The Spanish Armada Flashcards
What was the Spanish Armada in Europe?
The largest fleef in Europe
How man ships, guns and men did the Armada have?
Ships: 130
Guns: 2431
Men: 30,000
Who was the Spanish Armada commanded by?
Duke of Medina-Sidonia
What was the invasion plan for the Spanish Armada?
Would sail along Enligh Channel to the Netherlands, join the Duke of Padma and transport 27000 troops to Kent. Parma would march to London, depose Elizabeth and start a Catholic government in England
How did religion influence Philip’s use of the Armada?
He wanted to get rid of heresy and the papacy wanted to overthrow Elizabeth after her excommunication. Pope promised to forgive sins of those in Armada and Spain and papacy backed Catholic plots against Elizabeth.
What did English do to influence the Armada?
Drake’s actions and Elizabeth’s support for Dutch rebels since rebellion
How did politics influence launch of Armada?
Treaty of Joinville (1584), Treaty of Nonsuch (1585) and England would be useful to Philip’s empire
How did the circumstances make it a perfect time for Philip to launch Armada?
Spain aqcuired Portugal in 1580, Duke of Parma had success in Netherlands since 1579 and Elizabeth’s hesitation indicated England’s weaknesses
What simply caused the failure of the Armada?
Elizabeth listened to advice
English naval tactics were good
Weather favoured English
Superior English ships
Armada poorly supplied
Poor communications between Spanish and Dutch fleets
Who was John Hawkins and what did he want?
Treasurer of Enlgish navy, wanted warships to be fast and manoeuvrable
When were galleons built and why?
In 1570s to make English warships faster and manoeuvrable
Who could English fire more cannon balls at higher speeds than Spanish?
The cannons were mounted on smaller gun carriages, had lots of recoil and decks had enough space for recoil, then reloaded by small team and pushed back through gun port
How many galleons were there by 1588?
24, not enough to explain defeat of Armada
Why were new Armada barrels for provisioning poorly made from inferior wood?
Drake’s raid on Cadiz destroyed many Armada barrels
Why had Armada already been at sea for 10 weeks by the time English engaged and why was this bad?
Delays in setting sail and bad weather meant food supplies rotted
What did Documents by Medina-Sidonia indicate about Spanish Armada supplies?
Armada was low on supplies of cannon balls and they were of poor quality
What did the plan require Medina-Sidonia to do and why was this a weakness?
Join with Parma who was to command fleet from the Netherlands. Parma didn’t control deep-sea ports so had to use small ships
What took a long time for the Spanish Armada in terms of planning?
Long to set sail once word came out to join Sidonia’s fleet as Parma was using smaller ships
How was it clear that Armada communications were unreliable?
Communications between the two went by sea. Took a week for Sidonia to communicate that he was in the English Channel and at that point Sidonia was waiting to engage English just off Calais. Parma was too late but English were ready to attack
When did the events of the Spanish Armada begin?
28th July 1588
How many ships did English immediately capture after initially spotting Armada in Channel?
2 on 31st july
How were English careful at the start of the battle?
Tended to keep a safe distance but there was some heavy cannon fire off the Isle of Wight
Why was heavy cannon fire off Isle of Wight a problem for the Spanish Armada?
Sidona’s plan to use the Isle Of Wight as a safe zone to get the message through to Parm and dutch fleet to attack was ruined
How were English cannons evidenced to be superior?
Could fire 6x more cannons and from further
What did Earl Of Nottingham do after realising his advantage of cannons?
Saved cannon balls for decisive battles
What happened on the 6th August 1588?
English fireships scattered Spanish ships, causing havoc.
What happened after Spanish regrouped after being scattered?
England engaged the Spanish in the Battle of Gravelines
How was the Battle of Gravelines won by the English?
Sidonia had to fight alone and English ships were better. Armada defeated and scattered by winds
How many Spanish Armada troops killed on the way home?
1000s killed by gales that wrecked Spanish ships on return through treacherous waters off Scottish and Irish coasts.
Why did Elizabeth address troops in Tilbury before the Armada?
They were defending English from Spanish invasion
How can Philip be blamed for the Armada’s defeat?
Althoug he consulted his commanders before they sailed, he seemed to have ignored their suggestions and concerns.
Why was Elizabeth better than Philip against the Armada?
Left key decisions down to the commanders as they knew best
What did victory against Armada give Elizabeth?
Propaganda
What did the special commemorative medal after the English victory say and why is it significant?
‘God blew, and they were scattered.’ Showed God favoured Protestantism and Elizabeth emphasised this
How did English get pride from the victory?
They defeated a powerful foe
What did the English victory encourage Dutch rebels to do?
Renew their fight against Spanish
What did the defeat of the Armada show about English navy?
Its strength
What did the strength of the English navy allow?
Gave England confidence to trade and explore more widely
Why did war continue for the rest of Elizabeth’s reign despite this defeat for Spanish?
Philip didn’t give up and Catholicism beliefs were unshaken
How did defeat cost Spain?
Financially and in terms of power
What did the English victory mark?
The beginning of a long decline in Spanish fortunes
