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The Defeat of the Armada (Consequences (Victory over the Armada offered…
The Defeat of the Armada
Long-term planning
The treasurer of the navy, Hawkins, had advised Elizabeth years before, that English warships needed to be fast and easily manoeuvrable so they could turn their guns on the enemy faster
Elizabeth listened to this expert advice, and planned well in advance
English ship design
Galleons were built from the early 1570s, and were designed to be easier and faster to manoeuvre
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The decks on English ships had enough space for cannons to recoil, be quickly reloaded by a small team and then pushed back through the gun port. This design meant that English ships could fire more cannon balls at the Spanish with more speed (as they allowed for recoil)
Although the galleons were some of the best warships in the world, there were only 24 ships by 1588, so the ships weren't the sole reason
Spanish supplies
The Armada was not as well supplied as it might have been, as supplies were stored in barrels made of inferior wood
The barrels were poor quality as Drake's raid on Cadiz had destroyed so many barrels, so new ones had to be made quickly.
Delays in setting sail and bad weather meant that by the time the English engaged the Armada, it had already been at sea for over 10 weeks, and when the English boarded the first Spanish ship, they found its supplies already rotting
Documents written by Medina-Sidonia indicate that the Armada was low in supplies of canon balls, and archeological evidence suggests they were of bad quality
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English tactics
The Armada was spotted on 29th July 1588 in the Channel, and by the 31st July the English had opened fire and captured 2 ships
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There was heavy exchanges of fire near the Isle of Wight on the 3-4 August, these were useful as Medina-Sidonia had hoped to anchor safely here, and stopping might have meant that Parma received his messages in enough time to get the Dutch fleet ready for his arrival
During the exchange at the Isle of Wight, the English were able to fire as many as 6 times more cannon balls than the Spanish and from further away
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Philip II's mistakes, Elizabeth's smart choices
He did consult his military commanders before the Armada sailed, he ignored their criticisms, suggestions and concerns
This mistake was enhanced by the fact that Elizabeth left her key decisions to more experienced commanders: Drake, the Earl of Nottingham, and Lord Seymour
Consequences
Before the Armada, Elizabeth addressed her troops in Tilbury where they were preparing to defend England from Spanish invasion, in a famous speech that raised morale
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The Anglo-Dutch alliance became stronger than ever, as the defeat of the Spanish encouraged the Dutch rebels to renew their fight against the Spanish
The defeat of the Armada showed the strength of the English navy. After 1588, it gave England the confidence to trade and explore more widely on the open sea
The defeat cost Spain financially and in terms of its power. The Armada marked the beginning of a long decline in Spanish fortunes