Elizabethan England: Spanish Armada Flashcards
Explain why RELIGION was one of the four reasons why Philip Il launched the Armada against England in 1588?
• Philip Il wanted to get rid of heresy
• the papacy had wanted Elizabeth I overthrown since her ex-communication in 1570
• the pope offered absolution to those involved in the Armada and offer Philip Il a reward if successful
• Spain and the papacy had backed failed plots against Elizabeth.
- The Armada and invasion gave him another opportunity to remove her and place a catholic on the English throne
Explain why POLITICS was one of the four reasons why Philip Il launched the Armada against England in 1588?
• Treaty of Joinville (1584) meant Spain could attack England without risking war France
• the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585 effectively put England and Spain at war, so Phillip could justify attacking England
• England would be a useful addition to Philip II’s empire, as it would give Spain complete control of the Atlantic
Explain why PROVOCATION was one of the four reasons why Philip Il launched the Armada against England in 1588?
• Drake’s actions in the New World threatened Spanish commercial interests
• Elizabeth’s support for the Dutch rebels since their rebellion began challenged the Spanish interests there
Explain why CIRCUMSTANCES was one of the four reasons why Philip Il launched the Armada against England in 1588?
• Spain acquired Portugal in 1580 giving him access to Portuguese ports and ships
• Duke of Parma’s success in the Netherlands meant since 1579, secured Spain’s position
• Elizabeth I’s hesitation to fully back rebels indicated England’s weakness compared with Spain and encouraged Phillip to attack
Who led the Spanish armada?
the Duke of Medina-Sidonia
What was Philip’s strategy?
- under the command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, the fleet was ordered to sail along the English Channel to the Netherlands
- there it would join with the duke of Parma
- together they would transport 27,000 troops to Kent and then Parma would march on London, depose Elizabeth and impose a new, Catholic government in England
Outline the 7 reasons for the English Victory against the Armada
• English ship designs
• Long term planning
• Spanish supplies short for a long voyage
• planning and communications
• English tatics
• weather
• Phillip II
Explain why ENGLISH SHIP DESIGN was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
• Galleons were designed to be easier and faster to manoeuvre
• Cannons were mounted on smaller gun carriages than Spanish which meant that they could be reloaded and fired more quickly
• when a cannon is fired it recoils quite a long way which damage many Spanish ships and undermined their chances of linking up with the Duke of Parma and invading England
• However, by 1588 England only had 24 galleons, hence galleons alone cannot explain Spain’s defeat
Explain why LONG TERM PLANNING was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
• the treasurer of the Navy John Hawkins advised Elizabeth years before that English warships needed to be fast and easily manoeuvrable so they could turn their guns on the enemy quickly
Explain why LIMITED SPANISH SUPPLIES was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
• Provisions stored in barrels made of inferior wood because of Drake’s raid on Cadiz that had destroyed so many barrels that new ones had to be made quickly
• Spanish fleet at sail for 10 weeks, by early August the food had rotted. This damaged Spanish morale and their ability to fight
Explain why PLANNING AND COMMUNICATIONS was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
- Phillip II’s plan required Medina- Sidonia to join with Parma, who was to command fleets from the Netherlands.
This was a weakness because :
• the duke of Parma did not control any deep-seaports in the Netherlands.
* This was a necessity for large ships so he had to use lots of small ships which would take 48 hours to load, man and set sail once word came from the Duke of Medina-Sidonia to join his fleet
• Communications between Medina - Sidonia and Parma had to go by sea and were, therefore, unreliable. It took a week for the word to reach Parma that Medina was in the Channel. By this time, Medina Sidonia was off Calais waiting to engage the English and the English were ready to attack.
Explain why ENGLISH TACTICS was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
• The battle of Gravelines - Drake used fireships making the Spanish panic and scattered the Armada
• English ships came up behind the Armada and would fire then move out of range to be hit back
• the English were able to fire as many as six times more cannonballs than the Spanish and from further away
when was the battle of Gravelines?
8th August 1588
Explain why the WEATHER was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
- as the Armada fled around Scotland towards Ireland, they were hit by bad weather and many ships were sunk ending any hope of reattacking
Explain why PHILLIP Il was one of the reasons for English victory against the armada?
• also include why it might not be the only reason
Phillip Il ignored military suggestions whereas Elizabeth left key decisions to her commanders: Francis Drake, The earl of Nottingham and Lord Seymor
