Spanish Armada

• Philip's planned invasion of England

  1. Send an armador of 80 ships through the English Channel

  2. Anchor off the Dutch coast

  3. 35,000 Spanish soldiers in the Netherlands, under the Duke of Parma, would come aboard

  4. The ships would land on the Kent coast

  5. Then march to London, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Corunna
• Key locations


  • England
  • Plymouth
  • France
  • Spain
  • Lisbon
  • Coronna
  • Gravelines
• Armada's journey


  1. Leaves Lisbon on 28th May

  2. Arrives at Coronna on 19th June

  3. Sets sail for England on 21st July

  4. Sighted on the coast of England on 29th July

  5. Attacked by English ships from 31st July to 4th August

  6. Arrives at Calais in August

  7. Fireships sent into Calais harbour on 7th August

  8. Battle of Gravelines on 8th August

  9. Sails into North Sea on 9th August

  10. Sails past Scotland and Ireland in August-September

  11. Returns to Spain in September-October
• Armada


  • Used eight fireships which broke the Spanish fleet formation and made individual ships vulnerable
  • Ran out of food and water, many sailors became too sick to sail due to stormy voyage home
  • Delay in getting soldiers on board from the Netherlands was disastrous
  • Brought the wrong cannonballs, making their cannons useless for naval warfare
  • Spanish ships were slow and much less manoeuvrable than the English ships
  • Spanish ships were designed for the Mediterranean and struggled in the Channel and North Sea
  • Most of their cannons were designed to be used once they landed in England, leading to defeat at Gravelines
  • Constant bombardment by English cannons made it impossible for the Spanish to regroup
  • Battered by storms off the Scottish and Irish coast, many ships wrecked and survivors slaughtered
  • Spanish ships largely helpless against English cannon fire
• Duke of Medina-Sidonia: '"My health is not equal to this voyage. I know from my experiences at sea that I am always seasick and always catch a cold"'
• English


  • Commanders like Francis Drake were good tacticians and leaders
  • English ships were faster than the Spanish ships
• Reasons for Spanish defeat

  • English tactics
  • Spanish mistakes
  • The weather