essay on spanish armada

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Spanish Armada

By: History.com Editors

Updated: September 6, 2019 | Original: May 2, 2018

The Spanish Armada was an enormous 130-ship naval fleet dispatched by Spain in 1588 as part of a planned invasion of England. Following years of hostilities between Spain and England, King Philip II of Spain assembled the flotilla in the hope of removing Protestant Queen Elizabeth I from the throne and restoring the Roman Catholic faith in England. Spain’s “Invincible Armada” set sail that May, but it was outfoxed by the English, then battered by storms while limping back to Spain with at least a third of its ships sunk or damaged. The defeat of the Spanish Armada led to a surge of national pride in England and was one of the most significant chapters of the Anglo-Spanish War.

Philip and Elizabeth

King Philip II ’s decision to attempt an overthrow of Queen Elizabeth I was several years in the making.

Despite their family connections—Philip had once been married to Elizabeth’s half-sister, Mary —the two royals had severe political and religious differences and had engaged in a “cold war” for much of the 1560s and 1570s.

Philip was particularly incensed by the spread of Protestantism in England, and he had long toyed with the idea of conquering the British Isle to bring it back into the Catholic fold.

Tensions between Spain and England flared in the 1580s, after Elizabeth began allowing privateers such as Sir Francis Drake to conduct pirate raids on Spanish fleets carrying treasure from their rich New World colonies.

By 1585, when England signed a treaty of support with Dutch rebels in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands, a state of undeclared war existed between the two powers. That same year, Philip began formulating an “Enterprise of England” to remove Elizabeth from the throne.

What Was the Spanish Armada?

The Spanish Armada was a naval force of about 130 ships, plus some 8,000 seamen and an estimated 18,000 soldiers manning thousands of guns. Roughly 40 of the ships were warships. 

The Spanish plan called for this “Great and Most Fortunate Navy” to sail from Lisbon, Portugal, to Flanders, where it would rendezvous with 30,000 crack troops led by the Duke of Parma, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

The fleet would then guard the army as it was ferried across the English Channel to the Kent coast to begin an overland offensive against London.

England Prepares for Invasion

It was impossible for Spain to hide the preparations for a fleet as large as the Armada, and by 1587, Elizabeth’s spies and military advisors knew an invasion was in the works. That April, the Queen authorized Francis Drake to make a preemptive strike against the Spanish.

After sailing from Plymouth with a small fleet, Drake launched a surprise raid on the Spanish port of Cadiz and destroyed several dozen of the Armada’s ships and over 10,000 tons of supplies. The “singeing of the king of Spain’s beard,” as Drake’s attack was known in England, was later credited with delaying the launch of the Armada by several months.

The English used the time bought by the raid on Cadiz to shore up their defenses and prepare for invasion.

Elizabeth’s forces built trenches and earthworks on the most likely invasion beaches, strung a giant metal chain across the Thames estuary and raised an army of militiamen. They also readied an early warning system consisting of dozens of coastal beacons that would light fires to signal the approach of the Spanish fleet.

Led by Drake and Lord Charles Howard, the Royal Navy assembled a fleet of some 40 warships and several dozen armed merchant vessels. Unlike the Spanish Armada, which planned to rely primarily on boarding and close-quarters fighting to win battles at sea, the English flotilla was heavily armed with long-range naval guns.

Spanish Armada Sets Sail

In May 1588, after several years of preparation, the Spanish Armada set sail from Lisbon under the command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia. When the 130-ship fleet was sighted off the English coast later that July, Howard and Drake raced to confront it with a force of 100 English vessels.

The English fleet and the Spanish Armada met for the first time on July 31, 1588, off the coast of Plymouth. Relying on the skill of their gunners, Howard and Drake kept their distance and tried to bombard the Spanish flotilla with their heavy naval cannons. While they succeeded in damaging some of the Spanish ships, they were unable to penetrate the Armada’s half-moon defensive formation.

Over the next several days, the English continued to harass the Spanish Armada as it charged toward the English Channel. The two sides squared off in a pair of naval duels near the coasts of Portland Bill and the Isle of Wight, but both battles ended in stalemates. 

By August 6, the Armada had successfully dropped anchor at Calais Roads on the coast of France, where Medina-Sidonia hoped to rendezvous with the Duke of Parma’s invasion army.

Fireships Scatter the Armada

Desperate to prevent the Spanish from uniting their forces, Howard and Drake devised a last-ditch plan to scatter the Armada. At midnight on August 8, the English set eight empty vessels ablaze and allowed the wind and tide to carry them toward the Spanish fleet hunkered at Calais Roads.

The sudden arrival of the fireships caused a wave of panic to descend over the Armada. Several vessels cut their anchors to avoid catching fire, and the entire fleet was forced to flee to the open sea.

Battle of Gravelines

With the Armada out of formation, the English initiated a naval offensive at dawn on August 8. In what became known as the Battle of Gravelines, the Royal Navy inched perilously close to the Spanish fleet and unleashed repeated salvos of cannon fire.

Several of the Armada’s ships were damaged and at least four were destroyed during the nine-hour engagement, but despite having the upper hand, Howard and Drake were forced to prematurely call off the attack due to dwindling supplies of shot and powder.

Speech to the Troops at Tilbury

With the Spanish Armada threatening invasion at any moment, English troops gathered near the coast at Tilbury in Essex to ward off a land attack. 

Queen Elizabeth herself was in attendance and - dressed in military regalia and a white velvet gown - she gave a rousing speech to her troops, one that is often cited as among the most inspiring speeches ever written and delivered by a sovereign leader:

"I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field."

Bad Weather Besets the Armada

Shortly after the Battle of Gravelines, a strong wind carried the Armada into the North Sea, dashing the Spaniards’ hopes of linking up with the Duke of Parma’s army. With supplies running low and disease beginning to spread through his fleet, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia resolved to abandon the invasion mission and return to Spain by rounding Scotland and Ireland.

The Spanish Armada had lost over 2,000 men during its naval engagements with the English, but its journey home proved to be far more deadly. The once-mighty flotilla was ravaged by sea storms as it rounded Scotland and the western coast of Ireland. Several ships sank in the squalls, while others ran aground or broke apart after being thrown against the shore.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

By the time the “Great and Most Fortunate Navy” finally reached Spain in the autumn of 1588, it had lost as many as 60 of its 130 ships and suffered some 15,000 deaths.

The vast majority of the Spanish Armada’s losses were caused by disease and foul weather, but its defeat was nevertheless a triumphant military victory for England.

By fending off the Spanish fleet, the island nation saved itself from invasion and won recognition as one of Europe’s most fearsome sea powers. The clash also established the superiority of heavy cannons in naval combat, signaling the dawn of a new era in warfare at sea.

While the Spanish Armada is now remembered as one of history’s great military blunders, it didn’t mark the end of the conflict between England and Spain. In 1589, Queen Elizabeth launched a failed “English Armada” against Spain.

King Philip II, meanwhile, later rebuilt his fleet and dispatched two more Spanish Armadas in the 1590s, both of which were scattered by storms. It wasn’t until 1604—over 16 years after the original Spanish Armada set sail—that a peace treaty was finally signed ending the Anglo-Spanish War as a stalemate.

The Spanish Armada. By Robert Hutchinson . The Spanish Armada. BBC . Sir Francis Drake. By John Sugden . The Spanish Armada: England’s Lucky Escape. History Extra . Elizabeth's Tilbury speech: July 1588. British Library .

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Why Did the Spanish Armada Fail?

Tristan Hughes

28 jul 2018, @ancientstristan.

In 1586, Philip II of Spain had had enough of England and its queen,  Elizabeth I . Not only had English privateers been raiding Spanish possessions in the New World, but Elizabeth had also been sending troops to aid Dutch rebels in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands. Philip could no longer tolerate English meddling in Spanish interests and he began making preparations to do something about it.

Two years later, Philip ordered a huge fleet – some 130 ships carrying 24,000 men – to set sail for the English Channel and support a Spanish land invasion of England from Flanders.

The ensuing English victory against this Spanish Armada became a pivotal moment in the rise of Protestant England as a global power. It is also widely regarded as one of England’s greatest naval victories. But why exactly did the Spanish Armada fail?

A lack of secrecy

As far back as 1583, news that Philip was planning to build a great fleet was common knowledge throughout Europe. Various rumours surrounded the intended destination of this new navy – Portugal, Ireland and the West Indies were all touted.

But Elizabeth and her chief adviser, Francis Walsingham, soon learnt from their spies in Spain that this armada (the Spanish and Portuguese word for “naval fleet”) was intended for an invasion of England.

And so, in 1587, Elizabeth ordered Sir Francis Drake, one of her most experienced sea captains, to lead a daring raid on the Spanish port at Cadiz. The April raid proved extremely successful, severely damaging preparations for the Armada – so much so that it forced Philip to postpone the invasion campaign.

Sir Francis Drake. In 1587, Drake had recently returned from a great pillaging expedition against Spanish colonies in the New World.

This gave the English precious time to prepare for the impending attack. Drake’s daring actions at Cadiz became known as  “singeing the beard of the King of Spain” because of how successfully it hindered Philip’s preparations.

For Philip, his inability to keep the planned invasion campaign a secret cost him dearly both in time and in money.

Santa Cruz’s death

Thanks to Drake’s raid at Cadiz, the Armada’s launch was delayed until 1588. And this delay led to further catastrophe for the Spanish preparations; before the Armada had set sail, one of Philip’s most capable naval commanders died.

The 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz.

The Marquis of Santa Cruz had been the designated leader of the Armada. He had also been a leading advocate of attacking England for years – although by 1588 he had grown increasingly sceptical of Philip’s plan. His death in February 1588, just prior to the invasion campaign being launched, added further turmoil to the planning.

Santa Cruz was replaced by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a nobleman who lacked the naval experience of his predecessor.

Philip’s impatience

Following multiple postponements of the invasion, Philip grew increasingly impatient. In May 1588 , he ordered Medina Sidonia to launch the fleet, despite preparations still not being complete.

Many galleons therefore lacked necessary provisions such as experienced gunners and high-quality cannon shot. Although a magnificent sight to behold, the Armada had severe faults in its weaponry when it set sail.

These faults soon revealed themselves in the Battle of Gravelines where the Spanish cannons proved ineffective because of the inexperience of the crews using them.

England’s superior ships

Unlike the Spanish galleons, the smaller, more versatile English ships were well-provisioned to fight. By 1588 the English navy consisted of many swift-moving ships filled with cannon and gunner specialists that were deadly against enemy vessels.

Their speed and mobility also proved highly important. It allowed them to sail close to the more cumbersome Spanish vessels, fire deadly cannon volleys point-blank and then sail away before the Spanish could board them.

A lack of ingenuity

Medina Sidonia had a golden opportunity to defeat the English navy very early on in the invasion campaign. As the Armada sailed along the Cornwall coast, the English navy was re-supplying in Plymouth harbour, leaving them trapped and extremely vulnerable to attack.

Many Spanish officers advised launching an attack on the English vessels, but Medina Sidonia was under strict orders from Philip to avoid engaging the English fleet unless absolutely necessary. Desiring to follow Philip’s orders to the letter, the duke avoided engaging the fleet. Many historians argue that this was a critical mistake.

The weather

The English were able to both outsail and outgun the Spanish at the Battle of Gravelines.

Following the Battle of Gravelines – during which the English ships used their better cannon and agility to both outsail and outgun their Spanish counterparts – a strong south-westerly wind forced the Spanish fleet to head into the North Sea. Although massive, the Spanish galleons lacked flexibility and could only sail with the wind at their back.

This proved to be their ultimate undoing as the wind drove what remained of Medina Sidonia’s fleet away from the Spanish army at Flanders. Unable to turn around because of the wind and the English pursuit, Medina Sidonia continued north and the invasion plan was abandoned.

The English later dubbed this south-westerly wind the “Protestant wind” – sent by God to save their country.

The weather continued to work against the Armada. After the English fleet gave up its pursuit off the east coast of Scotland, it looked as though the majority of the Spanish ships would be able to make it home safely. But after rounding the top of Scotland, the Armada ran into severe storms and nearly a third of its ships were driven ashore on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.

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The History of Advent

The history of the Spanish Armada

Learn more about the defining moment of Elizabeth I's reign

The Spanish Armada was the defining moment of Elizabeth I's reign. Spain's defeat secured Protestant rule in England, and launched Elizabeth onto the global stage. 

History of the Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada was one part of a planned invasion of England by King Philip II of Spain.

Launched in 1588, ‘la felicissima armada’, or ‘the most fortunate fleet’, was made up of roughly 150 ships and 18,000 men. At the time, it was the largest fleet ever seen in Europe and Philip II of Spain considered it invincible. 

What happened?

Why did the Spanish Armada happen?

Years of religious and political differences led up to the conflict between Catholic Spain and Protestant England.

The Spanish saw England as a competitor in trade and expansion in the ‘New World’ of the Americas.

Spain's empire was coveted by the English, leading to numerous skirmishes between English pirates and privateers and Spanish vessels. English sailors deliberately targeted Spanish shipping around Europe and the Atlantic. This included Sir Francis Drake's burning of over 20 Spanish ships in the port of Cadiz in April 1587.

Meanwhile, Walter Raleigh had twice tried - unsuccessfully - to establish an English colony in North America.

Plans for invasion accelerated however in 1587.

The turning point came following the execution of Mary Queen of Scots – Spain’s Catholic ally. The killing of Mary Queen of Scots, ordered by Elizabeth, was the final straw for Philip II in the religious tensions between the two countries.

Royal history in Greenwich

How did the campaign begin?

In 1588, Philip II intended to sail with his navy and army, a total of around 30,000 men, up the English Channel to link up with the forces led by the Duke of Parma in the Spanish Netherlands. From there they would invade England, bring the country under Catholic rule, and secure Spain's position as the superpower of Western Europe.

Beacons were lit as soon as the Armada was sighted off the English coast, informing London and Elizabeth of the imminent invasion.

According to legend, Francis Drake was first told of the sighting of the Armada while playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe. He is said to have answered that ‘there is plenty of time to finish the game and beat the Spaniards’ - but there is no reliable evidence for this.

The English ships were longer, lower and faster than their Spanish rivals. The decks fore and aft had been lowered to give greater stability, and this meant more guns could be carried to fire lethal broadsides. The ships were also more manoueverable than the heavy Spanish vessels.

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What happened when the armada attacked.

The commander of the Armada was the Duke of Medina Sidonia. The Duke had set out on the enterprise with some reluctance, as he was wary of the abilities of the English ships. However, he hoped he would be able to join with the forces of the Duke of Parma in the Netherlands, and find safe, deep anchorage for his fleet before the invasion of England. To his dismay this did not happen.

The Spaniards maintained a strict crescent formation up the Channel, which the English realised would be very difficult to break.

Despite this, two great Spanish ships were accidentally put out of action during the initial battles. The Rosario collided with another ship, was disabled and captured by Drake, while the San Salvador blew up with tremendous loss of life.

The two fleets skirted round each other up the Channel with neither gaining advantage.

How did English fireships help break the Spanish Armada?

On 27 July 1588, after the Armada had anchored off Calais, the English decided to send in eight 'fireships'.

These were vessels packed with flammable material, deliberately set alight and left to drift towards enemy ships.

At midnight, the fireships approached the Spanish Armada. The Spanish cut their anchor cables ready for flight, but in the darkness many ships collided with each other. While none of the Spanish ships were set on fire, the Armada was left scattered and disorganised.

Next morning, there was the fiercest fighting of the whole Armada campaign during the Battle of Gravelines. By evening, the wind was strong and the Spanish expected a further attack at dawn, but as both sides were out of ammunition none came.

That afternoon the wind changed and the Spanish ships were blown off the sandbanks towards the North Sea. With no support from the Duke of Parma and their anchorage lost, Medina Sidonia's main aim was to bring the remains of the Armada back to Spain.

Why did the Spanish Armada fail?

Many ships were wrecked off the rocky coasts of Scotland and Ireland. Of the 150 ships that set out, only 65 returned to Lisbon. The following year, Philip sent another smaller fleet of about 100 ships. This too ran into stormy weather off Cornwall and was blown back to Spain.

It was not until the reign of James I (ruler of Scotland and England 1603–1625) that peace was finally made between the two countries.

Spanish Armada timeline: 1588 

12 July : The Spanish Armada sets sail

18 July : The English fleet leaves Plymouth but the south-west wind prevents them from reaching Spain

19 July : The Spanish Armada is sighted off the Lizard in Cornwall, where they stop to get supplies

21 July : The outnumbered English navy begins bombarding the seven-mile-long line of Spanish ships from a safe distance, using the advantage of their superior long-range guns

22 July : The English fleet is forced back to port due to the wind

22 - 23 July : The Armada is pursued up the Channel by Lord Howard of Effingham’s fleet. Howard was the commander of the English forces, with Francis Drake second in command. The Spaniards reach Portland Bill, where they gain the weather advantage, meaning they are able to turn and attack the pursuing English ships

27 July : The Armada anchors off Calais to wait for their troops to arrive. The English send in fireships that night

28 July : The English attack the Spanish fleet near Gravelines

29 July : The Armada is re-joined by the rest of the missing ships

30 July : The Armada is put into battle order

31 July : The Spanish fleet tries to turn around to join up with the Spanish land forces again. However, the prevailing south-west winds prevent them from doing so

1 August : The Armada finds itself off Berry Head with the English fleet far behind. Howard is forced to wait for his ships to re-join him

2 August : The Armada is located to the north of the English, near Portland Bill. Both fleets turn east

6 August : Both fleets are once again close but avoid any conflict

9 August : After the main danger is over, Elizabeth travels to speak to the English troops at Tilbury

12 August : The fleets come close again, with the Armada in good shape. However, still no fighting takes place, and the Spanish ships are ordered to sail north. Stormy weather plagues them for the rest of the voyage

1 September : the ship Barca de Amburgo sinks in a storm near Fair Isle, Scotland

3 September : the Duke Of Medina Sidonia, commander of the Armada, sends a message Philip II that there have been four nights of storms, and 17 ships have disappeared

12 September : The ship  Trinidad Valencera is caught in a bad storm, and is eventually forced to land near Kinnagoe Bay in Ireland

October : The remaining Armada ships manage to return home.  safety in the north and many lives were spared.

Main image: English ships and the Spanish Armada, August 1588 (BHC0262, © NMM)

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History Resources

The Spanish Armada, 1588

A spotlight on a primary source by robert adams.

Such imperial rivalries in Europe greatly influenced how Europeans perceived and interacted with the Americas and the native peoples. Whether the Europeans sought territory, gold, souls, or national pride, the Americas became a new arena for the ongoing battles for dominance in Europe that were now spreading around the globe.

This map was created in 1590 to accompany A Discourse Concerninge the Spanishe Fleete Invadinge Englande in the Yeare 1588 , by Petruccio Ubaldini. The English artist, Robert Adams, provided ten illustrations showing the positions of the two fleets and their actions in July and August. Here, the English, on the left, face the assembled Spanish ships, on the right, in the English Channel.

Questions for Discussion

Click on the image; study the image and practice using the Viewer-Navigator. Base your answers on the information in the introduction, your knowledge of history, and the information from the map.

• Define the term “Armada.” Why were the English and Spanish in conflict?
• Use the names of locations on the map to identify the geographic area where the English and Spanish fleets met and identify the nations on the map. Locate these areas on a modern physical-political map.
• What advantage would the English have over the Spanish?

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Reasons for the Spanish Armada

Last updated 8 Jul 2017

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The initial decision to send an invasion force and Armada to England was first thought up in 1585. This is important to realise, as for many, it was the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, that caused the Armada to be launched as some form of revenge against England and Elizabeth.

Philip II had one simple aim, which as to replace Elizabeth and restore Catholicism back in England under a new Catholic monarch. The plan through which he was to achieve this included 130 ships together with roughly 30,000 soldiers. They would sail up the English Channel, before docking in the Netherlands, pick up soldiers, ferry them to England and depose Elizabeth.

Reasons for the Armada

There are four reasons why Philip launched the Spanish Armada and these are Religion, Politics, Events, and Reaction.

England was a Protestant country under Elizabeth, and Philip II as a Catholic wanted to restore Catholicism to England. He had the support of the pope in his efforts, with the pope even offering a reward for the successful restoration of Catholicism. In addition to this, Spain had worked on a number of plots to attempt to remove Elizabeth.

Philip II wanted to increase his power significantly, so adding England to the Spanish Empire would be a great asset. As well as this, the French and Spanish had signed the Treaty of Joinville in 1584 which committed the French and Spanish to wiping out Protestantism in Europe. As a counter to this, Elizabeth and the Dutch had signed the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585 to combat Spanish aggression.

Elizabeth was a ruler who was often hesitant to make decisions, a fact which often angered her advisors. During the conflict with the Netherlands, it was clear that this hesitation could be exploited by the Spanish and showed a crucial weakness of Elizabeth. Spain’s confidence and power had been growing building up to the Armada with the annexation of Portugal in 1580 and the relative success that Spanish forces were having on the continent against the Dutch.

Spain had for a long time starting building an empire in the New World with huge Spanish galleons sailing to and from Spain to the New World. This effort was often frustrated by Sir Francis Drake who would have attacked and raided Spanish efforts. This ultimate insult came from the Raid on Cadiz where Drake had managed to destroy and damage significant proportions of the Spanish fleet.

• Age of Exploration
• Sir Francis Drake
• The Spanish Armada
• Mary, Queen of Scots

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Medieval Europe — Spanish Armada

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The Defeat of Spanish Armada and The Factors and Events that Lead to It

Historical context and background of spanish armada defeat, queen elizabeth's speech to the troops at tilbury: a rhetorical analysis, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Anglo-Dutch victory

July–August 1588

English Channel and the British Isles

The Spanish Armada was a naval force of about 130 ships, that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England and to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and her establishment of Protestantism in England.

In May 1588, the Spanish Armada set sail from Lisbon under the command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia. The English fleet and the Spanish Armada met on July 31, 1588. By August 6, the Armada had successfully dropped anchor at Calais Roads on the coast of France. With the Armada out of formation, the English initiated a naval offensive at dawn on August 8, that became known as the Battle of Gravelines. After the Battle of Gravelines, a strong wind carried the Armada into the North Sea, and its journey home became far more deadly than the battle.

The Spanish Armada didn’t mark the end of the conflict between England and Spain, and Queen Elizabeth launched a failed “English Armada” against Spain, in 1589. The defeat of the Armada saved England from invasion and the Dutch Republic from extinction.

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