The Armada

The era of armada, great fleets of warships, reached its apogee in 1588 when Spain sailed its huge, "invincible" Spanish Armada to conquer the English at sea. The smaller, nimble English fleet under Charles Howard outmaneuvered and defeated Spain in this famous encounter. Elizabeth I, England's Protestant queen, then sent Sir Francis Drake with an armada of 150 warships and some 18,000 men to conquer Spain's Roman Catholic king, Philip II. Drake lost at Lisbon in 1589, so this religious-based struggle carried on for years. This primary source portfolio dearly illustrates the historical significance of events leading to the formation of the Spanish Armada and its deployment. 7 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * The Quarrel and the Men * Singeing the King of Spain's Beard * The Ships * Did Drake Drum Them Up the Channel? * The Fire Ships * The End of the Armada * Elizabeth at Tilbury 9 Primary Source Documents: * Engraving of Lord Howard of Effingham * Portrait of Sir Francis Drake * Resolution of August 1, 1588, to pursue the Armada * Series of maps showing the course of the Armada * Adams map of the Thames defenses * Engraving of the Armada off Calais * Armada portrait of Elimbeth I and portrait of Philip II, with her speech at Tilbury and his comments on the Spanish defeat * Engraving commemorating the defeat of the Armada and the discovery of Gunpowder Plot * Visscher engravings of Armada ships