1. Learning Objectives
Be able to explain why King Philip II of Spain wanted to invade England (Level 4/5/6)
Be able to analyse the consequences of problems faced by the Armada before they set sail. (Level 5/6)

2. Why Did The Spanish Armada Fail in 1588?
*Armada = A Fleet of War Ships

3. Starter
Working as a group, you should use all the information you gathered from last lesson. It is your task to write a limerick poem that helps explain why King Philip wanted to invade England.
You may want to start your poem like this:
‘There once was a king from Spain….’
Have a go! Be creative – you might surprise yourself!

4. Whose ideas were excessively nautical: She climbed up a tree,
Example of a Limerick
‘There was a Young Lady of Portugal,
Whose ideas were excessively nautical:
She climbed up a tree,
To examine the sea,
But declared she would never leave Portugal.’

5. Task
Building on from last lesson – you should use the information you collected to write a detailed paragraph that explains why Philip wanted to invade England.

6. Write a detailed paragraph explaining why King Philip wanted to invade England:
In your own words, be able to list at least two different reasons that explains why Philip want to invade.
Level 3/4
In detail, be able to explain why Philip wanted to invade England.
You should also explain how defeating the English would help solve his problems.
Level 5
All of level 5
You should also make a decision about which is the most important reason why Philip wanted to invade.
(A level 6 answer will be able to justify why this is the most important)
Level 6

7. Level 6 Work
One of the reasons that Philip II of Spain wanted to invade England was because Queen Elizabeth I had knighted Francis Drake. Drake had frequently been stealing Spanish gold and silver from towns in America. By making him a ‘Sir’, Elizabeth was rewarding his actions.
By invading England, Philip will either be able to defeat this Pirate Drake in war or he could punish him severely after a successful invasion. This will warn others about taking Spanish treasures.

8. Defeating the English would benefit the Spanish because….
Struggling to start?
One of the reasons why Philip II of Spain wanted to invade England in 1588 was because…
*Level 5*
Defeating the English would benefit the Spanish because….

9. Even before the Armada sailed, serious problems were encountered.
Task
Even before the Armada sailed, serious problems were encountered.
On your table there are a five problems the Spanish faced before the even set sail. Using the table provided, you should analyse what effect these problems may have had.
Extension = Decide which two were the most damaging problems.

10. Problem 1
Problem 2
Problem 3
Problem 4
Spain's Lord High Admiral was the famous Santa Cruz. He was a respected and successful admiral. He died in The admiral chosen by Philip to lead the Armada after Cruz's death was a very rich and successful general called the Duke of Medina Sidonia. Though a good general, Medina Sidonia had never been to sea before and when he did get on board his ship, he got seasick.
Problem 5
The Armada first sailed in April It hit a terrible storm and many ships were damaged. They had to return to port to get repaired.
The supplies put on board the new ships rotted as the barrels that contained the food and water were made of new wood which was still damp. This rotted the food and made the water undrinkable.
The plan was to get to the Spanish Netherlands, pick up Spanish soldiers who were stationed there and invade England's south coast. But there was no obvious port large enough to pick up the soldiers in the Netherlands.
In 1587, Sir Francis Drake attacked Cadiz harbour in Spain and destroyed or damaged a number of ships that were being prepared by the Spanish for the invasion.

11. In no more than five words, summarise the problem the Armada faced.
Level 5:
What are the consequences of this problem?
Extension:
In your opinion, which two problems would have had the greatest effect on the Armada? Place a tick in the appropriate box and then explain why.
Problem 1
Problem 2
Problem 3
Problem 4
Problem 5

12. Planning Leadership Luck
Plenary
From what you have learnt so far, which of these three headings do you think contributed most to the failure of the Spanish Armada?
You must be able to give a reason why you have chosen this decision!
Planning
Leadership
Luck