The Spanish Armada Flashcards
When was the Spanish Armada?
July 1588
Philip prepared a huge fleet of how many ships with how many guns?
151 ships with 2500 guns.
How many sailors and soldiers did Philip sail to the Netherlands to collect men before invading England?
7000 sailors and 34,000 soldiers.
What formation would the Spanish sail in?
An unbreakable crescent formation.
How big was the Spanish army in the Netherlands?
30,000
How were English Catholics going to support the Spanish?
They were expected to rise up in the rebellion, forcing Elizabeth off the throne.
Who had Philip appointed to lead the Armada?
The Duke of Medina Sidonia.
What had the Duke of Medina Sidonia been chosen for?
More because of his rank rather than his ability.
Why was the Duke of Medina Sidonia a bad choice?
He had no experience of being at sea.
Who led the English fleet?
The Queen’s cousin, Lord Howard.
Who was Lord Howard and who was he assisted by?
He was Lord High Admiral and was ably assisted by Sir Francis Drake as his second-in-command.
What were the latter experienced at?
Hit-and-run tactics, as where the two other main England commanders involved, John Hawkins and Martin Frobisher
Compare the armies of Elizabeth and Philip:
Elizabeth’s army had little training or equipment, unlike Philips army. she had to order every county to provide soldiers as she did not have a full-time army.
How many ships did Elizabeth prepare for war?
About 200.
What happened to the armada quickly after leaving Lisbon?
The fleet quickly ran into storms, losing supplies and forcing the ships back for repairs
What had been built across the south coast of England to do what?
A system of beacons that had been built were lit to send news of the Armada’s arrival to London.
What did a key part of Philip’s plan reply on which was impossible?
Close communications between Medina Sidonia at sea and Parma in the Netherlands.
What had John Hawkins done to improve ships and how did this compare to the Spanish ships?
He had spent years making improvements to the design of English ships. They were now lighter, faster and more manoeuvrable than those in the Spanish fleet, which consisted of large, slow galleons.
What long-range guns did the British use and what could they use this for?
Culverins, to attack the Spanish while at a safe distance.
Why were the British using culverins a good idea?
As this frustrated the Spanish, who relied on getting close to the enemy, using short-range guns to overcome their opponents and then employing grappling hooks to board enemy ships and take over.
What did Drake pull on the night of 7 August?
8 old English ships were filled with tar and oil and set on fire. These fireships were allowed to drift into the anchored Spanish fleet. No Spanish ships were burnt, but it terrified the Spanish, who panicked and cut their anchor ropes, fleeing out to sea. Some crashed into each other and others ran aground. The ships were scattered and blown by the wind towards dangerous sandbanks off the coast of the Netherlands. The English had broken the tight crescent formation that that Spanish had maintained up to this point.
When was the Battle of Gravelines?
8 August 1588
Summarise the Battle of Gravelines:
The English had the advantage with manoeuvrable ships in the wind, and the Spanish were provoked into firing at the English while they were out of range. Their guns were poorly designed and proved impossible to reload after just firing once. The English culverins could be quickly reloaded and battered the Spanish fleet by firing repeated broadsides.
How many ships did the British lose in the Battle of Gravelines?
0
How many Spanish lives were lost in the Battle of Gravelines?
About 1 thousand.
How many ships did the Spanish lose in the Battle of Gravelines?
5, and many more were badly damaged.
What did Elizabeth do in Tilbury after the Battle of Gravelines?
She visited her 4000 troops at Tilbury and made a rousing speech, encouraging her troops to not permit invasion from Parma in the Netherlands.
Out of 151 Spanish ships, how many had returned to Spain?
Only 65.
What had happened to any Spanish survivors who made it to shore?
They were slaughtered by the Scots or the Irish.
Give 3 reasons for the defeat of the Armada:
-English tactics
-Spanish mistakes
-The weather
Give 3 English tactics which led to the defeat of the Armada:
-The fireships broke the formation of the fleet and made individual ships vulnerable to attack
-The bombardment by the English ships made regrouping impossible
-The English had faster ships and more experienced and skilled commanders
Give 4 Spanish mistakes which led to the defeat of the Armada:
-Spanish ships were designed for the Mediterranean and could not cope with the harsh conditions of the English Channel and the North Sea
-They were delayed in the Netherlands because the soldiers were not ready to board
-Their weapons were mostly for land use , leaving them almost defenceless at sea. They had also brought many of the wrong cannonballs
-The commander of the fleet was inexperienced
Give 2 reasons why the weather led to the defeat of the Armada:
-Storms caused great destruction to the Spanish fleet
-The storms delayed their return to Spain, meaning their food and water went off or ran out. Many soldiers became too sick to sail
Give 6 consequences of the Spanish Armada:
-It proved that England was a major naval power
-Invasion remained a concern as Philip quickly began planning a second attempt, which was never carried out
-Elizabeth continued to strengthen her navy
-The Armada had brought England together, under the threat of foreign invasion, most Catholics had declared their total loyalty to Elizabeth
-It made Elizabeth even more popular and respected as a leader
-It helped boost the idea of a ‘golden age’
