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Elizabeth I and Armada - Week 4 - Humanities

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Edited by Stephen Walsh, Tuesday, 9 Mar 2021, 10:09

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Disclaimer: These are just thoughts on the module. Written mostly from memory so dates and events may not be fully correct.

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On a dark and stormy night in 1588 a fleet of ships sailed dangerously close to the rugged coastline of western Ireland. Whistling gales and sloping rain had forced them to seek shelter along an unfamiliar shore. These powerful galleons, 80 foot long. 30 foot high, were no match for Mother Nature. The raging winds and unforgiving currents pushed the ships against the jagged rocks and steep cliff-faces, in seconds they were splintered into a thousand pieces.

By the end of this unseasonal storm 27 ships would be lost. An estimated 6000 men went into the water, precious few came out. Those lucky enough to swim ashore were quickly executed by waiting English forces. It was a humiliating end for the so-called invincible armada, an armada commissioned by the Spanish King Philip II to unseat the Queen Elizabeth of England.

The consequences of this defeat are still felt today. Not just on the rocky coast of Ireland but also in the geopolitics of modern world.

In 16th century, under the rule of King Philip Il, Spain had the largest empire on the globe. Helped by a world-class navy and ruthless conquistadors they had conquered faraway lands such as the Philippines and vast chunks of the Americas. Closer to home, parts of Belgium and the Netherlands were also in the hands of the Spanish.

While these conquests were beneficial for trade and natural resources Philip, allied closely with the Pope Pius V, also believed he was carrying out gods work by spreading Catholicism around the world.

It was this alliance with the Pope that would eventually put Spain and England on a collision course.

Under Queen Elizabeth I, England was pulling away from the old catholic traditions and becoming a fully-fledged Protestant country. This brought anger to the Vatican, and to Spain.

But there were other issues also beginning to stack up.

Trade for example. England, as an up-and-coming naval power, was beginning to flex its muscles on the high sea and had targeted many Spanish bullion ships coming back from the American with gold. There was also the sticky matter of England helping the Dutch resistance. The Netherlands began revolting against Spanish rule and England was only too happy to supply arms and troops to help.

With tensions already high the slightest spark was enough to ignite an all-out war. In 1587 Elizabeth lit a match. She ordered the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, a Catholic monarch who was a supporter of Spain. Upon hearing the news there was no turning back, and within days Philip II began drawing up plans for an attack.

Such was scale of the armada it took months to commission and organize. Finally, in May 1588 the fleet left the port of Lisbon. 150 ships. 30,000 men. Crowds lined the shore to witness the spectacular event. The tall sails were still visual on the horizon for hours.

And this was not the complete armada. The plan was to dock in Flanders, in Spanish controlled Netherlands, to rendezvous with more ships and a 60,000 strong invasion force . King Phillip II anticipated a quick, decisive victory. He fully expected the ships to reach the English mainland without much opposition and sail up the Thames and descend upon London.

In hindsight let’s just say this strategy was flawed and the optimism was misplaced.

For a start the English had been warned of their approach and intercepted the Spanish off the coast of Cornwall. While English vessels were no match for the tall powerful galleons, they were nimble and highly maneuverable. Like a swarm of buzzing mosquitoes these fast-moving ships got close, did some damage and got out again.

This was an annoying rather than convincing tactic. The Spanish held their formation and progressed relatively unscathed up the channel, however, the attacks had drained of vital arsenal.

As a result, they were forced to drop anchor a little earlier than anticipated in Calais. Northern France. Here they awaited supplies. But they were also in a vulnerable position and were on high alert.

Across the channel the English were formulating strategies. The naval commander Francis Drake knew the armadas greatest advantage was its strong, impenetrable formation. If they could somehow split the fleet up, they stood a much better chance.

That night, under the cover of darkness, Drake and his troops set fire to eight ships and sent to on the wind towards Calais. These slow-moving torpedoes were not designed to inflict damage but to disrupt and to confuse.

It worked.

Already in a heighten state of anxiety the sight of the flaming ships on the horizon caused widespread panic. Without waiting for orders one by one the ships began lifting anchors to escape. In their haste numerous ships collided. Those that made it to the open sea found themselves scattered and disorganized.

For the next three days battles raged. The Spanish, unable to return to their tight formation, were bombarded relentlessly by fast moving English ships. Worse still, they hadn’t picked up any supplies from Calais and were now drifting northward, away from any possible salvage.

The English had the upper hand now. They could easily reach home shores and replenish their supplies.

Battered and beaten and with no other options the armada decided to retreat. The safest route was to continue northwards around Scotland and along the Irish coastline and back to Spain. Or so they thought. Months earlier when King Phillip II was told about the potential storms in the North Atlantic, he responded by saying: God is on our side. He will keep the sky clear for us.

Of the 150 ships that set out from Lisbon only 60 would make it back. Many historians agree that the defeat of the Armada led to the eventual collapse Spanish empire. More importantly it led to the rise of a global superpower: England. The English, and ultimately the British empire, would become the largest in the world has ever seen. Even today British colonialism can still be felt in faraway lands such as India, Burma, New Zealand and China.


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