Transcript Europe in 1558 - Uniservity CLC

Europe in 1558
What was Europe like in 1558?
The advent of Protestantism in Europe put an end
to its greatest unifying force: Catholicism. The
Holy Roman Empire was battling against
Protestantism, particularly in the Germanic
states. France and Scotland were also drifting
towards religious conflict.
The Pope and
staunchly Catholic countries such as Spain were
committed to preventing the spread of
Protestantism.
The discovery of new trade routes and overseas
territories meant that European monarchs
broadened their horizons, but this also created
new areas of tension between monarchs.
Spain
Philip II ruled over Spain, the Netherlands, parts of Italy and
Spanish conquests in the ‘New World’.
Spain’s population was 3 times that of England and the
treasures and raw materials of Mexico and Peru had left it
considerably richer.
Whilst revelling in his title of Most Catholic King, Philip
preferred a heretic on the English throne rather than Mary,
Queen of Scots who was seen as a French puppet.
However, in 1559, Spain and France signed the Treaty of
Cateau-Cambresis, which meant that Philip became uneasy
at the prospect of having to ally with England against
France.
England had traditionally relied on the jealousy between
France and Spain to help maintain its independence. Peace
between these two would upset the subtle balance of
power.
France
France was England’s traditional enemy for a number of
reasons:
• Its size – population 4 times greater than England;
• Its proximity (it was very close);
• Its alliance with Scotland;
• The claims of Kings of England to the French throne.
France was Catholic and supported the claims of Mary Stuart
to the English throne because she was half French and
married to the dauphin.
In 1559 England also signed the Treaty of Cateau-Camberis,
confirming the loss of Calais. France now dominated the
southern shore of the channel.
In 1559, King Henry II died and was replaced by Mary Stuart’s
husband, Francis II. The new king was controlled by Mary’s
uncles, the Guise brothers, who aimed to advance Mary’s
claim to the English throne.
Scotland
In 1558 Scotland was ruled by Mary of Guise on
behalf of her young daughter, Mary Stuart.
In 1559, Scottish Protestants rebelled against Mary
of Guise.
The rebels’ success was welcomed in England
(despite Elizabeth’s dislike of those who upturned
the natural order of things) because France had
access to England along the Scottish border.
However, Mary of Guise seemed likely to
overcome the rebels and reinforcements were
sent from France.
Intervention in Scotland
In 1559 a group of Protestant lords in Scotland deposed Mary
of Guise. It seemed unlikely that the French would allow
this situation to continue for long.
Cecil worked hard to persuade Elizabeth that she needed to
aid the rebels to prevent the restoration of French power.
Elizabeth finally agreed to send financial aid and then military
forces, but only after Cecil had threatened to resign. This
aid was confirmed by the Treaty of Berwick in 1560.
Cecil was motivated by the traditional Tudor priority of
securing England’s borders.
The intervention was successful – the Treaty of Edinburgh
signed in 1560 saw the French agree to withdraw from
Scotland, and a new Protestant government was
established under Lord James Stuart, illegitimate halfbrother of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Results
1. The ‘Scottish Problem’ had been resolved
without war against France.
2. Elizabeth was now seen as the protectress of
Protestant rebels – this would make it difficult
to maintain friendly relations with Catholic
monarchs.
3. Mary, Queen of Scots, religion and the
succession ensured that foreign policy became
increasingly intertwined with domestic policy.
4. The success of intervention in Scotland was
attributed to Cecil.
Intervention in France
In March 1562, religious civil war broke out in France, caused
by the spread of Calvinism and by powerful nobles who had
no strong monarch to keep them in check after the death of
Henry II.
The leading noble families, the Guise and the Bourbon, were
divided over religion.
Elizabeth came under pressure from Dudley and
Throckmorton to send help top the Huguenots
(Protestants), who were doing badly. She needed little
persuading.
The war went badly for the English as the Huguenots were
disappointed with the level of English support and made
peace with the Catholics – joining together with them to
drive the English out of France. In the Treaty of Troyes,
signed in 1564, French control of Calais was confirmed.
Results
1. Philip II complained that Elizabeth was
supporting Protestant rebels.
2. Elizabeth had shown the French that she could
make their life difficult, making them more likely
to accept the new, Protestant regime in
Scotland.
3. Elizabeth herself considered the military
intervention a disaster, and returned to her
policy of caution and reluctance to aid
Protestant rebels.
Intervention in the Netherlands
At least ¾ of all of England’s overseas trade passed through
the Netherlands.
Philip’s chief minister in the Netherlands, Cardinal Granvelle,
thought that English traders were trying to spread
Protestantism in the Netherlands with Elizabeth’s backing.
In 1563 Grenvelle banned the import of English cloth.
Elizabeth retaliated and stopped all imports from the
Netherlands, ceasing all trading between the two countries.
In 1567 Philip II announced his determination to crush heresy
throughout the Netherlands and sent an army, under the
Duke of Alva, to do this.
Alva’s arrival in the Netherlands led many Protestant refugees
to seek exile in England, despite the fact that Elizabeth
condemned their rebellion against their rightful ruler.
Results
1. The danger of relying exclusively on trade in one
item, to one market, was shown vividly. The
English looked for new markets. Trading links
with the Baltic and Russia were established.
2. Trade with Antwerp had always been one of the
main reasons why England needed to maintain
friendly relations with the rulers of the
Netherlands. Changes in trading patterns were
to have a major impact on English foreign policy
in general, and England’s relationship with Spain
in particular.
Intervention in the New World
1550: Spain had conquered Peru, Mexico, Chile and
the Caribbean.
The bulk of England’s maritime enterprise was
piratical.
The trading activity of John Hawkins (he created the
English slave trade in 1562 from Guinea) and his
attempt to break the Spanish monopoly in the
Caribbean, sometimes financed by Elizabeth,
resulted in maritime blockades.
Results
• Hawkins’ activities antagonised further the
already strained relations between England
and Spain.
• The fact that the Queen was willing to become
involved suggests she was willing, in return for
profit, to run he risk of antagonising Philp.