Stung by British raids on Spanish colonies in the West Indies, Pacific and South Atlantic (notably by Francis Drake), and provoked by the Treaty of Nonesuch (1585) which offered British support to Protestant rebels against Spanish rule in the Low Countries, Philip II of Spain decided to launch an invasion of England and restore a Catholic monarchy. His plan was to invade with 30,000 Spanish troops under the Duke of Parma from the Netherlands, supported by a massive fleet sent form Spain and augmented by the ships of his allies, Portugal, Sicily and Venice. Two years in the preparation, the fleet of 130 vessels, with some 8,000 sailors and nearly 20,000 soldiers, sailed from Lisbon in May 1588 under the command of the resolute but …
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Spanish Armada". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 June 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1027, accessed 23 November 2024.]
