ELIZABETH I Elizabeth I WAR AND TOLITICS 1588-1603 By Wallace T.MacCaffrey PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 1992 Copyright © 1992 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Chichester, West Sussex All Rights Reserved Library of Congress-in-Publication Data MacCaffrey, Wallace T. Elizabeth I : war and politics, 1588-1603 / Wallace T. MacCaffrey p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN0-691-03188-6 ISBN 0-691-03651-9 (paperback) 1. Great Britain—Politics and government—1558-1603. 2. Great Britain—History, Military—Tudors, 1485-1603. 3. Great Britain— History—Elizabeth, 1558-1603. 4. Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603. I. Title. DA355.M25 1992 942.05'5—dc20 91-33656 Publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the Publications Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent Federal agency. This book has been composed in Linotron Granjon Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources First Princeton Paperback printing, 1994 Printed in the United States of America 3 5 79 10 8 6 42 TO "BERNARD i^AND JOHN CLIVE IN LONG FRIENDSHIP CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES AND MAPS IX PREFACE xi ABBREVIATIONS XV INTRODUCTION 3 Part I The English Monarchy at War 1. THE MACHINERY OF WAR*. THE COUNCIL 17 2. THE MACHINERY AT WORK! AT HOME AND ABROAD 45 3. PAYING FOR THE WAR 59 Part II Waging the War I: The Enemy—Spain 4. THE PORTUGUESE VOYAGE, 1588-1589 73 5. WAR ON THE HIGH SEAS AND IN THE INDIES, I589-I595 97 6. WAR ON THE SPANISH COASTS, 1596-1597 IO7 Part III Waging the War II: The Allies—France 7. THE WILLOUGHBY EXPEDITION, 1589 137 8. BRITTANY AND ROUEN 152 9. BRITTANY AND ROUEN I THE SECOND ROUND 163 10. BRITTANY AND PICARDY I 84 11. THE CECIL MISSION AND VERVINS 196 12. SHUFFLING TOWARDS PEACE, 1598-1603 220 Part IV Waging the War III: The Allies—The States General 13. FROM DEPENDENCY TO ALLIANCE, 1588-1594 249 14. FROM ALLIANCE TO COLLABORATION, 1595-1603 270 Part V The Three Kingdoms 15. THE NORTHERN NEIGHBOR, 1581-1603 303 16. IRELAND: THE BUILDING OF A NEW ORDER, I53O-I593 329 17. DEPUTY FITZWILLIAM AND THE MACMAHON AFFAIR 349 18. FITZWILLIAM AND THE FIRST RUPTURE WITH TYRONE 372 vii CONTENTS 19. RUSSELL AND THE COMING OF WAR 385 20. THE YELLOW FORD 404 21. THE FAILURE OF ESSEX 418 22. THE TRIUMPH OF MOUNTJOY 43 I Part VI The Court: The Revival of Faction 23. THE RISE OF ESSEX, I584-I59I 453 24. ESSEX THE COUNCILLOR 472 25. ENGLAND'S GLORY AND THE WIDE WORLD'S WONDER 495 26. THE FALL FROM GRACE 514 RETROSPECTIVE 537 BIBLIOGRAPHY 575 INDEX 585 Vlll FIGURES AND MAPS FIGURES FIGURE I. William Cecil, first Baron Burghley (National Portrait Gallery, London) 16 FIGURE 2. Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connaught (National Portrait Gallery, London) 301 FIGURE 3. Sir George Carew, Earl of Totnes, President of Munster (National Portrait Gallery, London) 302 FIGURE 4. Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex (National Portrait Gallery, London) 451 FIGURE 5. Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury (National Portrait Gallery, London) 452 MAPS MAP 1. Eastern Normandy and Picardy. (Adapted from Wernham) 150 MAP 2. Brittany and its borders, 1591-1595. (Adapted from Wernham) 151 MAP 3. The Dutch reconquest, 1590-1607. (Adapted from Parker) 248 MAP 4. Routes of the Earl of Essex in Ireland, April to September 1599. (Adapted from R. Edwards) 328 (All maps redrawn by Dick Boscarino) IX