessful counter-armada against spain in 1589 - philip launched two further armadas in 1596 and 1597, but both were driven back by storms - elizabeth carried on offering help to dutch rebels and the english continued to attack spanish treasure ships and ports - philip continued to try to stir up trouble among elizabeth’s catholic subjects, even aiding a rebellion in ireland - the war put a huge strain on the struggling english economy, causing inflation and hardship for the poor - the war lasted beyond the deaths of both philip and elizabeth, only ending in 1604 - neither side really won