Anglo Spanish War

Anglo Spanish War: Summary

The Anglo-Spanish War was a conflict between England and Spain that took place intermittently from 1585 to 1604. Although neither side ever formally declared war, the English and Spanish fought several battles throughout this period, the most famous being the Spanish Armada, which failed to invade England in 1588.

However, most of the battles in the Anglo-Spanish war didn't take place on English or Spanish soil. Most of the action took place in three other spheres of war:

1. The Spanish colonies in America, where English ships attacked Spanish vessels and towns.
2. The Spanish-held Netherlands, where the English tried to help the Protestant Dutch to gain independence from the Spanish.
3. In English-dominated Ireland, where the Spanish tried to help Irish Catholics to gain independence from the English.

The Anglo-Spanish War ended with a treaty in 1604, signed between the new Stuart king of England, James I, and Philip III of Spain.

Anglo Spanish War: Cause

The cause of the Anglo-Spanish War was religion.

Spain remained a Catholic country throughout the Reformation in Europe. However, King Philip II of Spain became increasingly worried in the 1560s as Protestantism began to rise in his territories - particularly in the Netherlands, which Spain controlled at that time. By 1566, there was an open rebellion in the Netherlands between the local Dutch Protestants and the Spanish authorities.

Tensions between Spain and England increased when prominent English Protestants started to call on Queen Elizabeth I, also a Protestant, to support the Dutch against Catholic Spain.

Meanwhile, commercial relations between the two countries also soured as English ships started capturing and plundering Spanish ships and towns in the Americas. In 1568, the Spanish retaliated by attacking six English ships that had been granted official permission to anchor in a Spanish port in the Americas, resulting in four sunken English ships. This caused a marked downturn in diplomatic relations between England and Spain.

The Anglo-Spanish War: Catalyst

The catalyst for the Anglo-Spanish War to begin in earnest occurred in 1584 following the assassination of William of Orange, the leader of the Dutch Protestant rebellion against the Spanish. The following year, the Dutch city of Antwerp fell to Spanish forces. The Dutch subsequently sought help from England.

Fig. 2 - William of Orange (also known as William the Silent), was assassinated in 1584, sparking the Anglo-Spanish War.

Queen Elizabeth I granted the Dutch rebels military aid in exchange for English control of four strategic ports in the Netherlands. This was signed in the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585.

Philip II took the Treaty of Nonsuch to be an English open declaration of war against Spain, since the Netherlands were Spanish territories at this point.

Anglo Spanish War: 1585

In response to the Treaty of Nonsuch, Philip II ordered the seizure of all English merchant ships currently moored in Spanish harbours. Queen Elizabeth and her Privy Council were outraged and called an immediate meeting. They authorised the Newfoundland campaign - an attack on the Spanish fishing industry in Newfoundland in the Americas.

Next, Queen Elizabeth I ordered Francis Drake to lead an expedition to attack the Spanish Americas. In January 1586, Drake captured the city of Santo Domingo, on the Spanish island of Hispaniola.

Meanwhile, English privateer Thomas Cavendish set out to raid other Spanish settlements in South America. He raided three settlements and captured thirteen Spanish ships. The most famous of these was the Santa Ana, a treasure galleon, which represented the most treasure the English ever captured from the Spanish in one attack.

Philip II interpreted these attacks and raids as nothing short of piracy. It made him more determined than ever to launch his Spanish Armada to invade England and return England to Catholicism once more.

Anglo Spanish War: Battles

This timeline gives an overview of the key battles and military events of the Anglo-Spanish War.

Anglo Spanish War 1604

The Anglo-Spanish War slowed in 1598 when Philip II died and his son, Philip III, came to the throne in Spain. Although Philip III continued the war, he was less interested in it than his father had been.

This trend continued when Elizabeth I died in 1603 and James I came to the throne in England. James I was a Protestant, but his mother had been a Catholic, and he saw himself as the Peacemaker of Europe, whose duty it was to restore peace between European countries.

Moreover, the war had been long and costly for both sides. Everyone was tired of the conflict. Therefore, in 1604, England and Spain decided to make peace with one another. The resulting peace treaty was known as the Treaty of London.

Fig. 3 - Painting of the Somerset House Conference. This conference was held between the diplomats of Spain and England to come up with the terms of the peace treaty at the end of the Anglo-Spanish War.

The Treaty of London (1604)

The treaty was seen as a success for both Spain and England. Trade began between the two countries once more. Furthermore, both sides gained various advantages.

For Spain:

• The treaty confirmed Spain's position as a leading world power.
• English support for the Dutch came to an end, meaning that Spain could concentrate on their war against the Dutch on their own.
• Spanish warships could use English naval bases to attack Dutch shipping or carry troops to Flanders.

For England:

• The four English-held strategic ports in the Netherlands remained in English hands.
• The English refused the Spanish demand for religious toleration of Catholics in England.
• The Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands was protected.
• A year later, Spain promised not to support the Irish Catholics' rebellion against England.

However, the public in England was unhappy with the terms of the treaty. They thought that James I was abandoning England's primary ally, the Dutch Protestants.