Philip II’s Spanish Armada set out from Lisbon in 1588 with the aim of invading England, but it never reached English shores. Instead many of the ships ended up wrecked along Ireland’s Atlantic coast, writes Michael D. Barry.

 

In 1588, Philip II of Spain assembled the Spanish Armada with the aim of invading England and overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I. This marked a significant shift from the earlier friendly relations between the two countries. On 25 July, 1554, the monarchies of Spain and England had come together in a dazzling ceremony at Winchester Cathedral where Philip of Spain, son of the Emperor Charles V, married Queen Mary of England, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

Following Mary’s death at the end of 1558, Philip reluctantly proposed marriage to her half-sister Elizabeth, now queen, who was equally unwilling. Elizabeth continued with her father’s Protestant policies, leading to her excommunication by the Pope in 1570. A decade later, Philip inherited the Portuguese crown and when Elizabeth gave support to the Portuguese pretender Dom António, English-Spanish relations went into further decline.

Calvinist rebellion had grown in the Spanish Netherlands, the richest part of the Spanish domains, a highly urbanised land with towns populated by merchants and productive artisans. Elizabeth signed a treaty with the Dutch rebels in 1585, agreeing to send them money and troops. This move was deeply provocative to Philip, who viewed the Spanish Netherlands as the crown jewel of his empire.

Later that year, Francis Drake launched attacks on Northern Spain and the Spanish Main, further straining relations. The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, in February 1587 added to the tension.
Pope Sixtus V, eager to eradicate English heresy, urged Philip to act. Persistent English attacks on Spanish treasure fleets threatened the flow of silver from the New World. Believing a direct strike at England was more effective than defensive measures against English piracy across his empire, Philip asked for invasion plans. By early 1588, the Duke of Parma, leader in the Spanish Netherlands, had amassed 2,7000 men of his army, along the coast, ready for the expedition to England.

As the rumours of invasion hardened into fact in 1588, the conundrum for Elizabeth and her advisors was that, while they knew that there was going to be one, they did not know when and where. While the English navy was in good stead, a fundamental problem was that England had neglected its land army – it did not possess a standing force of fully armed and trained soldiers. In addition, there was a general shortage of weapons and equipment.

After taking over Portugal, Philip had acquired the Portuguese Navy with its fleet of ocean-going galleons, as well as the port of Lisbon, an ideal base for mounting expeditions in the Atlantic. As the galleons and armed merchant ships began to line up along Lisbon’s quays, thousands of men and vast quantities of supplies began to arrive.

The death of the Armada’s admiral, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, in February 1588 proved a setback, but Philip immediately appointed the premier nobleman of southern Spain, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, to replace him. Medina Sidonia was an expert manager and soon the Armada’s preparations became better organised.

In late May 1588, the Armada –essentially a large armed convoy – set out from Lisbon, destination just off Margate, with orders to establish a beachhead there and support Parma’s troops as they crossed from Flanders. The initial voyage was marred by storms, forcing the Armada to halt at Corunna. On July 22, the fleet of 128 ships, now resupplied, resumed its journey towards England.
As the Armada sailed along the English Channel, the English fleet (with Sir Francis Drake to the fore) made a series of attacks. However, in line with Spanish naval doctrine, Medina Sidonia had set up a defensive formation and little damage was caused.

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