England VS Spain: Spanish Armada
Laina Robison, Lauren Schnabel and Sydney Jaques
The Spanish Armada
How did it all start?
Sir Francis Drake, a sea captain for England, had been attacked by a fleet of Spanish ships and many of his ships had been destroyed as a result. He was able to escape with his life, but he never forgave the Spanish. He then took the life as a privateer who would attack enemy ships (most prominently Spain) and steal their cargo. To England, he was considered a hero, but to Spain he was considered a pirate. Sir Francis Drake continued to attack towns and ships and stealing much of their riches over the years. By 1588, King Philip II of Spain was fed up with the pirating of the privateers(such as Sir Francis Drake), along with Queen Elizabeth 1's encouragement of their actions. He assembled his own fleet of 130 Spanish warships which became known as the Spanish Armada. He sent them to go crush the British and thereby conquer England. Another thing that was occurring at that time was that England was a protestant country and Spain was mainly Catholic. After Queen Elizabeth I executed Catholic Marry Queen of Scots, Philip (who was strongly Catholic) was like the icing on the cake for his decision to invade England.
Key Figures/Groups
The Battle
The English fleet outnumbered the Spanish (200 ships to 130), however the Spanish fleet outgunned the English, with it's firepower 50% more than that of the English.The Spanish ships were slow and less armed than England, but they planned to force boarding actions if the English offer battle. The Spanish were delayed by storms that temporarily made them head back to Spain and the Armada did not reach the southern coast of England until July 19th. By that time, the British were ready to fight. On July 21st, the English navy began fighting with the seven-mile-long line of Spanish ships. The Spanish Armada continued to advance the next few days of battle, but its ranks were diminished by English assault. On July 27th, the Armada stopped in an exposed position off of Calais, France and the Spanish army prepared to attack from Flanders. After midnight on July 29th, the English sent off eight burning ships into the crowded harbor at Calais. The Spanish ships were forced to cut their anchors and sail out to sea to avoid catching on fire. The dismantled fleet of ships were attacked by the English off Gravelines at dawn. After this attack, the English had won the battle.
Outcome
After eight hours of fighting, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the Royal Navy of England that was commanded by the duke Sir Francis Drake alongside Lord Charles Howard. This victory was made plausible for a couple of reasons. First off, the English Navy had strategically used the wind to blow the eight ships that they had previously equipped with flammable material. They lit fire to the anchored fleet, scaring them, and scattering their formation. The Spanish fled into the open sea to avoid catching on fire, where the English were awaiting. Also there had been poor weather that had moved some of the Spanish ships off course, towards the shores of Ireland, reducing the Spanish numbers. Another factor in the victory, was that the English ships were smaller and easily maneuverable. There was no peace treaty signed after the battle, as the conflicts between these two nations continued until 1604.
Main significance
Primary Source Document
Above shows an image of a letter written to the English government about the Spanish Armada. It includes important information such as how many ships there were and where and when the Spanish were moving. This letter was extremely important because of the information in it because England could then decide their plan of attack on Spain. Source:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/god-blew-they-were-scattered/source-1/
Sources
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada
-http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/tudors/armada.htm