Mark Henderson answered
The Spanish Armada was sent by Philip II of Spain to invade England in 1588.
Why did the Spanish Armada attack England?
The aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I; to prevent British activity in the Netherlands (then under Spanish rule), and to restore the Catholic religion to a country which was now officially Protestant.
The Armada
The 130-ship Armada (known in Spain as the "invincible fleet") sailed from Lisbon, and fought its way across the channel against the English fleet (which was similar in numbers but had much smaller ships) until it arrived at Calais. The English navy - commanded by Sir Francis Drake - then defeated the invasion force, aided by treacherous weather conditions.
The Spanish retreated via North Scotland and West Ireland, battered by storms and shipwrecked along the way. By the time the Armada returned to Spain, only half of the fleet remained.
The defeat of the Armada has become part of British national legend, especially Elizabeth's rousing speech to the troops at Tilbury before the action. However, this was not the end of the war with Spain, which continued until Elizabeth's death in 1603.
Casualties and losses
Kingdom of England
Habsburg Spain
Why did the Spanish Armada attack England?
The aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I; to prevent British activity in the Netherlands (then under Spanish rule), and to restore the Catholic religion to a country which was now officially Protestant.
The Armada
The 130-ship Armada (known in Spain as the "invincible fleet") sailed from Lisbon, and fought its way across the channel against the English fleet (which was similar in numbers but had much smaller ships) until it arrived at Calais. The English navy - commanded by Sir Francis Drake - then defeated the invasion force, aided by treacherous weather conditions.
The Spanish retreated via North Scotland and West Ireland, battered by storms and shipwrecked along the way. By the time the Armada returned to Spain, only half of the fleet remained.
The defeat of the Armada has become part of British national legend, especially Elizabeth's rousing speech to the troops at Tilbury before the action. However, this was not the end of the war with Spain, which continued until Elizabeth's death in 1603.
Casualties and losses
Kingdom of England
- 50-100 battle dead
- 400 wounded
- 6,000-8,000 died from disease
Habsburg Spain
- Over 600 battle dead
- 800 wounded
- 397 captured
- 5 ships sunk or captured in battle
- 51 ships storm wrecked
- 10 ships scuttled
- 20,000 dead from disease
