The Armada Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What was Philip II's invasion plan for the Spanish Armada of 1588?

The Armada, led by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, would sail up the Channel to the Netherlands, collect the Duke of Parma's army and invade England.

What did the English fleet do when the Armada anchored off Calais in 1588?

They sent fire ships into the Spanish fleet, breaking its crescent formation, and then attacked at the Battle of Gravelines.

Give one English naval advantage that helped defeat the Spanish Armada.

English ships were more manoeuvrable in the Channel and had superior long-range artillery.

Give one reason for the Armada's defeat that was not English tactics.

The wind blew the fleet north past Parma's army, and storms off Scotland and Ireland wrecked many of its ships.

True or false? The Spanish had failed to capture a deep-water port before launching the Armada.

True. This meant their ships could not dock close enough to collect Parma's army.

Where in England was Parma's army meant to land in 1588?

In Kent, after being ferried across from the Netherlands, before marching on London.

Why could English ships fire faster than Spanish ships in 1588?

English guns sat on smaller, compact carriages that were easier to haul back and reload, so they fired far more often than the Spanish guns.