Preparing the Fleet
King Phillip's preparations for the invasion of England started almost two years before the fleet was expected to attack. Many problems came up in the preparations of the armada as well as an attack on the Spanish town of Cadiz by Sir Francis Drake. Originally, the massive collection of Spanish war galleons was expected to set sail in the summer of 1587 but because of these numerous delays, they didn't even reach the coast of England until late July 1588.
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Delaying the Armada
Over the course of two years between 1587 and 1588, England made many attempts to delay the enormous 122 vessel armada that was planning to invade sometime in the summer of 1557. In April of that year, Sir Francis Drake had launched a very successful attack on the town of Cadiz, Spain. This delayed the production of the armada greatly and allowed England more time to prepare for the invasion.
When the fleet finally did set sail in 1588, Phillip learned that the Duke of Parma, his ally and adjoining army for the invasion, had moved some of his fleet back to the Netherlands to help with construction and would not be able to assist the Spanish. Luckily, the armada's 122 ships were well equipped to handle the combat on their own.
Lord Howard of Effingham and Sir Francis Drake attempt to delay the Armada even further by sending two counter attack fleets, but they were both pushed back and forced to return by bad storms on the English sea. As the Spanish Armada approached the English Channel, their commander, the duke of Medina Sidonia, ordered the fleet to anchor off the coast of France by the city of Calais. The rough waters on the English channel made it difficult for the Spanish to navigate, delaying their massive invasion even more.
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When the fleet finally did set sail in 1588, Phillip learned that the Duke of Parma, his ally and adjoining army for the invasion, had moved some of his fleet back to the Netherlands to help with construction and would not be able to assist the Spanish. Luckily, the armada's 122 ships were well equipped to handle the combat on their own.
Lord Howard of Effingham and Sir Francis Drake attempt to delay the Armada even further by sending two counter attack fleets, but they were both pushed back and forced to return by bad storms on the English sea. As the Spanish Armada approached the English Channel, their commander, the duke of Medina Sidonia, ordered the fleet to anchor off the coast of France by the city of Calais. The rough waters on the English channel made it difficult for the Spanish to navigate, delaying their massive invasion even more.
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The Defeat of the Armada
Because of the Spanish commander's decision to anchor the fleet on the north coast of France, this left a very good opportunity for the English to attack the stationed vessels. In August of 1588, Sir Francis Drake, Lord Howard of Effingham, and many other Privateer ships launched another attack on the Spanish, this time though, they used fire. Several of the English's ships were purposely lit on fire and the cannons on board were rigged to fire automatically. These "fire ships" were sailed into the Spanish's formation and struck and sank several of the ships anchored there. The attack forced the Spanish to retreat northward, and a large number of their ships were found run aground on the northern coasts of Scotland and Ireland later that year.
England had miraculously won the victory and defeated the Spanish Armada. Most of the fleet returned home to Spain, but the sting of defeat was too much for King Phillip. He was extremely humiliated by this defeat since he had invested not only a large amount of money but also many years of his life to the project. Although the war was not over, the majority of the conflict mainly took place on land after the defeat of the armada.
England had miraculously won the victory and defeated the Spanish Armada. Most of the fleet returned home to Spain, but the sting of defeat was too much for King Phillip. He was extremely humiliated by this defeat since he had invested not only a large amount of money but also many years of his life to the project. Although the war was not over, the majority of the conflict mainly took place on land after the defeat of the armada.