Catholic France and Spain are two biggest powers

Mary Queen of Scots married to French Dauphin

Mary of Guise is regent for her daughter in Scotland

Peace Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis (F + S)

England allied with Spain

French refuse to return Calais

Philip II maries Henry II's daughter

Henry II dies, Francis II and Mary rulars of France and Scotland

Scottish lords depose of Mary of Guise

Elizabeths sends army to protestant Scotish lords to help prevent the French restoring Mary of Guise to power

Treaty of Edinburgh is signed and French withdraw from Scotland

Francis dies, younger brother Charles IX becomes king and his mother Catherine de Medici is regent

Violence breaks out between French Huguenots/Catholics

Elizabeths sends aid to Huguenots

Huguenots/Catholics make peace and drive out England

Friendship with Spain declines over Philip's tendancy to rule Netherlands as a Spanish Province and bypassing its Council of State

Calvinism spreads uniting Dutch against Spanish rule

Spanish fleet attack John Hawkins in Mexico

Cecil orders bullion to be unloaded from Spanish ships sheltering in English ports from pirates

Spain places embargo on all English property in the Netherlands - trade stops

Defence Treaty of Blois (E + F)

Sea Beggars ordered to leave English ports and return to Netherlands leading to Revolt of the Netherlands

French army prepares to help Dutch rebels

Massacre of St Bartholomew

Pro-English Scottish regent executed replaced by Esme Stuart, Earl of Lennox

End of year James VI seized by Protestant nobles and Lennox returns to France

Protestant Henry of Navarre becomes French heir when Alencon dies

Henry Duke of Guise forms Catholic League to prevent it and signs secret treaty with Spain

William Prince of Orange in the Netherlands is assinated

New Spanish commander Duke of Parma advances on Antwerp

Elizabeth signs Treaty of Nonsuch and sends army to help Dutch rebels

Drake sacks Santiago and Cartagena

English expedition under Drake is launched but fails to comply with Elizabeth's orders and accomplishes little

Henry III is assassinated, Henry Navarre assends throne

Renewal of French civil war, Elizabeth sends small army to support Henry IV

English army sent to support Maurice of Nassau son of William Prince of Orange against Parma in Netherlands

Henry IV defeats Catholic League at the Battle of Ivry and advances on Paris

Parma ordered to leave Netherlands and help Paris leaving Maurice of Nassau free to capture Dutch towns and win battles

Philip renews treaty with Catholic league and sends 3000 men to Brittany

Elizabeth sends army to Brittany under Sir John Norreys

A second army is sent to Normandy under Earl of Essex

Expedition commanded by Lord Howard of Effingham and Earl of Essex sacks Cadiz

Bankrupt Philip send second armada but it is destroyed by gales

Essex given command to intercept a third armada but sails to the Azores after Spanish treasure fleet, which he misses, leaving England undefended

Luckily third armada is wrecked by storms

Henry IV makes peace with Spain at Vervins

Philip III becomes King of Spain