by mr. fitzsimmons at elizabeth i and philip ii the armada of 1588 richard fitzsimmons strathallan...

By Mr. Fitzsimmons at www.activehistory.co.uk

Elizabeth I and Philip II

The Armada of 1588

Richard FitzsimmonsStrathallan School



You will learn … Why Elizabeth’s England and Philip’s

Spain went to war Why Philip believed he should send

the Armada About the Armada’s composition How and why the Armada was

defeated


Relations between England and Spain, 1558-1585

1559 – Philip had proposed to Elizabeth – she refused

1569 – Elizabeth was considering marriage to the Duke of Alencon, heir to the French throne

1570 – Drake raids Spanish ships and gives the spoils to Elizabeth

1570 – the Pope excommunicates Elizabeth – anyone can assassinate her and go straight to Heaven

1585 – Elizabeth sends troops to aid the Dutch rebels in their revolt against Spain


England’s interference in the Netherlands …

English ports had been harbouring Dutch exiles since the revolt broke out in 1566

Elizabeth had expelled the Sea Beggars in 1572 and accidentally helped cause the 2nd Revolt

Protestants in England were giving the Dutch rebels money, supplies and men

In 1585 Elizabeth signed a treaty with the Dutch rebels at Nonsuch Palace – it guaranteed English troops under the Earl of Leicester


Sir Francis Drake – pirate or hero ?

Not from a wealthy or famous family, but rose to be vice-admiral of the English fleet

A committed Protestant Related to John Hawkins First Englishman to sail

around the world, 1577-80, in the Golden Hinde

Sailed into Cadiz harbour in 1587 and attacked the Spanish fleet


Mary, Queen of Scots

She had been a threat to Elizabeth since fleeing to England in 1568

She was at the centre of a number of plots aimed at replacing Elizabeth as Queen

She was Elizabeth’s cousin She was Elizabeth’s heir to the English

throne as Elizabeth had no children


Plots against Elizabeth

1569 – northern nobles rose in rebellion – defeated and leaders executed

1570 – Pope excommunicated Elizabeth 1572 – Ridolfi plot – Thomas Howard, Duke

of Norfolk executed for treason 1583-4 – Throckmorton plot led to the

Spanish ambassador being expelled 1586 – Babington plot – Mary Stuart

implicated


Execution of Mary Stuart, Feb 1587

She had been imprisoned in England since 1568

She was implicated in the Babington Plot of 1586 and found guilty of treason

She was executed at Fotheringay castle on 8th February 1587


Planning the Armada…1

Philip II had had enough of heretic England and her heretic Queen – Elizabeth; the execution of Mary Stuart in February 1587 was to be avenged by the Armada

In April 1587 Drake had sailed into Cadiz harbour and sank several ships – this is known as ‘Singeing the King of Spain’s beard’, but it was not enough to prevent the Armada being built …


Planning the Armada …2

The Armada was to be commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia who was not an experienced naval commander – why ? The Admiral of the Fleet, Santa Cruz, had just died. But, he has several able Admirals under his command …

Almost immediately, ‘la Armada invincibile’ had to go back to port after being hit by a storm in the Bay of Biscay – not exactly off to a good start !


Composition of the Armada

130 ships – galleons, galleasses, supply

30,000 men – sailors, soldiers, officers and servants, gunners, doctors, priests (180)

Cannon, field guns, small arms, powder, cannon balls (123,790), bullets, pikes, swords, armour

Supplies of food and drink


English commanders …

Charles, Lord Howard of Effingham in the Ark Royal

Sir Francis Drake Sir John Hawkins in

the Victory Sir Martin Frobisher in

the Triumph Lord Henry Seymour

in the Golden Lion


The Spanish plan …

Put together a fleet of 130 warships

Muster an army of 35,000 men in the Netherlands, under the Duke of Parma in preparation for an invasion of England

Sail the fleet of ships from Spain to the Netherlands and ferry the soldiers across the Channel to England

Rely on Parma and his veteran soldiers to defeat the smaller English forces

Pray for God’s help Overthrow Elizabeth,

restoring Catholicism to England, [hopefully] helped by an English Catholic rebellion


The English Plan …

1. Gather as many merchant ships as possible to join Elizabeth’s navy of 28 warships at Plymouth

2. Order the Lords Lieutenant to train small bands of men to defend the coast in each county

3. Gather an army of about 5, 000 men to defend London – led by the Earl of Leicester

4. Depend on the famous skill of England’s sailors and her sea captains to repel the Spanish fleet

5. Pray for God’s help


The Armada sets out …

Set out in May 1588 from Lisbon

Forced to take shelter in Corunna harbour after being hit by a fierce summer storm in the Bay of Biscay

Spotted off English coast on 29th July and harassed by English ships, but crescent formation does not break


Armada formation

The crescent formation was very strong and helped the Spanish resist the lighter, faster English ships

By 6th August the Armada was anchored at Calais waiting for the Duke of Parma’s army to arrive – the Calais harbour was not deep enough for the Spanish galleons.

Parma was late


The Armada route …


Hell Burners !

On the night of 7th August, the English sent ‘hell-burners’ into the Calais harbour – it broke up the Spanish formation

Spanish ships cut their anchors and headed out to sea

Over the next 6 days a series of engagements took place in the North Sea


Results of the battles …

English guns proved more effective than Spanish ones, though the English ran out of ammunition

Probably 6 Spanish ships were sunk, no English

The Armada was forced to sail around Britain by a combination of harassment from the English fleet, and summer storms

Many ships were lost off the Scottish and Irish coasts

Probably a third of Spanish ships and half the soldiers did not make it back to Spain


Results of the Armada defeat

There was no Catholic uprising in England in support of the Armada

Elizabeth’s army at Tilbury, which was no match for veteran Spanish soldiers, did not have to fight

Elizabeth’s throne was safe Philip had to go back to the drawing board

– further Armadas were planned in the 1590s but amounted to little


Elizabeth at Tilbury

My loving people, I am come amongst you at this time, not as for my recreation or sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down, for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honor and my blood, even the dust. I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart 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 realms: we shall shortly have a famous victory over the enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.


Fate of the Armada

The flag ship of the Spanish Armada, the San Martin, reached Spain on 23rd September 1588. Most of the ships of the Armada that managed to stay with the Duke of Medina's flag ship in the Atlantic, keeping on a course far to the west of Ireland, reached ports in Spain. The ships that made it into safe harbours were in a poor state. Nearly all the ships were damaged - a result of the sea battles in the English Channel, the rough passage around Scotland and the storms in the Atlantic Ocean. A large number of men on the ships that reached Spain were very sick or weak from hunger or thirst. In the weeks that followed their return, many of the soldiers and sailors were to die of wounds, disease and exhaustion.

by mr. fitzsimmons at elizabeth i and philip ii the armada of 1588 richard fitzsimmons strathallan...

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