Why did Anglo-Spanish relations decline after 1570?

Learning objective – to be able to explain the reasons why Anglo-Spanish relations declined after 1570. I can describe the key features of Anglo-Spanish relations after 1570. Grade 3 I can explain the key features of Anglo-Spanish relations after 1570. Grade 6 I can explain and assess Anglo-Spanish relations after 1570. Grade 9

What were Elizabeth I’s foreign policy aims? Informed by a much smaller population than France and Spain was well as being less wealthy and having less resources, Elizabeth had four foreign policy aims – Developing trade to boost England’s income. Protecting England’s borders. Protecting England’s throne. Avoiding war.

What were the key areas of rivalry between England and Spain? In the first half of the 16th century, England and Spain were allies. However, a rivalry between England and Spain developed from the late 1560s and intensified throughout the 1570s leading to war from 1585. The rivalry developed on – Commercial interests Political rivalry Religious rivalry

How did England and Spain clash over commerce in the 1570s? Because of the collapse of the European wool market in the 1550s, England needed to look for alternative trading partners and incomes. However, England found two key problems in finding alternative partners and incomes – Spain controlled the Netherlands, which was England’s main route into mainland European markets, particularly Antwerp. Spain controlled the New World [North and South America] where there were valuable trading opportunities.

Why was the New World so lucrative? The New World covered North and South America and the Caribbean. The New World contained valuable crops, such as sugar and tobacco, as well as silver which potentially hugely profitable. Anyone who wanted to trade in the New World had to have a licence from Spain. This was hard to come by and English merchants and traders often traded without one and often attacked Spanish ports and ships. Because they were so lucrative, Elizabeth turned a blind eye to the aggressive English merchants, who amounted nothing more than piracy.

How did Francis Drake anger the Spanish in the 1570s? Francis Drake was a merchant who became a famous English privateer attacking Spanish interests in the New World. In early 1570s, Drake led expeditions to Panama and the West Indies which successfully attacked Spanish interests there making a huge amount of money for himself and his investors, who included Elizabeth I.

How did Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe in 1577-80 anger the Spanish? Drake set off for the New World in 1577 with secret instructions to attack Spanish interests and to bring valuables back to England. Elizabeth wanted Drake to complete this mission as she wanted to show defiance to an increasingly aggressive Spanish. Drake successfully attacked Spanish interests in Chile and Peru as well as seized the region of north California in Elizabeth’s name and called in New Albion. Drake’s route took him around the globe [only the second person to do so] and he brought back the massive sum of £400,000 in riches.

What was the significance of Drake’s actions? Drake’s actions made it clear that Spain had competition for dominance in the New World. Drake’s successful circumnavigation of the globe gave England a genuine hero and boosted their prestige. Drake’s actions gave a massive amount to the English purse, ready for a war. Elizabeth’s public knighting of Drake was an open act of defiance to Spain – approving of Drake’s actions.

How did religious rivalry intensify between England and Spain? The Elizabethan Religious Settlement in 1559 and the increasing anti-Catholic measures in the 1570s, set England against Catholic Spain. However, Philip II of Spain decided to tolerate Protestant England because strategically England was useful to Spain as an ally against France and Spain wanted free access to the Netherlands via the English Channel.

How did political rivalry intensify between England and Spain? Elizabeth’s rejection of Philip II of Spain’s hand in marriage in 1558 led to a permanently frosty relationship between the two. Spain pursued an expansive policy in Europe by taking over Portugal and the Netherlands as well as the New World. Drake’s actions in the New World and Elizabeth’s in the Netherlands were seen as providing competition in these very lucrative regions. However, Spain saw France as the greater threat and both saw England as a potential ally against the other. France was surrounded by Spanish territory and needed an ally to the their north while Spain saw England as a counter balance to the threat of the French. This can help explain why Spain did not act decisively against the English.

Bankrupt Elizabeth I Task Sort out the explanation cards under the following headings – Commercial Rivalry, Political Rivalry and Religious Rivalry.   English merchants often attacked Spanish ports and towns in the New World. Philip II of Spain hated the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. Drake led expeditions in Panama and the West Indies attacking Spanish treasure ships in 1572. The Spanish were jealous of Drake’s successful circumnavigation of the globe. Spanish refused to grant English merchants licences to trade in the New World, so the merchants did it anyway, Spain saw England as an ally against the French as well as allowing access to the Netherlands through the English Channel. The New World contained lots of valuable crops and silver which was lucrative and Elizabeth wanted to profit from it. Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe earned £400,000 for English investors. Elizabeth rejected Philip’s hand in marriage which he took as a deep insult. Philip II of Spain was becoming increasingly concerned with anti-Catholic measures in England in the 1570s. Drake seized north California and called it New Albion. The French saw England as a potential ally against Spain as they were surrounded by Spanish territory.  

Follow up questions Which reason – commercial, religious and political – do you think was the most significant in explaining the decline of Anglo-Spanish relations after 1570? Research the role of Sir Francis Drake in decline Anglo-Spanish relations and draw up and timeline of his actions between 1570 and 1580.

Plenary – a touch of Scrabble The mystery word that relates to this lesson is worth ...... 12 points ..... Using the Scrabble score card, can you work out which word it is?