‘Elizabeth I’s policy towards Spain was always weak and unconvincing’
Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1568 to 1603.
A* standard example essay
‘Elizabeth I’s policy towards Spain was always weak and unconvincing’
Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1568 to 1603.
Between 1568 and 1603 most of Elizabeth’s foreign policy was aimed towards Spain, England’s
main rival. Some aspects of her policies could be described as “weak” or “unconvincing” such as
her reluctance to become involved in the Netherlands, and her loose eventual involvement once
she was. Perhaps this view could also be applied to the Armada victory which some might
describe as a lucky victory. However much of the foreign policy towards Spain was stronger
such as Elizabeth’s unequivocal backing of Drake both as a privateer in the New World and his
damaging attack in Cadiz in 1587. Therefore Elizabeth’s foreign policy often adapted to the
situation and there was nuance between decisiveness and weakness.
Firstly Elizabeth’s delay in making decisions contributed to her ‘weak and unconvincing’ foreign
policy between 1568-1603. In the Netherlands, Elizabeth faced pressure to intervene and help
the persecuted Protestants as they looked to her as the head of the largest Protestant country
for support. Instead she remained reluctant to intervene because she didn’t want to jeopardise
the important trade links between England and the Netherlands and also she did not want to
anger Philip of Spain who controlled the Netherlands. When Elizabeth did take action such as
expelling the Dutch Sea Beggars from English ports it only resulted in a deterioration in
Anglo-Spanish relations as they returned to the Netherlands and sparked a full-scale revolt
against Spanish rule. Therefore when Elizabeth didn’t act she looked weak and uncaring
towards her fellow coreligionists yet when she did she made the already tense situation with
Spain even worse.
Elizabeth also failed in her attempts to avoid war with Spain in 1585 and made herself seem
even more weak and unconvincing. Her intervention in the Netherlands to try to counter the
Spanish suppression of the protestants could only be described as a failure given that the
English managed to alienate the Dutch, the very people they were meant to be helping. This
alienation occurred because Elizabeth did not provide enough money so the troops were badly
paid and thus badly behaved especially towards Dutch people. Furthermore her appointment of
Leicester to oversee the operation was poor because the Dutch never trusted him and when
people deserted such as Stanley and Yorke, confidence in his capability dropped even further.
Therefore her aim to stop war in 1585 was weak and unconvincing because it led the Spanish to
exploit Anglo-Dutch divisions for their own advantage.
Although Elizabeth did have some successes in her foreign policy towards Spain, they can be
attributed towards other factors. The Armada victory is seen by many as the greatest
achievement in her reign however much of this came down to luck; the terrible weather
destroyed many Spanish ships for the English without them doing any work. Additionally the
poor preparation on behalf of the Spanish meant that their Armada was nowhere near as large
as it was meant to be because they never had a second army join them from the Netherlands.
Other parts of her positive foreign policy could be attributed to others rather than herself, such
as much of the progress in the Netherlands could be attributed to Maurice of Nassau, who was
the Dutch leader. Thus many of Elizabeth’s foreign policy successes came about due to luck or
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