Troubles at Home and Abroad Flashcards
Revise
Who was Phillip II
King of spain
What were some reasons Spain decided to invade England?
-Their ships being raided by privateers (Francis Drake)
-Refusal of marriage to Elizabeth
-Problems in Netherlands as they rebelled against the Spanish and the English supported them instead of the Spanish
-English were Protestant (at least their queen was)
When did Spain invade England?
1588
Why did the armada fail?
-Weather destroyed a majority of the ships as-well as pushing them to the northern coast where the last few ships were destroyed by the rocks off the coastline
-Spanish ships designed for use over Mediterranean so were slower and not accustomed to the English Channel and North Sea
-English use of fire ships was effective at destroying the Spanish ships formations
Why was the defeat of the Spanish Armada significant
-Showed that England was a powerful force
-Let England begin to understand the power of their navy and lay the foundation for the beginning of the British Empire
-Elizabeth demonstrated her ability as a ruler
What was King Phillips II plan for the invasion?
Send a great armada (fleet of ships) to anchor at the Dutch coast , load up with Spanish soldiers posted in the Netherlands and land in England and invade London.
How many ships were in the armada?
151
How many soldiers and sailors were there in the armada
34000 soldiers and 7000 soldiers
Who was the commander of the Armada?
Duke of Medina-Sidona - who had zero maritime experience and was a Spanish noble who was only picked after the death of the previous commander
When did the Spanish arrive at the Dutch coast and what happened?
6 August 1588 and they were delayed as the Duke of Parma was impatient and had sent troops deep inland to fix canals so the attack was delayed by several days
When did drake attack and what happened?
7 August 1588 by sending 8 fire ships into the Spanish fleet which caused panic and forced them to get out of the port and broke their formation (crescent)
When did the armada set sail to England?
21 July 1588
When was the armadas first contact with the English?
31st July- 4 August 1588
When did the armada return to Spain?
September - October 1588 with substantial reduction in ships as only 65 of the original 151 returned
When was the battle of the “grave-lines”?
8 August 1588
What happened to the survivors of the crashed ships off the coast of Scotland and Ireland?
Executed by the Scot’s, Irish and some English soldiers.
Why did the armada fail?
-English tactics - fire ships broke formations and made ships vulnerable and ships were faster than the Spanish
-Spanish mistakes - Spanish had effective warships but not used to English waters, delay in Netherlands ruined them, they were more prepared for a land battle rather than a sea battle with the wrong cannons and the commander was inexperienced
-Weather- the rough English waters battered the remaining ships and made many Spanish sailors sick
Why was the defeat of the armada significant?
It proved that the English were more powerful and had better leadership (proving the queen a strong leader), showed the queen the value of a strong navy (building foundation for the British Empire) and brought unity to the English as many catholics now placed loyalty in Elizabeth.
