1. Key Topic 2: Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad 1569-88
Focus 2
Relations with Spain
Political and religious rivalry.
Commercial rivalry.
The New World, privateering and the significance of the activities of Drake.

2. Trade and Commercial rivalry between England and Spain
It is used to be thought that the main reason for the war was the commercial rivalry between England and Spain over trade to the New World. Before 1550, the bulk of English trade abroad was based on the export of woollen cloth led to a slump in the market in 1550, and when Spain began its campaign to bring the Netherlands under tighter control, the Antwerp market descended into chaos.Attempts to replace the cloth trade resulted in the establishment of some new markets overseas, with Elizabethan explorers travelling overland and setting up trading agreements with Russia and India.
Conflict over the New World
A far more lucrative area, however, was the New World. The Spanish Empire there, consisting of Mexico, Peru, Chile and the Caribbean, offered opportunities to make money fast, either by attacking the Spanish treasure fleets or by trading with the colonists, who were short of many goods.Unfortunately for English explorers, this trade was illegal, because it required a license from Spain, and Spain hardly ever gave license to traders from other countries.
Elizabeth’s unofficial support for piracy
The activities, shown on the map opposite, therefore technically amounted to piracy, but the financial rewards were so great that Elizabeth pretended to know nothing about them, even though she unofficially supported these voyages in a return for a share of the booty! Even the famous circumnavigation of the world by Francis Drake, described in detail in chapter 7(pages ), included secret orders to attack the Spanish Empire whenever possible. The main incidents, however, such as at Suan Juan de Ulúa and Nombre de Dios, and the capture of the Cacafuego (see map opposite), took place years before war was declared. King Philip of Spain made many formal complaints about the activities of the English pirates, some of which Elizabeth acted on, but the chronology of these events shows that he did not go to war directly because of them

3. Trade and Commercial rivalry between England and Spain
1568 San Juan de Ulua
On his third voyage carrying slaves to the New world, John Hawkins was attacked by the Spanish at San Juan de Ulua in Mexico. Hawkins lost for ships and over 300 men. One of the survivors was his cousin, Francis Drake. England retailed by seizing a Spanish bullion ship that was sailing through the Channel from Spain to the Netherlands to pay the Spanish army there. Silver was carried from South America to Spain in two fleets, the Flotilla which sailed Mexico and the Galleons which sailed from Peru, both of which attracted pirates.
slaving voyages
John Hawkins made two voyages, backed financially by many of Elizabeth’s courtiers. He sailed to West Africa and brought slaves, who he then took across the Atlantic and sold to colonists in the New World. This was an illegal attempt to break into Spain’s trading empire.
1572 Nombre de Dois
Francis Drake knew that Spanish ships full of gold and silver were anchored at Nombre De Dios. He attacked the town with two ships and 100 men, and seized silver worth about £20,000 (about £30 million in today’s money).
1579 The cacafuego
During his circumnavigation of the world, Francis Drake attacked Spanish settlements on the west coast of South America. In February 1579 , Drake reached Callao and attacked twelve spanish ships, capturing large quantities of coins. He then heard that Cacafuego, a Spanish treasure ship, has left harbour a few days earlier , Drake’s three ships pursued it and captured its cargo, worth £140,000.

4. Religious and Political rivalry between England and Spain
Religious rivalry
Another argument is that religion was the most important reasons for the outbreak of war between England and Spain. The religious rivalry between the two countries was so great that it seemed to make war inevitable after Elizabeth set up a Protestant Church in 1559 and, from the 1570s onwards, began to increase penalties against Catholics (see page 56). When Catholic priests began arriving in England this increased fears of a religious crusade (a holy war with a religious purpose, usually to recapture and convert lands). Philip II was certainly a devout Catholic, who saw it as his life’s work to return countries to the Catholic Church. however , Philip took no action when Elizabeth created the Protestant Church of England, nor when the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in He did not go to war because he did not want war with England at the time, as you can see explained in the diagram below. If religion was a cause of the outbreak of war, it was a long-term one. Philip had lived with a protestant England for over 25 years.

5. Religious and Political rivalry between England and Spain
Another reason for the outbreak of war in 1585 is said to have been political rivalry. It is hard to separate religion and politics in the sixteenth century, because kings and queens, as wall as ruling the country, were responsible for its religion. Philip II, apart from being a strong Catholic, was ruler of the most powerful country in the world. In addition to Spain itself, Philip ruled the Netherlands, an important trading country and owned land in South America, the ‘New World’. In 1580, he became King of Portugal as well. Treasure from the New World made Spain a very wealthy country and able to support a strong army and fleet. The activities of Francis Drake in the New World (see page 68), and the Earl of Leicester in the Netherlands (see page 66), were therefore seen by an angry Philip as direct interference in his affairs.
Philip did not want any other country to the challenge Spanish power, but, certainly at first, he was more worried by France than England. Political rivalry does not seem to have been a major reason for the war. Philip’s anxiety about the power of France meant that he preferred to have Elizabeth as Queen of England that Mary, Queen of Scots, who, although Catholic, had close ties with France. If Mary were Queen, he feared that an alliance between England and France would be much more likely.
This is why, although Spain was involved in the plots and rebellion to overthrow Elizabeth for Mary (see page 50-55), Philip never did anything concrete, such as send an army. From Elizabeth’s point of view, Spain’s interference was a major source of irritation, but she reacted by expelling Spanish ambassadors rather than declaring war. Given have been a very brave of very foolish act of Elizabeth to declare war on Spain.

6. Title
Title

7. Title
Title

8. Title
Title

9. Title
Title

10. Title
Title

11. Title
Title

12. Title
Title