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In the sixteenth century, the western world centered on Europe. America had only recently been discovered and was a land for adventurers and explorers to conquer and discover and bring back to Europe all kinds of wonders such as potatoes and tobacco. It was not a developed country architecturally or economically. The most important person in Europe was arguably the Pope who resided then, as now, in the Vatican at Rome. Roman Catholicism was still the dominant European religion and the Pope, as its head, wielded enormous power in Roman Catholic countries. Even in non-Roman Catholic countries such as England, the Pope had a great influence amongst those still adhering to the Roman Catholic faith. |
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The most powerful ruler, however, was Philip II of Spain. His father, Charles, had been one of the most powerful men ever to have lived in Europe. Not only was he King of Spain, but also governor of the Netherlands and Holy Roman Emperor, a very prestigious title indeed. Philip inherited the throne of Spain aswell as the Netherlands, was King of Portugal for a while, and owned lands in the Americas that were a source of great wealth. Unlike his father, Philip made Spain his central home and under his rule, Spain was at the height of its influence and recognized as the most powerful country in Europe, if not the world. |
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However, relations between Philip and his neighbors were poor. He was constantly in conflict with France, mismanaged the government of the Netherlands to the extent that there was open rebellion and eventual war there, and he came into conflict with Elizabeth. The powers of Europe were wary of Philip and Queen Elizabeth in particular tried to keep in check his wealth, and the potential threat Catholic Spain posed to Protestant England, by discretely authorizing her sailors to pirate his ships as they came from America. William Cecil, the Queen's chief minister, did not approve of this, so Elizabeth tried to keep knowledge of what was going on from him. Not only did capturing a Spanish ship laden with treasure improve her finances, but it depleted Philip's in the hope to stall his often threatened invasion of England, his so called "Enterprise of England." For details on The Enterprise of England see the section on The Armada |
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England and Spain were officially at war in 1585 after years of underhanded conflict, and the war lasted until the Queen's death. Philip died in 1598, but his son, Philip III, continued the war, even though he did so half heartedly. He saw the conflict between Elizabeth and Philip as just that, a clash of personalities, and in many ways, perhaps that was the case. France experienced a troubled time during the reign of Elizabeth. In 1559 it seemed that France was on the verge of rivaling Spain as the dominant power. When Henri II died in a jousting accident, his son, Francis, became King. He was the husband of the young Mary, already Queen of Scots. Thus Mary was Queen of Scotland and of France. This was a considerable danger to Queen Elizabeth. Mary claimed to be Queen of England, and England was vulnerable to an attack/invasion from both France and Scotland. However, this never happened as Scotland itself was a troubled land. Mary's mother, Mary of Guise, was regent of Scotland in Mary's absence, and she faced considerable opposition to her regency from the Protestant lords of the land. The French also had internal conflicts of their own that did not allow them to invest their resources into an invasion of England. |
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Francis died not long after becoming king and Mary was once again only Queen of Scotland. Her mother in law, Catherine de Medici, was hostile to her and Mary returned to Scotland. The French "wars of religion" plagued the country in the last half of the sixteenth century. France was officially Catholic, but there were many Protestants in the country who wanted the freedom to worship their own way. These were called Hugeunots. The conflict resulted in a brutal massacre of Hugeunots in 1572, the Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve. It was said that six thousand or more men, women, and children, were butchered to death on the streets of Paris until the roads ran with their blood. This act of brutality sent shock waves throughout Europe and Queen Elizabeth canceled negotiations for the hand of King Charles's brother, Francis, Duke of Alencon. |
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However, despite the internal conflict in France, both France and England wished to foster an alliance to protect them from the might of Spain. When the horror of the massacre began to recede into history, negotiations were again made for Francis's hand. He was considered the most suitable candidate for Elizabeth's hand, despite being young enough to be her son, as he was known to have Protestant sympathies. When he became next in line to the throne following the death of his brother, Charles, and the accession of Henri III, the marriage became even more appealing. But there was much opposition to the Queen marrying a French Catholic in England, and, perhaps for political reasons, the marriage never went ahead. France experienced more trouble with the death of Henri III. Francis was dead having died of a fever, and there was no direct heir. Henri of Navarre was recognized by many to be the rightful King, but he was a Protestant. French Catholics set up a counter King and it was only by becoming a Catholic, deeming "Paris to be worth a mass", that Henri was finally accepted as King Henri IV of France. He was assassinated in 1609. |
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The Holy Roman Empire
was a vast territory of land made up of many provinces, each governed by
their own ruler or prince. This Empire incorporated Germany, Austria, and
stretched as far as Poland. The Holy Roman Emperor was elected by the princes
and while the position was more honorary than having actual power, it was
a very prestigious title.
The Scandinavian countries were monarchies, Sweden and Denmark having their own sovereign. Norway was under the rule of the Danish. Sweden was a Protestant country and so in a tacit form of alliance with England, but it was not a particularly wealthy country. King Eric of Sweden hoped to marry Queen Elizabeth for some years, but his suit was unsuccessful. |
| Hungary and Poland were
larger than they are today and were on the edge of the Turkish states belonging
to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were a considerable threat to Christian
Europe (Christendom) and much effort was put into fighting them by Philip
II who also governed Poland. For a century they had taken land after land
and added it to their vast empire, but their strength was beginning to
ebb as their internal government was slowly eaten by corruption. The Battle
of Lepanto in 1571 was a turning point in European history, for after the
defeat of the Ottomans by Philip, they never again posed such a threat
to Christendom.
Russia was ruled by a Tsar and did not play a great part in the history of Elizabeth's reign. However, Elizabeth was on good terms with Ivan IV, "The Terrible". The Queen even once sent the Tsarina her own doctor. |
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The center of European
trade was Antwerp (in the Netherlands). However, with the outbreak of the
rebellion against Philip II, the center of trade slowly began to move to
London. Many Protestant from the Netherlands fled to England during Elizabeth's
reign and brought with them craftsmanship skills that the English could
learn.
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