Why did Spain and Philip II want to invade England?
The religious aspect, particularly the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, was just a pretext; preparations for the Armada had been underway for at least 3 years before Mary was even charged with treason. The main reason was economic. The Dutch provinces – the most prosperous in the Spanish empire – had been in rebellion since 1568, and Elizabeth was helping them, having sent an army to the Netherlands to fight the Spanish.The drain on Spanish resources and the lost revenue from the provinces was seriously damaging the Spanish economy – almost the entire annual production of the Peruvian silver mines was needed to pay for the ongoing campaign in the Netherlands each year.Conquest of England would remove Elizabeth and her anti Spanish foreign policy, cut off aid to the Dutch, and perhaps enable Spain to finally crush the rebels and regain control of the rich Dutch provinces.The large, well equipped and experienced Spanish Army of Flanders would then become available for operations elsewhe
