Giulia MARCOLINI
Abstract. This article aims to revisit Philip II’s policy toward Elizabethan England, arguing that it was guided primarily by geopolitical pragmatism rather than a messianic Catholic crusade. Traditional historiography has represented the Spanish monarch as the quintessential defender of the faith, emphasizing his alleged zeal to reconvert England and his support for English Catholic exiles. However, recent scholarship shows that Philip’s main concerns had nothing to do with the European Protestants, but were more centered on the Ottoman threat in the Mediterranean, the Dutch revolt, and the protection of Spanish colonial trade. The financial subsidies to English exiles and the support to Mary, Queen of Scots, are to be considered low‑cost tools to keep Elizabeth occupied, and not unconditional commitments. Papal demands for a holy war were repeatedly deflected with diplomatic excuses, revealing a clear separation between religious rhetoric and realpolitik. The 1588 “Enterprise of England” is interpreted as the culmination of a long‑term strategy aimed at neutralizing English support for the Dutch rebels and safeguarding the Spanish Atlantic commerce, rather than the sudden eruption of a purely religious venture. The study reframes Philip II as a monarch whose actions were dictated by strategic, economic, and defensive imperatives, other than religious motivations, positioning the Anglo‑Spanish conflict within the broader context of early‑modern statecraft.
Keywords: Philip II, England, Catholic Mission, Elizabeth I, Historiography