The Spanish Armada
By Fotmah Chaudhry and Marium Ansari
How long was the war?
Summary
The Spanish Armada and England war was a war between the kingdoms of Spain and England. The entire war included small separated battles throughout the span of 19 years. The war started shortly after when Elizabeth I executed Catholic Mary Queen of Scots in 1587. Philip decided to invade England. Philip’s plan was to have an armada of 130 ships that would sail to The Netherlands, to pick up more of the Spanish Army and invade England. There was a storm which delayed the Spanish Armada and by the time they got to England, England already knew and were ready. England had defeated the Spanish, it was known as Queen Elizabeth’s greatest victory.
Cause
The root cause was that King Henry VIII made England a protestant country which will make Spain go to war with England about 40 years after his death. King Philip II of Spain wanted to restore the Catholic faith in England for a long time. When English pirates seized the Spanish treasure fleet as they came back from the New World and used the money to support Dutch rebels in Spain as well. Once Queen Elizabeth executed Mary Queen of Scots, King Philip decided to invade.
Key Figures
This war was between King Philip II of Spain and Queen Elizabeth I of England. Spain was a Roman Catholic country but England was Protestant. Spain wanted to turn England back into a Catholic country. The Spanish Armada was under the command of Duke Medina Sidonia, to invade England. The English fleet was under the command of Sir Francis Drake. This defeat was known as Queen Elizabeth's greatest achievement as a ruler.
Outcome
The Royal Navy of England beat the Spanish Armada. There was no peace treaty because the conflicts between Spain and England ended in 1604.
Main Significance
The significance of The England and Spanish Armada war was that England received a lot of power once the Spanish Armada was defeated. Queen Elizabeth’s decisive defeat of the Armada made England a world-class naval power and introduced effective long-range weapons into naval warfare for the first time, ending the era of boarding and close-quarter fighting.
Primary Document
in 1588, King Philip II of Spain sent an armada to collect his army from the Netherlands, where they were fighting, and take them to invade England. This was done in the name of religion because England had become Protestant and no longer accepted the Pope as the head of the Church; Spain was Catholic and the Pope had encouraged Philip to try to make England become Catholic again. This letter talks about the progress of the Armada from the English government.