Level 4 – Describe the events of the Armada
Level 5 – explain why Spain lost
Level 6 – Explain the main reason for the defeat of the
Armada
KEY WORD - VICTORY
Review
 In the late 1400’s many countries began to explore.
 They included Portugal, Spain, France, and
England.
 Exploration could lead to new wealth.
 Under the idea of mercantilism, the more wealth a
country possesses the more power it could gain.
 The power struggle for North America existed
between France, Spain, and England.
The Key Players…
 Wanted England to be a
Catholic country.
 Angry at execution of
Mary, Queen of Scots.
 Decided to invade
England.
 Ordered a huge fleet of
ships (ARMADA) to be
built.
King Philip II of
Spain
The Key Players…
 Determined that
England would remain
a Protestant country.
 Ordered English ships
to attack Spanish ships
and take their cargo.
Queen Elizabeth I
of England
The Key Players…
 Very successful sailor.
 Made the first English
voyage around the
world.
 Robbed and destroyed
the Spanish ships.
 Knighted on return.
Sir Francis Drake
of England
The Causes of Invasion…
 Many attacks on the Spanish at sea by
the English.
 Queen Elizabeth sent reinforcements to
help the Dutch fight the Spanish.
 Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed –she is
next in line to the throne and a Catholic.
 The Pope agrees that Spain can attack
England to restore the Catholic Church.
 Philip II of Spain was angry that Queen
Elizabeth had not punished Sir Francis
Drake for attacking Spanish ships.
The road to invasion….
 Spain:
 Spain had a huge fleet, or armada, of 130 ships, which
were mostly traditional galleons. These ships had a
combined purpose of carrying cargo and soldiers. They
were large, slow, and difficult to steer, but they were
strong. The armada was controlled by soldiers, not
sailors.
 England:
 Without the burden of having to pay for a war, England
became prosperous and in 1568 Elizabeth used money to
increase the size of the navy. The new ships that were
built were faster and easier to steer than before. The
navy ships were controlled by sailors, not soldiers.
The Invasion…..
•The armada would
sail through the
English Channel to
Spanish Netherlands.
• From there, they
would be joined by an
army of 30,000 men
and take them to the
English coast.
•The plan was to
invade England
restore it to the
Catholic religion.
July 21,1588
Armada leaves Spain to sail up the English Channel,
where an army to invade England is to be waiting.
July
30,1588
 Armada enters English Channel, where they are
surprised to find the main English fleet. The Armada
adopts a crescent battle formation. After delays,
caused by tides and wind, the English fleet sails to
meet it.
July
st
31
- August
st
1
1588
English ships attack outermost Spanish vessels with long-range
gunfire. Nothing is sunk but San Salvador explodes.
Overnight, Drake breaks the line to capture the Spanish ship
Rosario. English fleet regroups; The Spanish Armada
consolidates the Armada's crescent formation and sends
message out to rendezvous at Calais.
August 2, 1588
 The Armada reaches Portland Bill. English and Spanish
ships engage in fierce battles. English ships fire heavily on
Spanish but do little damage. Their ammunition runs low.
August 3-6 1588
The fleet therefore sailed on to Calais (France) to meet
an Spanish army that was supposed to help join the
fight. The Armada drops anchors off Calais but
discovers the invading army is not ready.
Many of the Armada's Captains wanted to just go ashore
and attack England by land, but Spain’s orders strictly
forbade this.
August 7-8 1588
 At midnight, England sent eight fire ships, covered in tar,
into the congested Spanish ranks.
 Many Spanish Captains cut their cables, which attached
the boats together, in an attempt to escape the flames.
 They blundered away from the blaze straight into the
gunfire of the waiting English.
•Unfortunately for the Spanish, their fire
power was vastly inferior to that of the
English.
•A change of wind blew the Armada
North out of the range of English fire.
August 13, 1588
After being exhausted by English ships and battered by
storms, the Armada sails north, intending to round the
coast of Scotland and sail south to Spain. Conditions
on board the ships are poor.
August 24, 1588
Storms scattered the Armada off the north coast of
Scotland.
September - October
Fierce storms drive many
ships towards the Irish
coast. More than 25 ships
are wrecked and
thousands of crew drown,
or are killed by English
soldiers when they reach
shore. About two-thirds
of the Armada eventually
escapes bad weather and
sail home to Spain.
Task
 You have to create a timeline of the events of the
Armada.
 You can use the information on page 76-77 of the text
book and either
 1) Create a timeline
 2) Make a storyboard like the one in the textbook.
 3) Write out bullet points or paragraphs outlining the
events.