I sent you to fight with men, and not the weather.

The English ships were better built and easier to manoeuvre. They were much better equipped.

God blew his wind, and they were scattered.

Did Philip plan carefully enough? Some suggest

his plan was certain to fail!

The Spanish fleet was defeated for the first time… Not by men, nor by ships... only against the hurricanes

and gales did we lose.

Elizabeth made clever use of what we would now call propaganda. She made a

public appearance with her troops which made them

confident.

The English filled 80 ships with flammable material

and set fire to them. They were carried, by the strong winds, out to sea towards the Spanish who panicked

and scattered.Once the armada scattered, they were no longer in their strong crescent formation, and so they were an easy

target for the English artillery.

The Spanish tried to sail close to the English ships

so their soldiers could board them and fight! But the English ships were too quick for them and could easily keep their distance.

The Spanish got caught in a terrible storm. Strong winds and rain forced

many Spanish ships onto the coast of Ireland, so they could not make it

home.

Lots of Spanish ships were sunk by the fire of the

English guns.

Philip had made a plan that he ordered the Spanish to

follow. They could not make use of any

advantages and had to do what he said no matter

what.

The English had an experienced and strong navy whilst the Spanish were better fighting on

land.

The Spanish set sail without enough sailors. Philip’s plan to stop and collect more troops from France left the Armada

vulnerable to attack.

The Spanish fleet was too large, so there was no port

big enough for them to anchor in.

The English had excellent cannons, but they only

worked when the Spanish ships were close by.Once the Spanish were

forced north, they had no choice but to continue on round Scotland, because the English would have been waiting for them if they had gone back they

way they had come.

Francis Drake, the commander of the British

Fleet, had a good knowledge of the weather and told the British to let

Spanish sail into the storm as that would finish them

off.

Philip was said to be too proud and arrogant, and he refused to listen to anyone

else’s advice.