Failure of Spanish Armada

In may 1588, the Spanish Armada left the Portuguese expression of Lisbon, full pointed for England with more than 130 ships. Since their disco very of the parvenue World al lastly 100 age before, the Spanish had built one of the wealthiest and some powerful empires on earth. exponent Philip II of Spain wanted to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England for both political and religious reasons. Elizabeth had assisted the Protestant rebels in the Netherlands to overthrow Spanish rule in the region. She a want had been allo produceg side pirates called privateers to attack Spanish treasure ships subjecting(a) from the New World.What that added fuel to the discharge were the religious disputes between a Catholic Spain and a Protestant England, whose national church building had split from the Catholic church after the excommunication of Henry VIII in 1535. Outnumbered and outgunned, the side defeated the Spanish Armada in a series of unfor cleartable oceanic encounters. The serendipitous tied(p)t of the side of meat triumph over the Armada changed the balance of humans power. It would consequence hold never been possible without coincidence occurrences like, remainder, weather, and smart maritime designs and strategies.Just months before Phillips Armada was launched, Don Alvaro de Bazen, Marquise of Santa Cruz, died of typhus in January. Santa Cruz had been a veteran coverer and a naval captain unequalled in confidence and s annihilate at the time. He was a narcissistic, avaricious, and cruel man these qualities make him the ideal naval commander. It was tell that only four people attended his burial, and his death was regretted by no one. (Martin 146) If he had non passed, Santa Cruz wouldve been the ideal admiral for the explosive charge because he was so astrayly see and was forgeting to die for his country without a chip vista.One who knew Santa Cruz said he was a grizzled veteran of Lepanto, attainered to accede on the whole face naval forces at the word of the fag. The incline would never allow had a encounter at victory over the Spanish Armada led by such a solid and able soldier. The replace custodyt for Santa Cruz was elect by King Philip II himself. He chose Don Alonso Perez de Guzman, the Duke of Medina Sidonia. Medina Sidonias qualifications to lead the Armada were lackluster. temporary hookup the Duke had a vast knowledge of naval technique, he lacked combat fuck off.However he was the head of one of Spains al most(prenominal) ancient and aristocratic families, and King Philip II therefore saw Medina Sidonia as the apparently perfect leader for his Armada because he was the head of such a respectable family. (Martin 147) stock-still no victories bolstered his pedigree. When the Duke received the letter from the King asking him to lead the Armada, it wasnt a confusion however. Since the very early stages of intend for the Armada, Medina Sidonia had been there and was already well brie fed.As if portending his visitation, he wrote a series of letter to King Philip II stating that he didnt want the job. One of his reasons included in the letter was for I know by the lowly experience I leave had afloat that I soon break down ocean sanctify (Martin 149) Acknowledging that he was non fit(p) for the job and that his qualifications did not add up to those necessary for the Armada to succeed, Medina Sidonia conceded that furthermore this force is so great and the undertaking so important, that it would not be right for a someone like myself, possessing no experience of piloting or war, to take charge of it.I submit no doubt that his majesty will do the favor which I humbly beg, and will not result me to do a task of which certainly, I shall not give a peachy account for I do not understand it, know nothing to the highest degree it, have no health for the sea and have no money to drop down upon it. (Martin 147) The king merely overlooked the Dukes explanatio n as improper humility. What the King was oblivious to was that Medina Sidonia had written a second letter both days later, where he claimed that the whole endeavor was ill-conceived and blasted almost similarly inevitable failure. Martin 148) The king never heard this command because the second letter had been intercepted by two councilors of state. In response they wrote do not impress us with guardianships for the fate of the Armada, because in such a cause immortal will make sure it succeeds (Martin 148) They withal threatened the Duke, saying that if he didnt follow through with leading the Armada they would memorialize the world the letter and he would have been charged with treason. Against his will and only because of example pressure, special persuasion, and blackmail did Medina Sidonia accept the gentle captain general of the ocean sea.It wasnt complete that Medina Sidonia was the completely wrong person to lead the Spanish Armada, he didnt even believe that t he invasion had whatsoever peril of being successful and thought of it as a complete pine a port of time. His defeatist thinking combined with short(p) leadershiphip and lack of sea experience created a deadly concoction of tree sloth and befogged en confide. The launch of the Armada was no surprise to England because the Spanish had not meant to keep it a secret in hopes that Elizabeth would surrender even before the fleet was launched. With plenty of warning, England did its scoop up to gather a large enough naval force, solely it was never enough.At first glance the Armada dwarfed the English dark blue in both size of ships and numbers. With this in mind English commanders believed they would have to win the war with their long guns they would attack to immerse the Spanish ships one at a time from a safe distance. The Armada, which carried a large number of tough and well-trained soldiers gird with swords and muskets, planned to use their advantage on any English sh ips that got in like manner close and the Spanish commanders intended to pull it on base with grappling hooks and send the soldiers on board capture it. (Anderson 24) As is very common in meshing, the plans going into battle are often changed based on the unpredictable circumstances that can unfold. twain sides predictions on tactics that would help them win, were wrong. The English belief that they would sink the Spanish ships from a safe distance was faulty because the guns at the time were tough to aim and too unpredictable to do any concrete harm. (Martin 53) Nonetheless most of the English privateer boats could fire off shots three time faster than Spanish ones.They also could express more cannons because they didnt have to decompose much space carrying food and other(a) resources since the battles happened just miles off their home lantern slide. composition the Spanish intended to pull alongside with grappling hooks and send soldiers on board to capture the ship, English ships were too nimble to be caught in this way by the large Spanish galleons, with wide hulls and heavy cargoes. (Anderson 24) After suffering fine firinges in the battle that unfolded in the English Channel the Armada moved on with the plan.The Armada was to broom to the Netherlands on the beach dear Dunkirk. At the time the Netherlands was under Spanish control, and the vast majority of Spains most trained soldiers were stationed there. Spanish troops in the Netherlands were under the command of the Duke of Parma, a well-known(a) and respected soldiery leader but also the nephew of King Philip II himself. In the next stage of the kings plan, the Armada was to pick up Parmas host from the beaches near Dunkirk, and escort them across the behave to England. Anderson 26) This stage had a problem Spanish ships were not made for shallow water. They were heavy and deep in the water. The Armada could not get close to the beaches because the waters around the slide were s o shallow. In addition, the Dutch rebels aided by Elizabeth controlled the shallow waters off the coast of the Netherlands. This ruined the possibility of Parmas troops being able to sail out and join the Armada without severe casualties. Realizing this, the English took advantage of the wind, and sent eight small burning ships directly at the Armada in hope of causing chaos.The Spanish mistake these for hellburners, vessels loaded with gunpowder and other explosives that could kill thousands, broke formation, cut their anchors, and sailed away without pick up Parmas troops. (Anderson 27) These two occurrences during battles helped lead to English victory, but both occurrences couldve at rest(p) either way if simple things like nimble and smaller ships were used by the Spanish or if Parmas soldiery was picked up at a variant location. The outcome of the entire invasion could have been different.After Phillips Armada failed, he said I sent my Armada against men, not graven ima ges winds and waves. It wasnt privateer long-range cannons that sunk most of the Armadas ships, or those eight hell burners sent by Charles Howard, leader of the English fleet. It was a junto of bad decisions, strong winds, and the unforgiving coast of Ireland. By August 21, 3,000 men were sick and the Armada was too badly damaged to return to the channel and fight the English fleet. (Anderson 32) The leaders made up their mind and resolute instead to make an attempt to bargain home to Spain and save as umpteen ships as they could.The route they chose was to go west around the northern coast of Scotland and Ireland. lucubrate directions were given to each vessel, and each was warned take great heed lest you fall upon the island of Ireland, for fear of the harm that may happen on to you upon that coast. (Anderson 32) This last desperate attempt was the worst decision of the entire voyage. both(prenominal) the vessels and the sailors had come equipt with instruments for a coast al voyage through the English Channel, not an open ocean journey into sedate and unfamiliar waters.In the end, two thirds of the men in the Spanish fleet lost their lives, 25 or more Spanish ships lay splintered on the coast of Ireland. (Anderson 32) If equipped with the proper instruments and blessed with better weather, the Spanish may have made it rearwards to their homeland with minimal casualties. When word of the cataclysm reached Spain, it crushed the Kings hope and temporarily shook his faith that matinee idol was on his side. He ordered that prayers for the Armadas success be canceled. He also sent letters to bishops asking for churches to give thanks God that not everything had been destroyed.Only months foregoing when planning the invasion, Philip had wondered whether the Armada should be launched in the winter. Although the guess was high, he had the up most trust that God would provide good weather, and he even went as far as to say since it is all for His cause, God will send good weather. (Spanish Armada) Philip had sent his fleet in the hollo of God, but instead sheer chance had prevailed, and left the weather-tossed Armada splintered and trashed on the rocky coast of Ireland.King Philip II was one of the most powerful people in the world, and the loss of his Armada wasnt just a military defeat. It drained all of Spains monetary resource and soldiers and set the stage for the loss of Spains world power. It also served as a constant reminder of how the Catholic Church was slowly losing influence and power throughout Europe and the world. The serendipitous event of the English victory over the Armada changed the balance of world power. It would have never been possible without happenstance occurrences like, death, weather, and new naval designs and strategies.