The What Happened paragraph for the 1588 Spanish Armada PDF

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Very useful history notes from a top uc lecturer. I took these notes using particular fonts and colour coding which is very aesthetic and easy to follow. These notes are useful for exam preparation, information for essays and to help you become an A student....

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The What Happened paragraph for the 1588 Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada of 1588 was a very significant event in history during the Elizabethan Age. The English victory against the invading Spanish Armada was significant because as a result England became perceived as a powerful nation in how they managed to defend themselves from the powerful Catholic nation of Spain. The English had 197 ships, whereas, the Spanish had a 130-ship Armada. There is often a misconception that due to the English having more ships that this led to their victory. However, it was not the number of ships that led to the English victory because the Spanish Armada were superior in terms of guns and they also had larger vessels compared to the English. Instead, the significant factors that led the strategies of the English sailors in how they used painted tar on old ships and then they set them alight. These fire-ships were controlled by “skeleton crews” who steered the ships towards the Spanish Armada which resulted in the Armada breaking away and fleeing the English fleet. The English sailors cleverly preloaded the cannons of the fire-ships so that the fire ignited them to fire when they reached the Spanish fleet. The Spanish fled from the English after eight fire-ships were used to destroy and cause havoc amongst the Spanish ships which broke their crescent formation. The main battle of the 1588 Spanish Armada was known as the Battle of Gravelines where the English attacked the Armada successfully with canon fire which led to an estimated 1,000 deaths for the Spanish and significant damage to the Spanish ships. When the Spanish fleet were escaping North a storm occurred. Consequently, the Spanish Armada was not able to travel to any ports such as Scotland because they had declared their support for England due to how the Scottish King James of Scotland aspiration to be the heir to the English throne, as a result, the Spanish were exposed to the wind. Another reason for Spain’s loss was that Parma’s Spanish forces could not set sail without the protection of Medina Sidonia ships which had depleted in numbers due to the ships scattering. Due to the Spanish ships being pushed towards the shallow water of the Low Countries coastline Sidonia’s main fleet could not reach within 20km’s of Parma’s forces due to the imminent danger the shoals and sandbars posed to the Spanish ships, which was significant because Parma’s forces of 20,000 soldiers would have significantly increased the numbers and power of the Spanish Armada to 60,000 which could have been a decisive factor to lead to Spain’s victory. Overall, this battle is significant because of how England victoriously prevented the Spanish from conquering England by naval power which showcased the superior skill of the English sailors and this significantly increased the status of the English Navy. The Dutch Navy blockaded the Flanders Coast which then led to the Spanish ships being forced North which showed the importance of allies for England. The wind pushed the Spanish Armada further north which then led to their destruction on the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Thus a reason why the Spanish Armada were defeated by the English was because there was no obvious “friendly” northern points for the Spanish to assemble. There were significant major casualties and losses for the Spanish with, for example, 20,000 Spanish sailor and soldiers died during the 1588 Spanish Armada, mostly due to the utter confusion during the formation of the Spanish Armada which was caused by the storm that scattered the Armada so that this caused miscommunication between the Spanish ships. The event is significant because it led to an increase in morale for the English Navy and nation as a whole, leading to a ‘Golden Age’. This Spanish Armada led to more armada’s as the Spanish tried to reassert their powerful position in Europe, however, these armada’s failed due to the superior strength of the English Navy. So the 1588 Spanish Armada was a significant event that returned the status of the English navy since it had depleted since King Henry the eights rule and the consequences lasted for

generations afterwards due to this event being used by the English as a form of propaganda to reveal the skill of the English navy. The English forces had not necessarily caused the high casualties for Spain, instead their ships were also destroyed along the coast of Ireland as is a misconception that the English killed thousands of men, however, this was an important event for perception and how it caused a increase in morale for the English. Significantly, this Ango-Spanish war which was heightened due to the Spanish Armada of 1588 did not end until 15 years later in 1604 when King James came to the English throne due to a stalemate between the two countries....