How serious were the problems facing the Elizabethan regime from 1589 to 1603?
The main problems facing the Elizabethan regime from 1589 to 1603 broadly speaking were Presbyterians, relations between Spain and France and the threat they posed to the Elizabethan religious settlement; the death of advisers such as Burghley, Walsingham and the Earl of Leicester which meant Elizabeth I was now surrounded by new advisers she didn’t know if she could trust; the issue of succession which posed a threat to the Tudor dynasty. In order to assess the seriousness of these problems that Elizabeth I was facing at the end of her reign it is necessary to look at whether these problems posed a direct threat to her life, the Tudor dynasty or the legitimacy of …show more content…
In reference to France the most basic notion at the beginning of Elizabeth I’s reign was that they were England’s natural enemy- it was believed they would continuously try to exploit England’s uneasy relationship with Scotland. Throughout the majority of Elizabeth I’s reign France appeared to become a more prominent threat as time passed, and, the 1584 Treaty of Joinville seemed to be a manifesto of Elizabeth I’s fear that Spain and France would form a catholic alliance and try to wage war with England. However, the murder of Henry III in 1589 mean that a Huguenot was now on the French throne and in this same year he appeals to England to help attack the Spanish. In 1594 they send 8 warships and 4000 men to push the Spanish out of Brittany, this would have made France an ally of England and eliminated them as a threat to the English throne. Therefore even when the French and Spanish sign peace Elizabeth I does not see this alliance as a threat as she now has an ally on the French throne, meaning that although France started out as a major threat to the security of England by the end of Elizabeth I’s reign the threat they posed was now minimal, in turn, they cannot be seen as a serious problem the Elizabethan regime still had to …show more content…
In 1589 Spain posed a major threat to England’s channel defences, since most of England’s export trade was sold in the Netherlands (due to the traditional alliance between England and the Dukes of Burgundy) and the Burgundian ruler of the Netherlands was the king of Spain. If Phillip II was to attack England through the Netherlands trade between the two would inevitably cease; the fact that most of England’s trade went to the Netherlands would mean that a cease in trade would negatively impact the English economy in a drastic way. Since Philip II was a devout Catholic and Elizabeth I had established a noticeably Protestant regime the potential of Spain to form a Catholic alliance and use the Netherlands as a key tool in English defeat was significant in this time. Especially since Spain and France progressively began to see Elizabeth I as the heart of an international Protestant conspiracy. England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada saved England from invasion. But, this English victory settled nothing; illustrated in the recurring threat in 1596, 1597, 1599. In addition to this, the continued deployment of forces in the Netherlands from 1585 until the end of her reign and the Irish Rebellion (1595-1603) took a toll on England’s resources. However the Armada greatly strengthened Elizabeth I’s position on the throne and there were no more plots to get rid of her,
The main problems facing the Elizabethan regime from 1589 to 1603 broadly speaking were Presbyterians, relations between Spain and France and the threat they posed to the Elizabethan religious settlement; the death of advisers such as Burghley, Walsingham and the Earl of Leicester which meant Elizabeth I was now surrounded by new advisers she didn’t know if she could trust; the issue of succession which posed a threat to the Tudor dynasty. In order to assess the seriousness of these problems that Elizabeth I was facing at the end of her reign it is necessary to look at whether these problems posed a direct threat to her life, the Tudor dynasty or the legitimacy of …show more content…
In reference to France the most basic notion at the beginning of Elizabeth I’s reign was that they were England’s natural enemy- it was believed they would continuously try to exploit England’s uneasy relationship with Scotland. Throughout the majority of Elizabeth I’s reign France appeared to become a more prominent threat as time passed, and, the 1584 Treaty of Joinville seemed to be a manifesto of Elizabeth I’s fear that Spain and France would form a catholic alliance and try to wage war with England. However, the murder of Henry III in 1589 mean that a Huguenot was now on the French throne and in this same year he appeals to England to help attack the Spanish. In 1594 they send 8 warships and 4000 men to push the Spanish out of Brittany, this would have made France an ally of England and eliminated them as a threat to the English throne. Therefore even when the French and Spanish sign peace Elizabeth I does not see this alliance as a threat as she now has an ally on the French throne, meaning that although France started out as a major threat to the security of England by the end of Elizabeth I’s reign the threat they posed was now minimal, in turn, they cannot be seen as a serious problem the Elizabethan regime still had to …show more content…
In 1589 Spain posed a major threat to England’s channel defences, since most of England’s export trade was sold in the Netherlands (due to the traditional alliance between England and the Dukes of Burgundy) and the Burgundian ruler of the Netherlands was the king of Spain. If Phillip II was to attack England through the Netherlands trade between the two would inevitably cease; the fact that most of England’s trade went to the Netherlands would mean that a cease in trade would negatively impact the English economy in a drastic way. Since Philip II was a devout Catholic and Elizabeth I had established a noticeably Protestant regime the potential of Spain to form a Catholic alliance and use the Netherlands as a key tool in English defeat was significant in this time. Especially since Spain and France progressively began to see Elizabeth I as the heart of an international Protestant conspiracy. England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada saved England from invasion. But, this English victory settled nothing; illustrated in the recurring threat in 1596, 1597, 1599. In addition to this, the continued deployment of forces in the Netherlands from 1585 until the end of her reign and the Irish Rebellion (1595-1603) took a toll on England’s resources. However the Armada greatly strengthened Elizabeth I’s position on the throne and there were no more plots to get rid of her,