The Defeat Of Spanish Armada And The Factors And Events That Lead To It

The Spanish Armada is defeated

Spain dominated much of Europe in the 16th Century. King Phillip II wanted to convert England, a Protestant nation, to Catholicism. The Armada was an invasion fleet destined for England. It was among the largest and most powerful fleets to ever be assembled. Although the Spanish Armada seemed invincible at the time, its inability to invade England was due to both the errors of judgment by the commanders and the unfavorable conditions of the weather.

Mary Queen of Scots was the reason Philip II invaded England, even though she did not participate in war. Mary Queen Of Scots was the legitimate heir to England’s throne, provided Elizabeth didn’t have any children. She was sent to France as a result of her being Catholic and murdering her husband. Then she fled to England where Elizabeth was keeping her closely under supervision. In 1586, there was a plot hatched in order to murder Elizabeth so that Mary could become queen. The Babington Plot is the name of this plot. Elizabeth ordered Mary’s beheading on February 12th, 1587.

Philip II, the king of Spain who is the most powerful person in Europe, is furious at the death of Mary. Phillip was an ardent Catholic who considered himself the world’s foremost defender and defenders of Catholicism. Phillips’ devotion to his religion was notable even at a time when many people were devout. (Lace, 16). Elizabeth gets enraged because Mary is Catholic too.

Philip invaded England to convert England to Catholicism, and to stop England’s support for the Dutch revolt. He also invaded England to gain supremacy over trade and the sea. Spains supremacy at sea was threatened by England’s growing naval power. Mary Queen-of-Scots’s death was a third important reason. Philip finally had an excuse to invade England. Although he’d thought about it before, he now had one.

Philip began to plan the invasion of Europe. He planned to ferry the men of the Dukes of Parmas from the Netherlands to England, march on London, and capture the city. Philip planned to have a fleet of boats to protect his army as it was being transported. Philip then created the Spanish Armada. The fleet was considered so large that it could not be defeated. The fleet was supposed to sail across the English Channel towards the Netherlands. The fleet was to meet the Duke of Parma’s troops in the Netherlands. The Armada crossed the Channel, unloaded the ships’ equipment and then continued to London. This plan may seem like a good one, but it is too time-consuming to build a large fleet. And by the end, the English would have a more modern and up-to date fleet. The Armada comprised 130 ships with 19,000 soldiers and 8,000 sailors. It also included 2,000 slaves. They had so many ships that they were forced to use merchant ships in order to transport the supplies.

The English prepared themselves for the Spanish. The first confrontation was at Plymouth on July 29, 1588. Both sides fired, but neither side could reach the other. The English chased them until they reached Calais. The second confrontation took place in Calais at Calais 6 August 1588. While the Spanish were waiting for Duke Parma, they encountered the English. The English launched fire ships that sailed directly into the anchored boats. The Spanish captains were in a panic and they sailed away as quickly as possible. The English Armada was not harmed by the fire ships. The Spanish attempt to quickly re-form the following morning, and they succeed. While the Spanish are more heavily damaged than their English counterparts, this is still an intense battle. Unexpectedly, a storm separates both fleets. The battle at Gravelines ends.

The English decide to retreat as they have no ammunition. The Armadas were flooded and many of their ships were damaged. Spanish problems have just begun. The wind is forcing the Spanish to return home via England, Scotland, or Ireland. Unfortunately, bad weather caused many ships to sink. The food was scarce, and both the sailors and soldiers were sick. Ships came back from Spain with worn-out and sickly men.

Although the adverse weather conditions contributed to the Armada’s defeat, the English were already in the lead before the weather became bad. This campaign would have been more successful if the Spanish had planned better and with greater speed. It took a long time to build up a navy of this size. Spanish naval strength was actually strengthened by the great losses suffered, not weakened. The legend about the defeating of the Spanish Armada gained as much importance as the event itself, and perhaps more (Mattingly). The defeat of Spain’s Armada didn’t end the war, but it elevated Englands patriotism.