Spanish Armada

• When did Phillip II launch the Armada against England?

  1588
• What were the religious reasons for Phillip II launching the Armada?

  • Execution of MQS in 1587
  • The Pope encouraged Spain to attack England and promised to forgive the sins of the participants of the Armada
  • The Treaty of Joinville in 1584 united France and Spain against Protestantism
• Why was England's potential a reason for Phillip II launching the Armada?

  He believed that England would make a valuable colony for Spain's empire
• Why were Elizabeth's decisions a reason for Phillip II launching the Armada?

  • Elizabeth supported Sir Francis Drake's privateering in the Spanish Americas and knighted him for it in 1580
  • Elizabeth signed the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585 and sent troops to fight Spain in the Netherlands which undermined Phillip's rule of the country
• Why was Spain's power a reason for Phillip II launching the Armada?

  • Duke of Parma re-asserted Spain's power in the Netherlands from 1579
  • Spain captured Portugal in 1580 which boosted their wealth
• How did English and Spanish forces compare?

  Commander of the navy:

  • England - Lord Howard of Effingham was not an experienced sailor but was good with naval tactics, was supported by Drake and John Hawkins
  • Spain - Duke of Medina-Sidonia who was not an experienced sailor and suffered from sea sickness

  Types & number of ships:

  • England - 200 ships, small galleons, easy to manoeuvre
  • Spain - 130 ships, large ships, made more for transporting soldiers than fighting, hard to manoeuvre

  Number of sailors:

  • England - 14,000 sailors, 20,000 soldiers in England
  • Spain - 30,000 soldiers
• How did English and Spanish forces compare? (2)


  Access to supplies:

  • England - soldiers had access to fresh food every day due to the proximity of England
  • Spain - no access to fresh food, ships had six months worth of food inside barrels

  Weapons:

  • England - 200 smaller cannons, quick to load, worked at long-range
  • Spain - 2,431 cannons, took long to reload, worked at short range
• What was Phillip's strategy for the Armada?

  • Armada would sail from Lisbon to Calais through the English Channel
  • Duke of Parma marched an army of 20,000 soldiers from the Netherlands and would meet the Armada in Calais
  • Parma's army would land in Kent, England with the protection of the Armada
  • arrival of the Spanish army would trigger an uprising from English Catholics
  • the Spanish army and English Catholics would depose Elizabeth and restore Catholicism in England
• How did England defeat the Armada?

  Galleon ship design:

  • galleons moved quicker than Spanish warships
  • sailors found galleons easier to turn around and attack the enemy
  • galleon's cannon design allowed for faster reloads

  English tactics:

  • English hit the Spanish from distance as their cannons were smaller with longer range
  • Armada could not get close enough to the English ships to use their more powerful cannons
  • deployment of fireships scattered the Armada from their crescent formation
• How did the Armada not preparing effectively cause them to fail?

  • Raid on Cadiz destroyed the barrels Spain needed to store provisions so they had to rush to make new ones
  • bad weather delayed them from reaching England
  • by the time they had reached the English Channel they had been at sea for 10 weeks which caused Spain's food provisions to rot as they had been delayed for so long and had poor barrels
  • did not have enough cannonballs to fight the English ships
• How did a lack of communication between Medina-Sidonia and Parma cause the Armada to fail?

  • Dudley's capture of the deep sea port of Ostend meant Spain did not have a sufficient harbour for its ships
  • Parma and Medina-Sidonia communicated by sea which meant their messages took a week to reach each other
  • Parma received Medina-Sidonia's message that the Armada had reached the English Channel too late which made the Armada vulnerable to attack as now they had to wait for Parma's forces to arrive
• How did Phillip's leadership of the Armada cause the Armada to fail?

  • Phillip did not listen to his commanders' advice and concerns
  • gave very restrictive instructions to Medina-Sidonia that did not allow him to take initiative in battles
  • Medina-Sidonia had little naval experience
  • order for the Armada to anchor in Calais made the fleet an easy target for the English navy
• How did the Spanish Armada affect England?

  • Increased confidence to trade and explore the world
  • Increase in English pride
  • Stronger Anglo-Dutch alliance formed
• How did the Spanish Armada affect Spain?

  • Triggered a decline in Spain's power and wealth
  • Continued war against England
  • Continued to believe Catholicism was the true religion
• How did the Spanish Armada affect Elizabeth?

  • Proved a queen regnant could win military campaigns
  • Proved her legitimacy as England's monarch
  • Commissioned the Armada portrait in 1588 which showed her subjects that Elizabeth's ambition was for England to dominate and explore the world
  • Strengthened Protestantism across Europe
  • Displayed Catholicism as hostile and foreign in England