rivalry with spain

?
View mindmap
  • Rivalry with Spain
    • Religious differences
      • Spain was a Catholic country and England a Protestant country – meaning that the two rulers had conflicting spiritual outlooks and allegiances.
    • Marriage rejection
      • King Philip II of Spain had been married to Elizabeth’s sister, Mary I. When Mary died he offered to marry Elizabeth but she rejected him.
    • Piracy
      • English sailors like Hawkins and Drake attacked and stole treasure from Spanish ships in the New World. King Philip was furious but Elizabeth encouraged and rewarded adventurers.
    • The civil war in France
      • France was the traditional enemy of both England and Spain, meaning that they united together against the country.
      • Now France was in civil war it was preoccupied with its own issues and no longer posed a threat – so the alliance between Spain and England was not necessary anymore.
    • Spain supported Catholic plots
      • There was evidence of Spanish support for plots to restore Catholicism to England, particularly involving getting Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne and Elizabeth off.
    • The Dutch Revolt
      • Protestants in the Netherlands began a revolt against Spanish rule in 1572. Elizabeth secretly supported the Dutch rebels because she knew the Dutch revolt would keep the Spanish too busy to threaten England.
    • Elizabeth's army joined the Dutch rebels
      • In 1585, Elizabeth sent an army to help the Dutch rebels fight Spain. For the first time English and Spanish armies were fighting each other. England and Spain were now at war

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

See all History resources »See all Elizabethan England resources »