Changes

With defeat of the Armada, England become a serious European naval power. Britain's navy was the foundation of the future British Empire. As a result of the failed invasion, by Catholic Spain, England became more self-consciously Protestant and Catholicism became increasingly unpopular and was viewed as anti-English. The English also saw the defeat of the Armada as an act of divine providence. It confirmed to them that England was a kingdom destined for greatness.

[[File: Armada 3.jpg|150px|thumbnail|left|King Phillip II of Spain-mortal enemy of Elizabeth I]]In the sixteenth century, Europe was divided into two mutually hostile religious groups. The Northern Europe was dominated by Protestants regimes and the south was mainly Catholic. England had become an increasing Protestant state by the mid-sixteenth century. Contrary to popular belief, Catholicism had been popular in England before the Reformation and many people still sympathized with what they called the ‘old religion.’<ref> Duffy, E. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300108281/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0300108281&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=b06f0eb9358da3a5da4c6146421bcff6 Stripping of the Altars]</i> (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2000), p. 113</ref> Queen Elizabeth the First initially pursued a moderate religious policy to minimize religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant. However, Elizabeth soon found herself under pressure from Spain - the preeminent Catholic power in the world at that time. Spain's influence reach stretched across Europe and into the Americas.