Elizabeth’s realm was poor and isolated by comparison with the great Spanish empire, more Beowulf than Camelot. It seemed likely that Spain, led by the methodical Philip II, would soon invade England and replace the Protestant queen, who had already been excommunicated by the pope, with a suitable Catholic monarch, bringing the country into the Vatican fold. The country was half-Catholic, and many of the populace would welcome the development. But Elizabeth’s improvised strategy and Drake’s daring defied this likely outcome and set England, Europe, and eventually much of the world on a
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