Collection of 9 detailed A* Elizabeth I Essay plans for the A Level AQA Tudor history exam.
Clear and strong structure with key evidence needed for high marks, perfect for revising for the upcoming exams in 2023.
‘Elizabeth’s Foreign Policy towards Spain was always weak
and unconvincing’
PARA 1 - YES - VICTORY WAS ONLY THROUGH WEAKNESS OF HER OPPONENTS
- Leadership by Duke of Medina Sidonia: never been on a ship before / not experienced
naval of cer
- English quick to exploit opportunities often by weather - Send re ships to destroy some
Armada while anchor
- Geography bene tted England who also had superior gunnery and manoeuvrability -
due to John Hawkins
- Harold of Ef ngham and Francis Drake were both excellent leaders
- Capture of Cadiz: humiliated Philip II - prevented S. merchant vessels from sailing into
West Indies
- Proved a blow to Spanish / provoked Philip into an uncharacteristically cautious
response
No - defeating Armada
- April 1587: successful English attack on Spanish ships in Cadiz = delayed - 23/27 ships
at Cadiz were destroyed
- Capture of Cadiz: humiliated Philip II - prevented S. merchant vessels from sailing into
West Indies
- England was a minor power compared to Spain
- Proved a blow to Spanish / provoked Philip into an uncharacteristically cautious
response
- Weather conditions etc. made the most out of it and ready for exploitation
PARA 2 - YES - NO CLEAR FOREIGN POLICY JUST HARASSMENT
- Storm had forced 5 Spanish vessels to take refuge in England
- 4000 Florins which was intended to pay army of the Duke of Alba Elizabeth impounded
the money due to previous actions at San Juan de Ulua
- Led alba to seize English ships and property in the Netherlands
- Elizabeth took away all lands of Spanish subjects in England
- 1572: inadvertently contributed signi cantly to deterioration in Anglo-Spanish relations
- Expelled sea beggars from English ports - forced to land in Dutch port of Brielle = 600
men sacked the port
- Sea beggars: licensed Dutch pirates / group of Calvinists that rampaged through C.C in
many parts of Neth.
- Occupation of the port sparked off full-scale revolt against the rule of Spain
- Unchecked by the Spanish garrison there
Established national security
- Established national security
- Saw themselves in a war for national and religious survival - policies not be weak or
unconvincing
- fought on several fronts e.g. W Euro. / Caribbean / France / Dutch = England was v
vulnerable + money !!!
- Spending in order to ensure success = determination and strategic awareness in terms
of foreign policy
- Knew what she wanted to achieve and aided by the support of her minister + prevailed
despite £££ issues
fi fi fi fi fi
, PARA 3 - YES - DETERIORATION OF ANGLO-SPANISH RELATIONS OVER
NETHERLANDS
- In 1585: Elizabeth made signed Treaty of Nonsuch with the Dutch protestant rebels
- sent troop to the Netherlands under the command of earl of Leicester
- Troops badly and irregularly paid were so ill disciplined that they alienated the Dutch
- Dutch felt betrayed when of cers William Starkey and Rowland Yorke deserted + joined
Parma
- English commanders quarrelled amongst themselves
- Leicester quarrelled with Dutch - thought Elizabeth was trying to do a deal behind pace
with Parma
- January 1558: Leicester returned to England and resigned his command
- Encourages Philip - he could exploit decisions between England + Dutch - saw it as war
not peace
‘To what extent was the execution of Mary Queen of Scots in
1586 the key turning point in Englands relationship with Spain
in the years 1558 to 1603’
PARA 1 - EXECUTION OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
- In 1587 Mary Queen of Scots was executed and this could be seen as a direct threat to
Catholicism especially because Spain had been involved in many of the plots which
had tried to replace Elizabeth with Mary
- In 1587 tensions escalated with Raleigh and Drake attacking Cadiz harbour and the
year later the armada launched an unsuccessful attack on England
- The English-Spain war would continue until 1604 when James I ended it
- Gave Philip the excuse for the Armada, ended the chance of Catholic succession in
England.
- Marked the start of actual armed con ict between the 2 states, key watershed as it
committed rst Elizabeth and then Philip to the intervention.
- HOWEVER - execution a pretext - the crucial change was the need to deal with the
nuisance England presented to trade and to the counter-reformation.
PARA 2 - ATTACK ON SPANISH FLEETS
- Gold Bullion 1568
- English and Spanish forces were left in direct confrontation.
- Resulted in seizing trade with England, angered Spanish, trace wasn’t fully restored
until 1573 so 5 year period - hugely signi cant.
- HOWEVER - English pirates had long been committing acts of aggression against
Spain, a king of surrogate war as not fought in Spain or England.
PARA 3 - INTERVENTION INVOLVEMENT IN THE NETHERLANDS
- There had been high tensions for the vast majority of the reign between Spain and
England
- Split between English and Spanish Netherlands
- Elizabeth supported Protestant rebels who Duke of Alba was trying to deal with
- Treaty of Joinville and Treaty of Nonsuch
- Spain had 50,000 soldiers stationed in the Netherlands, an obvious threat
- Raleigh and Drake were involved in acts of piracy in South America which was openly
antagonistic
fi fi fl fi
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