R1915thand16thB

Theme: War and Civil conflict; origins, developments, technology, and their consequences.

B. Spanish Armada (May 9, 1588). Phillip II of Spain was determined to crush the heresy in the Low Countries and also to conquer England, so on May 9, 1588 la felicissima armada, or the most fortunate fleet, sailed from the Lisbon Harbor. The Spanish Armada was composed of 130 ships, while the English fleet had about 150 smaller, faster and more maneuverable ships. Many reasons accounted for the Spanish defeat in this naval war, such as: storms and squalls, spoiled food and bad water, and also inadequate Spanish ammunition. The defeat of the Spanish Armada prevented Phillip II from reimposing religious unity on Western Europe by force.

MLA:

McKay, John P. __A History of Western Society__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003