The National Archives Learning Curve | Snapshots

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Elizabeth I

In the 1580s, relations between England and Spain had been getting worse and worse. By May 1588, King Philip II of Spain had finished preparing a fleet, the Spanish Armada, to invade England. His plan was for the fleet of 130 ships, carrying 30,000 sailors and soldiers, to sail up the English Channel. They would link up with the Spanish army based in the Low Countries, and together they would invade England. The Protestant Queen Elizabeth I would be removed from the throne and replaced with a Catholic ruler. The Catholic religion would be restored in England.

The arrival of the Armada on 29th July 1588 was no surprise. The English had known about its preparation for several years and had been making their own preparations to face the attack. The government had been building new ships, forts and warning beacons. They made efforts to disrupt the Spanish preparations. Francis Drake attacked the Spanish fleet in Cadiz harbour in 1587. They had also been trying to win the war of words - the propaganda battle between the two countries.

Study the extracts taken from a draft proclamation by the government of Elizabeth I. This was sent with a letter on 24th June 1588 by Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I's chief minister, to Sir Francis Walsingham. They were clearly discussing how to make their case most persuasive and to blame the war on others.

	Read Extract 1.

		Extract 1. Draft government proclamation, 1588 (SP 12/211)
1.	Elizabeth I had clearly been blamed by the Spanish for starting the war by building up her armed forces, her army and her navy. What reasons did the writer give to explain Elizabeth's actions?

2.	Why were there more soldiers than sailors?

3.	How did the writer try to appeal to as many English people as possible?

	Read Extract 2.

		Extract 2. Draft government proclamation, 1588 (SP 12/211)
4.	Elizabeth's ministers accused Catholic English rebels of trying to make her 'honorable actions' look bad. Here they use the following writer's tricks: strong adjectives alliteration Can you find them?

5.	What evidence can you find to support the view that the English knew about Philip II's preparations well in advance?

	Read Extract 3.

		Extract 3. Draft government proclamation, 1588 (SP 12/211)
6.	Elizabeth I's ministers tried to shift the blame for the war on to others. Again they used writer's tricks. Can you find a strong adjective and a strong verb?

7.	Which religious leader did the English Government blame for encouraging the invasion?

8.	What did Elizabeth I's ministers say that leader's motive was?

9.	What did they say would happen to ordinary English people?

10.	Imagine that you are a minister of King Philip II of Spain. What would you advise him to write as a reply to Elizabeth I's proclamation? Don't forget that the Spanish Government would have used writer's tricks just as the English Government did.

The proclamation was part of the propaganda war between Elizabeth I and her Catholic enemies led by Philip II of Spain.

King Philip II of Spain was hostile to Queen Elizabeth's England for several reasons:

England had become a Protestant country and as a devout Catholic himself Philip II wanted to change it back to a Catholic country;
Elizabeth I was helping the rebels fighting against Philip II in the Low Countries;
Elizabeth I had had the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots executed in 1587 and Philip wanted to avenge her death;
English sailors were attacking Spanish ships and cities in the New World (in 1587 Drake had attacked Cadiz).

Queen Elizabeth I was unhappy with Philip II's Spain because:

English ships were barred from trading with the Spanish Empire;
Philip II was encouraging her Catholic subjects to plot and rebel against her and that is one reason why she had to execute Mary, Queen of Scots.

The hostility between England and Spain can be traced back to much earlier in Elizabeth's reign.

1570	Pope Pius V ordered English Catholics not to obey Elizabeth I.
1571	The Ridolfi Plot intended to use a Spanish army to overthrow Elizabeth I.
1583	The Throckmorton Plot planned to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the English throne with Spanish support.
1585	Philip II put an embargo on all English goods in Spain. An English army was sent to the Low Countries to help the Dutch rebels against the Spanish. Drake occupied Spanish ports in Galicia for 10 days in October and then went on to sack islands in the Canaries and in the Caribbean. Philip II began planning an invasion of England.
1586	The Babington Plot planned to assassinate Elizabeth I and put Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. Nine new warships were built for Elizabeth I's navy.
1587	Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. Drake's raid on Cadiz.
1588	Anglo-Spanish peace talks began in the Low Countries on 8th March. Peace talks moved to Bourbourg 23rd May. Armada sailed from Lisbon 28th May.

For other propaganda Snapshots see:
World War 2 Propaganda: How did the British Government try to keep the support of the people of West Africa during the Second World War?

For a related Snapshot see:
The Spanish Armada: Did God really help defeat it?

For more information on plots against Elizabeth:
Secrets and Spies exhibition

Take a look at the following website:
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

The level of this activity is Key Stage 3.

This Snapshot is intended for use either as part of a study of the use of propaganda over time or within the context of some explicit work on Elizabethan England and the Spanish Armada.

Unit 5: Elizabeth I. How successfully did she tackle the problems of her reign?
Section 7: Why did Philip of Spain pose such a big problem to Elizabeth I?

It also picks up the literacy focus on the characteristics of persuasive writing. This will help pupils in their critical use of sources and in their own historical communication.