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Elizabeth's Wars: War, Government and Society in Tudor England, 1544-1604
Between 1544 and 1604, Tudor England was involved in a series of wars which strained government and society to their limits. By the time Elizabeth became queen in 1558, England and Wales were likened to 'a bone thrown between two dogs' - the great European powers of France and Spain.
Elizabeth's Wars tells the story of how Elizabeth I and her government overcame early obstacles and gradually rebuilt England's military power on both land and sea, absorbing vital lessons about modern warfare from 'secret wars' fought on the Continent and in the waters of the New World. Elizabeth herself was a reluctant participant in foreign wars and feared the political and material costs of overseas combat - misgivings which proved fully justified during England's great war with Spain in the 1580s and '90s. Nevertheless, Elizabeth's armies and navy succeeded in fighting Spain to a standstill in campaigns which spanned the Low Countries, northern France, Spain and the Atlantic, as well as the famous Armada campaign of 1588; whilst in Ireland the last Irish resistance to total English domination of the country was finally crushed towards the end of Elizabeth's reign.
Combining original work and a synthesis of existing research, Paul E.J. Hammer offers a lively new examination of these long and costly, but ultimately successful, wars - military exploits which were to prove impossible acts to follow for Elizabeth's immediate successors.
Elizabeth's Wars tells the story of how Elizabeth I and her government overcame early obstacles and gradually rebuilt England's military power on both land and sea, absorbing vital lessons about modern warfare from 'secret wars' fought on the Continent and in the waters of the New World. Elizabeth herself was a reluctant participant in foreign wars and feared the political and material costs of overseas combat - misgivings which proved fully justified during England's great war with Spain in the 1580s and '90s. Nevertheless, Elizabeth's armies and navy succeeded in fighting Spain to a standstill in campaigns which spanned the Low Countries, northern France, Spain and the Atlantic, as well as the famous Armada campaign of 1588; whilst in Ireland the last Irish resistance to total English domination of the country was finally crushed towards the end of Elizabeth's reign.
Combining original work and a synthesis of existing research, Paul E.J. Hammer offers a lively new examination of these long and costly, but ultimately successful, wars - military exploits which were to prove impossible acts to follow for Elizabeth's immediate successors.
- GenresHistoryTudor Period
324 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2003
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 27, 2021
A very useful and well-written chronological account that is both academic and accessible. Hammer starts with a brief introduction to warfare as practised by Elizabeth's father and siblings, before giving an almost blow-by-blow account of the main wars and military arenas of the Elizabethan era. In doing so, Hammer not only provides excellent background information on the state of warfare in Tudor England, but on the very complex situations on the Continent as well as on England's 'foreign policy'. He finishes off with a brief yet convincing analysis of the military revolution under Elizabeth. My one complaint - which is particularly surprising and disappointing for what is otherwise an excellent academic text - is that the referencing is sometimes lacking. For example, Hammer quotes Fynes Moryson in the text but fails to provide any direct reference, which then took me an hour to identify and track down. Another quotation is entirely lacking a reference. Despite this issue, the book is definitely a go-to source for studying warfare and international relations during the Elizabethan era.
February 7, 2017
Paul Hammer sums his book up nicely:
"Elizabeth's wars are an object lesson in the difficult balance which all governments must strike when they go to war between the pursuit of military effectiveness, financial constraints and the need to maintain domestic political stability."
Most of the books I have read about the reign of Elizabeth I focus on her personality vis a vis her court, council, and policy. They make Elizabeth's reluctance to fight wars seem a more important element of her reign than the wars themselves, though of course her position as the target of all Catholic governments made defensive wars unavoidable.
We also know that she had to find ways to dominate a male nobility, many of whom thought she should be dominated by them, either for her own good or theirs. Those nobles were used to a culture in which military glory was the way to win advancement; given a choice between their own military glory or England's wellbeing, they chose glory.
Elizabeth had to fight defensive wars – England's limited resources made that necessary. Throughout her life she had to wage unwanted but unavoidable wars. Her militarily-ambitious nobles sometimes broke loose once they were out of her reach; and ran their armies into the ground while pursuing forbidden, aggressive policies. The growing involvement of England's gentleman and merchant class managed to keep Spain from gaining a foothold on her soil in spite of the battles repeatedly lost by nobles scrambling for military acclaim.
ELIZABETH'S WARS is not a carry-around book. It requires either a lot of background in military logistics or a lot of concentration. It is loaded with statistics: numbers of recruits, casualties, ships, supplies, and especially money. It goes deeply into military reorganization. I grant it high marks for making these subjects clear to a layman.
"Elizabeth's wars are an object lesson in the difficult balance which all governments must strike when they go to war between the pursuit of military effectiveness, financial constraints and the need to maintain domestic political stability."
Most of the books I have read about the reign of Elizabeth I focus on her personality vis a vis her court, council, and policy. They make Elizabeth's reluctance to fight wars seem a more important element of her reign than the wars themselves, though of course her position as the target of all Catholic governments made defensive wars unavoidable.
We also know that she had to find ways to dominate a male nobility, many of whom thought she should be dominated by them, either for her own good or theirs. Those nobles were used to a culture in which military glory was the way to win advancement; given a choice between their own military glory or England's wellbeing, they chose glory.
Elizabeth had to fight defensive wars – England's limited resources made that necessary. Throughout her life she had to wage unwanted but unavoidable wars. Her militarily-ambitious nobles sometimes broke loose once they were out of her reach; and ran their armies into the ground while pursuing forbidden, aggressive policies. The growing involvement of England's gentleman and merchant class managed to keep Spain from gaining a foothold on her soil in spite of the battles repeatedly lost by nobles scrambling for military acclaim.
ELIZABETH'S WARS is not a carry-around book. It requires either a lot of background in military logistics or a lot of concentration. It is loaded with statistics: numbers of recruits, casualties, ships, supplies, and especially money. It goes deeply into military reorganization. I grant it high marks for making these subjects clear to a layman.
June 26, 2015
This is a very detailed account that incorporates a great deal of military history as well as political and personal history. I enjoyed the author's take on E2R's leadership - and often inconsistency - in running almost constant wars in Ireland, the Netherlands, and of course, Spain. If you gravitate to military history, you'll love this one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews