20-Foreign Affairs

Aims

Protect cloth trade between England and the Netherlands
Prevent hostile countries building up a power base along English channel or Ireland
Protect Northern borders

Issues of succession- Marriage Issues

being single was an issue- if she died prematurely, succession was in hands of her ministers. Many keen for her to marry to prevent this- stop Catholics getting on throne
Queen felt that issues of marriage and succession lay within royal prerogative- not areas for discussion
Unwillingness of her councillors to acknowledge this caused repeated tension

Early years suitors

Robert Dudley
Philip II of Spain
Archduke Ferdinand and Charles
Prince Erik of Sweden

Robert Dudley

Robert Dudley, future Earl of Leicester (probably Lizzy’s choice)
Prospect of Elizabeth marrying Leicester horrified Sir William Cecil (v. important)
Would’ve created many political risks, consequence of mysterious circumstances surrounding death of Leicester’s 1st wife, Amy

Philip II

He offered his hand in a polite gesture to Lizzy but probably lacked serious intent partly because of his profound Catholicism.

Archduke Ferdinand and Charles

Archduke Ferdinand and Charles, sons of Emperor Ferdinand. However, both Catholic

Prince Erik of Sweden

Prince Erik of Sweden, a Protestant suitor, to whom Lizzy gave little encouragement

Marriage, the succession and Parliament

Jan 1559-HoC raised issue of marriage- Lizzy deflected pressure gracefully
1563-Parliament met again- she had had smallpox
Oct 1562- seemed she might die- full scale crisis
Councillors aware of disasters that might come about if she died
No consensus as to who successor would be- Lady Catherine Grey, Mary, Queen of Scots
1566- Parliament pressed Lizzy again. Some MPS prompted by members of Privy Council (Cecil and Leicester)-motives differed
Lizzy furious- banished Leicester and Earl of Pembroke from Presence Chamber, publicly rebuking other members of Council and summoning members of Houses of Parliament- reasserted her view (marriage and succession under royal prerogative)
1579- Lizzy declared she could still have a child- marriage to Francis, Duke of Anjou, brother of King Henry III of France suggested by Burghley and Sussex. Some councillors and public horrified that this would lead to an infant child- under French influence- as successor. Nothing came of suggestion, so crisis passed

The final succession

Lizzy took a political decision not to marry- DA of marriage outweighed the Advantages
Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, meant that Mary’s son, James VI of Scotland, had best hereditary claim, even though Stuarts had been excluded from succession in Henry VIII’s will. James was Protestant and by 1600 already had 2 sons
Lizzy’s councillors had a vested interest in ensuring that they remained in royal favour, once Elizabeth’s successor was in place they began wooing James, even before Elizabeth’s death in 1603. Essex, in particular, was in regular contact with James VI, and after Essex’s death in 1601, Sir Robert Cecil kept contact with James and eventually ensured his untroubled succession, for which he received due reward.
Lizzy still refused to name an heir- no proof that she accepted James on her deathbed- smoothest dynasty change over.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Lizzy and Mary’s relationship inextricably linked with issue of religion and succession.
Catholic Mary incurred wrath of Protestant lords and English through marriage to Earl of Darnley. Marriage was a disaster-Mary being implicated in her husband’s murder. A subsequent 3rd marriage to Darnley’s presumed murder, Earl of Bothwell, set off a brief civil war-saw Mary flee to England in 1567
From Mary fleeing south until her execution in 1587, she posed a continuous problem to Elizabeth-some English Catholics saw her as rightful monarch and she became focus of plots to overthrow Lizzy. Grow worse following excommunication of Lizzy in 1570, which in eyes of Catholic Church absolved Lizzy’s Catholic subjects from need to obey their sovereign. Frightened Lizzy and her Council- tightening of treason law. After excommunication, Protestants were deemed loyalists and Catholics traitors

1571 plot

Ridolfi, Involved a conspiracy for Mary to marry Duke of Norfolk and to overthrow Lizzy
Allowed Burghley to ensure execution of Norfolk for treason

Mary, Queen of Scots and Catholic plots against Elizabeth

Ridolfi
Throckmorton
Parry
Babington

1583 plot

Throckmorton, Foreign landing in Sussex followed by overthrow of Lizzy and her replacement by Mary. Followed by efficiency of Sir Francis Walsingham’s espionage network
Led to creation of Bond of Association
Worsened Anglo-Spanish relations
Tightened conditions of Mary’s captivity

1585 plot

Parry, Plot to assassinate the queen
Led to acceleration of parliamentary proceedings on a bill to ensure queen’s safety

1586

Babington, Mary complicit in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth but exposed by Walsingham’s codebreaker, Thomas Phelippes.
Enabled Burghley to secure Mary’s execution

Mary’s trial and execution

Lizzy reluctant to press for execution of another anointed monarch. Decided that Mary should face trial at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire where she was moved day after Babington’s execution
Privy councillors and nobles assisted by judges were ordered to try her, but several of these commissioned pleaded illness- feared regicide, or death penalty
4 months of delay during which Lizzy shrank from ordering her cousin’s execution. Burghley required Mary’s execution- wanted to protect Lizzy. Used his old tactic of parliamentary pressure to influence Lizzy. Parliament duly petitioned Lizzy, but she refused to sign death warrant until 1 feb 1587- then gave contradictory orders about its dispatch. Mary met her end with great dignity and composure. Seen as a martyr

What was England’s relationship with Scotland like before 1561?

1559-Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis- confirmed England’s loss of Calais-France dominated Straits of Dover
French dominated Scotland- Mary of Guise regent on behalf of Mary Queen of Scots
Protestants rebelled against Guise forced her to flee from Edinburgh (1559)
Guises’ uncle controlled policy. Oct-prepared to send troops to defeat rebels
Cecil convinced Lizzy that she needed to intervene to ensure survival of new pro-English government and to keep French away from England’s northern border