The Spanish Armada

Question 1

When was the Spanish Armada?

Answer 1

July 1588

Question 2

Philip prepared a huge fleet of how many ships with how many guns?

Answer 2

151 ships with 2500 guns.

Question 3

How many sailors and soldiers did Philip sail to the Netherlands to collect men before invading England?

Answer 3

7000 sailors and 34,000 soldiers.

Question 4

What formation would the Spanish sail in?

Answer 4

An unbreakable crescent formation.

Question 5

How big was the Spanish army in the Netherlands?

Answer 5

30,000

Question 6

How were English Catholics going to support the Spanish?

Answer 6

They were expected to rise up in the rebellion, forcing Elizabeth off the throne.

Question 7

Who had Philip appointed to lead the Armada?

Answer 7

The Duke of Medina Sidonia.

Question 8

What had the Duke of Medina Sidonia been chosen for?

Answer 8

More because of his rank rather than his ability.

Question 9

Why was the Duke of Medina Sidonia a bad choice?

Answer 9

He had no experience of being at sea.

Question 10

Who led the English fleet?

Answer 10

The Queen’s cousin, Lord Howard.

Question 11

Who was Lord Howard and who was he assisted by?

Answer 11

He was Lord High Admiral and was ably assisted by Sir Francis Drake as his second-in-command.

Question 12

What were the latter experienced at?

Answer 12

Hit-and-run tactics, as where the two other main England commanders involved, John Hawkins and Martin Frobisher

Question 13

Compare the armies of Elizabeth and Philip:

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

How many ships did Elizabeth prepare for war?

Answer 14

About 200.

Question 15

What happened to the armada quickly after leaving Lisbon?

Answer 15

The fleet quickly ran into storms, losing supplies and forcing the ships back for repairs

Question 16

What had been built across the south coast of England to do what?

Answer 16

A system of beacons that had been built were lit to send news of the Armada’s arrival to London.

Question 17

What did a key part of Philip’s plan reply on which was impossible?

Answer 17

Close communications between Medina Sidonia at sea and Parma in the Netherlands.

Question 18

What had John Hawkins done to improve ships and how did this compare to the Spanish ships?

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

What long-range guns did the British use and what could they use this for?

Answer 19

Culverins, to attack the Spanish while at a safe distance.

Question 20

Why were the British using culverins a good idea?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

What did Drake pull on the night of 7 August?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

When was the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 22

8 August 1588

Question 23

Summarise the Battle of Gravelines:

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

How many ships did the British lose in the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 24

0

Question 25

How many Spanish lives were lost in the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 25

About 1 thousand.

Question 26

How many ships did the Spanish lose in the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 26

5, and many more were badly damaged.

Question 27

What did Elizabeth do in Tilbury after the Battle of Gravelines?

Answer 27

She visited her 4000 troops at Tilbury and made a rousing speech, encouraging her troops to not permit invasion from Parma in the Netherlands.

Question 28

Out of 151 Spanish ships, how many had returned to Spain?

Answer 28

Only 65.

Question 29

What had happened to any Spanish survivors who made it to shore?

Answer 29

They were slaughtered by the Scots or the Irish.

Question 30

Give 3 reasons for the defeat of the Armada:

Answer 30

-English tactics
-Spanish mistakes
-The weather

Question 31

Give 3 English tactics which led to the defeat of the Armada:

Answer 31

-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

Question 32

Give 4 Spanish mistakes which led to the defeat of the Armada:

Answer 32

-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

Question 33

Give 2 reasons why the weather led to the defeat of the Armada:

Answer 33

-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

Question 34

Give 6 consequences of the Spanish Armada:

Answer 34

-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’