Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Anglo-Spanish Political, Religious & Commercial Rivalry (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Were Anglo-Spanish Relations Positive Before Elizabeth’s Rule? - Summary
Before Elizabeth I, the relationship between Spain and England was complicated and often tense, with moments of both alliance and conflict. Under Henry VIII, the two countries were initially close due to his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess. However, their relationship declined when Henry sought to divorce Catherine, leading to England's split from the Catholic Church and increasing tension with Spain. During the reign of Henry’s son, Edward VI, England's shift towards Protestantism further strained relations with the Catholic Spanish. When Mary I became queen, she married Philip II of Spain. This temporarily improved relations as they both aimed to restore Catholicism in England. However, this marriage was unpopular among the English people and led to internal conflicts. For example, the marriage resulted in Philip pressuring Mary into war with France, which resulted in the loss of Calais. England's relationship with Spain was good when Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558. Elizabeth promised to maintain this relationship when Philip II proposed to Elizabeth. However, when Elizabeth reintroduced Protestantism to England, relations became poor again. England’s relationship with Spain remained an issue throughout Elizabeth’s reign and had consequences at home and abroad. |
Elizabeth’s Foreign Policy
Elizabeth’s foreign policy was influenced by domestic issues such as:
England’s lack of resources
Religious problems
Elizabeth’s relationship with Spain was affected by Elizabeth's aims to:
Improve England’s wealth
Through improving trading links and creating new trade routes
Prevent war
Wars are expensive and Elizabeth could not afford them
War could result in Elizabeth losing her throne
Keep England safe
Protect Elizabeth’s throne
Religious Rivalry
Catholics and Protestants, during this period, were rivals
Both churches believed that they were the true church
Spain was a Catholic country
King Philip II was a devout Catholic and had a close alliance with the Pope
Elizabeth changed the religion of England when she introduced the Religious Settlement as a 'Middle Way' between Protestants and Catholics
Elizabeth’s actions had her excommunicated by the pope
The Pope published the papal bull in 1570
This encouraged all Catholics to act against Elizabeth
King Philip II of Spain attempted to remove Elizabeth from the English throne by:
Supporting rebellions in England
Attempting to invade England through the Spanish Armada in 1588
Both Catholics and Protestants attempted to spread their influence across the world
When Spain and England created a new colony, they introduced their religion
Creating new colonies was an effective way of spreading religious dominance and power across the world
Political Rivalry
There was political rivalry between Spain and England due to their desire for power
Elizabeth desired to increase England's political power in Europe
Most Protestants in Europe were poorly treated and Catholic rulers limited their power
The growth of Protestantism in Europe threatened to reduce Spanish power
Spain was a powerful European country and was a part of the Habsburg royal family
The Habsburg family controlled large amounts of land in Europe
Including Spain, the Netherlands and sections of modern-day Germany, France and Italy
The Habsburg family held significant titles in Europe
King Frederick V of Germany became the Holy Roman Emperor
AWAITING IMAGE
A map showing the European territories controlled by the Habsburg family during the Elizabethan period
King Philip II was the King of Spain and also ruled over the Netherlands
From 1562 - 1569, Spain severely punished the Dutch Protestants in the Netherlands
This resulted in the Dutch Protestants revolting against Spanish control in 1566
Spain responded by going to war against the Dutch rebel Protestants in 1568
The armed conflict against the Netherlands created problems in England as it:
Disrupted English trade
England relied on trade with the Netherlands
England traded English cloth in Antwerp to the rest of Europe
It scared many English Protestants
They feared Spain would declare war on all Protestants
When the Netherlands became part of the Spanish Empire, the Spanish restricted English ships from landing in the Netherlands. This limited England’s ability to trade across Europe
If an English merchant wanted to trade in the Americas, they had to gain a license from Spain. These were rarely given to English traders
Elizabeth acted by choosing a non-aggressive strategy to deal with Spain’s control of the Netherlands. Elizabeth chose to:
Help the Dutch rebels indirectly by sending money and mercenaries to the Netherlands
Encourage privateers to attack Spanish ships and colonies
Improve England’s relationship with France
Commercial Rivalry
In the 16th century, European countries desired to explore more routes around the world as it provided:
Wealth
Colonies for their vast empires
Trade opportunities
Power
When Elizabeth became queen in 1588, England’s international influence was weak as England had:
Large debts
Low annual income from trade
No empire
Spain was the opposite. Spain:
Was powerful
Had a strong empire
Had good trade links
With good access to valuable raw materials like sugar, cotton and tobacco
Was wealthy from its high annual income from trade
The Americas was a key part of the Spanish empire
The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas on a Spanish-sponsored voyage in 1492
By 1536, Spain controlled vast areas of Mexico, Peru, Chile and the Caribbean
Therefore in the 16th century, England began to explore and trade across the world. This would:
Increase England’s economic wealth
England wanted to create good trade links with different parts of the world
England wanted more opportunities to trade its main export - cloth
Create new trade routes
Make England strong
More trade links and colonies would provide England with more political power
AWAITING IMAGE
A diagram showing the connections between political, religious and commercial rivalry between England and Spain
Examiner Tips and Tricks
For the exam, it is essential to understand the involvement of the Spanish Empire in the slave trade. In the 16th century, the Spanish Empire was heavily involved in the slave trade. From 1502, the Spanish Empire transported people from the Congo-Angola area of West Africa to the Caribbean.
Historians estimate that the Spanish Empire enslaved over a million Africans in the Americas between the 16th and 17th centuries. The Spanish Empire was the model that all European leaders wished to follow.
In an attempt to become as rich and powerful as Spain, England began to involve itself in the slave trade. In modern times, we condemn the slave trade and the horrors Europeans inflicted upon enslaved Africans.
Worked Example
Describe one feature of Spain and England’s rivalry
2 marks
Answers:
One feature of Spain and England’s rivalry was their desire to gain economic power (1). Both Spain and England wanted to have prosperous trade routes, especially in the Americas and Asia (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Some students are tempted to write more than one feature for this question. This is unnecessary and not an effective use of your time. Focus on the one required feature of Spain and England's rivalry.
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
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