Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada The cold, stormy night was all too familiar to the English. A devious plan by Spain's king, Philip II, was being formed to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and rid the world of the English "heretics."1 It was a story of deception, false judgments, and poor planning. What was one king's dream turned into his country's nightmare. While the Spanish had bad leaders, the English had good ones. The Spanish had bigger, but slower ships, while the English had smaller and faster ships. The English knew the weather conditions and how to prepare for them, while the Spanish thought it would not be a problem. The English entered the battle in a calm manner, while the Spanish were overconfident. All of these factors led to Spain's undoing. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I, of England, defeated the Armada and the Spanish hubris with good luck, favorable weather and excellent leadership. Elizabeth I was born on September 7th, 1533 to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was just three years of age, her mother had lost favor with the king for not producing a male heir. Anne Bolyen was soon executed and Elizabeth was deprived of any rights to succession. Elizabeth also had two half-siblings from two of her father's many other marriages. Edward VI, son of Jane Seymour, became King of England and Ireland in 1547. Mary I, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, became Queen of England in 1553 and soon grew suspicious of her Protestant step-sister. Due to this fact, Elizabeth was placed in the Tower of London for some time, only to be pardoned when it was discovered that Queen Mary had fallen ill. Mary died unhappy with the fact that her throne was to be succeeded by a Protestant, and not by a Roman Catholic,... ... middle of paper ... ...death in 1603. She did have many great achievements in her life but one in particular was that in 1588, Queen Elizabeth I ,of England, defeated the Armada and the Spanish hubris with good luck, favorable weather, and excellent leadership. 1. Howarth David, The Voyage of The Armada: The Spanish Story (New York: The Viking Press, 1981) back cover 2. Neville Williams, The Life and Times of Elizabeth 1 ( New York: Doubleday and Company, 1972) 136. 3. Vernon F. Snow, The World Book Encyclopedia A (Chicago: World Book-Childcraft International, 1982) 187. 4. Robin Chew, Elizabeth 1- Queen of England 1533-1603 ([Online] http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/lucidcafe/library/95sep/elizabeth.html 1995-98) 1. 5. Howarth, back cover 6. Howarth, back cover 7. William Thomas Walsh, Philip II (New York: Mcmullen Books, Inc.) 653. 8. Walsh, 653. 9. Williams, 182. 10. Howarth, 15.
Post reformation, Elizabeth faced a different type of challenge from nobility who were angered by the Tudor centralisation of government. Although the other factors are present, political, remains a consistent, underlying factor throughout the period. During Henry VII’s reign, there were two strong dynastically motivated challenges to the crown. Simnel and Warbeck in both 1486 and 1491 were both direct challenges to the throne. However, after the imprisonment of Edmund de La Pole in 1506 the Tudor rebellions changed from being direct challenges to the throne to indirect challenges against ‘evil misters’ for example the Amicable Grant in 1525.
The Elizabethan era was a time of literary discoveries, military victories, and religious developments. History tends to focus on the military achievements of the time, such as the successful defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, or the religious developments of the time, such as the overthrow of the Catholic Church in England and the implementation of the Protestant Church. Literature historians focus on the emergence of Elizabethan authors like Shakespeare and Marlowe. Ian Mortimer, the author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England, focuses on the social history of the era. He explains the lives of the people of England in the 1600s.
Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Elizabeth I had many qualities of an absolute ruler and these qualities helped her to make a stronger England. Among the areas that Elizabeth I had absolute power were, her total control of politics in her country, her complete ability to use the military to keep and increase her power, and her complete influence over the social and cultural situation of England.
During Elizabeth the First rule there was a high amount of exploration. Sir Walter Raleigh settled Roanoke Island in 1584. She also approved of the colonization of America with Jamestown and having Virginia named after her title “the Virgin Queen”. It was settled 4 years after she died in 1607. Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1577 under Elizabeth the First rule being one of the first to do so. he set out with five ships to raid Spanish holdings on the Pacific coast of the New World. He abandoned two ships in the Río de la Plata in South America, and, with the remaining three, navigated the Straits of Magellan, the first Englishman to make the passage. A storm drove them far southward; one ship and its crew were destroyed, and
The 17th century was a chaotic time period in England. England saw a transition in their nation’s religion during the reign of different monarchs. Before the start of the 17th century, England was under a Roman Catholic monarch with Queen Mary. Mary attempted to turn the Church of England into a Catholic Church and in the process earned the name “Bloody Mary”. She earned this name through her executions of many Protestants in England. However once Mary was unsuccessful in creating a Catholic England and was no longer the monarch, the Church went back to a Protestant Church. With the church now being Protestant, the Catholic minority in England began to become upset with the church and even plotted to make the church Catholic again through violence.
up to a mile out to sea and the Armada's ships needed at least 20
Elizabeth, the last of the Tudors, died at seventy years of age after a very successful forty-four year reign.
She thoroughly prepared England for the colonization of the Americas. She also helped the arts in England by building several different buildings for the presentation of paintings and the theatre. One of the most well-known paintings of her was named Elizabeth I: The Armada Portrait. This piece of art was created in memory of the Great Sea Battle of 1588, a battle in which the English navy destroyed a Spanish fleet sent to overthrow the Virgin Queen. It depicts Elizabeth with perfect posture and her hand resting on a globe, which represents her power. Her black and white dress represents her high rank while her pearls represent
During her entire rule, Elizabeth I allowed for England to reach an equilibrium in its religious affairs through “The Elizabethan Settlement”, or her religious compromise. The Book of Common Prayer, issued by the Edward VI’s advisor Thomas Cranmer, was restored by Elizabeth....
Due to the surviving letters from members aboard both English and Spanish ships involved in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, it is easily possible for Historians to piece together the information to find a recount of the events in August 1588.
The Spanish Armada was a fleet assembled and dispatched by King Phillip II of Spain in attempt to invade England in 1588. His attempt was unsuccessful. Queen Elizabeth I of England held the defeat of the armada as one of her greatest achievements, assisting the decline of the Spanish Empire. The armada had a mission of both political and religious aims. King Phillip, the leader of the Roman Catholic Spain, was not able to stop a revolt in of his Protestant subjects in the Netherlands, a revolt that began in 1566, aided by Protestant England. By 1586, Phillip had decided that he could not defeat the Dutch until he had defeated England first. Long time religious rivalry between Spain and England was hoped to be resolved by King Phillip in the dethroning of Queen Elizabeth, reconverting England to Catholicism. The plan for conquering had begun. This plan consisted of the coordination of a fleet to sail from Spain and an army from the Netherlands to create a simultaneous invasion of England. His force of 130 ships and more than 30,000 men was to be led by Alonso Peréz Guzmán, duke of Medina- Sidonia. England was aware of the Spanish plans, attacking it at Cádiz, Spain in 1587, succeeding in delaying it for a year. By July of 1588, the armada was spotted off the coast of England on July 29. Lord Charles Howard intercepted it with a larger English fleet near Plymouth, and for the next week made small attacks on the Spanish in battles off of Plymouth, Portland Bill, and the Isle of Wight. Unable to break the Spanish Armada, they waited for their chance at a big blow. The opportunity finally arrived when the armada anchored near Calais, France, hoping to join troops scheduled to sail from the Netherlands. Ingeniously, Howard ordered ships set on fire to be sent against the armada, producing a panic that broke the Spanish formation. In the ensuing battle of Gravelines, on August 8, the Spanish were defeated by England and the armada sailed home with remaining ships that were heavily damaged to Spain; 67 of the original 130 ships reached Spain, most in poor condition.
Queen Elizabeth I was said to be one of the best rulers of England. Unlike rulers before her, she was a Protestant and not a Catholic. She was not stupid though. She did go to church and did everything that Catholics did to prevent getting her head cut off under the rules of her sister Mary. Elizabeth was very young when she came to rule. She was only 17 years old when her sister Mary died and she took over.
One of England’s main adversaries was Spain. In May of 1702 England, Austria and the Dutch declared war to begin the ‘War of of the Spanish Succession.” The cause of the war was due to the death of the King of Spain, Charles the
In 1588, when King Phillip II launched an attack that, logically, should have decimated the English fleet, known as the Spanish Armada, he justified it by citing the Papal Bull that excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570.
Many people have heard of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. However, only some know of all the things they accomplished. They might be best known for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus, but they also greatly contributed to the unity of Spain (“Isabella l”). Together, they brought many kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula together to form what Spain is today. Through Spain’s unification, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella strengthened Spain into an economic and dominant world power, enabling the spread of Christianity and the colonization of a New World.