New
New
Year 8
Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada
I can recall the reasons for the Spanish Armada and explain how it was defeated.
New
New
Year 8
Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada
I can recall the reasons for the Spanish Armada and explain how it was defeated.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- English privateers had been raiding Spanish ships in the Atlantic and stealing their gold.
- England supported Dutch Protestant rebels in the Netherlands against the Spanish.
- The Spanish King, Philip II, wished to make England Catholic.
- The Spanish Armada in 1588 was a Spanish attempt to invade England.
- Elizabeth I used the victory over the Spanish in propaganda.
Keywords
Alliance - an alliance is a connection or friendship between different countries
Privateer - a privateer is a person or armed ship allowed by a government to attack and steal from other ships at sea
Fleet - a fleet is a group of ships sailing together
Navy - the navy is the branch of the armed forces which operates at sea
Spanish Armada - the Spanish Armada was a large group of warships
Common misconception
The English navy destroyed the Spanish Armada.
Most of the ships lost from the Spanish Armada were sunk in storms after the battle against the English navy.
Encourage students to give more than one example of each of the three factors in order to strengthen their argument.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
How old was Mary, Queen of Scots when she became queen of Scotland?
6 years old
16 years old
60 years old
Q2.
What religion did Mary, Queen of Scots follow?
Q3.
Why did many Catholics think that Mary was legally the rightful ruler of England?
unlike Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth was not Catholic
Elizabeth was unmarried with no children
Q4.
How did the Scottish lords react to Mary's marriage to Lord Bothwell?
they encouraged her to claim her right to England's throne
they demanded that she be married in a Presbyterian ceremony
they forced her and Lord Bothwell to return to France
Q5.
What was the name of the plot to assassinate Elizabeth that definitely involved Mary, Queen of Scots?
Bakeman Plot
Ridolfi Plot
Throckmorton Plot
Q6.
Why was Mary considered a 'figurehead' for Catholic rebels in England?
She was the head of the Catholic Church
She was the most religiously-minded person in England
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What was England's relationship like with Spain when Elizabeth became queen in 1558?
good - England was part of the Spanish Empire
neutral - neither country knew a lot about the other one
bad - England had previously invaded and ruled parts of Spain
bad - England and Spain had been at war for years
Q2.
Why did Philip II ask Elizabeth to arrest Francis Drake?
he had mocked Philip II's appearance by saying his beard needed a trim
he fought against the Spanish during the Dutch Rebellion
he had raided Spanish settlements on the north coast of Spain
Q3.
Fill in the missing word: the name given to Dutch ships that were allowed safe harbour in English ports during the Dutch Rebellion was Sea ..........
Q4.
Which of the following was true about the Duke of Medina Sidonia, leader of the Spanish Armada?
he was secretly an English spy
he had lost his leg fighting against the Dutch and was in constant pain
he was hated by all of the other ships' captains
Q5.
What new tactics did the English navy use to fight the Spanish Armada?
massive warships for boarding enemy vessels
stealthy night-time raids
underwater battering rams to sink enemy ships
Q6.
Which event sunk a large part of the Spanish Armada?
The slow journey up the English Channel
The Battle of Gravelines
Additional material
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