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Spanish Armada facts

Armada. This is the name given to the Spanish fleet which attempted an invasion of England in 1588 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. England and Spain were enemies for the latter part of the 16th century. English seamen such as Drake attacked Spanish treasure ships in South America. Finally, King Philip II of Spain decided to invade England. He collected a fleet at Cadiz. In 1587 this was attacked in harbor by Sir Francis Drake and the invasion had to be put off for a year.

Armada, Spanish Armada facts for kids

This engraving shows the battle that took place between the English fleet and the Spanish Armada off the coast of England near the Isle of Wight on July 25, 1588

In 1588 a large fleet assembled at Lisbon. There were 130 ships and 30,000 men, of whom 19,000 were soldiers. The force was commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia. The plan was for the fleet to sail from Spain across the Bay of Biscay and up the English Channel. Off the coast of the Netherlands the fleet would embark Spanish soldiers from the army there. The force would then invade England and depose Queen Elizabeth.

The English prepared for action and the main fleet under Lord Howard of Effingham moved to Plymouth. The Armada left Lisbon at the end of May but ran into storms and had to return to Spanish ports, finally leaving northern Spain in July 1588. When the Armada entered the Channel, the English fleet came out from Plymouth and attacked the Spanish ships. But the Spanish ships sailed close together, forming a large crescent, and the English attacks did not stop their advance.

On July 28, the Spanish fleet anchored off Calais but the English created great confusion by setting old ships on fire and sending them among the Spaniards. The Spanish fleet lost its formation and was defeated on the following day in a general battle with the English fleet. The wind blew strongly from the south-west and the Spanish ships were forced to sail northwards and then round the coasts of Scotland and Ireland to get back to Spain. Many ships were wrecked on the way. Finally, broken ships and weary sailors returned to Spanish ports - the wreck of the 'Enterprise of England'. Only half the ships that set out came back.

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