How did English fireships help break the Spanish Armada? The two fleets skirted round each other up the Channel with neither gaining advantage. The Rosario collided with another ship, was disabled and captured by Drake, while the San Salvador blew up with tremendous loss of life. The Spaniards maintained a strict crescent formation up the Channel, which the English realised would be very difficult to break.ĭespite this, two great Spanish ships were accidentally put out of action during the initial battles. 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. The Duke had set out on the enterprise with some reluctance, as he was wary of the abilities of the English ships. The commander of the Armada was the Duke of Medina Sidonia. 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. From there they would invade England, bring the country under Catholic rule, and secure Spain's position as the superpower of Western Europe.īeacons were lit as soon as the Armada was sighted off the English coast, informing London and Elizabeth of the imminent invasion.Īccording to legend, Francis Drake was first told of the sighting of the Armada while playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe. 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. Royal history in Greenwich How did the campaign begin? 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. The turning point came following the execution of Mary Queen of Scots – Spain’s Catholic ally. Plans for invasion accelerated however in 1587. Meanwhile, Walter Raleigh had twice tried - unsuccessfully - to establish an English colony in North America. This included Sir Francis Drake's burning of over 20 Spanish ships in the port of Cadiz in April 1587.
English sailors deliberately targeted Spanish shipping around Europe and the Atlantic. Spain's empire was coveted by the English, leading to numerous skirmishes between English pirates and privateers and Spanish vessels. The Spanish saw England as a competitor in trade and expansion in the ‘New World’ of the Americas. Years of religious and political differences led up to the conflict between Catholic Spain and Protestant England. The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I (© National Maritime Museum, London).
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