1/21/2024 0 Comments Naval battle spanish armada![]() ![]() Pope Sixtus V gave his blessing to what was called “The Enterprise of England,” which he hoped would bring the Protestant isle back into the fold of Rome. In the late 1580s, English raids against Spanish commerce and Queen Elizabeth I’s support of the Dutch rebels in the Spanish Netherlands led King Philip II of Spain to plan the conquest of England. Its hopes of invasion crushed, the remnants of the Spanish Armada began a long and difficult journey back to Spain. After eight hours of furious fighting, a change in wind direction prompted the Spanish to break off from the battle and retreat toward the North Sea. ![]() And there, in the north, the death knell was dealt to Spanish plans: not by Drake, Elizabeth I or brave English sailors – but by bad weather.Off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spain’s so-called “ Invincible Armada” is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake. So when Elizabeth uttered her famous words at Tilbury, what was left of the Armada was on its way home, running up around Scotland and Ireland to get back to Spain. These burning vessels caused the Spanish to panic, with further crashes and losses. Eleven days earlier, English fireships had attacked the Spanish fleet while it was waiting off France for its rendezvous with Parma’s army. Yet by the time she did so, the Armada were already staring defeat in the face. Elizabeth had come up with the plan to address the troops while the Spanish were still in the Channel. The idea that Elizabeth, Drake and underdog pluck defeated a practically invincible Armada is now firmly established at the heart of England’s conception of itselfīut this involves a tweaking to the timing of events for dramatic effect. ![]()
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