Year 9 History

Christmas Exam

Revision List

Remember to check your revision list and use your history notes to prepare for the exam. The information on this page is only a starting point.

The Spanish Armada

England and Spain had initially been allies. King Philip II of Spain had been married to Elizabeth I’s sister, Mary, and England and Spain had been allies during war with France. When Elizabeth came to the throne, she tried to remain friendly with Spain. Philip had remained friendly too; he had hoped that in time Elizabeth might come round to becoming a Catholic.

Tensions began to rise between the two nations when it became clear that Elizabeth was steadfast in her Protestantism. Philip was particularly angered by the death of his Catholic ally, Mary Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth’s assistance for Protestant rebels in the Netherlands who were seeking to overthrow Philip’s control. Philip had also been aggravated by the behaviour of Elizabeth’s privateers, such as Sir Francis Drake and his cousin, Sir John Hawkins, who made money by robbing and raiding Spanish settlements and ships in the Americas.

In the summer of 1588, Philip attempted to launch an invasion of England. This was one of the largest attempted invasions England had seen. 130 Spanish ships were sent to invade.

There were a couple of main factors in the defeat of the Armada:

Elizabeth's naval commanders were highly skilled.
Strong storms scattered, and sank, many of the Spanish ships.
The English ships were designed for battle. Many of the Spanish ships were not warships, and were generally used for transporting soldiers and supplies.

Elizabeth used the defeat of the Armada to create propaganda, which was intended to increase support for her rule. Medals commemorating the event read, ‘God blew and they scattered’. It was a reference to the storms dispersing the Spanish ships.

Despite the defeat of the Armada, wars against Spain continued until the end of Elizabeth’s reign. They drained Elizabeth’s resources and caused tensions between her and Parliament. Many English soldiers returned from battle injured and unpaid, which increased poverty. These failings might lead historians to conclude that her reign was not completely successful.

Basic Facts of The Armada

Sir Francis Drake was the most famous seaman of Elizabeth's reign. His career has been interpreted in different ways, ranging from national hero to villain. He grew up as a Puritan who hated Catholics and he was very anti-Spanish. His first voyage in 1566 was as a slave trader. He was attacked in 1568 by the Spanish at San Juan de Ulua in Mexico, losing four ships and over 300 men. He sought to take revenge on the Spanish after this.

Notable expeditions

Drake was the first Englishman to sail around the world, circumnavigating the globe between 1577 and 1580. He went on to play a role in the Spanish Armada by attacking Cadiz in 1587 and delaying preparations. He was also vice-admiral during the Armada.

Impact

Launched successful attacks on the Spanish empire, bringing back gold, silver and jewels, making a huge profit.
Claimed new lands for England and made valuable trading contacts with the Spice Islands.
Knighted by Elizabeth and made an admiral.

‘Fireships’

Shortly after midnight on 7 August, the English sent in eight ‘fireships’ loaded with tar, gunpowder and other flammable materials. Although none of these hit a Spanish ship they were enough to make the Spanish take up anchor and set off in disarray.

'Galleon'

The galleon (Spanish: galeón, French: galion) was a type of sailing ship used for both cargo carrying and as a warship. Galleons dominated the seas in the second half of the 16th century, and with their lower superstructures, they were much more manoeuvrable and seaworthy than previous ship types like the carrack.

A particular feature of galleons was the impressive number of heavy cannons they could carry. An even bigger version of this class was the Spanish galleon, which compromised speed for greater cargo capacity. The Spanish galleons were used to transport goods from the New World and Asia in the Spanish treasure fleets which sailed to Europe and so they became an irresistible target for pirates and privateers.

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