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Spanish Armada Defeated, Changing Naval History

In 1588, King Philip II of Spain launched a massive fleet of 132 ships known as the Spanish Armada, aiming to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. However, the English navy’s superior tactics and firepower, combined with fierce weather, led to a decisive defeat for Spain. The surviving Spanish ships faced perilous conditions sailing around Scotland, losing even more men and vessels before half returned home.

Key Facts

The Armada consisted of 132 Spanish ships assembled to invade England.

England's Royal Navy used better maneuvering and firepower to defeat the fleet.

Bad weather played a critical role in England’s victory.

After the battle, the remaining Spanish ships suffered losses navigating around Scotland.

Only half of the fleet made it back to Spain.

The defeat marked a turning point in naval dominance during the era.

It became a symbol of Protestant England’s divine favor over Catholic Spain.

Historical Context

The clash happened during ongoing religious and political conflicts between Protestant England and Catholic Spain in the late 16th century. King Philip II sought to end English support for Dutch rebels and to halt English piracy and colonial expansion.

Historical Significance

The defeat of the Spanish Armada established England as a major naval power and halted Spain’s dominance on the seas. It inspired English nationalism and was celebrated in art and literature as a sign of divine favor. This victory also helped secure the future of Protestant England against Catholic threats.

I´m working in a new project, “María Pita”. The comic is written by César Herce and the colour is by my friend Angie Suarez. The comic will be published by Cascaborra.

The Capture of the Treasure Ship Madre de Deus

The treasure ship Madre de Deus (aka Madre de Dios) was a Portuguese vessel carrying hugely valuable cargo from the East Indies which was attacked and captured by a fleet of English privateers in the Azores in September 1592 CE. The ship, packed full of jewels, pearls, gold, silver, ebony, and spices, was the richest prize ever taken by the privateers who plundered the Atlantic during the long reign of Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE). The capture was masterminded by Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618 CE), and the £80,000 return on Elizabeth's £3,000 original investment helped repair relations between the adventurer and his queen, securing his release from the Tower of London. The fabulous treasure inspired many more privateering fleets to prowl the seas but none would ever make a capture as rich as the Madre de Deus.

Walter Raleigh

Although once a firm favourite of Queen Elizabeth, Walter Raleigh had fallen out with his monarch when she discovered the courtier and adventurer had secretly married one of her ladies-in-waiting, Elizabeth 'Bess' Throckmorton (1565-1647 CE). Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London for his impudence in August 1592 CE. Fortunately, Raleigh had already organised a fleet to capture treasure ships of Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598 CE), and the unimaginable success it gained would be his ticket to freedom.

In the Elizabethan age privateers were sailors and adventurers who scoured the Caribbean and Atlantic for treasure ships carrying valuable cargo from the New World and Asia to Europe. Elizabeth often invested personally in these expeditions, and the spoils were shared according to the amount she and other investors had made in the project. Consequently, both the privateers and the state coffers were enriched by a practice which correspondingly depleted the wealth of England's great enemy: Philip II of Spain.

Raleigh had intended to command his latest privateer fleet personally but he was recalled to London the day after he set sail on 6 May 1592 CE. The queen had discovered his secret marriage and Raleigh was replaced as commander of the fleet by Martin Frobisher (c. 1535-1594 CE). Raleigh dithered but after two weeks he did return to London and captivity.

Backed by investors which included the queen, George Clifford, the Earl of Cumberland, a consortium of merchants and Raleigh himself, the fleet was well-equipped. The original plan was to sail for the Isthmus of Panama and attack the annual treasure fleet which sailed from the Americas to Spain laden with gold, silver, and other loot. First, though, they sailed to Spain and then divided, Frobisher taking some ships to Cape St. Vincent in southern Portugal while the remainder headed for the Azores in the mid-Atlantic. This latter group was commanded by Sir John Burgh and was reinforced by the arrival of six more ships sent by the Earl of Cumberland. Burgh arrived in the Azores on 21 June where, to his chagrin, he discovered he had already missed the first ships due in from the East Indies.

Drake-Norris Expedition

The Drake-Norris expedition of April-July 1589 CE, otherwise known as the Don Antonio Expedition, English Armada or Portugal Expedition, was an unsuccessful attempt by a large English naval and army force to destroy the remaining ships of the Spanish Armada of Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598 CE), to reinstate Don Antonio as king of Portugal, and to seize Spanish treasure ships in the Azores. The expedition had a mix of private and state financial backing and was led by Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596 CE) and Sir John Norris (aka Norreys, c. 1547-1597 CE), hence its name. Not all parties agreed to the triple aims of the expedition, Drake and Norris ignored the Armada ships, Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE) was outraged Lisbon had been attacked by land and sea instead, and by the time the English had been beaten off by Spanish forces they were too late to catch the treasure ships. A dismal failure with thousands dead from battle and disease, the English fleet returned home with little to show for their hugely expensive efforts and the Anglo-Spanish war dragged on until 1604 CE.

On July 23, 1579, English explorer Francis Drake departed the coast of present-day northern California aboard the Golden Hind, leaving behind the territory he had claimed for England as Nova Albion (“New England”). Drake had landed there during his famous circumnavigation of the globe and claimed the region in the name of Queen Elizabeth I.

After repairing and resupplying his ship, Drake turned westward across the Pacific Ocean, beginning the next stage of his journey home. His voyage would eventually make him the first Englishman to circumnavigate the Earth, returning to England in 1580 with valuable cargo and international fame.

On July 6, 1590, English sea commander Francis Drake was linked to renewed English pressure against Portuguese coastal defenses near the Tagus River approaches to Lisbon. These forts were key to protecting one of Iberia’s most important ports and controlling Atlantic trade routes during a time when Portugal was under Spanish Habsburg rule.