Elizabeth I Did England become a nation to be feared? Elizabeth’s foreign policy was decidedly more cautious than expansive She was desperate to avoid conflict because it was expensive and the outcome always uncertain However, she had a spirit that could easily be won over by the idea of adventure She delighted in the expeditions of John Hawkins and Francis Drake, which could be seen to be aggravating the King of Spain without actually declaring open conflict In 1562, she agreed to a military expedition in Calais, which was crushed by Catherine de’ Medici’s forces, and this failure would influence her military decisions for the rest of her reign “There was no glory in it for Elizabeth as there was for a male monarch,” Leanda de Lisle reveals “She understood the truth of the adage of Mary of Hungary: that war made it impossible for a woman to rule effectively, ‘all she can is shoulder responsibility for mistakes committed by others.’” Her ally and enemy lines were drawn by religion France and Spain were clearly opposed to England on these grounds, which is why her courtiers were so anxious that Elizabeth marry an eligible man from either country Even after the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572, Elizabeth was reluctant to be drawn into open war The piecemeal way in which she gave the Dutch her assistance shows her reluctance to engage in open conflict of any kind, first offering financial support to the Dutch troops, then the Duke of Anjou, before finally agreeing to send an English force when there was no other option Her cautious attitude towards foreign policy doubtless saved the kingdom a lot of money However, it was taken out of her hands when the Spanish Armada sailed on England.” Verdict The victory against the Armada was a shining moment but for the most part Elizabeth kept out of foreign conflict When she didn’t, she regularly suffered defeats Why did the Armada fail? of the English troops by declaring that she would fight by their side to repel anyone who dared to set foot on their land This grandstanding was impressive and may have gone down in history’s annals but was ultimately unnecessary The Spanish Armada failed and Elizabeth’s victory was the seal on her status ‘The Golden Age’ had begun, where art and literature flowered With England a visibly powerful state, the aristocracy began to patronise the arts with great abandon The famous playwrights of the age enjoyed patronage, albeit with some caveats When Shakespeare wrote Richard II he was encouraged to remove a scene suggesting the ageing monarch should step aside “Elizabeth did not care for plays,” confirms de Lisle: “All too often they were used to lecture her on this or that.” Her crown may have been safe for now, but she received devastating blows with the deaths of two of her most trusted advisors, Dudley and Walsingham Dudley was replaced at court by his handsome stepson, the Earl of Essex, and the young flatterer quickly became her favourite “Robert Dudley’s death in 1588 signalled the passing of the old order, but Elizabeth still hoped she could continue ruling according to her motto, ‘Semper Eadem’ (‘Always the same’)” explains de Lisle “As the years began to pass and her servants died she either did not replace them or find a near-equivalent to the servant she had lost.” It’s a sign of how much she leaned on her old guard that she continued to place her trust in William King Philip amassed his Armada and sent them to the Netherlands to join up with his ground troops, led by the Duke of Parma The English outposts saw the ships coming and alerted the admiralty The weather was against the Spanish, as they were blown off course While they outnumbered the British fleet by two to one, the Spanish ships were enormous, built to carry troops that could board enemy vessels Their crescent formation was famous, but it did little against the smaller English ships When the English sent fireships into the Spanish fleet, the enemy panicked and scattered They managed to regroup for one confrontation, and lost The Spanish retreated, with many ships crashing on the rocks of the English and Irish coastline Bad weather Bad weather prevents the Spanish fleet from organising and the English pursue them Their ships are faster and much more effective Early warning The Armada is sighted west of the English Channel The English fleet is put to sea as the south coast warning beacons are lit Legend says that Sir Francis Drake finishes his game of bowls first Ships wrecked The weather blows the Spanish fleet into the North Sea and they are forced to retreat up England’s east coast, beyond Scotland and down past Ireland Many ships are wrecked Rendezvous The Armada sails to Calais to meet Philip’s most revered general, the Duke of Parma However, he is delayed and they are forced to wait Delays Severe weather forces Philip to dock in Coruna to make repairs to his fleet He is delayed by more than a month Fireships Spanish commanders panic when the English navy sends fireships in among their vessels They scatter into the English line of fire but the losses are not too heavy Armada sets sail On 28 May 1588, Philip is ready to begin his invasion of England He gathers his Armada and they sail from Lisbon vk.com/englishlibrary vk.com/bastau 107