The attempted invasion of the Spanish Armada was one of the most significant events in Elizabeth I’s reign. The mid-16th century was fraught with tremendous socio-political upheaval largely fueled by the Reformation. In Germany, the kingdom was divided. In France, the religious wars were taking their toll. In England, Elizabeth was meticulously undoing her sister’s work.
Philip II of Spain, a self-proclaimed defender of the faith and ardent counter-reformer decided to kill three birds with one stone. He went about building a massive armada of ships which he planned to use to subdue Protestants in France and England. The fleet consisted of more than 130 warships, reportedly the largest armada ever assembled.
Philip’s plan was simple. The Armada would sail to The Netherlands, where it would pick up the army of the Duke of Parma. From there they would channel across the English Channel, invade and conquer England, then go back across the channel to invade France and defeat the Protestants there. It seemed like a foolproof plan.
The Armada was spotted on the 19th of July in Lizard, Cornwall. Unfortunately, their carefully crafted plan fell apart. When the Armada entered the English Channel it was attacked by the smaller but more agile English fleet of 8 ships commanded by Francis Drake and Martin Frobisher. Though the English ships were outnumbered and armed with fewer guns their weaponry had a longer range than the Spanish fleet. They fired on the Spanish from a distance, beyond the range of the Armada’s guns.
The Armada retreated into the channel in disarray where it was completely defeated by further English attacks and sudden storms. Ultimately the Armada limped home with less than half its ships intact.
Spain was defeated, England was triumphant and the French Protestants lived to see another day. Queen Elizabeth, I led a thanksgiving celebration at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The defeat of the Armada served to cement the inviolability and legitimacy of the queen’s reign. To mark the occasion commemorative medals were minted which bore the inscription; 1588. Flavit Jehovah et Disspipati Sunt” (He blew with His Winds and they were scattered)
