The Spanish Armada

A fleet against England

In 1588 Philip the Second of Spain sent a huge fleet, the Armada, to invade Protestant England. The war had many roots: the religious rivalry between Catholic Spain and Protestant England, help given by Elizabeth to Dutch rebels against Spain, English privateers raiding Spanish treasure ships, and anger at the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. The Armada was beaten by a mix of English skill and bad luck for Spain. This module looks at why the war came, how the fighting went, and why the Armada was defeated.

Armada words

Learn these four words before you sort any cause of the war or the defeat, because the exam wants the defeat explained by several causes working together rather than by one on its own. Each term below is a piece of that fuller picture.

English against Spanish ships

The two fleets were built and fought differently, and this helped decide the battle.

How to explain the defeat

Never say the weather alone beat the Armada. Weigh several causes together. The English ships were faster and fired from further off. The fireships sent among the anchored fleet forced it to scatter in panic. The storms that followed drove the fleeing ships onto rocks around the north. And Spanish planning was poor, with unsuitable ships and weak supplies. A strong answer sets these causes side by side and judges which mattered most, rather than picking just one.

Match the cause to what it was

How did the English scatter the Armada?

The Spanish fleet anchored near Calais. What did the English do to break it up?

• They sent burning fireships in among the anchored ships.
• They boarded and captured every Spanish ship at once.
• They simply waited in port and did nothing.
• They asked the Spanish to surrender peacefully.

Causes of the defeat

Select the TWO causes that helped defeat the Armada.

• Faster English ships with longer-range guns
• Storms that wrecked ships around the north
• The English having far more ships than Spain
• The Armada simply gave up without a fight

Count the reasons left

There were 4 main reasons for the war with Spain that a student must learn. So far the student can name 1 of them. Subtract to find how many reasons are still to be learned. What is the answer?

Order the Armada campaign

Put the events of the Armada campaign in order, earliest first.

• Philip sends the Armada to invade England
• The fleet anchors near Calais to wait for the army
• The English send fireships that scatter the fleet
• Storms drive the fleeing ships onto rocks in the north

Complete the story

The great fleet Spain sent in 1588 was the _____. The English used faster ships and clever _____ to fight from a distance. At Calais they sent burning _____ in among the anchored fleet to scatter it. As the Armada fled, bad _____ wrecked many of its ships in the north.

Match the cause to how it helped England

Spot the true Armada facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true about the Spanish Armada.

• The English used fireships to scatter the fleet at Calais
• The defeat had several causes, not just the weather
• The English won by boarding every Spanish ship
• The weather alone was the only cause of defeat

Judge the causes

Read each case and choose the best answer.

• A student writes that the weather alone defeated the Armada. Why is this a weak answer?
• Which of these was a genuine reason for the war between England and Spain?
• Why did the faster English ships with longer-range guns give an advantage?

Explain the Armada

Explain why Spain sent the Armada against England and why it was defeated, weighing several causes.

• Explain two reasons for the war between England and Spain
• Explain the English tactics and technology in the battle
• Explain how the fireships helped scatter the Armada
• Explain the part played by the weather and by Spanish planning
• Finish with a judgement on which cause of the defeat mattered most