Final answer:
Queen Elizabeth I sponsored privateers like John Hawkins and Francis Drake to challenge Spanish dominance in the New World and expand English influence, rather than specifically defending Catholicism against Islam.
Step-by-step explanation:
Queen Elizabeth I sponsored privateers such as John Hawkins and Francis Drake for economic and political reasons, not specifically to defend Catholicism against Islam.
Queen Elizabeth sponsored privateers to plunder Spanish ships and towns in the Americas, earning a substantial profit for herself and for England. The main objective was to challenge Spanish dominance in the New World and expand English influence.
While there were tensions between Protestant England and Catholic Spain, the primary motivation behind sponsoring privateers was to target Spanish wealth and power, rather than directly defending Catholicism against Islam.