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England 1558–1603

Spain, the Armada and the war at sea

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 Unit 2

Overview

The deterioration of relations with Philip II, the campaign of 1588, the privateering war and the unfinished conflict after it.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What was Philip II's plan for the Armada of 1588?

Key term

How did English ship design and tactics differ from Spanish?

Key term

Why did the Spanish plan fail?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Give three reasons why Anglo-Spanish relations deteriorated after 1568.

    Model answer

    English seamen were raiding Spanish shipping and colonies, Elizabeth I was quietly aiding the Dutch rebels against Spain, and Spain was implicated in plots to replace Elizabeth I with Mary, Queen of Scots.

  2. 2

    What happened at San Juan de Ulúa in 1568?

    Model answer

    A Spanish attack destroyed most of John Hawkins's trading squadron at San Juan de Ulúa in Mexico, and the survivors, including Francis Drake, returned convinced that Spain could be treated as an enemy.

  3. 3

    What did Drake's voyage of 1577–80 achieve?

    Model answer

    Drake circumnavigated the globe, plundered Spanish shipping and settlements on the undefended Pacific coast and returned with an enormous treasure, and Elizabeth I knighted him aboard his ship rather than disown him.

  4. 4

    Why was the Cadiz raid of 1587 important?

    Model answer

    Drake destroyed shipping and stores in Cadiz harbour and along the Portuguese coast in 1587, which delayed the Armada by a year and gave England time to prepare.

  5. 5

    What was Philip II's plan for the Armada of 1588?

    Model answer

    The fleet was to sail up the Channel, join the Duke of Parma's veteran army waiting in the Netherlands, and escort it across to land in Kent, since the Armada was intended as an escort and not as an invasion force in itself.

  6. 6

    Who commanded the Armada, and with what force?

    Model answer

    The Duke of Medina Sidonia commanded about 130 ships carrying some 19,000 soldiers as well as their crews.

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