The Spanish Aramda is a radical interpretation of why Philip II's Armada of 1588 failed so disastrously. This new edition is based on a fresh examination of archival sources across Europe, combined with the archaeological investigation of some of its wrecked ships off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. The new edition has been extensively revised to incorporate ten further years of research by the authors and others, and is likely to remain the standard account for years to come.

The definitive history of the Spanish Armada, lavishly illustrated and fully revised “Will surely become the definitive account.”—Stephen Brumwell, Wall Street Journal In July 1588 the Spanish Armada sailed from Corunna to conquer England. Three weeks later an English fireship attack in the Channel—and then a fierce naval battle—foiled the planned invasion. Many myths still surround these events. The genius of Sir Francis Drake is exalted, while Spain’s efforts are belittled. But what really happened during that fateful encounter? Drawing on archives from around the world, Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker also deploy vital new evidence from Armada shipwrecks off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Their gripping, beautifully illustrated account provides a fresh understanding of how the rival fleets came into being; how they looked, sounded, and smelled; and what happened when they finally clashed. Looking beyond the events of 1588 to the complex politics which made war between England and Spain inevitable, and at the political and dynastic aftermath, Armada deconstructs the many legends to reveal why, ultimately, the bold Spanish mission failed.

In this dramatic hour-by-hour, blow-by-blow account of the Spanish Armada's attempt to destroy Elizabeth's England, Robert Hutchinson spins a compelling and unbelievable narrative. After the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, Protestant England was beset by the hostile Catholic powers of Europe, including Spain. In October 1585, King Philip II of Spain declared his intention to destroy Protestant England and began preparing invasion plans, leading to an intense intelligence war between the two countries and culminating in the dramatic sea battles of 1588. Popular history dictates that the defeat of the Spanish Armada was a David versus Goliath victory, snatched by plucky and outnumbered English forces. In this tightly written and fascinating new history, Robert Hutchinson explodes this myth, revealing the true destroyers of the Spanish Armada—inclement weather and bad luck. Of the 125 Spanish ships that set sail against England, only 60 limped home, the rest wrecked or sank with barely a shot fired from their main armament. Using everything from contemporary eyewitness accounts to papers held by the national archives in Spain and the United Kingdom, Hutchinson re-creates one of history's most famous episodes in an entirely new way.

This historical novel investigates a facinating piece of relatively unknown history of the collusion of the Scottish Catholic Lords with Philip II of Spain. With the help of Catholics in Scotland several thousand Spanish troops were planning to land at the port of Kirkcudbright in Southern Scotland and join them in an invasion of England to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. Lord John Maxwell, Earl of Morton, Clan chief of Caerlaverock Castle near Dumfries, travels to Spain and spends a year at the Escorial Palace near Madrid. He meets with King Philip the most powerful monarch of the world, and the Admirals of the Spanish Armada. Together they plot the invasion of England.

The armada's contribution to the tenacious survival of Spanish hegemony.

"The Armada campaign pitted Europe's mightiest military power against Christendom's most powerful navy in a battle for different ideals of civilisation. Both protagonists expected the clash to be decisive; neither, as it soon became apparent, knew how to fight a battle whose scale and character were beyond the experience of anyone in the two fleets. What ensued was not the heroic encounter of legend, but an inconclusive affair, redeemed - for England - by atrocious weather and poor Spanish understanding of the coastlines of western Scotland and Ireland."--BOOK JACKET.

The Anglo-Spanish War in the 16th century reached its climax in August 1588, when King Philip’s Felicissima Armada challenged Queen Elizabeth’s fleet in the waters of the Channel. If the outcome of the war has been much commented on and debated throughout the centuries, the impact the war had on literature has been neglected for a long time. This book presents to scholars, students and readers how the Armada was dealt with in the literature of the countries involved in the conflict. It offers a view on the Armada from both Spanish and English voices: Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spenser and Drayton are flanked by Góngora, Cervantes and Lope de Vega.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The Tudor dynasty maintained friendly relations with Spain, but when Henry VIII divorced his Spanish wife, Catherine of Aragon, and in defiance of the pope established the Church of England with himself as its head, relations between England and Spain became strained. #2 The relationship between England and Spain grew cooler during the half-hearted proposals that Philip marry Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. However, the situation changed gradually. #3 By the 1560s, Philip II was ruler of a vast empire, including Spain, Naples, Sicily, the East Indies, possessions in the Americas and the Netherlands. The Spanish economy was increasingly dependent on the resources of her New World settlements, particularly their gold and silver. #4 The attack on Hawkins was a major embarrassment for Elizabeth, and she had to respond. The subsequent uproar in England forced her to retaliate. She seized Spanish ships carrying 160,000 ducats, intended as pay for the Spanish Army of Flanders, and gave some indirect aid to the Dutch by seizing their ships.