Why was there conflict between England and Spain? 

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* Phillip II of Spain had been married to Elizabeth’s sister Mary and was at her side as she transformed England back to Catholicism. A committed Catholic he was angry that England had become Protestant again. 

* Phillip’s explorers had travelled the world bringing back great wealth to Spain, with the Pope’s blessing. 

* He had hoped his marriage to Mary would have produced an heir to unite the Catholic world. 

* When Elizabeth became Queen he had issued a marriage proposal, she didn’t refuse but kept him waiting. 

* At first England and Spain were peaceful. 

* In the 16th century Spain ruled the Spanish Netherlands

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The Spanish Netherlands 

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* In August 1566 there was a Protestant uprising in multiple Dutch cities, beginning over taxes but quickly focusing on religion. There was iconoclasm where Catholic icons were smashed. 

* Phillip’s response was ruthless and he sent soldiers to restore order. 

* Elizabeth agreed to send money to support the Protestant rebels and allowed English Protestants to help. She also offered protections to the rebel’s ships, allowing them to stay in English ports until 1572. 

* Elizabeth was supporting the Protestant rebels but also had a financial incentive to help as England had lots of trade with the Dutch cotton merchants. 

* Phillip sent a large army with the Duke of Alva in charge to crush the rebellion but this failed. 

* In 1584 the leader of the Dutch rebels, William of Orange, was assassinated by a Spanish Catholic. 

* In 1585 Elizabeth sent English troops to the Spanish Netherlands to support the rebels. 

* She sent Robert Dudley and 7000 soldiers. Although this did not have much impact it angered Spain greatly.

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Why was there conflict between Spain and England? 

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* Philip had been married to Elizabeth’s sister and wished to marry Elizabeth but she would not agree. 

* England was Protestant and Spain was Catholic. 

* The Pope called for all Catholics to challenge Elizabeth in 1570. 

* Sir Francis Drake and other English sailors had spent years raiding Spanish ports in the Americas and stealing treasures in the 1570s. 

* Elizabeth sent soldiers to help Protestants rebelling against Spain in the Netherlands. Elizabeth had done this because the English economy relied on the cloth trade based at Antwerp and she wan

Protestantism. The English helped indirectly by allowed rebel ships to stay in English ports and by allowing English pirates to attack and disrupt Spanish supply lines to the Netherlands.

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The importance of the Navy 

* Henry VIII had spent a fortune building up the English navy, as an island nation a strong navy was seen as particularly important. 

* Before the Tudors ships were just to take soldiers to battle, over the Tudor period they began to be designed to also attack. 

* Elizabeth put John Hawkin’s in charge of the Navy, building the greatest navy England had ever had. 

* Phillip of Spain also spent a fortune to build up the Spanish fleet to retain their dominance at sea. 

* In the 16th century it was common for countries to raid and steal supplies from other countries ships. Francis Drake and Hawkin’s were known to be very good at raiding the Spanish. 

* In Cadiz in 1587 a raid led by Drake destroyed many Spanish ships, this became known as ‘singeing the beard of the King of Spain’. 

* This was very lucrative for Elizabeth and she gave licences to her sailors to become privateers (permission to attack Spanish ships). 

* They would use fireships, this was when an old shop would be set on fire and sent into a fleet causing chaos as all ships were made of wood. 

* Where there were direct battles they would use the line of battle tactic, lining all the ships into a single line and then firing all together. 

 

Advances at sea in the 16th century 

 

Faster and more manoeuvrable ships 

A new type of triangular sail known as a lateen allowed for much faster travel and new ships focused on both speed and manoeuvrability. This allowed greater distances to be travelled but was also perfect for raids and battles. 

 

More powerful weapons 

Whereas previously sailors would have had to try and board enemy ships it was now possible to fir at them with cannons and try to sink them from a distance. Ships were built specifically for battle and for use in the ‘line of battle’ tactic. Stronger, sturdier ships allowed for heavier and more powerful weapons to be carried. 

 

More accurate navigation 

New inventions like the astrolabe allowed for greater accuracy when planning voyages and working out location. This allowed explorers to embark on journeys with a much higher level of accuracy and to be more prepared for passing through hostile waters. 

 

The Spanish Armada 

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* Phillip’s plan was to send an Armada (armed fleet) to the Spanish Netherlands to pick up an invading force to join with the thousands of men on board. The ships would then land on the Kent coast and the soldiers would march to London. The combined forces would strongly outnumber the English. 

* The Spanish Armada consisted of 151 ships, 7,000 sailors, 34,000 soldiers and 180 priests. The ships were organised into a crescent formation for protection. 

* Phillip chose the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, a man who had never led a naval force, all his captains were experienced. They did not anticipate English resistance until they had landed so they were preparing for invasion not battle. 

* On 6 August 1588 the Armada docked off the Dutch coast, however, the Duke of Parma and his troops were not ready. The English used the delay to attack. 

* Sir Francis Drake led the attack and sent in 8 fireships on the 7th August. The Spanish captains panicked and cut their anchors. The Spanish fleet was in chaos. 

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The Battle of the Gravelines 

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* On the 8th August the Battle of the Gravelines began. The English fired constantly causing damage but not sinking ships. The Spanish struggled to defend themselves. 

* The Armada scattered and Medina-Sidonia tried to return home but was chased by the English. 

* The returning Armada was devastated by storms, their water was polluted and their food rotten. 

* Some ships were wrecked and the soldiers who ventured inland were killed by the Scots, Irish and English. 

* Of the 151 ships that began only 65 returned to Spain. 

* Phillip was humiliated and Elizabeth claimed a great victory for England and Protestantism. 

* The English admirals received medals with the inscription; ‘Flavit Jehova et Siddipati Sunt’ [God blew with his wind and they were scattered. 

* Elizabeth had shown that a Protestant country run by a woman could defeat the richest and most powerful country in the world. This was hugely significant for England and Spain

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Why did the Armada Fail?

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English tactics

The use of fireships worked brilliantly. It broke the tight formation of the Spanish fleet and made individual ships vulnerable to attack. The constant bombardment by the English cannons made it impossible for the Spanish to regroup. Commanders like Francis Drake were good tacticians and leaders. The English ships were also faster than the Spanish.

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Spanish mistakes

The Spanish had some of the most effective warships in the world but they were designed for the Mediterranean and struggled to cope with the English Channel and the North Sea. They were slow and much less manoeuvrable than the English ships. The delay in getting soldiers on board from the Netherlands was disastrous for the Spanish but their biggest mistake was not being fully prepared for a sea battle. Most of the cannons they had on board were designed for use once they had landed in England and they had also brought a number of the wrong cannonballs, making the cannons they did have for naval warfare useless. They were largely helpless as their ships were hit with English cannon fire. The commander of the Spanish fleet was inexperienced, although many of the ships’ captains were very experienced.

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The weather

The Spanish ships had largely survived the battle with the English but many could not survive the journey home. They were battered by storms off the Scottish and Irish coasts and many were wrecked. They ran out of food and water and many of the sailors became too sick to sail.

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Consequences 

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* England’s victory meant they were safe but also how vulnerable they were to invasion. 

* Elizabeth spent the rest of her reign building up the power of the navy. 

* England had now proved themselves to be a major naval power. 

* Phillip immediately began plans for a second Armada but this was not popular in Spain. When he died in 1598 he had still not achieved his aim of controlling England. 

* Victory also brought unity to England and most Catholics were loyal to Elizabeth over Catholic Spain. 

* Elizabeth showed herself to be a great leader and was a key aspect of the ‘golden age’

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