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

The Defeat of the Spanish Armada

In the 16th century, Spain was the worlds greatest super power, and had influence over much of the European world. King Phillip II, the leader of Spain, was deeply religious and wanted to convert Protestant England to Catholicism. The Armada was a fleet intended to invade England; it was one of the largest fleets ever put together and was considered invincible, however, it was destroyed in a few days of fighting and a ruinous voyage back to Spain. Although the Spanish Armada was thought to be invincible, due to the combination of errors in judgement by its commanders and unfavorable weather conditions, it is one of historys greatest defeats.

Although Mary Queen of Scots did not actually participate in the war, she was a cause for Philip IIs decision to invade England. Mary Queen of Scots was the lawful heir of the English Throne, so long as Elizabeth did not have any children. She was exiled to France because she was Catholic and she murdered her husband. She then took refuge in England where Elizabeth kept her under close supervision. In 1586, a plot to murder Elizabeth and make Mary Queen emerges. This plot referred to as the Babington Plot. Elizabeth orders Marys beheading, which took place on February 12, 1587.

Marys death enrages Philip II, king of Spain and the most powerful man in the European world. Phillip was a devout Catholic, and considered himself the international defender of Catholicism. Phillips devotion to religion stood out even in an age when most people were very devout (Lace, 16). Because Mary is a Catholic also, he gets very mad at Elizabeth.

Philip primary reason for invading England was to make the country Catholic and end the English support of the revolting Dutch. His secondary reason for invading England was, he wanted supremacy in trade and sea power. The growth of English naval power was a threat to the Spains supremacy of the seas. The third important reason for invading England was the death of Mary Queen of Scots. This was the last straw, Philip had thought of invading England before but now he had finally a legitimate excuse.

Philip made the plans to invade Europe. His plan was to pick of the Duke of Parmas men in the Netherlands and ferry them over to England and march to London and take the city. Philip also planed on having a fleet of ships to protect the army while being ferried. Thus, Philip created what is known as the Spanish Armada. This fleet was so big it was thought to be invincible and that there was no way the Spanish could loose. The plan was for the fleet to sail up the English Channel to the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the fleet would meet with the Duke of Parma and his troops. From there the Armada would cross the Channel to England, unload equipment from the ships, and proceed to London. This plan seems like a good idea except it takes too long to pull a fleet this size together and by the time, it was ready, it was out of date compared to the English. The Armada consisted of 130 ships, 19,000 soldiers, 8,000 sailors and 2,000 slaves. This fleet was so large that they had to use merchants ships to carry all of the supplies, these ships proved to be a bad idea because they have little defense.

The English were ready for the Spanish. The first encounter was at Plymouth, July 29, 1588, here both sides fired but the Spanish could not reach the English and the English could not penetrate the Spanishs strong crescent formation. The English chase after them all the way to Calais. The second encounter was at Calais, August 6, 1588, while the Spanish were in port waiting for the Duke of Parma. The English sent fire ships sailing directly at the anchored ships. The Spanish captains panicked and sailed out of there as fast as they could out of formation. While the fire ships had not damaged a single Spanish vessel, they had accomplished something far more helpful to the English-scattering the Armada (Lace, 65). The next day at dawn the Spanish quickly try to get back into formation, which they do and hold of the English. The Spanish suffer more losses than the English does, but it is still a close battle. A storm comes suddenly and separates the two fleets. This ends the battle of Gravelines.

Both sides decide not to continue the attack, the English back off because they are out of ammunition. Many of the Armadas ships were badly damaged and were taking in water. The Spanishs troubles are only beginning. The wind forces the Spanish to go back home by sailing around England, Scotland, and Ireland. Unfortunately, the weather was especially bad and contributed to sinking many of the ships. Food was also scarce and the soldiers and sailors were disease ridden. The ships came back to Spain one by one carrying worn and sick men.

The adverse weather played a role in the defeat of the Armada but the English already had the upper hand before the weather got bad. Better and quicker planning would have helped the Spanish in this campaign; it took too long to put together a fleet of that size. The Spanish suffered great losses but it was not the end of the war, instead of weakening Spain this actually strengthened its navy because king Philip II put a great deal of money towards rebuilding a more advanced navy. The legend of the defeat of the Spanish Armada became as important as the actual event perhaps even more important (Mattingly, 402). The defeat of the Spanish Armada did not end the war between England and Spain; all it did was elevate Englands patriotism.