Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad

Elizabeth's I foreign policy aims

• Developing and improving trade to benefit the English economy
• Protecting England's borders and the throne
• Avoiding war, which costs a lot of money

Francis drake

- An English merchant who traded in the New World. Made huge sums of money for people who invested in his voyages like Liz I. He regularly stole Spanish goods like silver or gold

- Liz also issued Drake with secret orders to attack Spanish colonies. By 1577, Anglo-Spanish relations were getting worse and Liz wanted to enrich England and disrupt Spanish valuable trade

Significance: Drake's action made it clear that Enlgand didn't accept Spains domination

- Drake's success have England a national hero and said something about England's strength

- They competed for more territory, more territory meant more people, wealth and power.

- Religion was also a source of conflict as Caths saw Protestantism as dangerous and Prots saw the other to be evil and wanted to destroy the 'true religion' Philip II opposed Liz's religious settle

- Spain and England were traditionally allies but when England became Prot, it changed

- France and Spain valued England as an ally against the other cuz they were competing

Dutch Protestant rebels in the Netherlands start: 1566(Spain-controlled land) Liz applied pressure by

• Indirectly helping Dutch Protestants resist the Spanish
• Allowing Spanish shopping and colonies to come under attack from English privateers
• Pursuing friendly relations with France
• Encouraging others to fight the Spanish in the Netherlands

England's direct involvement in the Netherlands

- After Treaty of Joinville was signed 1584, Elizabeth took direct action in 1585 and signed the Treaty of Nonsuch which put Eng and Spa at war. Eng finance an army of 7,4000 troops 

- Oct 1585, Liz set Drake to raid Spanish settlements to disrupt the flow and angered Phillip II. Phillip told the pope he intended to invade England at the end of 1585

Robert Dudly in the Netherlands, 1585-87

- In Jan 1586 he accepted the title Governor-General of the Netherlands, Liz was furious because it implied she was deposing Phillip II as king of the Netherlands

The English campaign wasn't successful 1586-88 for three reasons

• Elizabeth was never fully behind the rebels,  she still hoped to negotiate and didn't provide necessary fund to mount a large campaign
• Dud and liz had different aims. He wanted to liberate the Dutch and liz wanted it to return
• Relations between Eng and Neth were poor because her lack of commitment

Philip's Strategy

- 130 ships, 2,431 guns, and 30,000 men. Sailed along the English channel to the Netherlands, and join up with Duke of Parma, transport 27,000 troops and impose a Catholic government

How did England defeat the Spanish Armada

Ship design: Galleons were designed to be easier and faster. Cannons were mounted on smaller gun carriage and could be quickly reloaded and fired.

Spanish supplies: Weren't well supplied and had been at sea for ten weeks so food was rotting

Planning and communication issues:Duke of Parma had to use small ships so it took 48 hours to load, man and set sail for when it was time to join a fleet. Communications has to go by see and were unreliable, it took a week for word to travel.

English tactics:They kept a safe distance and chased the Armada down the Channel. They could fire six times more cannon balls and from further away, and conserved cannon balls for the decisive battle