On The Evolution Of The Relationship Between England And Spanish During Elizabethan Period

In the latter half of the16th century, European international relationsconsisted of the three contradictions: the contradictions of the British and French,the contradictions among the French and Spanish, and the English and Spanishcontradictions. The contradictions of the English and Spanish was the maincontradiction in this period, English and Spanish relations in the period ofElizabeth I changed from the traditional alliance to the war at sea. The reasonsfor this evolution is complex, involving the most powerful forces of the shift inBritain,France, and the Spain. The contradiction between the two English andSpanish countries in the economic, political, religious disputes prompted thecontradictions of the English and Spanish continue to intensify, and eventuallyled to the rupture of relations between the two countries.Netherlands is the mostcritical elements in the evolution of bilateral relations between the English andSpanish, and was the focus of economic contradictions between the twocountries. The Netherlands was closely related with England’s rise and the decline of Spain. Elizabeth I and Philip II’s political rule caused thechanges------strong or weak; win or lose between the English and Spanish. Thebalance of power diplomacy principle during this period began to take shape,and become one of the fundamental criteria of the diplomatic relations betweenthe European countries. The successful application of this foreign policy was animportant diplomatic reason for the weak British to get victory over powerfulSpain. Although Spain was the first took to the road of overseas expansion, butmissed the early modernization chances in the development of the nation-state.On the road of it, Spanish is behind the times. In the process of Spain’s maritimehegemony, The British consciousness of maritime hegemony began to germinate,and enhance the UK’s national consciousness. The English nation embarked on anation-state rise of overseas colonial expansion of the road.England from theperiphery of mainstream European civilization evolved into the center ofmodern civilization,Spain in the rise of nation-states of the tide of historyeliminated.The text is divided into three parts: Part I described the domestic andinternational situation of Elizabeth I when throne as Elizabeth I, and the Englishand Spanish relations during the evolution of the historical background. The second part is the focus of this essay, it detailed political, religious, andeconomic contradictions and struggles from traditional alliances to the historicalprocess towards an open declaration of war during Elizabeth I’s between the twocountries. In The third part is the comments on the evolution between the twocountries during Elizabeth I,The full text reveals the British and Spanishrelations from the allies to division and war is the inevitable result-----the twonewly rising nation-state in the desperate battle to win the maritime hegemony.