July 29, 1588

On this day in history in 1588 the Spanish Armada was defeated.

English Raids

In the late 1580s the English began raiding the Spanish commerce. Additionally, England's Queen Elizabeth I supported the Dutch rebels in the Spanish Netherlands. The raids, combined with supporting the rebels, caused Spain's King Philip II to plan to conquer England. The Pope even gave his support of the conquest because he hoped it would bring the Protestants back into the Roman Catholic Church.

The Spanish Armada

"The Invincible Armada"

By 1587 the Spanish had completed an invasion fleet and on May 19 the so-called "Invincible Armada" set sail to secure control of the English Chanel so it could transport a Spanish Army to Britain. The Armada consisted of 130 ships carrying 2,500 guns, 8,000 seamen, and nearly 20,000 soldiers. Although the ships were slower and not as well armed as the English counterparts the Spanish planned to bring in their superior Spanish infantry if a battle presented itself. The Armada finally reached the southern coast of England on July 19 after being delayed by storms. Unfortunately for Spain, this long travel time gave the British time to get ready.

The Armada's Defeat

The Armada's Defeat

On July 21 the English navy began bombarding the Spanish ships with their long-range heavy guns. About a week later the Armada anchored in France so the Spanish army could prepare to infiltrate England. Failing to get control of the Channel meant the naval Armada wouldn't have safe passage to England. The British were ready, however, and they sent burning ships to the harbor where the Armada had docked. The Spanish ships panicked and had to sail away to avoid catching fire.

Out of formation, disorganized, and panicked the Armada was attacked by the English. During the battle the English guns were superior and devastated the Armada. They pursued the ships until Scotland when both the English navy and the Armada returned to their home countries for want of supplies.

The Armada sailed back to Spain through storms and a lack of supplies. They arrived back in Spain in October with half of the original Armada lost and almost 15,000 men dead.