in 1588 spains naval armada was destroyed trying to invade

The Spanish vessels under Medina-Sidonia’s command included huge Portuguese galleons, armed merchant ships, and boats built for the Mediterranean such as Neapolitan galleys with oars pulled by convicts. King Phillip II had chosen him to replace the recently deceased General Santa Cruz.

The fleet was under the command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, a well-respected nobleman with no military training.

They traveled-with good winds-an average of 2.5 knots (less than 3 miles) per hour. The Spanish Armada left Lisbon for England in May 1588 after years of preparation with 132 vessels, more than 20,000 troops, 8000 sailors, and 2500 guns. Setting the Stage for BattleĪfter decades of bad relations, King Phillip II of Spain, a staunch-Catholic and widowed husband of Queen Mary I of England-Elizabeth I’s half-sister-decided to launch an attack on Elizabeth’s Protestant England. As you watch the battle unfold across these historical maps, note that wind direction is included on each map. These much more maneuverable English ships became an essential element of the confrontation. they didn’t need the wind at their back to proceed forward). The English had recently developed smaller ships that could sail closer to the wind (i.e. The massive galleons of the Spanish Armada were virtual floating fortresses, but these square-rigged vessels could only sail with the wind at their back. In 1588, Spain was at the zenith of her power, closely allied with the Roman Catholic Church, and home to a powerful Armada or naval “fleet” considered invincible.

Cartographer Robert Adams created these maps for a 1590 book chronicling the famed naval campaign. The series of battles that unfolds with these seven maps is considered one of the most important campaigns in naval history a campaign that ended with the defeat of the powerful Spanish Armada in 1588.

In 1588 spains naval armada was destroyed trying to invade