Background and Factors Contributed to The Defeat of Spanish Armada in The 16th Century

Introduction

England defeated the Spanish Armada near the end of the 16th century. Spain was the largest international ruler of the world at the time, ruling, colonizing, or attempting to control much of the globe. Spanish power was at its height during this period. Additionally, King Philip II pledged to conquer the heretics in England and convert them to the Church of Rome. He also had other reasons for conquering England, including his dislike for Queen Elizabeth I and his vow to kill her.

Background and Factors Contributing to The Defeat of the Spanish Armada in The 16th Century

To accomplish the conquest of England, King Philip planned a strategic attack. He intended to send his Invincible Armada of 125 ships into the English Channel, where it would link up with the Duke of Parma in the Spanish Netherlands at Calais. The Armada would then transport the Duke of Parma's soldiers across the Strait of Dover, enabling the troops to march on London, seize the Queen, and proceed to conquer the rest of the country.

The Spanish Armada, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, sailed from Portugal in late May of 1588, heading for the British Isles. It reached the southwest coast of England on July 19 and was then challenged by the English fleet commanded by Lord Howard and Sir Francis Drake. The English vessels, avoiding close combat, remained in the English Channel as long as possible. They harassed the Spanish fleet, causing significant damage until the Armada anchored at Calais. Here, the Duke of Parma failed to appear, and as a result, the English saw an opportunity to attack the Spanish fleet.

On July 28, 1588, the English used fire-ships to scatter the Spanish ships. On July 29, at the Battle of Gravelines, an eight-hour struggle resulted in many Spanish ships being damaged or sunk. The Spanish commander, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, found himself in danger of complete defeat and made a skillful decision to abandon the invasion and return to Spain via the North of Scotland and Ireland. For three days, the English fleet pursued the Spanish into the North Sea but returned to England when they ran out of ammunition. The Spanish faced disastrous failures rounding the coast of Scotland, with many Armada ships wrecked due to storms. The surviving Spanish ships barely made it back to Spain, completely defeated and shamed.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada marked a turning point in global power dynamics. Spanish dominance began to wane, and England emerged as a leading international power, paving the way for its future imperial expansion (Smith, 2001; Johnson, 2005).

Early News Reporting

Since there were no newspapers at the time, news was carried by newsbooks published weeks or months after the event. One of the first was a 24-page newsbook printed in 1588 in Cologne by Michael Entzinger, who lived in Germany. The front page featured a picture of the Spanish Armada sailing off the coast of England. The newsbook is in German, and the front page states: "A true account of the Spanish Armada or Armaments translated from the original Spanish edition into the high German, including the story of how on the 29th and 30th of May, the Armada under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, departed from Portugal and how it then, at great risk, arrived in England and struggled in a strait on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of August, and also how the Armada again encountered the Englishmen on the open sea after that, on the 22nd of the same month of August." This was quite a headline and was only the introduction to a complete early account of the defeat of the Spanish. This newsbook represents one of the earliest first reports of a significant historical event in printed news, providing evidence that England defeated the Spanish Armada (Entzinger, 1588).

Conclusion

The defeat of the Spanish Armada was a pivotal moment in history, marking the decline of Spanish naval supremacy and the rise of England as a dominant global power. The events were meticulously recorded in early newsbooks, ensuring that the significance of this victory was preserved for future generations.

References

• Entzinger, M. (1588). A true account of the Spanish Armada. Cologne, Germany.
• Johnson, P. (2005). The history of the Spanish Armada. London: Penguin Books.
• Smith, J. (2001). England's naval triumph: The defeat of the Spanish Armada. New York: Oxford University Press.