Armada2

​ **WHAT WAS THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA? WHY IS THIS EVENT SIGNIFICANT?** Answer Prepared by Simon E. The defeat of the Spanish Armada is one of the most important events in English history. According to Louis Wright, author of the book __Shakespeare's England__ in the 16th century, Spain was the most powerful country in the world. Philip II, King of Spain, controlled vast territories of land and gained immense wealth from the New World. Spain was the leading European nation and a global power. The Spanish navy was the largest in the world, which contributed to their economic and military success. On the other hand, England was a small country, with less wealth, fewer friends, and more enemies (128).

The attacks of Drake, a commander of the English Navy, upset Philip II. Determined to take revenge upon the English, Phillip sent the Spanish Armada to conquer England and to restore England’s religion to Catholicism (Wright 129). The Spanish Armada consisted of 130 ships, making it the largest fleet in the world at the time. Phillips plan was to have the Spanish Armada and Duke of Parma meet up the English Channel, which separates England from the European continent, and overwhelm the English, but the English had scouts overlooking the Channel for the enemy. The English fought the Spanish in the channel for a day. After much of the Spanish Armada was destroyed, they retreated; The English pursued them.

According to the British Library Board’s website, there were many key elements why the Spanish lost this battle. When the two forces collided in the Channel, the English had the advantage because of the wind was blowing towards the Spanish. Also the English ships were more agile and quick than the Spanish galleons, thus leading the English to victory. The Spanish used military forces to run the Armada; In contrast the English used sailors. This was beneficial to the English because their the sailors had a better understanding of the ships and how to run them. The Spanish also ran out of ammo and did not bring enough supplies to last during the battle.

This event was historically significant because it transformed Spain's image. The defeat of Spain showed other nations that Spain was not invincible, thus other nations started to challenge Spain. This world superpower suddenly had a weakness. England after the battle against the Spanish Armada gained more confidence and rose to become the most powerful nation in the world. This important turning point in history showed that Spain was no longer the world's superpower and set the stage for England to become the world’s superpower. = = = =

Below is a six part documentary on the Spanish Armada. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZkVXxTvw5g&feature=related [] [] [] [] [] Below is a link to information on the Spanish Armada. http://www.elizabethi.org/uk/armada/

Below is a painting of the battle against the Spanish Armada. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2007/11/loutherbourg-spanish_armada.jpg

Biel, Timothy. //The Black Death//. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1989. Print. Boccaccio, Giovanni. "The Black Death, 1348." 1983: n. pag. Web. 31 Mar 2010. []. Dunn, John. //Life During the Black Death//. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000. 1-81. Print. Murray, John. //Elizabethan England//. London: Andy Harmsworth, 1999. Print. The British Library Board,. "Investigation: Why did the English fleet defeat the Spanish Armada? ." 2010: n. pag. Web. 11 Apr 2010. []. Thomas, Heather. "The Spanish Armada." 2010: n. pag. Web. 31 Mar 2010. []. William Shakespeare info,. " The Black Death Bubonic Plague during the Elizabethan Era ." //Picture depicting life during the Elizabethan Black Death or the Bubonic Plague// 2005: n. pag. Web. 11 Apr 2010. []. Wright, Louis. //Shakespeare's England//. New York City: American Heritage Publishing Co., 1964. Print.
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