Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada (Grande y Felicísima Armada, literally "Great and Most Fortunate Navy") was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from La Coruña in August 1588, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. The strategic aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Tudor establishment of Protestantism in England, with the expectation that this would put a stop to English interference in the Spanish Netherlands and to the harm caused to Spanish interests by English and Dutch privateering.

The Armada chose The Spanish Armada (Grande y Felicísima Armada, literally "Great and Most Fortunate Navy") was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from La Coruña in August 1588, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. The strategic aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Tudor establishment of Protestantism in England, with the expectation that this would put a stop to English interference in the Spanish Netherlands and to the harm caused to Spanish interests by English and Dutch privateering.

The Armada chose not to attack the English fleet at Plymouth, then failed to establish a temporary anchorage in the Solent, after one Spanish ship had been captured by Francis Drake in the English Channel. The Armada finally dropped anchor off Calais. While awaiting communications from the Duke of Parma's army, the Armada was scattered by an English fireship attack. In the ensuing Battle of Gravelines the Spanish fleet was damaged and forced to abandon its rendezvous with Parma's army, who were blockaded in harbour by Dutch flyboats. The Armada managed to regroup and, driven by southwest winds, withdrew north, with the English fleet harrying it up the east coast of England. The commander ordered a return to Spain, but the Armada was disrupted during severe storms in the North Atlantic and a large number of the vessels were wrecked on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. Of the initial 130 ships over a third failed to return. As Martin and Parker explain, "Philip II attempted to invade England, but his plans miscarried, partly because of his own mismanagement, unfortunate weather, and partly because the opportunistic defensive naval efforts of the English and their Dutch allies (the use of ships set afire and sailed into the anchored Armada to create panic) prevailed."

The expedition was the largest engagement of the undeclared Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). The following year, England organised a similar large-scale campaign against Spain, the Drake–Norris Expedition or "counter-Armada of 1589", which was unsuccessful and resulted in serious economic consequences and the loss of many English lives and ships. ...more

Spanish Armada Books

The Armada: A Definitive and Acclaimed History of the 1588 Naval Campaign That Shaped Europe

Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England’s Deliverance in 1588

The Enterprise of England: The Spanish Armada

Inyo’s Ring: The legend of a Spanish Armada Shipwreck Survivor in Ireland

Contra Armada: la mayor catástrofe naval de la historia de Inglaterra

Spain: The Centre of the World 1519-1682

History's Greatest Hits: Famous Events We Should Know More About

The Confident Hope of a Miracle: The True History of the Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada: The Great Enterprise against England 1588

The Queen's Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I

More spanish armada books...

Lists

Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada by Frances Winwar

The Spanish Armada

51 books — 6 voters

Related Genres

History
European History
British History
16th Century
English History
Naval History
Spanish History

British Navy
Renaissance England
Mary I
Hìstory
Spanish Armada
Renaissance Spain
Hiśtory

Featured News & Interviews

Get Ready! Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2026

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Spanish Armada”

“ The defeat of the Armada in 1588 was Elizabeth's high point. Things went downhill after that. Militarily the triumph against Spain was rather undermined the following year when Elizabeth sent her own massive Armada, commanded by Sir Francis Drake, to Spain and Portugal. This was annihilated too. So maybe God was neutral. Or Muslim. ...more ”
― David Mitchell, Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens

1 likes

“ A good book should make you laugh, cry or pee your pants. The best do all three! ”
― G. Ernest Smith

2 likes

More quotes...

Videos Tagged “Spanish Armada”

A CRY FROM THE DEEP

Today in History: Spanish Armada sets sail