A Nagy Armada

Smaller English ships on the right face the Spanish galleons

Phillip, given his excuse to attack England, launc-hed the Armada in 1588, It was sighted off Corn-wall on 19th July and warning beacons fla-red all along the south coast. The English naval forces were under the command of Drake, Hawkins, Frobisher and Howard of Effingham. As the Armada was anchored off Calais for the night Drake sent in fire ships. The Spanish had been dealt a considerable blow, as the Armada continued north it was harried by the English and by storms. Elizabeth went down to Tilbury and made her famous speech to the troops assemb-led there: - „I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too.” The country was ecstatic when news of the defeat of the Armada arrived and Elizabeth at the very peak of her fame. „Gloriana” had triumphed over the greatest power of the age.

1588 - A Nagy Armada pusztulása It was during Elizabeth’s reign that the Cinque Ports performed their final ser-vice in the naval defence of their country. In late Jul 1588 England was threatened with invasion by the Spa-nish Armada and the Cinque Ports we-re ordered to send five ships and one pinnace, but actually ships and one pin- nace. Dover equipped the „Elizabeth”, a ship of 120 tons, with 70 men and supplies for fifty days. These vessels, with eighteen from the east-coast towns, formed the auxiliary squadron to the Channel squadron, and were posted to Dover. This small squadron took part in the action off Gravelines (near Calais) on 29 Jul. Five fire ships had been prepared in Dover Harbour but were not used as Sir Francis Drake gave some of his own ships to use instead to save time. By the next day the Spanish fleet had been broken by the English attack and was being scattered by the prevailing westerly wind.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada remains the most glorious event remembered of Elizabeth's reign: the forces of Europe's mightiest Catholic power were confounded by English sea dogs and "Protestant gales." Spain and England were at daggers drawn almost from the time of Elizabeth's accession, with her rejection of Philip II's proposal of marriage. The two states were ideologically and commercially opposed-England’s trade with the Spanish-controlled Netherlands increasingly challenged Philip's colonial empire. Provocation to war Spain was the strongest European power and chief supporter of the Counter-Reformation. Philip increasingly asserted his power in the Netherlands, sending an army to oppress Protestantism. Elizabeth unofficially supported Dutch rebels from the outset of their struggle for independence but maintained a pretence of goodwill towards Spain until 1585, when she first openly sent troops to the Netherlands (under the command of her favourite, the Earl of Leicester).

With the Queen's tacit approval, English privateers such as Francis Drake and John Hawkins plundered Spanish galleons returning from the Americas; in 1580, Elizabeth ceremoniously knighted Drake on board his ship the Golden Hind he was then the second captain to circumnavigate the globe, and had returned with Spanish treasure worth twice the annual revenue of the crown. „The crisis had come . . . all day the battle raged.” Picture of Sir Francis Drake playing bowls on Plymouth Ho prior to defeating the Spanish Armada Rain rain go away, Come again another day. Little Johnny wants to play; Rain, rain, go to Spain, Never show your face again!