The Challenges Of Philip II And Elizabeth I

At the start of her reign in 1558, Elizabeth faced many problems it was a very tumultuous time for her. These problems included Gender, Religion, Finance and Foreign policy.

Throughout history, as we study Spain we can clearly recognize high and low points in their success. In the fifteen hundreds Spain had no influence on European affairs, Spain essentially vanished out of Europe. However, within one complete century Spain had become not only a leading power but they also had a great sense of effectiveness in Europe. Spain experienced a Golden age with many social, economic, political aspects. On the other hand, within

In addition, there were many domestic and foreign policies Philip II created during his rule in power. One policy he created was against the Muslims. As of the year that he created the policy, he lost half of the strength of his navy from losing wars with the Turkish Empire, as talked about before ("Philip II"). While attempting to repair his navy back to its full strength once again, the Muslim pirates attacked Spain. Prisoners were taken, but King Philip was able to bring back his navy, but soon enough, the Turks attacked again and it was looking very poor for Spain at this point ("Good King Philip?"). After many more small wars, both sides were left with very little military presence, so Spain and France signed a truce. Philip II also created a two-fold policy: “He sent ministers to Portugal to build up support for him being king which would have meant Spain absorbing Portugal into her kingdom” (Trueman). He also created a very large army, also stated above. The noblemen of Portugal supported Philip II, and also clearly hoped to get rewards for their support. Nearly all of the problems Philip II faced were results of his policies and problems that were soon to be fixed.

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

Answer: When Henry VIII was too young, Richard Foxe helped manage England for him. Henry started an alliance with Charles V of Spain and both nations started a war with France. Henry went against the Catholic Church and made himself the head of the English Church. Elizabeth I was jailed in the tower of London under suspicion of supporting the rebels against her sister Mary. Elizabeth defeated the Spanish Armada, in return making England the new superpower in Europe. Elizabeth rebuilt England 's economy and passed the religious unity act which made England to be the first protestant nation. Both Monarchs fought Rome over religious control in England, they

According to Spain then and now, (2011), “In contrast to Spain’s startling growth of political power and prestige during the 16th century, the 17th century is commonly seen as one of decline.” Not merely historical hindsight, this view was already articulated in the early 17th century by a group of writers known as arbitristas. They lamented the deterioration of the country, and offered suggestions for both political and especially economic reform. Who recognised the stark contrast between the appearance of imperial greatness and the reality of social and economic problems in their country. Events of the 17th century confirm the foresight of the best of these early political economists. Since then there has been general consensus that Spain

In Imperial Spain, J.H. Elliot examines the history of early modern Spain from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, to the reformation of the Spanish government by the first member of the Bourbon dynasty. According to the author, at the start of the 15th century, Spain was internally weak, hopelessly divided and isolated from the continent by the Pyrenees. Yet, by 1492, Spanish society experienced a tremendous transformation which allowed Isabella and Ferdinand to unify the country, secure the largest transoceanic empire the world has ever known, and for a

Because Spain needed money, Philip raised taxes on the Netherlands. He also tried to ruin Protestantism. People were angry and came to Catholic churches to protest. Philip sent an army to punish the mobs of people, which resulted in one thousand, five hundred Protestants murdered. In addition, Philip was a ruler with great power that did what he had to for his country.

Some Historians consider Isabella’s decision to pass the crown to the Hapsburgs rather than Aragon as evidence of Isabella’s disunity. Lockyer claims; “she showed how little she appreciated the concept of Spanish unity” . This theory is supported by Historian Lotherington and Kamen, the latter who comments “the achievement of a united Spain was never an objective of the Catholic Kings” However this is too simplistic a view; because Isabella knew that the Castilian nobles would not accommodate for an Aragonese king, and the crown must rest upon the spouse of Aragon and Castile if unification was to be a realistic goal. Elliot suggests this when he speaks of a “Spanish inheritance” when referring to the Burgundian inheritance and Rady explains “Ferdinand held such influence in Castile this kingdom also might have been wrenched away from the new heir (Charles)” . Likewise J.Jones identifies “national unification” as a key policy of the Catholic Kings.

Thesis: Rulers during the period from 1450 to 1750 viewed themselves ruling with God’s name and have great power and diverse methods to rule their lands, and they are expected to do everything for their people and have great diplomatic policies.

King Philip’s War was a rebellion against English authority. The once good relationship turned sour with the clash of cultures and shift of authority. The English armed with guns and ammunition was able to exert dominance over the Indians. This self-entitled right to rule was the cause of Indian resistance.

Philip's character itself is a critical as his personality and characteristics convey, not only himself, but also his empire to others. It is believed by some historians that Philip was a far poorer leader than his father, Charles I, who had reigned before him. Philip grew up to be an outsider and carried this flaw with him into leadership. He never fully trusted anyone and so was incapable

Here, another fundamental factor is introduced, that of centralisation and the independence of the individual provinces. Furthermore, Philip II, was a conservative Catholic. His policies to acquire religious uniformity such as his edicts and the Inquisition, led to persecution of heretics, This religious suppression resulted in further aggravation in relations. The Count of Egmont and the Prince of Orange emerged as the leaders of the opposition

The long, lasting conflict between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots was the fight over the throne. Elizabeth and Mary we second cousins and Mary thought she deserve the crown. The conflict between Elizabeth and Mary ended up leading to Mary’s death.

Elizabeth initially did not want to face the heated conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in England. However Mary Stuart forced her to. The Catholic Mary, queen of Scotland, was the grandniece of Henry VIII and the next in line to the throne. Accused of murdering her second husband, Henry Stuart Darnley, Mary fled to England to escape a rebellion in Scotland. Many European and English Catholics plotted to put her on the throne. To protect her crown, Elizabeth had her cousin Mary Placed under house arrest in 1567. Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s throne was threatened from the outside forces. Philip II, who became ruler of Spain and its empire in 1556, sought to control the world. England and many other European countries were jealous of Spain’s riches, especially in the New World. Elizabeth