Elizabeth I & the Spanish Armada

Question 1

What is an “armada”?

Answer 1

A fleet of ships.

Question 2

When was the Spanish Armada?

Answer 2

July - August 1588

Question 3

When did the Spanish Armada leave Lisbon and set sail for England?

Answer 3

28th May 1588.

Question 4

When was the Spanish fleet first sighted by the English?

Answer 4

29th July 1588 of the Lizard point in Cornwall.

Question 5

When the Armada was spotted what was done?

Answer 5

Beacons are lit.

Question 6

When and what was the Battle of Gravelines? (2)

Answer 6

8th August 1588

A naval battle between the Spanish and English as part of the Spanish Armada.

Question 7

Who commanded the English fleet? (2)

Answer 7

Lord Howard & Sir Francis Drake

Question 8

Who commanded the Spanish land forces?

Answer 8

The Duke of Parma

Question 9

Who commanded the Spanish Armada?

Answer 9

The Duke of Medina Sidonia

Question 10

How many ships were in the Spanish fleet? (4)

Answer 10

A total of 131 ships
64 battleships
22 huge galleons
45 converted merchant ships.

Question 11

How many ships in the English fleet? (3)

Answer 11

Almost 200 ships.
54 strong, light and fast battleships.
140 converted merchant ships.

Question 12

How many soldiers did Spain have? (3)

Answer 12

50,000 total

30,000 men on board the fleet

20,000 soldiers on land.

Question 13

How many soldiers did England have?

Answer 13

34,000 total

14,000 men on board the fleet

20,000 soldiers on land.

Question 14

What were the Spanish tactics? (3)

Answer 14

Sail in a tight “crescent” formation.

Get close so men could board and capture the enemy ships.

This would be done using grapple hooks.

Question 15

What were the English tactics? (3)

Answer 15

Sail in a straight line.

Position themselves “broadside” (side on) against the enemy.

Destroy enemy ships by firing cannon at them from a distance.

Question 16

How did the English finally break the Spanish formation? (3)

Answer 16

The Armada anchored near Calais where more troops were meant to join, led by the Duke of Parma.

But the English sent eight burning fire ships into the fleet.

The Spanish ships panicked and were scattered out of formation.

Question 17

How did the English finally defeat the Armada? (3)

Answer 17

The Spanish ships were blown towards dangerous sandbanks.

The English attacked again in the Battle of Gravelines.

This time they battled at close range and significant damage was inflicted to the Spanish fleet.

Question 18

How did the Spanish get back to Spain? (4)

Answer 18

A huge storm forces the Armada up the North Sea and around the east coast of Britain

They are forced around Scotland and Ireland.

Many ships were wrecked in storms and thousands of sailors drowned.

The surviving Spanish ships arrived back in Spain, but almost half of their fleet is lost.

Question 19

What were the Spanish losses?

Answer 19

60+ ships

20,000 men.

Question 20

What were the English losses?

Answer 20

0 ships.

100 men.

Question 21

Why did the Spanish tactics contribute to the Spanish defeat? (3)

Answer 21

The crescent formation was strong, but once broken up it was vulnerable to the faster English ships.

Spanish cannons were slow to reload.

The lack of a secure port where the Spanish could take shelter meant that the Spanish ships were constantly hit by the wind.

Question 22

Why did bad leadership contribute to the Spanish defeat?

Answer 22

The Duke of Medina Sidonia was inexperienced.

He was picked based on his social standing and not his skill.

He experienced sea sickness

Question 23

Why did luck contribute to the Spanish defeat? (3)

Answer 23

The windy weather destabilised the Spanish formation.

The storm destroyed the Spanish ships on their way back to Spain

It was said that “God blew, and they were scattered.”

Question 24

What other factors contributed to the Spanish defeat?

Answer 24

The Spanish overestimated the level of support there would be in England for Spanish control and a return to Roman Catholicism.