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Spanish Armada


 
 
The Spanish ArmadaArmada

Armada may refer to:*The Armada, a Capoeira move....
was the SpanishHabsburg Spain

During the reign of Emperor Charles V, who ascended the thrones of the kingdoms of Spain after the death of his grandfather Ferdi...
 fleet that sailed against EnglandEngland

England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom....
 under the command of the Duke of Medina SidoniaAlonso de Guzmán El Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia

Don Alonso Prez de Guzmn el Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia was the commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada....
 in 1588, leading to the Norris-Drake Expedition or English ArmadaEnglish Armada

The English Armada was a fleet of warships sent to the Iberian coast by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1589, during the Ang...
 of 1589.

King Philip II of SpainPhilip II of Spain

Philip II was the first official King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, king of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until 1598, King ...
  had been king consortKing consort

King consort is a title given in some monarchies to the husband of a Queen regnant....
 of England until the death, in 1558, of his wife, Queen Mary I of EnglandMary I of England

Mary I , also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July1553 or 19 July 1553 until h...
, and he took exception to the policies pursued by her successor, his sister-in-law Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was Queen of England, Queen of France , and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death....
. The aim of his expedition was to invade and conquer England, thereby suppressing support for the United ProvincesDutch Republic

he Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in the same location as the mod...
 – that part of the Spanish Netherlands in possession of the Dutch rebels – and cutting off attacks by the English against Spanish possessionsSpanish Empire

The Spanish Empire was the first truly global empire....
 in the New WorldNew World

The New World is one of the names used for the Americas....
 and against the Atlantic treasure fleetSpanish treasure fleet

In the 16th century the Spanish treasure fleets brought the wealth of the Spanish colonies in Central and South America to S...
s. The king was supported by Pope Sixtus VPope Sixtus V

Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti, was Pope from 1585 to 1590....
, who treated the invasion as a crusade, with the promise of a further subsidy should the Armada make land.

The Armada's appointed commander was the highly experienced Álvaro de BazánÁlvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz

Don ?lvaro de Baz?n, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, lord of the Villas of Viso and Valdepe?as, largest Commander of Le?n, Mem...
, but he died in February 1588, and Medina Sidonia took his place.






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Timeline

1588   The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, begins to set sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel (it will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port).

1588   Battle of Gravelines: The Spanish Armada is defeated by an English naval force under command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake off the coast of Gravelines, now in France.

1692   The battle of La Hougue is the decisive naval battle in the Nine Years War. The durable dominance of the Royal Navy – beginning with the Invincible Armada – is confirmed and lasted up to the Second World War.






Encyclopedia


The Spanish ArmadaArmada

Armada may refer to:*The Armada, a Capoeira move....
was the SpanishHabsburg Spain

During the reign of Emperor Charles V, who ascended the thrones of the kingdoms of Spain after the death of his grandfather Ferdi...
 fleet that sailed against EnglandEngland

England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom....
 under the command of the Duke of Medina SidoniaAlonso de Guzmán El Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia

Don Alonso Prez de Guzmn el Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia was the commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada....
 in 1588, leading to the Norris-Drake Expedition or English ArmadaEnglish Armada

The English Armada was a fleet of warships sent to the Iberian coast by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1589, during the Ang...
 of 1589.

King Philip II of SpainPhilip II of Spain

Philip II was the first official King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, king of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until 1598, King ...
  had been king consortKing consort

King consort is a title given in some monarchies to the husband of a Queen regnant....
 of England until the death, in 1558, of his wife, Queen Mary I of EnglandMary I of England

Mary I , also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July1553 or 19 July 1553 until h...
, and he took exception to the policies pursued by her successor, his sister-in-law Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was Queen of England, Queen of France , and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death....
. The aim of his expedition was to invade and conquer England, thereby suppressing support for the United ProvincesDutch Republic

he Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in the same location as the mod...
 – that part of the Spanish Netherlands in possession of the Dutch rebels – and cutting off attacks by the English against Spanish possessionsSpanish Empire

The Spanish Empire was the first truly global empire....
 in the New WorldNew World

The New World is one of the names used for the Americas....
 and against the Atlantic treasure fleetSpanish treasure fleet

In the 16th century the Spanish treasure fleets brought the wealth of the Spanish colonies in Central and South America to S...
s. The king was supported by Pope Sixtus VPope Sixtus V

Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti, was Pope from 1585 to 1590....
, who treated the invasion as a crusade, with the promise of a further subsidy should the Armada make land.

The Armada's appointed commander was the highly experienced Álvaro de BazánÁlvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz

Don ?lvaro de Baz?n, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, lord of the Villas of Viso and Valdepe?as, largest Commander of Le?n, Mem...
, but he died in February 1588, and Medina Sidonia took his place. The fleet set out with 22 warships of the Spanish Royal Navy and 108 converted merchant vessels, with the intention of sailing through the English ChannelEnglish Channel

The English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and j...
 to anchor off the coast of FlandersFacts About Flanders

Flanders has several main meanings:...
, where the Duke of ParmaAlexander Farnese, Duke of Parma

Alessandro Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1...
's army of tercioTercio

Tercio was a term used by the Spanish army to describe a mixed infantry formation of about 3,000 pikemen and musketeers,...
s would stand ready for an invasion of the south-east of England.

The Armada achieved its first goal and anchored outside GravelinesGravelines

Gravelines is a small historic town and commune on the northern coast of France on the river Aa 15 miles south west of Dunki...
, at the coastal border area between FranceFrance

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi...
 and the Spanish Netherlands. While awaiting communications from ParmaAlexander Farnese, Duke of Parma

Alessandro Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1...
's army, it was driven from its anchorage by an English fire shipFire ship

A fire ship was a ship that is filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet in order t...
 attack, and in the ensuing battle at Gravelines the Spanish were forced to abandon their rendezvous with Parma's army.

The Armada managed to regroup and withdraw north, with the English fleet harrying it for some distance up the east coast of England. A return voyage to SpainSpain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a European parliamentary monarchy....
 was plotted, and the fleet sailed into the Atlantic, past IrelandIreland

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe....
. But severe storms disrupted the fleet's course, and more than 24 vessels were wrecked on the north and western coasts of Ireland, with the survivors having to seek refuge in Scotland. Of the fleet's initial complement, about 50 vessels failed to make it back to Spain.

The expedition was the largest engagement of the undeclared Anglo–Spanish War.

The planned invasion of England


Prior to the undertaking, Pope Sixtus VPope Sixtus V

Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti, was Pope from 1585 to 1590....
 allowed Philip II of SpainPhilip II of Spain

Philip II was the first official King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, king of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until 1598, King ...
 to collect crusade taxes and granted his men indulgenceIndulgence

In Latin Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission granted by the Church of the temporal punishment due to sins alre...
s. The blessing of the Armada's banner on 25 April 1588 was similar to the ceremony used prior to the Battle of Lepanto in 1571Battle of Lepanto (1571)

The naval Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a galley fleet of the Holy League, a sometimes-flimsy coalitio...
. On 28 May 1588 the Armada set sail from LisbonLisbon

Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal....
, headed for the English Channel. The fleet was composed of around 130 ships, 8,000 sailors and 18,000 soldiers, and bore 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns; it took two days for the last vessel to leave port. It contained 28 real warships: twenty galleonGalleon

A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries....
s, four galleyGalley

The term galley can refer to any ship propelled primarily by man-power, using oars....
s and four galleasses; the remainder of the heavy vessels mainly consisted of armed carrackCarrack

A carrack or nao was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in the Mediterranean in the 15th century....
s and hulkHulk (ship)

A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea....
s; also 34 light ships were present. In the Spanish Netherlands an army of 30,000 men awaited its arrival, the plan being to use the fleet to convey the continental army on barges to a place near London; the Spanish admirals probably intended to first land the ship-bound force in the west of England, though this had been explicitly forbidden by Philip. All told, it was envisaged to muster 55,000 men, a huge army for that time. On the day of the fleet's departure, Elizabeth's ambassador in the Netherlands, Dr Valentine Dale, met Parma's representatives to begin peace negotiations. On July 17 negotiations were abandoned, and the English fleet stood prepared – though ill-supplied – at Plymouth, awaiting news of Spanish movements, after having in vain tried to intercept the Armada in the Bay of BiscayFacts About Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the North Atlantic Ocean....
.

The Armada was delayed by bad weather, forcing the four galleys and one galleon to leave the fleet, and was not sighted in England until July 19, when it appeared off St Michael's MountSt Michael's Mount

St Michael's Mount is a lofty pyramidal tidal island, exhibiting a curious combination of slate and granite, rising 400 yard...
 in CornwallCornwall

Cornwall is a county in South West England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar....
. The news was, albeit slowly, conveyed to London by a system of beaconBeacon

Beacons are fires lit on hills or high places, used either as lighthouses for navigation at sea, or for signalling over land...
s that had been constructed along the length of the south coast of England. During the evening the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth harbour by the incoming tide. The Spanish convened a council of war, where it was proposed to ride into the harbour on the tide and incapacitate the English ships at anchor and from there to attack England; but Medina Sidonia declined this advice, and that same night 55 ships of the English fleet set out in pursuit from PlymouthPlymouth

Plymouth is a city in the southwest of England, or alternatively the Westcountry, and is situated within the traditional cou...
 under the command of Lord Howard of EffinghamCharles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham

Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham was an English statesman and admiral....
, with as Vice Admiral Sir Francis Drake. Howard gave Drake, being the more experienced naval commander, some control during the campaign. Rear Admiral was Sir John HawkinsJohn Hawkins

Sir John Hawkins was an English shipbuilder, merchant, navigator, and slave trader....
.

The next night, in order to execute their "line ahead" attack, the English tacked upwind of the Armada, thus gaining the weather gageFacts About Weather gage

To have the weather gage describes the favorable position of a sailing vessel relative to another with respect to the wind....
, a significant advantage. Over the next week there followed two inconclusive engagements, at EddystoneFacts About Eddystone

The Eddystone, or the Eddystone Rocks, are a seaswept group of rocks situated some 9 statute miles south west of Rame ...
 and the Isle of PortlandFacts About Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a 4 mile long by 1.5 mile wide limestone island in the English Channel....
. Two Spanish ships, the carrack Rosario and the galleon San Salvador, were abandoned after having been severely damaged by accidents; they were taken by the English who thereby captured a large supply of much-needed gunpowder. At the Isle of WightIsle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire....
 the Armada had the opportunity to create a temporary base in protected waters and wait for word from Parma's army. In a full-scale attack, the English fleet broke into four groups – Martin FrobisherMartin Frobisher

Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage....
 now also being given command over a squadron – with Drake coming in with a large force from the south. At the critical moment Medina Sidonia sent reinforcements south and ordered the Armada back in to open sea to avoid sandbanks. There were no secure harbours nearby, so the Armada was compelled to make for Calais, without regard to the readiness of Parma's army.

On July 27, the Armada anchored off CalaisCalais

Calais is a town in northern France, located at 5057N 152E....
 in a tightly packed defensive crescent formation, not far from Dunkirk, where Parma's army, reduced by diseases to 16,000, was expected to be waiting, ready to join the fleet in barges sent from ports along the Flemish coast. Communications had proven to be far more difficult than anticipated, and it only now transpired that, after months of strangely desultory preparation of transport barges, this army had yet to be assembled in port, a process which would take at least six days, while Medina Sidonia waited at anchor; and that Dunkirk was blockaded by a Dutch fleet of thirty flyboatFlyboat Summary

The flyboat was a European light warship of between 70 to 200 tons, used in the late 16th and early 17th century; the name w...
s under Lieutenant-Admiral Justin of Nassau. Parma desired that the Armada send its light petaches to drive away the Dutch, but Medina Sidonia could not do this because he feared to need these ships himself for his protection. There was no deep-water port where the fleet might shelter – always acknowledged as a major difficulty for the expedition – and the Spanish found themselves vulnerable as night drew on. At midnight on July 28 the English set alight eight fireships, sacrificing regular warships by filling them with pitchFacts About Pitch

Pitch may refer to:In music:...
, brimstoneBrimstone

* Brimstone, an ancient name for the element sulfur....
, some gunpowder, and tarTAR

TAR can mean:*TAR is the ICAO code for Tunisair...
, and cast them downwind among the closely-anchored vessels of the Armada. The Spanish feared that these uncommonly large fireships were 'hellburnersHellburners

Hellburners are specialised fireships used in the Siege of Antwerp during the Eighty Years' War between the Dutch rebels a...
' which continued into the next century. In the words of Geoffrey ParkerGeoffrey Parker (historian)

Sir Geoffrey Parker is a leading expert on military history....
, by 1588 'the capital ships of the Elizabethan navy constituted the most powerful battlefleet afloat anywhere in the world.' However, historians now recognize that the Armada campaign did not have lasting consequences upon the naval balance of power. In fact it led the Spanish NavySpanish Navy

The Spanish Navy is the maritime arm of the Spanish Military. ...
 undergoing a major reform which helped it to continue dominating European waters well into the next century.

In England, the boost to national pride lasted for years, and Elizabeth's legend persisted and grew well after her death. The repulse of Spanish naval might gave heart to the Protestant cause across Europe, and the belief that God was behind the Protestant cause was shown by the striking of commemorative medals that bore the inscription, He blew with His winds, and they were scatteredHe blew with His winds, and they were scattered

He blew with His winds, and they were scattered is a famous quotation on the aftermath of the defeat of the Spanish Armada i...
. There were also more lighthearted medals struck, such as the one with the play on Julius CaesarJulius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar , July 12 or July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader and one ...
's words: Venit, Vidit, Fugit (he came, he saw, he fled). The victory was acclaimed by the English as their greatest since AgincourtBattle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was fought on 25 October 1415, , in northern France as part of the Hundred Years' War during a rainy...
.

English Armada

However, an attempt to press home the English advantage failed the following year, when a comparable English fleet sailed against Spain in 1589 during the Norris-Drake Expedition or English ArmadaEnglish Armada

The English Armada was a fleet of warships sent to the Iberian coast by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1589, during the Ang...
 which met a similar fate, limping home after being held by the Spanish on the coasts of Portugal.

The supply of troops from England to Philip II's enemies in the Netherlands and France continued, but with dwindling success. High seas buccaneering against the Spanish also persisted but with little success. The Anglo-Spanish War thereafter generally favoured Spain. It was not until half a century later that the Dutch interrupted Spanish dominance at sea at the Battle of the DownsBattle of the Downs

The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 during the Eighty Years' War and was a decisive defeat of the Sp...
 in 1639. The strength of Spain's tercios – the dominant fighting unit in European land campaigns for over a century – was likewise broken by the French at the Battle of RocroiBattle of Rocroi

The Battle of Rocroi, fought on May 19 1643, resulted in a decisive victory of the French army under the Duc d'Enghien, agai...
 in 1643.

Other meanings

  1. Spanish Armada (Armada Española) can also describe the modern navyNavy

    A navy is the branch of a country's military forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare namely ...
     of Spain, part of the Spanish Armed ForcesSpanish Armed Forces

    The Spanish Armed Forces consists of the Army, Navy and Air Force....
    . The Spanish navy has participated in a number of military engagements, including the dispute over the Isla PerejilIsla Perejil

    The Isla Perejil is a small, rocky island located in the Strait of Gibraltar, 200 m off the coast of Morocco, 5 km from the...
    . This is not a reference to the Armada above – "armada" simply means "navy" in Spanish.
  2. In TennisTennis

    Tennis is a game played between either two players or two teams of two players ....
     slang, Spanish Armada is used to refer to the group of highly ranked Spanish players, such as Rafael NadalRafael Nadal

    Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish tennis player ....
    , Felix MantillaFélix Mantilla

    F?lix Mantilla may refer to:* F?lix Mantilla Botella, Spanish professional tennis player...
    , Albert PortasAlbert Portas

    Albert Portas is a professional tennis player from Spain....
    , Juan Carlos FerreroJuan Carlos Ferrero

    Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a former World No....
    , Carlos MoyáCarlos Moyá

    Carlos Moy Llompart, also known as Carles Moy, Carlos Moy or Carlos Moya, is a former World No....
    , and others.

See also

  • Black LegendBlack Legend

    The Black Legend is the disparaging depiction of Spain and Spaniards as bloodthirsty and cruel, intolerant, greedy and fanat...
  • Spanish Armada in IrelandSpanish Armada in Ireland

    In September 1588 up to 24 ships of the Spanish Armada were wrecked on the coast of Ireland, with heavy loss of life....
  • Francisco de CuellarFrancisco de Cuellar

    Francisco de Cuellar was a Spanish sea captain who sailed with the Spanish Armada in 1588 and was wrecked on the coast of Ir...
  • Fernando Sánchez de TovarFernando Sánchez de Tovar

    Fernando S?nchez de Tovar was a Castilian soldier and admiral of the Middle Ages....
     - Landed Spanish forces in England
  • Carlos de AmésquitaCarlos de Amésquita

    Carlos de Am?squita was a Spanish naval officer from 16th century....
     - Landed Spanish forces in England
  • Spanish EmpireSpanish Empire

    The Spanish Empire was the first truly global empire....


Literature

  • Geoffrey Parker, 'The Dreadnought Revolution of Tudor England', Mariner's Mirror, 82 (1996): 269-300.
  • Armada (1988) ISBN 0-575-03729-6
  • A History of England, from the Defeat of the Armada to the Death of Elizabeth, Edward Cheyney ISBN 1428629106
  • The Armada, Garrett MattinglyGarrett Mattingly

    Garrett Mattingly was a professor of European history at Columbia University, specializing in early modern diplomatic histor...
     (1959 and repr.) Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • England and the Spanish Armada (1990) ISBN 0-7317-0127-5
  • The Expedition of Sir John Norris and Sir Francis Drake to Spain and Portugal, 1589, edited by RB Wernham ISBN 0-566-05578-3
  • The Enterprise of England (1988) ISBN 0-86299-476-4
  • The Return of the Armadas: the Later Years of the Elizabethan War against Spain, 1595–1603, RB Wernham ISBN 0-19-820443-4
  • Sir Francis Drake: the Queen's Pirate, Harry Kelsey ISBN 0-300-07182-5
  • The Spanish Armada, Michael Lewis (1960). First published Batsford, 1960 – republished Pan, 1966
  • The Spanish Armada, C. Martin & G. Parker. (1988) ISBN 0-241-12125-6
  • The Spanish Armada: the Experience of the War in 1588, Felipe Fernández-ArmestoFelipe Fernández-Armesto

    Felipe Fern?ndez-Armesto is a British historian and author of several popular works of history....
     ISBN 0-19-822926-7
  • The voyage of the Armada (1981) ISBN 0-00-211575-1
  • Richard Bagwell, Ireland under the Tudors vols. 2 & 3 (London, 1885–1890)
  • John O'Donovan (ed.) Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters (1851)
  • Cyril Falls Elizabeth's Irish Wars (1950; reprint London, 1996) ISBN 0-09-477220-7
  • T.P.Kilfeather Ireland: Graveyard of the Spanish Armada (Anvil Books, 1967)
  • Winston Graham The Spanish Armadas (1972; reprint 2001) ISBN 0-14-139020-4
  • The Prince, Nicolo Machiavelli – numerous editions, including ISBN 1-85326-306-0
  • Historic Bourne etc., J.J.Davies (1909)
  • Chambers Biographical Dictionary, J.O.Thorne. (1969) SBN [sic] 550-16001-9
  • Dutch RepublicDutch Republic

    he Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in the same location as the mod...
     and the links from it give an insight into the politics in the Netherlands which ran parallel with political developments in England.
  • BBC-ZDF etc TV coproduction Natural History of Europe
  • Discovery Civilization Battlefield Detectives – What Sank The Armada?
  • The Atlas of the Crusades, Jonathan Riley-SmithJonathan Riley-Smith

    Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith MA, LittD, FRHistS, is an historian of the Crusades, and a former Dixie Professor of...
    . (1999) ISBN 0192853643.

Bibliography

  • From Merciless Invaders: The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, Alexander McKee, Souvenir Press, London, 1963. Second edition, Grafton Books, London, 1988.
  • The Armada, Garrett Mattingly, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1959
  • The Spanish Armadas, Winston Graham, Dorset Press, New York, 1972.