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Spanish Armada - Coggle Diagram
Spanish Armada
What Happened
- Armada consisted of 130 ships ad 2431 guns. Sent along the English Channel to the Netherlands.
- Here they planned to join forces with the Duke of Parma's army. 27,000 Spanish troops set sail for Kent.
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3rd-4th August: Battle of the Isle of White. Spanish ships are outgunned and forced to move further up the channel towards Calais.
8th August: Battle of Gravelines. Drakes fireships caused the Spanish to panic and cut anchor. Minimal damage but the Duke of Medina Sedonia failed to meet up with the Duke of Parma to join forces.
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Explain Why It Failed
Poor Communication:
- No communication between the Duke of Parma and the Duke of Medina Sidonia.
- The Spanish possessed no deep sea ports (the Dutch rebels still controlled Ostend). They had to meet up at sea which made communication difficult.
Lack of Supplies:
- Drake's raid on Cadiz destroyed barrels for storage. New barrels made quickly and of worse cork poorly stored provisions.
- After 10 weeks at sea, food started rotting which damaged their morale and ability to fight.
Superior English Tactics:
- The English got close enough to Spanish ships to fire on them, but far enough away to prevent the Spanish from boarding.
- Drake's fireships caused the Spanish to panic and break their arrow formation as well as cut their anchor.
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