1. Key Topic 2: Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad 1569-88
Focus 3
Outbreak of war with Spain, 1585–88
English direct involvement in the Netherlands, 1585–88.
The role of Robert Dudley.
Drake and the raid on Cadiz: ‘Singeing the King of Spain’s beard’.

2. English direct involvement in the Netherlands and the role of Robert Dudley
The difficulties of the Netherlands
Elizabeth’s cautious orders to leicester were to keep spain from overwhelming the Netherlands completely. Despite this, Philip ii saw Leicester’s arrival in the netherlands as an act of war against Spain. From 1585, although there had been no formal declaration, both philip and Elizabeth considered Spain and England at war. The arrival of Leicester boosted Dutch spirits, but the campaign was not a great success. Leicester felt that Elizabeth was not providing enough money or equipment , and he quarrelled with both his officers and his dutch allies.
Elizabeth’s policy of supporting the rebels
Despite her hesitation, Elizabeth knew it was to England’s advantage to keep spain occupied with the netherlands, so she sent money and weapons secretly to the rebels and allowed them and their ships to shelter in english ports. However, over time, the problems grew. In 1578, a larger spanish army, led by the duke of Parma, arrived in the netherlands, and the english government began to worry about the presence of this army just across the channel. In 1584, the leader of the dutch rebels, William of Orange was assassinated. Now Elizabeth really had to make a major decision. If she did not help the Dutch rebels now, they would be defeated, leaving a spanish army in a good position to threaten England. This was when, in the treaty of nonsuch, Elizabeth finally agreed to direct involvement in the netherlands, and sent an army led by the Earl of Leicester. Spanish and English armies were now facing each other and the two countries were at war.

3. English direct involvement in the Netherlands and the role of Robert Dudley
Elizabeth’s policy of direct involvement
Most historians are now agreed that the war with spain caused by England’s increasing involvements in the netherlands, which was part of spain’s empire. The English Channel was vitally important to both Elizabeth and philip, for trade, security and, in philip’s case, access to his territories in the Netherlands. In 1572, protestants in the Netherlands rebelled against Spanish rule. The Dutch rebels asked their fellow-protestant Elizabeth for help when philip ii sent a huge Spanish army against them. As the diagram at the top of page 66 shows, this created a problem for Elizabeth, as her favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and others argued for sending major help to the Dutch Protestants.
Elizabeth’s treaty of Nonsuch
Elizabeth to take over over the protection of the netherlands. An army of 7,000 to be sent to help the rebels. England to pay for the costs of this army. In exchange for this assistance, the Netherlands was to allow elizabeth to use Brill and Flushing bases for english soldiers.

4. The beginnings of the Armada and Sir Francis Drake’s raid on Cadiz
Elizabeth used the three years between the outbreak of war in 1585 and the sailing of the Armada in 1588 to strengthen England’s defences. Every country was ordered to provide soldiers to defend the coast, warning beacons were set up, and trading ships were converted into fighting ships.
In addition, as soon as war broke out, and perhaps aware of the drain on government finances that this would bring, Elizabeth put Francis Drake in charge of an expedition to attack the lucrative Spanish West Indies. He sailed in 1585, with about 30 ships and 2,300 men. Not everything went to plan. Drake missed the opportunity to attack the Spanish treasure fleet, and his raids in the Caribbean caused him heavy casualties, some due to disease. He did, however, capture two wealthy towns, so that he returned home to England with treasure worth £30,000.
This expedition helped to convince Philip that he could not put up with this drain on Spain’s finances, or continue to be humiliated by Drake, El Draque(the dragon), and he speeded up his plans to deal with England once and for all. Robert Hutchinson, in Elizabeth’s Spymaster (2007, believed that Drake’s expedition was one of the two main causes of the Armada.
Many people believe the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, triggered, or at least accelerated, King Philip II of Spain’s.. Plan to assault England. In truth, the genesis of the invasion was more anger caused in 1585 by Francis Drake’s plundering, burning voyage to West Indies and Leicester’s expedition to the low countries [Netherlands].

5. The beginnings of the Armada and Sir Francis Drake’s raid on Cadiz
Drake and the raid on Cadiz
When news of Philip’s assembling of a great fleet reached England, Francis Drake persuaded the Queen that attack was the best form of defence. In April 1587, with a small but carefully selected group of ships, he sat sail to weaken Spain’s preparations for wa. In a cheeky and daring raid, he sailed into Cadiz harbour in Spain, avoiding its forts and guns, and inflicted heavy damage on the Spanish ships anchored there. This act, known in England, though not in Spain, as ‘the singeing of the King of Spain’s beard’, delayed the construction of the Armada by destroying ships and supplies and then diverting Spanish warships in pursuit of Drake. After the attack of Cadiz, Drake’s convoy sailed northwards, destroyed local Portuguese vessels heading for Lisbon with materials needed for making the barrels that would hold the Armada’s food supplies. Finally ,Drake headed off to the Azores, where his men captured a Spanish treasure ship, the San Felipe, returning home to England with £114,000. His actions left the spanish admirals in confusion and dread, and bought Elizabeth another twelve months to prepare England’s defences.