Wars Between Spain And France :: essays research papers

The wars between England and Spain was a shifting of power in Europe. A cause of the wars was the imprisonment and execution of Mary Stuart Queen of Scots. The Netherlands wanting to break away from Spain was a cause of the war. Elizabeth sending aid and troops to the Netherlands was another cause of the war. Mary Stuart was the direct heir of Scotland. She was a Catholic. Many people in England wanted to see Mary the Queen and make England a Catholic nation. This worried Queen Elizabeth and had Mary put under house arrest for nineteen years. There were many plots made trying to assassinate Queen Elizabeth involving Mary. The final plot called the Babington plot had enough proof to convict Mary and execute her. Queen Elizabeth knew the consequences this would create throughout the Catholic world. And this was the last straw between Spain and England. The Netherlands wanted to abolish the control Spain had over their nation. They wanted to get rid of the Spanish Inquisition. Two-hundred nobles, in the Netherlands, formed a league, and they petitioned King Philip II not to use the Spanish Inquisition. He refused and a revolt broke out. William of Orange led the united seventeen provinces of the Netherlands against Spanish authority. Queen Elizabeth lent aid to the Netherlands in their war with Spain. She sent over 6000 troops in 1585. Don Juan became the general of the Netherlands and planned an invasion. After Don Juan's death the Union of Utrecht was formed breaking the solid front of the 17 provinces of the Netherlands. When Spain tried to invade England they were defeated. The great Spanish Armada was beat by small, quick fleet of English and Dutch ships. English and Dutch pirates raid the Spanish ships also. The weather played a role in the war. A bad storm wiped out many ships of the Armada. England gained a great deal from this battle with Spain.