Spanish Armada
English Channel and the North Sea
What happened
King Philip II of Spain sent a great fleet under the Duke of Medina Sidonia against England, defended by the fleet of Lord Howard of Effingham and his vice admiral Sir Francis Drake, under Queen Elizabeth I. Philip II wanted to remove the Protestant Queen Elizabeth, stop English help to the Dutch rebels, and end English attacks on Spanish ships. The Armada sailed up the English Channel in a crescent formation and anchored off Calais. English fireships scattered it in the night, the English attacked it off Gravelines, and storms then drove the surviving ships all the way around Scotland and Ireland.
Why it matters
Result: Anglo-Dutch victory. Why it matters: England was saved from invasion, and the defeat became a famous moment in English history. The war between England and Spain still went on for many years afterward.
What came next
England's own counter-armada in 1589 failed, and Spain sent more fleets in 1596, 1597 and 1601. The war ended with the Treaty of London in 1604.
Did you know?
Queen Elizabeth went to Tilbury to speak to her soldiers, reportedly wearing a steel breastplate over a white velvet gown.
Timeline
- May 1588 CEThe Armada sails from Lisbon.
- 7 August 1588 CEThe Armada anchors off Calais, and English fireships scatter it.
- August 1588 CEElizabeth speaks to her troops at Tilbury.
- 1589 CEEngland's counter-armada fails.
- 1604 CEThe Treaty of London ends the Anglo-Spanish War.