The Spanish Armada
A naval war around the English Island in 1588.
Summary
Causes
Root Causes:
There are several past or indirect influences which led to the establishment of Empresa de Inglaterra:
Cuius regio, eius religio--- Allowed each region’s ruler to dictate the religion practiced
Full-scale revolt in the Netherlands during the late 1560s
Imprisonment and execution of Queen Mary(Queen of Scots)
The founding of the Church of England by Henry VIII
Treaty of Nonsuch which aided the Dutch Rebels in Spanish Netherlands
Growing Intolerance of Catholicism in England
Direct Causes: Since the early 1550s, the wheels of conflict were turning. It all began with the brief encounters between the two monarchs later involved: Philipp II(the prudent king) and Elizabeth I(virgin queen). In May of 1555, the two monarchs first met as Elizabeth I was in Hampton court and Philipp II was King consort of England. Only Philipp II held a grudge after this first encounter. He claimed sole credit for bringing the future Queen back and arranging a reconciliation with her half-sister. He simultaneously recognized Mary’s inability to conceive which could have led to his unwavering support for Elizabeth’s rise to power as the couple had no rightful heir to the throne. Unfortunately, this support was not well taken by Spaniards who did not enjoy her religious tendencies against the English Catholics. On top of this, Elizabeth never recognized the aid given by the King and rejected his eventual marriage proposal in 1559. This decline in relations between the two powers eventually culminated into the Empresa de Inglaterra(the Enterprise of England), the overthrow of the new Protestant regime. The establishment of this was the foundation for King Philipp’s future invasions of England as many Spanish politicians pointed to the concept when justifying rash invasions against England.
Course
Spanish Armada-An English ship first sights the Armada out at sea near the Isles of Scilly
English Fleet-A fast ship goes back to pass on the news. Fire beacons are lit along the coast to warn people that the Armada is coming
30th July 1588
Spanish Armada-The Armada is seen from land on Lizard Point, Cornwall
English Fleet-Admiral Howard leads his fleet into Plymouth Sound at night. The main fleet cross ahead of the Armada so that the wind is in their favor and send a decoy squadron to create confusion
31st July 1588
Spanish Armada-The Armada assemble into the fighting formation to protect themselves
English Fleet-By dawn the English fleet are in position
1st August 1588
Spanish Armada-Each ship in Armada is given its instructions to board the English ships and take them. A messenger is sent to tell the Duke of Parma in the Netherlands to inform and collect the army
English Fleet-Although in a good position, the English fleet is not quite ready to attack
2nd & 3rd August 1588
Spanish Armada-The Spanish try to get closer to the English fleet to board their ships and attack
English Fleet-The English ships are faster, more able to maneuver and have cannons aboard which can fire further than the Spanish. They fire their cannons at the Spanish ships as they sail quickly past
4th August 1588
Spanish Armada-The wind changes direction, the Armada is now heading towards the Isle of Wight. It turns back towards the Channel
English Fleet-The English divide into 4 squadrons to try to attack the Spanish ships
5th August 1588
Spanish Armada-The commander of the Armada, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, sends a message to the Duke of Parma telling him to be ready to meet the Armada at Dunkirk. He tells him to bring plenty of ammunition as they have almost used all of theirs. Little did Medina Sidonia know that the Dutch and the English were barricading the coast of the Low Countries, preventing Parma from sending an army
English Fleet-The English ships send messages to the government asking for gunpowder and ammunition as well as food. Nothing is sent
6th & 7th August 1588
Spanish Armada-The Armada anchors at the port of Calais. The Spanish push back the burning ships but the guns on the ships begin exploding frightening the Spanish who try to get out of the way
English Fleet-Reinforcement ships arrive to join the English and it is decided that the English must act quickly before Parma’s army arrive. Old ships are packed full of things that will burn, set alight and sent in the direction of Calais
8th & 9th August 1588
Spanish Armada-The Spanish ships try to regroup whilst continuing to fight off the English but they are blown close to the port of Gravelines, by the wind and are at risk of being wrecked on the sandbanks. At the last minute, the wind changes direction and the Armada are pushed back out to sea. They manage to regroup and agree that if the wind changes they will attack the English, but if the wind continues to blow northwards they will have to sail around the coast of Scotland and back to Spain
English Fleet-The English continue to attack with great vigor and sail towards the Armada to save ammunition Hawkins continues to ask for food and ammunition from the English government as he is unsure whether they have defeated the Spanish at this point
10th August 1588
Spanish Armada-The wind continues to blow against the Armada, they are unable to sail back down the English Channel and are forced to sail up the East coast and go around Scotland, past Ireland, to get back to Spain. Bad storms wreck many ships off the coast of Scotland and Ireland – only about half of the ships return to Spain
English Fleet-The English fleet follows the Spanish at a distance - they are not able to attack due to lack of ammunition. Once it becomes clear that the Spanish are retreating, they return to port.