The Spanish Armada, 1588 (Edexcel GCSE History)

Philip II of Spain finally launched the Spanish Armada against England in 1588. The word 'armada' is Spanish for an 'armed force'. The Armada in this context means the large number of armed ships Spain sent to attack England in the summer of 1558.

Historians study the Spanish Armada from two perspectives:

1. The English defeated the Spanish Armada

2. Spain made mistakes that caused the defeat of the Spanish Armada
   

Overall, England's defeat of the Spanish Armada was pivotal to Elizabethan England. Elizabeth claimed that God granted England victory over Catholic Spain. This strengthened the validity of Protestantism in England and Europe. In addition, it marked the beginning of England's supremacy on the sea.

Commander of the navy

The Duke of Medina-Sidonia. He was not an experienced sailor. He reportedly suffered from sea sickness

Lord Howard of Effingham (The Earl of Nottingham). He was not an experienced sailor but was good with naval tactics. Sir Francis Drake and John Hawkins gave support and advice to Effingham

Types and number of ships

Spain's navy consisted of 130 ships. The majority of their ships were for transporting soldiers rather than fighting. Their fleet included large ships. The ships took a long time to manoeuvre 

England's navy possessed 200 ships. Their fleet consisted of small galleons. These ships were quick to turn. The English only had roughly 100 ships in and around the English Channel

Number of sailors

The Armada contained 30,000 soldiers 

England contained 14,000 sailors to fight the Armada along with 20,000 soldiers in England

Access to supplies

Spain did not have fresh food supplies. Their ships contained six months' worth of food inside barrels 

Due to the proximity to England, sailors had access to fresh food every day

Weapons

Spain's army had 2,431 canons. Spanish cannons took a long time to reload and worked at short range

England fitted their ships with 200 smaller cannon. These cannon were quick to load and worked at long range

The galleon ship design

John Hawkins advised Elizabeth to build more galleons years before the Armada. The galleons moved quicker than the Spanish warships. The sailors found galleons easier to turn around to attack the enemy. The galleon's cannon design allowed for faster reloads

English tactics

The English ships had smaller cannon with a longer range. The English hit the Spanish Armada from a distance. The Armada was unable to get close enough to the English ships to use their more powerful cannon. The deployment of fireships scattered the Armada from their crescent formation

Spain did not prepare the Armada effectively

The Raid of Cadiz destroyed the barrels that Spain needed to store provisions. Spain rushed to make new barrels for the Armada. Bad weather delayed Spain's fleet from reaching England. By the time Spain reached the English Channel, the Armada had been at sea for 10 weeks. These delays and the poor-quality barrels caused Spain's food provisions to rot. Spain also did not have enough cannonballs to fight the English ships

A lack of communication between Medina-Sidonia and the Duke of Parma

Dudley's capture of the deep sea port of Ostend meant that Spain did not have a sufficient harbour for its Armada. The Duke of Parma and Medina-Sidonia communicated by sea. Their messages would take a week to reach their destination. Parma received Medina-Sidonia's message that the Armada had reached the English Channel too late. The Armada became vulnerable to attack as they waited for Parma's forces to arrive

Philip II's leadership of the Armada

Philip did not listen to his commanders' advice and concerns. He gave very restrictive instructions to Medina-Sidonia that did not allow him to take the initiative in the battles. Medina-Sidonia had little naval experience. The order for the Armada to anchor in Calais made the fleet an easy target for the English navy