Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)

The Anglo-Spanish War was a prolonged conflict between England and Spain, fought across Europe and the Atlantic from 1585 until the Treaty of London ended hostilities in 1604.

Spanish Armada: The Spanish fleet sent against England in 1588, defeated and scattered during its attempted invasion. Its defeat became the war’s best-known naval episode, but fighting continued for sixteen more years.
Treaty of Nonsuch: The 1585 agreement by which Elizabeth I promised military and financial aid to the Dutch rebels against Spain. Its troops and subsidies marked England’s open entry into the Dutch conflict.
Francis Drake: English navigator and naval commander who led raids against Spanish possessions and took part in the Armada campaign. His raids made him a prominent English weapon against Spanish Atlantic power.
Treaty of London (1604): The 1604 agreement between England and Spain that ended their war and restored peaceful relations. Its provisions ended English support for Dutch rebels and constrained attacks on Spanish commerce.
English Armada: The 1589 English expedition against Spanish ports and shipping, led by Francis Drake and John Norreys. The failed counteroffensive followed the Spanish Armada and exposed England’s limits at sea.
Elizabeth I: Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603, whose government directed England’s war with Spain. Her intervention in the Netherlands and support for privateers shaped the conflict’s policy.
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex: English courtier and military commander who led campaigns in France and Ireland during Elizabeth I’s reign. His command at Cadiz in 1596 brought one of England’s most notable victories in the war.
Dutch Republic: The independent state formed by the northern provinces of the Low Countries during their revolt against Spain. England’s withdrawal from direct war did not end the Dutch struggle for independence.
Elizabethan privateering: State-backed privateering in Elizabeth I’s reign, in which privately owned ships attacked enemy commerce under royal authorization. Privateers such as Francis Drake carried the conflict into Spanish Atlantic shipping lanes.
Philip II of Spain: King of Spain from 1556 to 1598, whose reign encompassed the Armada campaign and war with England. His efforts to suppress Dutch rebellion and counter English intervention helped drive the war.

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