THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA – PART ONE In the late sixteenth century Europe was dominated by two superpowers: France and Spain. The cautiously protestant Elizabeth I of England, who had come to the throne after the death of her Catholic half sister Mary in 1558, inherited a treasury that was almost bankrupt, and her foreign policy was aimed at avoiding open – and expensive – entanglement with either power. This policy was thoroughly approved of by most of her subjects who had quite enough of foreign interference during Mary’s reign. England was however very much involved in an undeclared war with Spain, wholeheartedly approved of by many of her subjects, whereby individual ship owners or sailors would ambush Spanish treasure ships. Ever since Cortes had conquered Mexico in 1519 and Pizzaro Peru in 1533 mule trains had delivered gold, silver, spices, hides and hardwood to the coastal ports of the Caribbean from where it would be shipped to Havana in Cuba to await the formation of a convoy sailing to Seville or Cadiz. Often a single ship would make the voyage and these were easy prey for men like Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Walter Raleigh, although they might often combine to take on a convoy, particularly if it had been scattered by storms. These English ships carried letters of marque, which made their activities legal under English law, although not, of course, under anyone else’s. English privateers, essentially legalised pirates, acquired vast quantities of treasure from these incessant raids, of which the English treasury, in the shape of the queen, received a cut. It has been estimated that those who invested in the raids obtained a forty-to-one return on their money. Spain complained, frequently and often, and Elizabeth denied that she knew anything about such nefarious and unauthorised activities: she had indeed issued letters of marque, but these were intended to authorise the seizing of pirates and smugglers, not the ships of his most Catholic majesty.
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA - PART ONE
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA - PART ONE
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA - PART ONE
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA – PART ONE In the late sixteenth century Europe was dominated by two superpowers: France and Spain. The cautiously protestant Elizabeth I of England, who had come to the throne after the death of her Catholic half sister Mary in 1558, inherited a treasury that was almost bankrupt, and her foreign policy was aimed at avoiding open – and expensive – entanglement with either power. This policy was thoroughly approved of by most of her subjects who had quite enough of foreign interference during Mary’s reign. England was however very much involved in an undeclared war with Spain, wholeheartedly approved of by many of her subjects, whereby individual ship owners or sailors would ambush Spanish treasure ships. Ever since Cortes had conquered Mexico in 1519 and Pizzaro Peru in 1533 mule trains had delivered gold, silver, spices, hides and hardwood to the coastal ports of the Caribbean from where it would be shipped to Havana in Cuba to await the formation of a convoy sailing to Seville or Cadiz. Often a single ship would make the voyage and these were easy prey for men like Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Walter Raleigh, although they might often combine to take on a convoy, particularly if it had been scattered by storms. These English ships carried letters of marque, which made their activities legal under English law, although not, of course, under anyone else’s. English privateers, essentially legalised pirates, acquired vast quantities of treasure from these incessant raids, of which the English treasury, in the shape of the queen, received a cut. It has been estimated that those who invested in the raids obtained a forty-to-one return on their money. Spain complained, frequently and often, and Elizabeth denied that she knew anything about such nefarious and unauthorised activities: she had indeed issued letters of marque, but these were intended to authorise the seizing of pirates and smugglers, not the ships of his most Catholic majesty.