Roanoke Colonists Attacked by Spaniards
During
the time that the English colonists went missing from Roanoke Island, the
Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604 was reaching a boiling point. This was a conflict between Queen Elizabeth I
of England and Philip II of Spain. In
1585, Sir Francis Drake sailed to the West Indies and plundered Santa Domingo,
Cartegena, Columbia, and San Agustin in Florida. Philip II was infuriated by these
attacks, and he began to plan a war with England. In 1587, Drake burned more than 30 Spanish
ships in the harbor at Cadiz. The
English celebrated large victories in this war including Cadiz in 1587 and
Armada in 1588. However, many historians
believe there was no clear winner of the war.
Many historians believe that this war was the beginning of the rise of
the English sea power and the decline of the Spanish empire.
("Anglo-Spanish War," n.d.).
The causes of the Anglo-Spanish War were religious and political. The Protestant reigning queen instituted a law that resulted in imprisonment for those attending Catholic mass in England. She declared England's official Christian religion to be the Anglican Church. Philip II represented a Roman Catholic Spain. The economic and political cause of the war was the competition in the African slave trade. The Spanish had a strong hold on the trade, but the English started privateering to break down the Spanish control. This severely impacted the Spanish treasury. ("Anglo-Spanish War," n.d.).
The causes of the Anglo-Spanish War were religious and political. The Protestant reigning queen instituted a law that resulted in imprisonment for those attending Catholic mass in England. She declared England's official Christian religion to be the Anglican Church. Philip II represented a Roman Catholic Spain. The economic and political cause of the war was the competition in the African slave trade. The Spanish had a strong hold on the trade, but the English started privateering to break down the Spanish control. This severely impacted the Spanish treasury. ("Anglo-Spanish War," n.d.).
The
tensions between the English and Spanish, especially at sea, is the root of the
theory that the missing colonists were killed by the Spanish who may have come
up from Florida. ("What happened." 2012) The Spanish
controlled the settlement in Florida and could have travelled North to
Roanoke Island to kill the settlers. The motive makes sense, but
there were no remaining signs of a struggle and the Spanish would have likely
claimed the settlement at Roanoke Island.
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