Topic 6 Flashcards
When did Philip invade England?
1588
Why did Philip invade England?
Mary’s execution in 1587 (NOT THE MAIN CAUSE)
He saw it as his ‘holy mission’
The creation of the Protestant church concerned him
The actions of English privateers targeted Spanish gold ships began to impact his economy
How long had Philip been planning the invasion of England in the Spanish Armada?
As early as 1558
What caused Philip to want to invade in the war in the Netherlands?
Protestants were all oppressed
‘Massacre of the Innocents’
Protestants just rioted and undermined the Catholic faith
Dudley and Walsingham wanted to go through with the military action, but Elizabeth was hesitant. Cecil, on the other hand, wanted to avoid war at all costs
How many people were arrested and killed in the Massacre of the Innocents?
18,000 Dutch Protestants were arrested for rebelling, and over 1000 were burnt at the stake
How many troops were sent over to deal with the Massacre of the Innocents, and who led them?
10,000 troops were sent, all led by the Duke of Alba
Why did Dudley and Walsingham want to go through military action with the war in the Netherlands?
They wanted to protect and support the Protestants
Why did Cecil want to avoid war with the war in Netherlands?
It would cost too much to go to a war with Spain
What did Elizabeth do to support the Protestants in the Netherlands?
She provided money and weapons
Allowed pirate activity
Allowed rebel ships to stay at English ports
Why did Elizabeth choose to help the Dutch Protestants, what did she do and when did she do it?
She grew more Protestant
In 1585, she signed the Treaty of Nonsuch and sent troops to help the Netherlands
She sent troopers because Philip was getting involved in the plots, and because she’s a Protestant queen and Protestants were being killed
What did English privateers do and how did it impact Spain?
The English privateers (AKA. THE SEA DOGS) attacked Spanish settlements in South America, and they attacked the Spanish treasure ships from there
Around £200 million was stolen in total
Philip demanded Sir Francis Drake’s execution, but Elizabeth knighted Drake in 1581
The actions of the privateers were starting to impact Spain’s economy
What was the flaws of the original plan of the Spanish Amarda?
They were very vague (just to capture and overthrow London)
Philip didn’t consider English defences due to his arrogance
He wanted to sail up the Thames- which left him exposed and in danger, but he didn’t consider that
He undermined the support he would get from the people- he assumed that people wanted him to be king when they didn’t
The Netherlands was a trouble and a time consuming
When and how was Drake’s attack on Cadiz a significant event?
Used fire as a weapon
20th APRIL 1587
Drake destroyed 37 ships (Drake’s claim) and the report to Philip said 24
He destroyed and burnt the important timber supplies, which was dried and seasoned wood used to create food barrels- the new ones used split and were unseasoned so the food went rotten
Delayed the Armada for 1 year
Why did the Armada fail?
- There was poor communication between the Duke of Medina Sidonia and Duke Parma
- Panic- the attack in Calais meant the Spanish cut their anchors and broke their ‘crescent formation’
- Lack of Supplies- the unseasoned wood caused food to rot, and it demoralised the soldiers
- Tactics- English naval leaders- Duke Howard of Effingham, a Privy Councillor, John Hawkins and Francis Drake
- Equipment- English had smaller ships, so they were more manoeuvrable ships, and was also lighter
- Weather- North Sea caused the ships to get shipwrecked, lots of Spaniards drowned and there were a lot of storms
What happened on Calais, and when was it?
It was on the 6th and 7th August 1588
Unmanned ships were filled with tar, gunpowder deer and loaded cannons- these were set alight to drift to the enemy ships, who were anchored in Calais
The panic caused them to break the crescent formation and cut their anchors
The Duke of Medina Sidonia had to wait for Duke Parma’s forces due to delays because of the attacks by the Dutch forces
The Battle of the Gravelines- when was it and what happened?
Happened on the 8th August 1588
English warships attacked and scattered the Armada
It lasted 8 hours and the English withdrew due to no ammunition
This meant the Spanish couldn’t join up with Parma- it was a significant turning point
What were the statistics of the Battle of the Gravelines?
1000 Spaniards were killed, 800 were wounded
50 English were killed
What was the significance of the crescent formation the Armada used?
It made it difficult for the English to attack
The slow, unarmed store shops were in the centre were protected by the armed galleons- they would close in if they were attacked
When did the Armada set sail and what happened at first?
They set sail on 28th May 1588
Hit by storms, and had to anchor at Corunna on June 19th for repair and restocking
When did the Armada leave Corunna, where did it head to and what happened on the 29th July 1588?
They left Corunna on the 21st July and sailed towards the English Channels
29th July 1588- the Spanish Armada was sighted at Lizard Point outside Cornwall
What Elizabeth’s beacon system?
A set of bonfires set up by the coastline. If the enemy was spotted, then one bonfire would be lit, then another and it creates a chain reaction. This means that Elizabeth, from London, would be able to see when the Armada arrived
What happened at Plymouth during the Spanish Armada?
Howard, Drake and Hawkins pursued the Armada for a week, with regular fights- this caused them Duke of Medina Sidonia to panic and the Spanish lost two ships
What was the last part of the journey (through the North) like from the 9th August to October 1588?
The Armada sailed through the North Sea due to the wind changing direction
This means they had to return to Spain around Scotland and Ireland, where the English continued to persue them until the 12th August
They were met by storms and bad weather all around- Spain lost around 27 ships what were shipwrecked, and only around 67 returned
What were the Spanish weaknesses that led to the failure of the Armada?
Spanish cannons proved ineffective- the shot was poor and many cannons exploded when they were fired
The Duke of Medina Sidonia wasn’t and experienced commander- he even wrote a letter to Philip asking specifically not to be the commander
What are some of the reasons that the Armada posed a serious threat?
Spain had 17,000 trained soldiers led by the Duke of Parma- England had poorly trained and badly equipped troops
Armada had 64 battleships- England had 54 (most were converted merchant ships)
Spanish had 30,000 men (8,000 experienced sailors, 19,000 well trained troops)- English had 20,000 men
English had weak land defences
Duke of Parma had one of the strongest Armada’s in Europe- the crescent formation made it difficult to attack
What are some of the reasons that suggested that the Armada didn’t pose a serious threat?
Spain had less actual ships
English had warning beacons, and had experienced naval leaders
Spanish galleons were hard to manoeuvre compared to English ships
English ships were lighter and faster, and had longer range cannons
